Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

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 t...

DUA Fragrances - Wood & Cognac Wood and Cognac.   The two words together bring to mind a pensive gentleman in his study.   The image is old world.   It’s an image of cultured elegance. With Wood & Cognac, DUA Fragrances brings us a refined woody fragrance.   The opening is a complex, deep, boozy wood.   As you breathe in, the wood panels of the study come alive.   There is a light, green rose that drifts through the composition intricately mingled with the wood and cognac.   As this fragrance wears, it takes on additional complexity; a touch of dark cocoa, a warm creamy sandalwood – all the while the boozy wood remains in the forefront.   The perfumer gives us additional notes to create interest and complexity with this fragrance, but at no point do they surpass the boozy woody notes.   Wood & Cognac is about its namesake throughout the wear.   Wood & Cognac wears on me for roughly 11 hours with heavy moving...

January Scent Project - Treebuoy Parfum Oil When I heard that perfumer John Biebel had added another fragrance to his lineup, it piqued my interest.   Currently available as an exclusive with Avé Parfum and later available on the January Scent Project website, Treebuoy (2018) is an oriental woody fragrance offering. It’s no secret that I am a fan of Biebel as a perfumer.   An artist in addition to a perfumer, his approach to fragrance is that of an artist (this is not to say that I don’t respect perfumery as an art form in itself).   It’s one thing to create a beautiful fragrance and quite another to create a beautiful fragrance which also tells a story or shares a journey or perspective; I find Biebel’s scents to fall into the second category. With Treebuoy, Biebel tells us the story of a dense conifer forest.   Like any good storyteller, Biebel makes us a part of the story; this is a personal journey.   I get the rich balsam fir with it’s deep, r...

Acqua di Parma - Peonia Nobile Peonia Nobile (“Peonia”) is characterized as a floral.  Right off the bat, I want to say that to my nose this fragrance wears more as a fruity floral on my skin.  That said, Peonia opens with a fresh, tart, rose-tinged peony dipped in a succulent sweet raspberry.  Acqua di Parma characterizes the opening as one with a vibrant black pepper accent with soft raspberry; on me it’s quite the opposite.  The initial few hours of wear feel decidedly “pink” and luminous.  There is an authenticity to the raspberry note; there are no artificial leanings at all.  While certainly I get nuances of black pepper, the opening is all about the decadently rich fruity floral. This juice wears as the same fruity floral for roughly 3 hours when I begin to get a boost of brightness from the geranium.  The geranium, and in fact the heart of this juice, seems quite short-lived as by the 4 hour mark, the moodier base notes seem to ris...

En Voyage Perfumes - Figa The perfumer, Shelley Waddington, was offering a giveaway of samples of her fragrances (by contest) in one of my fragrance groups.  While I was not fortunate enough to have won the giveaway, Ms. Waddington was kind and generous enough to extend a prize to some that had not won; in her Portland based saying to “put a bird on it”.  The charming phrase, which being an East Coaster I had never heard before, refers to a little addition; the cherry on top if you will.  In this case my “cherry” was a sample of her fragrance Figa.  While I’ve seen this fragrance classified as an oriental floral it does in many respects defy the nomenclature.  The genesis of this scent and its purpose are based in the history and magic of talismans.  In her words, “Figa Eau de Parfum is the fragrance equivalent of the powerful Figa amulet. It celebrates strength, power, vision and success.”  And really, who couldn’t use a little more of that?!...

Fragonard: Belle de Nuit. I received a sample of this oriental floral with an order I placed with Beautyhabit. I wasn't sure I was even going to test the sample as I had read many comparing it to J'adore (which, sorry if you love it, I don't care for). While this fragrance has a respectable list of florals, I don't get any of them as singular notes. Rather, I get a blend of florals that is light and quite lovely. I get the plum as a prominent note mixed with the floral. The plum is deep, rich, and semi-sweet. The florals and plum lay on a bed of a silky smooth woody-musk. Neither the wood nor the musk are strong; they are simply present enough that you know they're there. Belle de Nuit wears with only a mild projection; like an intimate fragrance. There is a gorgeous drydown that feels like a reminiscence of a field of flowers at dusk. "An original, deep rich harmony of flowers and fruit on a warm velvety bottom note of musk. A precious magical fragrance....

DedCool:  05 "Spring". Spring is my second trial out of my DedCool sampler. Normally since I'm an "organized" kind of person, I would test the samples in numerical order, however, it was suggested to me to try 05 Spring, next. At first glance, Spring seems to be created with notes that typically can be challenging for some. For me personally, lavender, incense, and moss are among those I consider challenging. For me, each of those notes can be easily overdone and overwhelm a fragrance. Spring is a glorious ode to the awakenings of life in Spring. It's a clever balance that speaks to the lovely wafts of flowers beginning to bloom in a rich and fertile earth. The spices, which could have easily been overdone, are balanced in such a way that they bring you a feeling of the warm sun with its rays reaching down to bring back life to a sleepy world. The base notes help to create a platform from which the notes rise into the air. Spring follows the brand for...