Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle - Musc Ravageur Parfum Spray Frederic Malle’s Musc Ravageur (“Musc”) is one of those fragrances I thought I had tried but had not.   For the life of me, I can’t explain why I missed this!   Released in 2000, it is an oriental (amber oriental) fragrance.   On me, Musc opens with a complex, spicy, slightly sweet, dirty patchouli.   It is heady and intoxicating.   There are dripping notes of amber; rich and syrupy.   A light floral peeks out from the background as a creamy vanilla clove seems to melt effortlessly into the accord. As Musc wears, its raw sensual aspects continue to delight.   The musk in the fragrance joins with the patchouli and creates a carnal sensory explosion.   There is an animalic fearlessness to Musc’s wear.   The drydown of Musc is warm and comforting.   Woody notes slide into Musc with a touch of darkness.   To the end, Musc continues to come to life with an irre...

Parfums Dusita - Erawan EDP Erawan is a woody aromatic fragrance released in 2017 from Parfums Dusita.   I selected this fragrance for testing as it’s notes seemed appropriate for the fall-like weather my region is finally moving to. Erawan opens with a creamy nutty woody herbal accord.   The opening is quite unique within the woody aromatics I’ve tested.   There is a brightness and complexity to it while at the same time, not feeling “wet”.   The first whiff is reminiscent of countryside barns.   There is a duality in scent with both a dried tobacco leaf and a fresher green note that I can attribute to the florals.   The greenness adds a touch of water to the composition.   As Erawan wears, I get a vanilla laden hay.   There is a powdery softness to the vanilla without it becoming too sweet or too powdery.   The vanilla almost pulls to a milk chocolate.   In the drydown, I get an infusion of warmth and a slight amplification o...

Acqua di Parma - Colonia Pura Launched in 2017, Colognia Pura (“Pura”) is a floral woody musk.   Pura opens with what I consider to be the classic bergamot – orange opening we get from many of the brand’s fragrances.   The citrus is bright and crisp.   The opening riff does not linger long before it is joined by an almost barbershop detergent soapiness and a sharp coriander.   I get a sense of aldehydes although there are none listed in the notes. As Pura wears, the often heady jasmine sambac and narcissus appear.   Instead of their typical bold entry, they seem softened and somewhat green.   The soapiness continues with a bit of a metallic turn to the composition.   Rounding out Pura is a light woody musk with only background hints of patchouli.   These notes warm the fragrance and carry it through the dry down. Pura wears on me with moderate projection for roughly 8 hours. Notes: bergamot, orange, jasmine sambac, narcissus,...

Parfums de Marly - Herod Herod is the 7 th fragrance from Parfums de Marly.   It is a complex woody spicy offering. The fragrance opens with a breathtaking spicy tobacco leaf.   The opening spice reads more of an exotic light cinnamon on me and the tobacco leaf is beautiful and crisp.   There is a sophisticated warmth to the initial presentation.   As Herod wears, a peppery note comes forward.   The note adds more spice to the fragrance but does not become overwhelming.   A soft woodiness also becomes present.   At this point in wear, about two hours, the wood is indistinguishable as a specific note.   Trails of smoky vanilla are also making themselves known.   It is the addition of incense that lends the smokiness to the vanilla both making the vanilla not take on a gourmand feel and also adding depth and mystery to the overall scent. At roughly four hours into wear, I get more of a defined cedar note.   The smoky van...

Philosophy - Pure Grace: Nude Rose Nude Rose is the newest release from the Philosophy Pure Grace line.   This floral woody musk launched in 2017.   Based on the fragrance name, I anticipated that the fragrance would feel and wear like a pure rose scent with a musk underpinning.   While I do get rose and musk in the wear, I do not feel that it’s a true rose musk fragrance. Unlike the previous release from Philosophy – Ballet Rose which opens as a sparkling fruity floral rose, Nude Rose opens with a green-leaning white floral blend.   The rose in the floral accord is on the subtle side and does not come across as either a blooming or jammy rose.   Instead, it’s perhaps a soft whiff of a rose petal in passing.   The floral accord itself is quite bold. About 15 to 20 minutes into wear, the green floral takes on a soapy quality.   It’s somewhat like a floral laundry detergent or fabric softener and, assuming you like those scents, would be so...

DKNY - Nectar Love EDP Nectar Love (“Nectar”) was released by DKNY in 2017.  Fragrantica classified it as an oriental floral but to me, it’s more of a fruity floral on wear. Nectar opens with a bright and sunny freesia-mandarin burst.  The freesia smells clean and bright and blossoming.  The mandarin is sweet and juicy.  There is a delicate sweetness of honeycomb.  As you breathe in, you sense the sun’s rays beaming down and warming the fruity floral. With its development, Nectar adds a light note of jasmine coupled with lily of the valley.  The lily comes slightly more forward than the jasmine.  The fruit accord is built upon by a ripened, also juicy, plum note.  As Nectar begins to dry down, the fruity florals are joined by a touch vanilla.  The honey seems to come slightly more forward and the fruity notes recede.  The sweetness is tempered a bit by a light woody note and a hint of musk.  Nectar wears on me wit...

Tom Ford - Noir Anthracite EDP In Tom Ford’s 2017 launch advertising of Noir Anthracite the brand described the fragrance as “light in the dark” and the "dynamic tension between contrasts”.  This chypre is a modern take on the classic fragrance genre. The fragrance opens with a contrast.  There is a bright and beautiful bergamot juxtaposed over a rich and spicy Sichuan pepper.  Immediately after the first sniff, I begin to get a sense of an underlying cedar woodiness.  The cedar is rich and comes forward as if you’re inhaling deeply into an old cedar chest.  About an hour into wear, the spice becomes more complex with subtle hints of ginger-spiced florals.  The florals are not individually identifiable to me and yet you know they’re there.  There is a dark, intense, smoky, earthiness that begins to come through.  The woods begin to deepen.  The moodiness of the notes and their contrast with each other are tempered with a delicate...

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...

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?!...

Dua Fragrances - Desert Reflection This juice is inspired by Amouage Reflection Man.  As such, it is a woody floral musk.  I ordered a sample of this as I was curious as to the treatment of the florals against the wood notes. Desert Reflection opens with a clean, almost high end hotel, soapy floral.  I get the jasmine and neroli in abundance with the rosemary and rose de mai notes being more subtle.  There is a slight, delicate sweetness to the floral which does not seem to pull overly feminine.  The development of this fragrance brings in a well-rounded woody base where the cedar is of moderate prominence and a clean patchouli adds a slight earthiness to the woody note.  Sandalwood lends a creaminess to the scent which smooths and brings together the florals and woods. Desert Reflection wears with an understated refinement for roughly 8 hours on me with moderate projection. NOTES: Rosemary, Rose de Mai, Jasmine, Neroli, Patchouli, Sand...

Solstice Scents - Conjure There are days you want or need your fragrance to evoke something of the mystical.  Today is one of those days for me and I decided to reach for Conjure. Conjure opens with a beautiful note of amber on me.  The amber is warm, rich, slightly musky and tinged with just a hint of vanilla.  I get a light cedar covered with spices.  There is an incense note of cinnamon that adds a mysterious complexity to this juice.  I get a creamy sandalwood note that has a deep smokiness.  Taken together the notes of amber, spice, woods, and smoke create a complex, wearable, dark scent that suggest an intimate experience with the magical. Conjure wore for 5 hours on me with a moderate to light projection. Notes:  Blend of Amber, Vanillas, Cedar, Allspice, Cauldron Smoke and lots of other Essential Oils

Dua Fragrances - Queen of Spades In 1834 Alexander Pushkin published his short story Queen of Spades (Pikovaya Dama).  Over the years, the story has been adapted multiple times - into stories, film, and an opera (Tchaikovsky).  Essentially the story revolves around a Countess, who after incurring a large gambling debt, learned a secret to winning at cards by playing three specific cards just once during the game.  This story is told to a Russian army officer who, because of his greed, is led to court the Countess’s charge to gain the secret.  The story is rife with themes of power, avarice, and the supernatural.  As you can imagine, the Queen of Spades in story and in scent is not shy.  Instead, she is powerful and in control, even after death.  Mahsam Raza’s interpretation brings us the Countess in all her complexity.  This fragrance opens with a powerful and bold citric floral aldehyde blend.  The opening is bright and clean with a...

Dua Fragrances: Vetivero Vetivero is a fragrance inspired by Roja Parfums Vetiver Extrait.  It is also a chypre.  Anyone who knows me or has read my fragrance reviews knows I am not generally a chypre fan.  And, while it may not be popular to say in the fragrance community, I am also not a huge Roja fan (personally liking roughly 50% of his fragrances, although respecting the artistry in all).  Vetivero opens with a gorgeous bergamot-lemon.  I’ve hyphenated here as the notes are equally and beautifully balanced.  This is not that icky citrus vibe you get from some other juices – you know, the ones that smell like Lemon Pledge!  No this is a gorgeous, effervescent, fresh note.   I get a light and subtle jasmine.  The rose is subtle as well.  These notes rest ever so delicately on a beautiful base of vetiver and wood.  The spices in this round the base but it’s really the vetiver and woods that sing.  Vetiver Exr...

Kat Von D: Saint Saint does indeed share the same floral soul as Sinner. In fact, Saint is Sinner with the spicy/warm notes removed. It's a classic, light, creamy floral with just a touch of sweetness for good measure. I get a light jasmine (one of my favorite notes) and tiare flower over a soft, lightly citrusy, creamy, light musk base. Saint wears somewhere between a skin scent and one with a light projection on me. It's delicate and quietly beautiful. It's a floral that can easily be worn in the Summer without it becoming "too much" in the heat. "Kat Von D Beauty’s most requested collection of all time is returning at last and better than ever. Meet Saint—soft, alluring, and dreamy, this gourmand fragrance sweetens a bouquet of jasmine and tiaré flower with notes of mandarin, caramel, and sparkling Mirabelle plum. Vanilla, sandalwood, and creamy musk build to the romance of the perfume, imparting a warmth that reminds Kat of falling in love for the ve...

Giorgio Armani: Acqua Di Gioia Jasmine Don't you just love it when a blind buy goes right?! I had seen this juice while browsing the Armani website. Like many of you, I hadn't realized that Armani did a Acqua Di Gioia version in jasmine. From what I understand, this one had been released, sold out, and then brought back "by popular demand". Who knew? Ok, well obviously someone did! So when Armani recently ran their 20% off promo, I thought it would be a great time to blind buy this. Frankly I wanted the small bottle but it was unavailable. I was quite nervous waiting for the shipment as blind buying the largest size of a juice can be terrifying! Clearly, my concern was unwarranted. Wow, this is a serious jasmine floral aquatic bomb! Jasmine isn't floral aquatic in the strictest sense of the definition though. It comes on more as a fruity floral and the aquatic nature is felt through the lightness and flow of the scent. It comes on like a powerhouse of fresh...

Dame Perfumery: Monsoon I've often used the quote, "I'm not a girl, I'm a storm with skin" but tonight the quote is coming to life. Monsoon is a glorious homage to the monsoon season. At first you can feel the tension in the air as the storms begin to mount; the fragrance captures that quality of dampness you can feel in the air. Next I get the smell of the iris flower and orris root with just the slightest hint of jasmine. I get the smell of a soaked creosote bush - that lovely blooming desert yellow bud - along with a soft natural cedar. Monsoon is clearly an artist's interpretation of the rains in the desert Southwest. And tonight, I am the storm. "A blend of iris flower, orris root, jasmine, water lily, lily of the valley, creosote and cedar wood. For a woman or a man." CRUELTY FREE

Berdous: Scorza di Sicilia Scorza di Sicilia is classified by Fragrantica as a woody aromatic. If the classification were by note prominence, in my opinion this is more of an aromatic woody. This is a fairly linear fragrance to my nose that is mostly about the citrus (lemon) note. The fragrance opens with a lemony note touched with bergamot for balance. The wear is pretty even with the cedar remaining in the background. I found this surprising as cedar is often a bold note in fragrance. This is not the case with Scorza di Sicilia. In this juice, the cedar and vetiver simply add character. The cedar brings a subtle touch of wood while the vetiver adds it's classic green earthiness but in a light way. Like with the cedar, the use of vetiver is not done in such a way to add the sharpness that often comes along with the note. There is limited projection with this fragrance and it is easily "safe" for all environments. "Scorza di Sicilia generously surrenders a blend...

Berdous: Arz-el-rab Arz-el-rab is classified as a woody spicy fragrance on Fragrantica. It is by far my favorite Berdoues of the coffret thus far. It is a glorious ode to cedar laid down in fragrance (without making you smell like an old wardrobe!). On initial spray I get a stunning, smooth cedar laced with a citrusy ginger; the cedar and ginger share the spotlight. As the juice wear, the ginger loses some of it's citrus slant and picks up more of a spicy vibe. The iris is mild in this fragrance and does not have the sometimes lipstick or powder components that sometimes iris carries in fragrance. The iris in Arz-el-rab is more of a soft, sweet violet note. There is slightly more projection in this fragrance than the others I've reviewed. "Arz El-Rab are the legendary cedar forests of Mount Lebanon described as the "forest of God". Ginger from China, iris from Morocco, and Virginian cedar offer the best of their personalities for a deep, intense impression....

Atelier Cologne: Vetiver Fatal You know what's just as good as being "easy on Sunday morning"? Being easy on Saturday morning! This woody aromatic is simply smooth and easy. I know vetiver (and oud) can be polarizing notes for many but vetiver is a favorite note for me; although oud can be hit or miss. With Vetiver Fatal, Atelier Cologne has taken the often times sharpness out of vetiver and given us the most gorgeous lightly green and earthy lemongrass. The fruit blend features a somewhat more prominent plum laid over a softly flowered citrus; these notes add a dash of sweetness. The sweetness remains in check, however, as the juice is tied together with hints of cedar and oud. Neither the cedar nor the oud are strong. They simply remain in the background rounding out and balancing this fragrance...making it oh so easy to wear. "Vetiver Fatal by Atelier Cologne is a Woody Aromatic fragrance for women and men. Vetiver Fatal was launched in 2012. The fragrance...