Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Berdous - Péng Lái EDP Péng Lái (“Peng”) is an oriental floral fragrance from Berdous.   The fragrance also has hallmarks of being a lightly spicy fruity floral.   The inspiration behind Peng is one of Chinese legend.   It is said that, “The tale of Peng Lai, tells of the island of longevity where the Goddess of Flowers, He Xiangu, sojourned. This grand cru invites you to daydream, clear your mind, and recharge your batteries at the heart of the Middle Kingdom as you admire the singular beauty of this region of the world.” Peng opens with a soft osmanthus and bergamot blended with an equally light, bright citrus.   The notes project with a delicate intimacy.   There is also a gentle sweetness.   Very quickly, I get a juicy peach and a somewhat jammy rose.   Neither of these two notes take this fragrance to a place where it becomes cloying.   At roughly the one hour mark, benzoin adds it’s usual tones and the fragrance begins to round...

DUA Fragrances - 44 Shades of Vanilla DUA is a California-based fragrance company that creates both “inspired” and original fragrances.   I realize there are many people that don’t support “inspired” fragrances, however, here in the U.S. they are legal and I personally believe they can be affordable alternatives for many people – as I always say: Fragrance (and makeup) should be for everyone.   That said, 44 Shades of Vanilla (“44 Shades”) is one of DUA’s inspired fragrances.   The inspiration for 44 Shades is Le Labo’s Vanilla 44.   I have not yet sampled the Le Labo and my review will simply be based on 44 Shades as it stands as its own fragrance. 44 Shades is a woody aromatic.   It opens with a beautiful woody vanilla tinged with just a tiny bit of citrus.   There is an intense woody warmth to the notes.   It’s as if you’ve been able to reach inside the very heart of the wood, place a vanilla pod there, and breathe in deeply.   As...

DKNY - Nectar Love EDP Nectar Love (“Nectar”) was released by DKNY in 2017.  Fragrantica classified it as an oriental floral but to me, it’s more of a fruity floral on wear. Nectar opens with a bright and sunny freesia-mandarin burst.  The freesia smells clean and bright and blossoming.  The mandarin is sweet and juicy.  There is a delicate sweetness of honeycomb.  As you breathe in, you sense the sun’s rays beaming down and warming the fruity floral. With its development, Nectar adds a light note of jasmine coupled with lily of the valley.  The lily comes slightly more forward than the jasmine.  The fruit accord is built upon by a ripened, also juicy, plum note.  As Nectar begins to dry down, the fruity florals are joined by a touch vanilla.  The honey seems to come slightly more forward and the fruity notes recede.  The sweetness is tempered a bit by a light woody note and a hint of musk.  Nectar wears on me wit...

Hermes - Eau d’Orange Verte “Eau d’Orange Verte is the scent of the Little Prince in all of us.” (Jean-Claude Ellena)  I just don’t know.  I feel like the Little Prince would probably go with a different fragrance.  I’ll let you know what I think and then you can decide. Eau d’Orange Verte opens with a beautiful, fresh, juicy orange.  The orange feels quite green on me and does not pull overly sweet.  The note is realistic; as if you are smelling an orange while standing in a grove.  Within about 45 minutes, the singular orange note has faded and in its place arrives a general citrus note.  It is quite possibly the combination of the mandarin and Amalfi lemon with the mint and cassis but frankly, none of the notes are individually identifiable on me.  As this fragrance begins to drydown, it becomes softened and a very, very clean patchouli and oakmoss are identifiable.  Eau d’Orange is a pleasant light, fresh citrus fragrance....

Kat Von D Sinner: (2017). I purchased this oriental floral as a blind buy out of curiosity. If you've seen the new bottles for the 2017 release; they're amazing but I wasn't inclined to go fb on this blind buy. Still, the travel sprays are quite lovely in their own right. I think I expected Sinner to be a much louder fragrance than it is. It is a floral oriental with a moderate projection. The cinnamon, patchouli, and wood notes are the most pronounced while the florals are quite blurred; you really must sniff with concentration to detect one over another. Sinner does seem to be a reasonable representation of an "edgy, unapologetic, and outspoken" woman. It pushes some boundaries yet stops short of being that obnoxious, loud, piece of work that makes you you cringe when you see her. "Kat Von D Beauty’s most requested collection of all time is returning at last and better than ever. Meet Sinner—dark, sultry, and empowering, this enticing fragrance sweeten...

Dua Fragrances: Caribbean Waters. This citrus aromatic was created by  Mahsam Raza . Ok, I did a quick spritz of this when I got home since a fellow fragrance lover reminded me I had forgotten to try this when it arrived. There are many out there that compare this to the Creed juice, but as I haven't smelled the "original" I can't offer a comparison. What I can say, is that on first spray, my brain went into a random reshuffle of "it puts the lime in the coconut"! This juice is pure Summer to me. It's tropical and beachy and fresh. It's all the best notes of a frozen fruity drink. Now all I need is a "tall ship and a star to steer her by"! "The fragrance features bergamot, lime, mandarin orange, coconut, sugar cane and white rum."