Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Perfumology – Clutch Parfum Clutch is the newest fragrance (2018) from the collaboration of Justin Frederico and Nir Guy, the owner of Perfumology.   It is an oriental spicy fragrance said to be inspired by “the gratifying sensation of a perfect drive on a cool day.” I was initially put off by the name of this fragrance.   For me, the name conjures up images of a man, admittedly well-groomed, behind the leather clad wheel of his sports car lapping a track, changing gears, for kicks.   I imagined dense smoke wafting into the air from the unmufflered racing car.   It was not an image that made me want to try the fragrance.   I am very glad my curiosity got the better of me. Clutch opens with a delightfully peppered ginger embraced with the most delicate of white smoke.   It is a rendition of ginger that, while smoky, retains its delicious bite and freshness due to the addition of elemi.   I get the bright crispness in the air that the perfu...

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...

Mugler - Les Exceptions: Over the Musk EDP Over the Musk (“Musk”) is a woody floral musk fragrance released by Mugler in 2014 as part of the Les Exceptions Collection.   Like many of the fragrance in the Les Exceptions Collection, Musk is a slightly different twist on the classic musk fragrance.   This is not your 1980’s musk.   Instead, it is a musk fragrance that add subtle, yet interesting notes with restraint that turns this fragrance into something both comforting and new. Musk opens with a clean, traditional musk note accompanied by the delicate hint of floral from the ambrette.   It creates a softer, almost sweeter take on musk.   Musk adds a bit of surprise for you as it wears.   It takes on a lightly resinous aspect along with a warm, light-handed spice of black pepper.   A sumptuous wood rounds out this fragrance.   The layering of the notes in Musk, while not “in your face”, serve to create a soothing, warm, and somewhat sex...

Gallivant Perfumes – Berlin (Blogger’s Note – Please see my review of Gallivant Brooklyn for brand background and concept.) Having enjoyed the sites in Brooklyn, NY courtesy of Gallivant, I have headed out to JFK airport to catch a flight.  I am stamping my passport this morning to travel overseas to Berlin.  I was curious to see what this urban landscape had to offer me.  Berlin is a woody spicy fragrance with citrus notes.  Yes, citrus.  The fragrance actually opens with a bright and sunny citrus filled with Clementine and lemon with touches of grapefruit.  The opening is gorgeous but I admit I didn’t understand it until I did a little digging about the city.  How lovely that the city has multiple lakeside vacation destination spots (obviously convenient for locals) for Summer swimming!  (*Note the Telegraph did a fantastic article on these spots back on July 13, 2015.)  In its opening Berlin captures the lighthearted, carefree s...

Eris Parfums - Mx. Earlier this year, Eris Parfums released the fragrance Mx., a woody spicy offering.  I was fortunate enough to have Nir Guy of Perfumology (King of Prussia, PA) send me a sample of this gem.  Can you tell where this review is headed?  Here’s another clue – I ordered a full bottle the day after I first tested it. The creative and intellectual concept behind this fragrance is the interplay between traditionally feminine and masculine notes (although it should be noted this juice contains no florals) in celebration of  “gender neutral” in the fragrance community.  If you’re a member of any fragrance group, I’m sure you’ve seen over and over the comment that scent is and should be genderless.  The global trend to more acceptance of gender-neutrality is something the fragrance community has embraced for some time.  As further evidence of this stance, this juice is simply titled Mx.; the accepted gender neutral title. Mx. open...

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...

January Scent Project – Vaporocindro The notion that art imitates life is as old as Aristotle (the notion of an inherent memetic nature) and yet it has been conversely proffered that life imitates art.  With Vaporocindro, I would argue that that the perfumer, John Biebel (an artist himself) has managed to demonstrate that both art and life are inextricably bound together. Vaporocindro opens with a gorgeous, airy lilac laid over a fresh green leaf.  I sense much of the same soaring upward green that he gave us in his juice Eiderantler.  There is a crispness to the lilac/green that I can only assume comes from the apple; although the apple is not detectable as an individual note to my nose.  There is a delicately handed hint of turmeric and black pepper spice that serves to warm the juice without becoming overbearing; though you know you smell spices.  With the opening, I get the beginning hints of a warm, rich, old mahogany with teases with a touch of leathe...

L’Artisan Parfumeur - Nuit de Tubereuse Tuberose is a favorite note of mine.  So, when I realized that somehow I hadn’t sampled L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Nuit de Tubereuse, I immediately sought to rectify it.  I realize that for many tuberose can be a challenging note.  Often tuberose ends up being a loud, screechy sort of note in a fragrance which can be off-putting.  So how did the perfumer do in this fragrance? Well for me, Nuit de Tubereuse opens with a note of a strong, somewhat soapy (in a good way) tuberose.  The tuberose is fresh and there is a “green” quality to it as well as a slight spiciness.  At first, I cannot pick out the spices in this as individual notes but instead I sense it more as an overall warmth.  At about an hour and a half into wear, the black pepper note becomes more apparent and, while the green, soapy tuberose has not faded, I also begin to get additional floral notes and musk.  Like with the spices, I don’t detec...

Vartan Perfumes - Carnelian I have a love-hate relationship with cinnamon.  Cinnamon is one of those spices that for me can easily be overdone.  This is far from the case with Carnelian.  The scent opens with just enough spice to warm up the tobacco and vetiver.  The carnation adds a slight floral note that adds interest as the fragrance develops on the skin.  I can smell the amber and vanilla adding depth and a slightly sweet effect on my skin but again, just enough to make it interesting, warm, and enticing.  I get bits of each note over the course of wear but in general the notes seem to radiate with harmony.  Carnelian has the coziness of a warm sweater in Winter with a subtle sexiness hinting of more interesting Winter nights.  This is a lovely fragrance that seems to strike all the right notes. I get 8 hours of wear with Carnelian with a moderate sillage. Top notes are black pepper and cinnamon; middle notes are white tobacco, v...