Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Kyse Perfumes: Bonbons À La Vanille Bonbons À La Vanille (“Bonbons”) is a new release from Kyse Perfumes.   On me, it wears as an oriental vanilla (gourmand) fragrance.   It is important to stop here to note that this fragrance was created for the perfumer’s friend at his request for a “grown up vanilla candy”.     I find this quite lovely.   Bonbons opens as a delectable, sweet, pure vanilla.   There is an eloquent finish on the vanilla that prevents it from becoming a mass market teen-type vanilla.   In Bonbons, Peru Balsam adds a slightly earthiness to the vanilla as I reach roughly 2 hours into wear.   Into the drydown, I get a slight spice – cinnamon possibly but not quite distinct.   There is a soft, light, white muskiness in the drydown as well which adds a comforting feel; much like a warm blanket in the Winter. Bonbons wears on me with soft projection for roughly 7 – 8 hours. Notes: Tahitian vanilla beans, Peru b...

Pinrose – Secret Genius Secret Genius (“Genius”) was released in 2015 and is the first fragrance I’ve tested from Pinrose.   Genius is an oriental vanilla. If you look below the main review, you’ll see I’ve kept the brand’s Notes as published instead of converting it to the “standard” fragrance terms for the note construction.   The way the brand describes Notes and, moreover, the way they describe the basic “vibe” of their fragrances speaks to who their target audience is.   In the case of Genius, the fragrance is described as: VIBE   Trustworthy • Comforting • Sexy PERFECT FOR Hatching plans and sneaking kisses SIPS LIKE   White Russian Genius isn’t a fragrance that has much by way of development with the exception of the initial note I get in the very opening.   Basically, it’s a “what you smell is what you get”.   And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.   What was less than spectacular was the very first opening note that I...

Kilian – Princess EDP Princess is a new release from Kilian and a part of the My Kind of Love Collection.  It is an oriental vanilla with a very familiar feel. As I noted in my review of Boys, this collection seems to be aimed at millennials or Gen Z.   The tagline for the fragrance, “I DON'T NEED A PRINCE BY MY SIDE TO BE A PRINCESS.” speaks to a defiance and a self-assurance of what Kilian sees as a “fierce female”.   Even in the brand’s description of this fragrance as being a “gourmand with a kick”, it’s easy to see the kind of vibe the brand was going for. So, getting back to my initial comment regarding familiarity – There’s a fairly linear wear with this fragrance on me.   It has reminiscences of Pink Sugar without being as boldly sweet.   It’s powdery sweet and initially smells exactly like a marshmallow.   It’s as if you’ve bought a bag to roast at a campfire and have just opened the bag; you get that powdery whiff that floats up in...

Montale - Vanilla Cake EDP Vanilla Cake was launched by Montale in 2018.   It is classified as an oriental vanilla but it's more clearly a gourmand. So, lets’ start out this week on a sweet note with a little silliness.   Let’s talk about cake.   Vanilla cake.   Deep, rich, buttery yellow cake.   It’s quite possible you’re 5 again and at a birthday party.   Oh and there’s that cake.   The cake has just been baked and frosted.   Cake!   You get that strong whiff of vanilla batter that just risen into the most delectable, moist cake there is.   And frosting.   Frosting whipped and piled high full of decadent vanilla goodness.   Sure, there is a slight creamy almond and a soft twist of caramel, perhaps served on the side as garnish, but this is all about the cake.   Did I mention there’s cake?! Vanilla Cake wears on me for about 9 hours with soft projection. Notes: Almond powder, butter cream, milky mousse, ...

Montale Parfums Paris - Intense Café EDP Intense Café is an oriental vanilla fragrance that released in 2013.   A number of my friends in the fragrance community have spoken highly of this fragrance and, being a coffee fiend (both the note and the beverage) I wanted to try it.   I ordered a sample from Luckyscent and… I don’t even know where to begin with this.   It’s rare that I draw a complete blank when writing a review.   I should say here that I tested this fragrance for four days in a row.   And I am lost.   What I mean here is that I was anticipating a glorious coffee fragrance.   What I experienced on each of my trials was not a coffee fragrance in any way. When I take in the very opening of Intense Café, I get a strong, bitter, somewhat spicy or medicinal floral.   It is not identifiable as a specific flower.   The floral intensity softens after about an hour and in comes a rose.   The rose is mixed with a resinous...

House of Matriarch - Coco Blanc I was gifted a sample of this oriental vanilla fragrance from a very good friend of mine.   I had been interested in testing it for some time and had simply not gotten around to it.   Sometimes, you need that little push from a friend!   In this case, I’m so happy I got that push. While on the surface, the main notes in this fragrance read as gourmand, let me stop you there – this fragrance does not wear as a traditional sweet gourmand.   Instead, like all of the House of Matriarch fragrances I’ve had the chance to try, this one is intensely complex.   Coco Blanc opens on me as a creamy white chocolate, chai spiced, walk in the woods.   There is almost a warm floral quality to it.   The fragrance does not feel weighted down but instead has a lightness to it.   Hints of coconut peek through enveloped in an accord that reads on me as a smoky leather.   I get a lightly resinous warmth.   Coming ...

Kiss My Sass Cosmetics – Decadence Decadence is a fun to wear, cozy, sexy, and…well…decadent fragrance from the Indie brand Kiss My Sass.   The brand does some really stellar cosmetics and their fragrance line is equally respectable.   I ordered Decadence along with a cosmetics order as the notes sounded appealing.   Decadence opens with a rich dark chocolate coffee note.   The note is deep, dense, and luscious as if you had gone to a coffee roaster and had your cup of comfort made to order.   About an hour into wear, the dark chocolate recedes and in come an old school patchouli and musk tipped with vanilla bean and white chocolate.   The notes twirl in a hypnotic dance that it reminiscent of the best of the 60s; it’s gourmand meets Haight Ashbury.   There is sweetness balanced with an earthy, edgy, sensual, somewhat animalistic feel.   The fragrance wears in this hedonistic and sensual way through the remaining wear.   Decaden...

M. Micallef – Art Collection Vanille: Vanille Orient In 2012, M. Micallef released The Art Collection which they described as “a four-movement symphony on the theme of Vanilla.”   Each vanilla-based fragrance showcases the note in a different fragrance family – leather, floral, aquatic, and oriental.   Vanille Orient (“Vanille) is, as expected, the oriental vanilla release of the quad. Vanille opens with a lightly spiced yet somehow cool boozy vanilla.   The vanilla is also creamy, buttery, and somewhat sweet.   I get a pronounced clean musk and a more subtle amber.   There is a richness and complexity to the fragrance which highlights the vanilla.   Vanilla is showcased here as its sweet self and is complimented with the traditional hallmarks of an oriental fragrance.   There is a fairly linear wear to Vanille with the exception of the drydown where the fragrance takes on a powdery quality. Vanille wears on me with moderate moving to lig...

Mancera Paris - Choco Violette EDP Choco Violette (“CV”) is an oriental vanilla offering released in 2016 from Montale.  With its wear on me, it easily slips into the gourmand category. CV opens with a puff of cocoa powder and candy.  The cocoa powder is rich and intense and I can almost feel it on my tongue.  It’s very much as if you’ve opened a jar of a gourmet powder to create a luscious hot cocoa.  The candy note is very reminiscent of a candy necklace or parma violet candies so popular in the UK. After the first initial opening impressions, the cocoa powder note seems to fade back.  In comes an equally delicious orange-bergamot blend.  The floral is stronger than the citrus; which lays back and seems to simply add more sweetness to the perfume.  Underneath this note, I get a hint of hazelnut.  The buttery nut note adds richness to the fragrance.  About an hour and a half into wear, I get a creamy vanilla.  Again, the va...

Kiss My Sass - Sucre Noir For my blog, I like to test and review fragrances from every place in the fragrance world: Mainstream, Indie, Niche, High End/Luxury – there are a number of descriptives and many fragrances cross between categories.  Recently there’s been some discussion in the fragcomm about what each group of fragrance is defined as.  For me, while there is some relevance as to where a particular fragrance may fit, at the end of the day my personal feeling is that fragrance is for everyone.  There is a price point and a creative philosophy behind fragrances that everyone can find their own happy place with.  Sucre Noir is an offering from an Indie brand, Kiss My Sass, out of Pennsylvania.  I purchased this fragrance, along with a cosmetic order, because I was curious as to how the brand approached scent.  Often, Indie brands offer unique variations of fragrance that you simply do not see replicated in the Mainstream. Sucre Noir wears...

Il Profvmo - Chocolat EDP Chocolat is an oriental vanilla fragrance and (spoilers), while the name of the fragrance is Chocolat, it has no semblance of a gourmand or a strong chocolate note(s) on me. This perfume wears in a fairly linear way on me with the exception of the drydown.  I get a soft, lightly spiced, slightly fruity, floral blend with a vanilla base.  The tangerine melds with the plum in this fragrance so as not to become citric yet it does impart a warmth when combined with the nutmeg.  There is a creamy quality to the fragrance which tends to lean more strongly floral than fruity or vanilla on me.  Jasmine and rose are tinged with the fruits and there is a somewhat biting acid that is tempered by an overlay of powder.  A dry chocolate-cocoa appears for me as the scent begins to dry down.  In the drydown the fragrance becomes softer and more powdery. Notes:  tangerine, galbanum, nutmeg, sandalwood, plum, jasmine, rose, cacao, ...

Ellis Brooklyn - Sci Fi EDP I received a sample of Sci Fi with a cosmetics order I placed.  Being a sci fi geek, I was immediately curious because of the name.  Little did I know what this fragrance had in store for me! Sci Fi is an interesting twist on what we know as vanilla-based scents.  The fragrance begins with a clearly citrus opening filled with bergamot and bitter orange.  The citrus lays superimposed on the vanilla which I find runs through the entire wear of the juice.  About an hour into wear and just when you’re feeling like you have a citric vanilla – bam – in comes a refreshing, slightly sweet and somewhat herbal green tea and a gorgeous freesia.  The citrus moves to the back and you have a transformed scent.  A clean, somewhat green, lightly floral, lightly vanilla rises from the skin.  When Sci Fi begins the drydown cashmere woods add a warmer, deeper base. Sci Fi feels very much like a fantasy voyage; taking the wear...

Prada - Les Infusions de Prada Amande Les Infusions de Prada Amande (“Amande”) is an oriental vanilla offering from the Prada Infusion Collection.  (Note – For me, Amande wears as more of an oriental until the drydown.)  It is a heightened take on the contrasting sweet and bitter in bitter almond oil. Amande opens with a sharp, cool amaretto note.  I get the layered bitter almond balanced against the light bergamot.  After about fifteen minutes, the juice takes on a powdery feel as the heliotrope comes into play.  The powder feels more like a bittersweet almond powder than a baby powder.  About an hour or two into wear I begin to get the spicier note from the anise while the tonka reinforces the duality of the scent.  In the drydown, Amande becomes an almost creamy fragrance with a lovely light musk base.  The drydown feels much more complex than the opening. Amande wear on me for roughly 7 hours with moderate projection. Notes: b...

Solstice Scents - Conjure There are days you want or need your fragrance to evoke something of the mystical.  Today is one of those days for me and I decided to reach for Conjure. Conjure opens with a beautiful note of amber on me.  The amber is warm, rich, slightly musky and tinged with just a hint of vanilla.  I get a light cedar covered with spices.  There is an incense note of cinnamon that adds a mysterious complexity to this juice.  I get a creamy sandalwood note that has a deep smokiness.  Taken together the notes of amber, spice, woods, and smoke create a complex, wearable, dark scent that suggest an intimate experience with the magical. Conjure wore for 5 hours on me with a moderate to light projection. Notes:  Blend of Amber, Vanillas, Cedar, Allspice, Cauldron Smoke and lots of other Essential Oils

I Profumi di Firenze - Vaniglia del Madagascar Vaniglia del Madagascar is an oriental vanilla.  The site I purchased this from says it is a "must for vanilla lovers".  So when I had the opportunity to pick up a small bottle at 20% off, I thought why not. Vaniglia del Madagascar is a gorgeous sweet, cre amy vanilla over a very delicate and subtle lily of the valley. The sweetness is not overly sweet (so not even remotely in the ballpark of a scent like Mugler Angel Eau Sucree).  Vanilla takes the spotlight with this and it has a genuine vanilla vibe instead of a synthetic one like you get with some vanilla fragrances.  This is a soft, sweet, and delicious smelling scent that holds tightly to the skin.  It's so lovely you simply want to smell it all day (which is not too much of a problem with a 6-7 hour wear time.)  “ A must have” - I couldn't agree more! Notes: Vanilla Orchid and Vanilla Bean from Madagascar

Dua Fragrances: Honey Havane Honey Havane was a blind buy for me.  I was intrigued by the notes in this oriental vanilla scent.  Honey Havane opens with an absolutely beautiful, rich vanilla honey.  The honey is sweet but not overly sweet.  To my nose, it’s the cleanest and loveliest honey I’ve smelled in a fragrance.  If Winnie the Pooh were here there’d be no keeping this one safe! The gourmand honey gains a complexity by the addition of tobacco leaf.  The tobacco is present just enough that you know it’s there but not so much that you feel this fragrance is “about” tobacco.  The tobacco is a lovely green tobacco.  The base of this fragrance is comprised of a woody-musky-amber.  These notes also light and clean.  During the drydown, the spices, oud, musk and amber become more noticeable but the honey never disappears – it simply becomes lighter.  I get about 7 hours of wear from Honey Havane with a moderate projection whi...

Parfumerie Bruckner: Aoud 1 When I received this sample, my first reaction was - Oh no an oud! Like for many people, oud is a challenging note for me. But, as I have 2 other oud fragrances that ended up being fbw to me, I thought it was worth a chance. Your first clue as to what I ended up thinking of this was that this is marked as my SOTN/SOTD. I first tested this last night. Today, I had to be in "close quarters" first thing, so reached for it again. Aoud No 1, despite it's name, is not about the oud to me. And, ironically, I've gotten 2 distinct wearings from this juice. Last night, the fragrance was all about fresh juicy plum and peach. The fruits were so alive and ripe you could almost taste them! I got a very subtle orange blossom over a vanilla tinged creamy oud. The oud was subtle and clean and simply added a slightly woody note. This morning, the fragrance wore as a stronger floral. The orange blossom and jasmine seemed to be blooming. I still get the...

Montale: Honey Aoud I hate Summer. Summers in the Mid Atlantic Region, particularly near DC, are brutal; sweltering heat and high humidity. I find absolutely nothing redeeming about sweating the minute you walk out your door. Sure, being at the water can be lovely but give me that walk on the beach in the cooler months. Fall. Fall is my season. And Montale Honey Aoud has given me a taste of Fall in the Summer. On first spray I get a lightly floral cinnamon. The cinnamon is fairly bold. The honey quickly mixes with the cinnamon and gets that Autumn sweet and spicy vibe. Yet this is not an overly sweet scent. The oud in this is well measured and gives a woody twist to an ambery light leather base. To me the vanilla is vaguely present adding a touch of a vanilla sweetness and a slight cream smoothing the entire juice out. Honey Aoud has a pretty strong projection so a little goes a long way. Top notes: Floral notes, Cinnamon Heart notes: Honey, Sumatran patchouli Base notes: La...

Dame Perfumery: Black Flower Mexican Vanilla I wasn't going to write a review for this one after seeing how many of you already own and love it. And then it occurred to me, that would be very much like tasting a fine wine and not remarking "oh this is good" simply because everyone already knows. Black Flower Mexican Vanilla is, in my opinion, the conversion vanilla. What I mean is that many shy away from vanilla fragrances fearing they will pull too gourmand or sweet (and they don't care for that). This is the vanilla fragrance that might just convert those that are normally disinclined to try a fragrance with vanilla. Black Flower is a cozy, warm vanilla filled with sultry spice and deep layered florals. It's the feel of your favorite ultra soft sweater on a chilly day, a snuggle by the fireside...the pure simplicity of the sense it relates belies it's complexity. "A blend of vanilla absolute with touches of lemon, grapefruit, caramel, nutmeg, ga...

4160 Tuesdays New York 1955 EDP It's Friday. You've been working hard all week but still have one more day to go. Your hands clutch the steering wheel, knuckles white, as you stare at the never ending sea of traffic on the Belt Parkway; the cacophony of honking horns ringing in your ears. Then suddenly, as if by magic,  Sarah McCartney   takes you by the hand and transports you from the madness to Coney Island. You find yourself strolling the boardwalk. You hear the waves of the Atlantic lapping in the distance. Cotton candy in hand you stroll to the Parachute Jump; you feel the wind in your hair. Time stands still as you breathe in the sweet raspberry floss, the soft and delicate flowers, and the creaminess of the vanilla and somehow everything seems right with the world. Top note is cotton candy; middle notes are raspberry, rose and violet; base notes are vanilla and musk.