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...

Mugler Les Exceptions - Oriental Express EDP To help celebrate the Mugler Friends and Family Event, I thought I’d give you another Mugler fragrance review.   Oriental Express (“Express”) is, not surprisingly, an oriental fragrance released by Mugler in 2014.   Express is not your Mother’s oriental.   It is also not one of those 80s-style in your face orientals.   Instead, it has a “come closer” vibe to it. Express opens with a cozy, powdery slightly spiced vanilla.   There is an evolving greenness in the background that lends a slight edge to the otherwise softness.   Into wear, I get a creamy woody note.   The woodiness is ever so slight as to not move this into a woody fragrance territory.   It simply adds depth and contrast.   There is a sense of classic minimalism to the fragrance while at the same time striking a different chord in the oriental fragrance family.   Express feels like what comfort food tastes like. Expre...

Mugler - Aura Mugler EDP Aura Mugler (“Aura”) is an oriental green aromatic with hallmarks of a fruity floral fragrance.   Released in the United States this past Winter, the brand states it is intended to make the wearer “reconnect with (your) inner nature and to unleash all (your) femininity and (your) aura.”   Based on the description, I anticipated an assertive feminine fragrance. Aura opens with an intensely bitter and sour vegetal note.   The bitterness intertwines with a floral that reads on me as orange blossom.   This duel accord floats on my skin for about an hour before the bitterness subsides and the fragrance takes on a softer edge. As Aura wears, I get a complex smokiness and a sweetness that peeks through.   Again, the contrast of the notes is intriguing.   There is a slight medicinal quality that comes through at about the two hour mark.   Typically, a medicinal note is unpleasant to me but in this fragrance, I don’t f...

Imaginary Authors - Slow Explosions As many of you know, Imaginary Authors is known for stories and fragrance that go hand in hand.   Slow Explosions (“Explosions”) is an oriental fragrance released in 2016 that tells the story of a life reimagined.   (See brand story below review.) Explosions opens with that quintessential saffron note; it is an edgy, raw, and rubbery.   A ccompanying the saffron is an equally bold leather.   The leather and saffron seem to combine to give the essence of an oud or woody note.   There is nothing “slow” about the opening of Explosions.   After the initial notes make their appearance in the opening, they are closely followed by a hint of apple.   The apple is juicy, tart, and sweet but somehow seemingly just beyond reach.   As Explosions wears I get a light, warm rose that seems to waft across the fragrance.   It is here in the wear that the fragrance takes on a mesmerizing smokiness from the benz...

Olibere Parfums - L`Etoile Noire Launched in 2016, L’Etoile Noire (“Noire”) is a study of light and dark; the opposites that we each carry with us.   The notes classify this as an oriental fragrance, however, in my opinion, it is also very much a woody one. Noire opens on me with a contrast.   On the one hand I get an intense bergamot and sharp lemon and on the other I get an achingly intense peppery spice.   There is a heavy smokiness from the gaiac.   As Noire continues to wear I get more and more tones of wood.   I do not identify the wood as specifically being oud, as iterated in the Notes of this fragrance, but rather a general deep, dark woody accord.   At roughly 3 – 4 hours into wear, Noire takes on a powdery aspect.   There is still an echo of citrus, moderate spice, woods, and smoke but in comes a softened rose and what seems like patchouli.   There is a dried tobacco leaf as well as a very soft dried rose petal. In the...

Diptyque - Eau Lente Eau Lente is an “oldie but goodie”.   Released in 1986 by Diptyque, it is an oriental fragrance which is said to make the wearer “give in to the spell of calm”. The fragrance opens with a potpourri of spice.   I get heaping portions of cinnamon.   The cinnamon has a dry quality to its intensity which reads as a cinnamon powder.   There is a note of clove which lays with the cinnamon in a soft incense-like waft.   There is a comfortable warmth to the opening. As Eau Lente wears, I get what reads as a light peppery note.   The fragrance continues to have a spiced-incense vibe.   Hints of a vanilla come into the fragrance and lend a semi-sweet touch to the spices.   The vanilla transforms the boldly spiced fragrance.   Eau Lente begins to feel more like a delicate shawl in Winter; it feels cozy.   In the drydown I also get what feels like an ambery resin.   The depth of the resinous note seems to roun...

Kiss My Sass Cosmetics – Decadence Decadence is a fun to wear, cozy, sexy, and…well…decadent fragrance from the Indie brand Kiss My Sass.   The brand does some really stellar cosmetics and their fragrance line is equally respectable.   I ordered Decadence along with a cosmetics order as the notes sounded appealing.   Decadence opens with a rich dark chocolate coffee note.   The note is deep, dense, and luscious as if you had gone to a coffee roaster and had your cup of comfort made to order.   About an hour into wear, the dark chocolate recedes and in come an old school patchouli and musk tipped with vanilla bean and white chocolate.   The notes twirl in a hypnotic dance that it reminiscent of the best of the 60s; it’s gourmand meets Haight Ashbury.   There is sweetness balanced with an earthy, edgy, sensual, somewhat animalistic feel.   The fragrance wears in this hedonistic and sensual way through the remaining wear.   Decaden...

House of Matriarch – Ambre Vie Ambre Vie is an oriental amber-based offering from the House of Matriarch.  Initially created in 2012, vintage bottles will begin shipping on February 20, 2018.  Before I get into the nuts and bolts of this review, I want to touch briefly on my thoughts about the perfumer, Christi Meshell and her approach to perfumery in general.  Meshell is one of those perfumers that in my opinion has a unique knack of taking multiple, complex notes and seamlessly blending them into a fragrance where the sum is even greater than all the multiple parts.  In the instance of Ambre Vie, it is said that, “More than one hundred different aromatics comprise this silky amber perfume.”  Often combining certain notes and certainly in the numerical quantity Meshell does them in can go terribly, horribly wrong.  I don’t know what her secret is, magic perhaps, but experiencing her fragrances is truly a joy. On me, Ambre Vie feels like a flor...

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris - Oud Cashmere Mood Extrait de Parfum It’s no surprise that Oud Cashmere Mood (“Oud”) is an oriental fragrance based on its notes.  Oud is often one of those notes that people find challenging or love.  My curiosity got the better of me with respect to this 2013 fragrance and I wanted to see how oud was taken to a “cashmere mood”. On initial spray, Oud provides an intense, dry, benzoin-tinged oud.  The oud does not feel “barnyard” but is instead clean.  The initial impact to my olfactory senses had me wondering whether I had over-sprayed at a simple 2 sprays per wrist.  There is a deep, rich smokiness to the notes that rise up.  After the first impressions of Oud have surrounded you, about 30 minutes in, the boldness softens.  It is at this point that the fragrance takes on its complexity. When I think of cashmere, I think of a soft and comforting tactile experience.  It’s a sensory experience that one w...

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...

Prada - Les Infusions de Prada Amande Les Infusions de Prada Amande (“Amande”) is an oriental vanilla offering from the Prada Infusion Collection.  (Note – For me, Amande wears as more of an oriental until the drydown.)  It is a heightened take on the contrasting sweet and bitter in bitter almond oil. Amande opens with a sharp, cool amaretto note.  I get the layered bitter almond balanced against the light bergamot.  After about fifteen minutes, the juice takes on a powdery feel as the heliotrope comes into play.  The powder feels more like a bittersweet almond powder than a baby powder.  About an hour or two into wear I begin to get the spicier note from the anise while the tonka reinforces the duality of the scent.  In the drydown, Amande becomes an almost creamy fragrance with a lovely light musk base.  The drydown feels much more complex than the opening. Amande wear on me for roughly 7 hours with moderate projection. Notes: b...

Dreaming Tree Soapworks - Once Upon a Dream Mystic Mists (Black Cat) No better time than Halloween to share my review of the oriental body mist Black Cat.  Black Cat is a creation from an independent cruelty free company – Dreaming Tree Soapworks.  Black Cat is my first purchase from this brand.  I honestly wasn’t certain what to expect as the quality from independents can often be pretty hit or miss.  This fragrance was also offered in other forms (note – the brand creates soaps, candles, oils, and other body care products) but I went with the Mystic Mist as it seemed the safest bet for a first try. Black Cat opens with a beautifully spiced plumy jasmine.  The spices have a distinctly Fall-like feel to them without becoming gourmand.  The rich, juicy dark plum tempers the jasmine so the fragrance does not become a floral.  A bit into wear an exotic wood enters and envelops the notes like a night fog in the forest.  The spiced plummy jasm...

Besame Cosmetics -  Decades of Fragrance: 1930 I purchased this as a blind buy with a Besame Cosmetics order.  I liked the sound of the notes and the rollerball (only way available) was cheap enough it was worth the risk.  This was a stellar purchase!  It's an amazing replica of a vintage 1930s scent.   1930 opens with spicy fruity notes; the mandarin, cinnamon, and clarysage play well together with the mandarin and cinnamon being the most prominent of the three.  You can quickly smell the wafts of tobacco which is more of a cigarette tobacco than say a green tobacco, a pipe tobacco, or a cigar tobacco.  The florals are quite light in this juice with the lavender staying pretty much in the background.  1930 is rounded out with a slightly sweet woody musk.  The vanilla is not present as an independent note but instead give a gentle sweetness to the cedar and musk.  The totality of the notes and their presentation takes the wearer...

Jean Paul Gaultier – Classique Wonder Woman Eau Fraiche Spray Confession – I blind bought this fragrance for the bottle.  I’m not a huge DC Comics fan but the lure of reliving the old Wonder Woman series was just too hard to resist.  The bottle is completely awesome and the notes seemed like they’d be something I’d enjoy; perhaps the perfect freshy for Summer? This flanker of Classique opens with a delicious lemon sorbet ginger note.  It’s sweetened enough by the sugar cane that it reminds me of sitting on a balcony at a seaside resort enjoying a delicious lemon sorbet with a gingersnap cookie garnish while the breeze gently blows.  It’s a light a refreshing accord.  The white florals come in at a moderate perceptibility and are a pleasant addition.  The remaining notes are virtually absent. Classique comes on strong at its opening and very quickly fades to a skin scent.  It begins beautifully as a fresh Summer juice and then somehow gets ...

Memo Paris - Luxor Oud Ah, what can I say about the very first oud that stole my heart?  Luxor Oud is considered an oriental but, as I’m not one for industry labels, I consider it a fruity floral oud.  Luxor Oud is supposed to take the wearer on a journey to Luxor and for me it does just that.  Of course, sadly not having been to Luxor yet, I can only imagine in my mind’s eye what it must be like.  The opening of this fragrance, with its bright mandarin and subtle berry gives me the feeling of the warmth of the desert sun.  There is a reverence to this fragrance carried by a delicately sweetened rose; like temple flowers.  There is a royalty to the fragrance brought to us through notes of patchouli and oud.  The marriage of rose and oud is as old as the ancient civilization it honors.  The often harshness of oud has been tempered with tonka bean.  A slight resinous ambery spice wafts through the base courtesy of the styrax. Luxor...

4160 Tuesdays - Silk, Lace & Chocolate Fragrantica describes this juice as an oriental and maybe it is.  I feel that all formal categories aside, this is best described simply as a gourmand.  I’ve had an opportunity to see other reviews of this fragrance and am reminded as to how fragrance is often a very personal and unique journey – one nose is not always the same as another. For me, Silk, Lace & Chocolate opens with an effervescent, almost carbonated but in a good way, note of light strawberry and chocolate.  The chocolate is not a candy bar chocolate to me but rather one like an old fashioned chocolate soda (more cocoa) with a lightly boozy edge.  At first I was baffled as to why some reviewers stated they felt this was a woodsy scent.  This scent does not wear like a woody scent at all on me.  I feel that what some may be smelling is the way the bergamot note blends in.  While bergamot is often used for its fruity sweet component,...

West Third Brand: Arabesque This is a soft oriental. While the description states "a touch of birch tar" I find that the birch and olibanum notes are the strongest on me. It seems to be wearing as a green, tart, incense-like birch with floral (jasmine ?) layered over a ever so slightly sweetened sandalwood base with just a hint of smoky patchouli. This feels very much like a Spring scent to me. And, while I wasn't so sure when I first sprayed it on, I'm really beginning to like this the longer it wears. "An intricate and mysterious maze of patchouli, exotic jasmine and ylang ylang accented with warm, rich tones of sandalwood, olibanum, and vanilla, all muddled with the rind of Moroccan lemon and a touch of birch tar."

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