Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

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, musk.   It feels like a thicket filled with ros

Tauer Perfumes - Les Annees 25 EDP Recently launched (2018) to celebrate the brand’s 25 th anniversary (congratulations!), Les Annes 25 (“Annes”) is a floral woody musk. Annes opens with a glorious, sparkling citrus accord.   I get a bold and juicy orange that is bright and actually feels celebratory.   As the fragrance wears, white floral blends with a spiced ginger and creates an intriguing introduction for the addition of a powdery true rose note.   The rose is reminiscent of a dew-laden petal on a Spring morning where the lovely waft of rose permeates the air. As Annes wears, a decadent base of oakmoss, tonka, sandalwood, and amber gris add a sophistication to the fragrance.   There is a creamy smokiness that feels very classic “Tauer”.   In its finishing hours, a light musk and equally light patchouli add complexity while a final touch of vanilla adds a delicately sweetened exuberance. Les Annes 25 wears on me with soft projection for roughly 7 – 8 hours. N

Twisted Wonderland Perfumery - Mad Tea Party Perfume Oil Mad Tea Party is a straightforward tea fragrance form Twisted Wonderland Perfumery.   The wear is linear so “what you see is what you get”.   It is, however, one of the best renditions of tea in an Indie fragrance in my opinion.   The perfumer has done a very good job at capturing that quintessential Earl Grey tea smell.   You get that classic almost citrusy – bergamot tea note.   the note is blended, as one might drink their tea, with a slightly sweet, creamy vanilla.   The effect is soft and soothing without becoming cloying.   Mad Tea party wears on me with soft projection for roughly 5 – 6 hours. Notes: “Okay..well just half a cup! Freshly brewed earl grey tea with just a splash of sugary vanilla milk” Perfumer: Rae Ganter CRUELTY FREE VEGAN

DedCool - Velvet (Monroe) Velvet (Monroe) (“Velvet”) is part of the brand new Series 2 on pre-order now from DedCool.   It is an aromatic woody fragrance that I find quickly distinguishes itself from the pack.   If you have been following me, you know that DedCool is one of my favorite fragrance brands.   Not only are all of their fragrances well-constructed, but the brand has an ethos that speaks to the modern heart. Velvet opens with a sultry, smoky, incense-tinged mimosa.   Yet instead of feeling heavy, as many smoky incense fragrances can, Velvet feels light and warm.   There is a nice, refreshing touch of eucalyptus that brightens the blend.   Velvet does not go the way of a church-like incense but instead holds the same reverence for the accord with wisps that capture the imagination. As Velvet continues to wear, I begin to get a lightly sweetened (but not cloying) black licorice.   Here I need to comment that in general, I dislike black licorice (both the taste and

Vera Wang - Vera Wang EDP Vera Wang launched her namesake fragrance in 2002.   The fragrance is a floral and, the year after its launch, it won a FiFi award for the packaging (created in consort with Swarowski) and Nouveau Niche Fragrance Star of the Year.    I had an opportunity to try this fragrance recently as I was gifted a bottle by a good friend. I don’t get a typical fragrance evolution on wear with this perfume.   Instead, I get a linear wear that is floral with a light musk base.   The florals wear as a white floral mixed bouquet.   Of the florals, lily reads the most prominent with gardenia a close second.   Overall, the floral is bright, green, clean, and lush.   There is a gentle playfulness to the fragrance preventing it from becoming too formal.   I don’t find Vera Wang to be particularly original or groundbreaking but it is well blended and pleasant. Vera Wang wears on me for roughly 4-5 hours with light to skin scent projection. Notes: Bulgarian rose,

Mugler - Les Exceptions: Fougere Furieuse EDP Fougere Furieuse (“Furieuse”) is an aromatic fougere that was released in 2014.   In general, it follows the formula of a fougere in that you get the fern and geranium (here in lieu of lavender) as well as the coumarin.   I would note the coumarin appears as a base note, however, as the wear of this fragrance is fairly linear on me after the first hour of wear, it somewhat defies the formulaic composition.   Furieuse also gives us the moss and wood components with the wood being fairly prominent in wear. Furieuse opens with an intensely green herbal wood.   There is a freshness to the green herbs and a deliberate depth to the woods.   The fern stands out with a crisp bite.   Soon after, these notes are joined by a spicy geranium and white floral notes.   A smooth hay-like veil envelopes the fragrance and I get what feels very much like the traditional Mugler Alien woods and amber.   Through the remaining wear, Furieuse seems to se

Juicy Couture - Majestic Woods EDP Majestic Woods (“Woods”) is an oriental woody fragrance released in 2017.   It’s Juicy Couture’s spin on niche oriental woody fragrance and is very different from the classic Juicy scent profiles. Woods opens with an intense woody note that seems to take on elements of an oud-like replica.   There is a moderate patchouli that adds an earthy element and a lightly sweetened praline.   The praline both intensifies the wood theme and adds a slightly sweet caramelized note.   Tonka bean seems to lay in the background adding some warmth and shy vanilla spice to the accord. As Woods wears, some of the initial intensity of the woody – patchouli opening seems to soften.   A lightly syrupy note enters and the wood note becomes somewhat more complex.   There is a somewhat synthetic, but not unpleasant, feel to the fragrance at this point in wear.   Woods takes on a brief pipe tobacco tone and remains a warm, lightly spicy and sweet, earthy wood and

Creed - Spring Flower I’m heading back to 1996 for this floral fruity fragrance.   Creed’s Spring Flower is said to be a “flirtatious and feminine timeless classic”.   It is said it was designed as a signature scent for Audrey Hepburn; although I have not been able to verify this claim. I’m a big Hepburn fan so sampling what might have been one of her signature scents was on my “to do” list.   I also enjoy a good fruity floral.   I’ve worn this fragrance for several days and I must say, that on me, the wear seems to change – sometimes I feel the fruity notes are more prominent, while other times the florals seem to take hold. While certainly Spring Flower follows a traditional fragrance pyramid, other than in the dry down, the wear for me remains quite constant from the first spray.   I get a variety of fresh fruits mixed together in all wearings.   No single fruit stands out on its own.   It kind of becomes a blend most similar to a fruit cocktail.   The fruit accord als