Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

DedCool – Red (Dakota) EDP Recently launched as part of the Series 2 Collection, DedCool’s Red (Dakota) (“Red”) is a transforming citrus floral. Red opens with a juicy orange and bold gardenia.    The citrus compliments the gardenia by elevating it from the garden.    I get a picture in my mind of an Old Master’s painting of a still life; fresh picked gardenias in a vase and a bowl of ripe fruit on the table.    While the image it conjures is old school, this is far from an old school fragrance.    The blend feels new. Shortly into wear in comes a moody wood and amber.    There is an intimate warmth in these additions.    The citrus and gardenia remain but now the fragrance becomes almost cozy.    It feels comfortable and approachable.   Into the drydown, Red retains its character.    The gardenia and citrus have softened.    The amber is now adding a gentle sweetness (not clo...

Vera Wang - Vera Wang EDP Vera Wang launched her namesake fragrance in 2002.   The fragrance is a floral and, the year after its launch, it won a FiFi award for the packaging (created in consort with Swarowski) and Nouveau Niche Fragrance Star of the Year.    I had an opportunity to try this fragrance recently as I was gifted a bottle by a good friend. I don’t get a typical fragrance evolution on wear with this perfume.   Instead, I get a linear wear that is floral with a light musk base.   The florals wear as a white floral mixed bouquet.   Of the florals, lily reads the most prominent with gardenia a close second.   Overall, the floral is bright, green, clean, and lush.   There is a gentle playfulness to the fragrance preventing it from becoming too formal.   I don’t find Vera Wang to be particularly original or groundbreaking but it is well blended and pleasant. Vera Wang wears on me for roughly 4-5 hours with light to skin s...

KKW Fragrance - Crystal Gardenia Crystal Gardenia (“Crystal”) is a floral woody musk fragrance released last year (2017).   After having purchased the newest scent, KKW Body, I was curious to track back and try some of the other brand fragrances (see Writer’s Note below review).   Unlike the controversial bottle of KKW Body, Crystal’s bottle is, well, shaped like a crystal.   The bottle is well made and quite heavy.   It is somewhat difficult to store due to the size. Crystal opens with a sparkling, sweet, bright, juicy pear.   There is a joyous effervescence to the opening that is soon joined by the other notes in this fragrance.   Not long after the first whiff, the pear is joined by the trio of white florals which help comprise Crystal.   After its namesake, Crystal’s most prominent floral is gardenia.   The gardenia is clean and heady.   The tuberose is treated well and does not take on the often “screechiness” that tube...

kai* - kai* rose perfume oil In their October 2017 issue, Glamour magazine named kai* (“kai”) rose perfume oil as a “Best Fragrance for Fall 2017” for Virgos.  They describe kai as “that familiar rose scent but with a woody twist”.  Since I am a Virgo, I thought it was coincidental that I had a sample from Beautyhabit to try. kai is a floral fragrance; rose lovers take note.  It opens with a stunning rose accord that is reminiscent of an intense blooming rose.  The note is singular and simply soars.  Very subtlety I begin to get notes of gardenia and white florals supporting the rose.  It feels much like a spring bouquet.  Glamour mentioned a woody twist and while there are no woody notes listed, there is a woody quality about the drydown.  By no means does this become a woody fragrance but instead there is a richness and complexity that surpasses that of a simple floral. kai has an exceptional wear time of 10 hours on me with moderat...

House of Matriarch: The Longing ( Christi Meshell  and  Joseph Sagona ) Anyone who knows me, even in passing, knows I am rarely at a loss for words. I have always had the good fortune of being able to muster up words for any situation whether it be personal or professional; in fact, I have been a sort of a wordsmith for most of my professional life. So finding myself in this situation, well, you will have to bear with me as a stumble reaching for just the right phrases. How can I accurately describe this fragrance which for me evokes a reaction; one that became part of the human condition thousands of years ago? In the beginning of recorded time and even before, humans sought answers for things they didn’t understand. They created rituals and symbols and later organized religions. We sought to define what was holy, what was sacred. And with the notion of that which was sacred came a counterpoint of that which was profane. Neither the brand description “The Longing is an...

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....

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...