Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

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...

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, ...

Alexandria Fragrances - Sweet Revenge Launched in 2017, Sweet Revenge (“Revenge”) wears on me as an oriental woody vanilla.   The name of the fragrance seems appropriate.   While the notes are filled with ones typical of an angelic, sweet gourmand, there is a spicy woodiness to the wear that shows a slightly devilish side. Revenge opens with a spicy vanilla.   The vanilla is not overly sweet or cloying on me.   In the beginning of wear Alexandria adds a lot of depth to the traditional vanilla-based fragrance with woodsy notes.   The first hour of wear is a rich, warm, spiced vanilla wood journey.   As Revenge continues to wear, the fragrance takes on a slight feel of pipe tobacco on me.   I get a deeper, creamier spiced vanilla and a burnt sugar much like the top of a creme brulee.   It is a lightly powdered white chocolate which softens and adds creaminess to the fragrance but does not overly sweeten it. Revenge dries down to an...

Kiss My Sass - The Poet I’ve decided to take a bit of poetic license (pun intended) with this review. The Poet sits alone in his room.  The scent of his plummy lightly sweetened pipe tobacco floats through the air.  The smell is deep and contemplative yet touched with a hint of caramel.  He wonders whether his muse will be with him today. As he reaches for his black tea, the steam rises up and joins the tobacco swirling and turning in an intimate dance.  He gazes at her portrait hanging on the wall.  He remembers that lovely Spring day they spent together picking blackberries growing wild.  He remembers laying side by side on that blanket bathed in the warm sun; her skin glistening like cream against the soft ground.  As he turns back to reality, his writing desk calls to him with it’s richly resinous woody voice.  It is a complex voice that is tinged with his wishes and dreams.  Full of wonder and spice.  And yet – he’s...

Dame Perfumery - Earth Mother Earth Mother.  The name conjures images in my mind that brings one back to the heyday of Haight-Ashbury.  It summons images of being one with Nature and yet being a force on its own.  In these respects, Earth Mother from Dame Perfumery lives up to the images. Earth Mother to me is all about the patchouli.  Sure enough we get the other notes but they all weave themselves around the star – patchouli.  The juice opens with a lemony, slightly herbal, caramel melting over a bold patchouli.  About an hour into wear notes of jasmine and lily bloom in quiet symphony with the earthy sweetness.  The florals bring a sensuality to the fragrance.   Creamy vanilla, resinous amber, and earthy musk round out the scent.  The patchouli wears throughout the journey.  There is a gentleness to the handling of these notes and I am forced to feel as if it’s the warm embrace of Earth itself.  Earth Mother wea...

Solstice Scents - Owl Creek Aleworks Perfume Oil It’s a bit of a cool and overcast day today and I’m testing another “fall” vibe fragrance – Owl Creek Aleworks.  This scent opens with a caramel-laden toasted hazelnut.  The scent is sweet and rich.  About 30 minutes in, I begin to get a creamy coconut.  The coconut is not a tropical feel one but instead the kind of coconut note you get when baking with coconut and condensed milk.  There is a pumpkin pie spice note to the fragrance that really begins to bloom about an hour into wear.  At the two hour mark, the hazelnut seems to fade and the remaining wear (and drydown) is a Fall gourmand delight of sweet toffee topped with a pumpkin-spiced coconut cream.  I get 4 hours of wear with this fragrance with a moderate projection. Notes:  Sticky English Toffee Pudding, Blackburn's Parlor Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel, Toasted Coconut & Hazelnut, Sugared Pumpkin Cream Stout.  

Solstice Scents – Kitchen I love Fall.  It’s my favorite time of year.  Of course, along with Fall comes those traditional scents that we associate with the season.  Kitchen does a superb job of fitting the bill for replicating those wonderful olfactory joys. As with the previous Solstice Scents I’ve sampled, Kitchen is another “what you smell is what you get” fragrance.  And with the others from this brand, that’s a good thing.  Aptly named, Kitchen gives you the wonderful smells of a kitchen in Autumn.  You get pumpkin spice and vanilla sugar cookies.  You get spice breads sitting on a cooling rack as a cool breeze blows through your curtains.  You get sticky sweet (but not sickening sweet) danish sitting on a plate on the table with luscious caramel slowly dripping down the sides from the remaining heat in the dough. Kitchen is a opus of everything wonderful about Fall baking.  And if you close your eyes and sniff deeply, you ...

I kiryo: (These Sinful Three) Blood Cherry Cordial ( Vincent Dreamhouse ) It's Monday morning. Start of a new work week. So today I shall be the Countess Erzsébet Báthory de Ecsed. I shall approach my work with my intelligence and responsibility I am known for...after all, not only was I well-bred but I can read and write in 4 languages and managed the defense of our estates during the Long War. While I may seem sweet and restrained I bi d you this warning - do not believe you know me. You have no idea what I may be capable of... Blood Cherry Cordial is a beautifully created scent. It begins with the perfectly replicated note of cherry cordial; allowing the wearer to believe this is a truly sweet scent. But..beware. The scent quickly shows it's musky almost animalistic notes to let you know, she is not what she seems to be. Absolutely loving this fragrance. Notes: Cherry, chocolate, honey, cognac, caramel, vanilla, amber, musk

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...