Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

DedCool – Madonna (Lilly) Madonna (Lilly) (“Madonna”) is one of the new releases in the DedCool Series 2.   She wears on me as a woody spicy fragrance. Madonna opens with a spicy burst of black pepper coupled with hints of citrus.   There is an interesting warmth and freshness to the opening.   About 15 minutes into wear, the black pepper recedes slightly and the fragrance takes on a creamy quality.   Roughly 2 hours into wear, I begin to get notes of a delicately resinous amber and woody notes.   Madonna is distinctly interesting at this point in wear.   She is warm without being too spicy, she is comforting while being complex. Madonna’s drydown brings further complexity.   A light white floral perhaps? A new rush of creamy citrus? A delicate spiced wood?   Yes on all accounts.   Yet even with the development of each note, the fragrance retains on course with an even balance. Madonna wears on me with moderate projectio...

Kiss My Sass Cosmetics – Rainforest Fairies (perfume oil) In the March 2018 release of Rainforest Fairies (“Rainforest”), Kiss My Sass gives us a vision of the fairy world secreted deep inside a rainforest.   Rainforest opens with a tart and juicy blackberry paired with a lightly dirty patchouli.   There is an immediate sense of deep, dark, rich depth and lushness.   You can feel the loam under your feet while all around you, life springs in abundance.   Entering into the mix come moss and fern.   They add a further damp greenness to the woody points in the fragrance.   The wet notes do not hold Rainforest down; they are coupled with a lightly sweet and creamy vanilla which serves to add an ethereal quality.   There is a play between extremes and yet the duality of the fragrance does not inhibit its beauty.   In the drydown, whispers of jasmine appear as each of the other notes soften into the background. Rainforest wears on me f...

Apothescary Scents - Annabel Lee Perfume Oil As a fragrance blogger with the curiosity of a cat, I’m always searching for the new and unusual.   I stumbled across this brand while shopping for completely unrelated items.   “What is this?!”   A fragrance brand I had not yet heard of with fragrances that spoke to my love of Poe and other literary greats?   I browsed through the offerings and selected two to try in order to satiate my curiosity and perhaps discover a new love.   Annabel Lee is the first of the two I will be reviewing. Being familiar with, and loving, Annabel Lee by Poe (copied below), I had a preconceived idea about this fragrance before I tested it.   I wanted and expected it to transport me into the poem itself.   Spoilers – Annabel Lee did not disappoint. This fragrance opens with an air of mystery.   There is a mossy green base blurred with a rolling fog of salt air and driftwood.   You get an immediate sense o...

Ex Nihilo - Fleur Narcotique EDP Fleur Narcotique (“Fleur”) is a fruity floral.  It bursts open with juicy notes of litchi and peach and a blossoming bergamot and a bold jasmine.  The florals are quite intense.  The fruity notes serve to create florals that feel much like candied flowers on a beautifully decorated cake.  The twist is decidedly sweet.  As Fleur wears, a rich peony and delicate orange blossom appear.  The peony is strong while the orange blossom is mild.  Woody and moss notes both ground and lift the peony – orange blossom blend.  I get the feel of both earth and sky.  A delicate musk rounds out the fragrance. Fleur wears on me as a sweet, fruity, strong peony and white floral for roughly 9 – 10 hours with heavy to moderate projection. Notes: bergamot, litchi, peach, jasmine, peony, orange blossom, woody notes, moss, musk Created by Quentin Bisch Cruelty Free

Jo Malone London - English Oak & Hazelnut I’ve been testing this fragrance for the past 2 days.  I want to extend my thanks to Dean Farris, Beauty Product Specialist/Jo Malone London, from Neiman Marcus for his gracious offer to send me the sample. When I first heard about this fragrance, all of the buzz was about the three primary notes: hazelnut, cedar, and oak.  Based on that, I anticipated this fragrance to have a warm nutty hazelnut top, a rich cedar middle, and a woody base.  I was wrong. English Oak & Hazelnut opens with a bright green hazelnut paired with vetiver.  There is a crisp, slight grassiness to it with a touch of lemon earthiness.  Vetiver is one of my favorite notes in fragrance so its early appearance was a pleasant surprise to me.  About 30 minutes into wear, the elemi adds a touch more lemon and a peppery spice.  An hour and a half into wear I get a touch of green and a stunning roasted oak.  The oak is ri...

January Scent Project - Eiderantler Eiderantler is an aromatic fougere.  So, like all fougeres it follows a certain note development.  That said, what John Biebel has done with Eiderantler is taken the stogy old fougeres and given it a modern feel. Fougeres and I rarely see eye to eye.  I confess, I’m not a huge fan of lavender.  In Eiderantler, however, the lavender blends so seamlessly with the greens that it becomes more than the sum of its parts.  At its opening, I get a beautiful lavender tinged green leaf.  The note soars like leaves turning upward toward the sun.  I get a balanced sweet woodiness from the champa leaf mellowed by the pink pepper.  The ivy in Eiderantler is fresh and green and almost reminds me that fresh green smell of new growth branches.  The lavender continues its journey through this fragrance with the addition of lavandin yet it never becomes overpowering.  Elemi and vetiver bring a subtle citrus to the p...

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...