Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Charlotte Tilbury – Scent of a Dream Perfume Scent of a Dream (“Dream”) is a chypre floral fragrance released by the iconic Charlotte Tilbury brand in 2016.   The fragrance launched with the face of the equally iconic Kate Moss.   The scent is comprised of notes of scented oils from the Ibiza markets, where Tilbury hails from. So, confession - I would not have bought this fragrance.   Dream contains the hallmark notes of rose, jasmine, patchouli, and bergamot which are often components of a chypre floral. Chypre Florals are one of my least favorite categories of fragrance, so while I am a fan of the cosmetic line, I most likely would have skipped on the fragrance.   Fortunately for me, during the recent Black Friday sales, Charlotte Tilbury included this fragrance as a GWP.   I am so pleased she did. Dream opens as a bright, somewhat spicy, fruity note.   The fruit notes are balanced but on me, the peach speaks the loudest.   There is a s...

Diptyque - Do Son EDT Do Son is a floral fragrance released by Diptyque in 2005.   For me, this fragrance is all about the tuberose. Do Son opens with a tempered tuberose.   Where the flower can often be loud and screechy, Do Son restrains it and it blossoms as a bright joyful slightly creamy note.   As Do Son wears, I get the addition of the other florals – most prominently rose and orange flower.   The rose and orange flower compliment the tuberose and add to its bouquet.   there is a “wetness” to the fragrance that feels almost tangible.   I also get a tiny bit of greenness and a floral echo that reads on me as a light jasmine.   Toward the very end of wear, I get hints of musk.   Combined with the florals, the musk adds more of a humid, tropical climate feel to the drydown. Do Son wears on me with soft projection for roughly 6 hours. Notes: Top: Tuberose Middle: Orange Tree Leaves, Roses, Benzoin and Iris Base: White Mu...

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...

Tom Ford - Eau de Soleil Blanc In the beginning of 2018, Tom Ford launched Eau de Soleil Blanc (“Blanc”) as a flanker to the original, Soleil Blanc, from2016.   Soleil Blanc is a solar floral while Blanc is said to be an oriental floral – although personally, it feels more like a fresh floral to my nose. While replete with a variety of notes, Blanc wears in a linear way on me.   Blanc opens with a crisp, sunny citrus floral with touches of green.   I get an imposing bergamot, petitgrain, bold orange blossom, and strong jasmine.   A heady, sharp tuberose is present.   There are touches of roasted pistachio adding a slightly nutty quality and a beachy vibe from amber and coconut. Blanc seems to sparkle on wear with a feeling of sunny warmth.   There is a slight sweetness to the fragrance that amplifies the florals.   I do not find Blanc cloying yet it is quite bold. Blanc wears on me with moderate projection for roughly 8 – 9 hours. ...

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...

Hermes - Twilly d'Hermes Confession:  I purchased this fragrance because it reminded me of Mr. Potato Head wearing a jaunty Hermes scarf.  In my mind, it was a safe blind buy because at the very least I knew I would be amused by the bottle every time I set eyes on it.  The fact that the primary notes were ones I generally like didn’t hurt either.  Added bonus for me is the fact that I had the opportunity to use “jaunty” in a sentence; not something I often do.  Twilly opens with an extremely bold ginger note.  The ginger is spicy yet playful.  The tuberose and sandalwood sit in the background.   After about an hour, the ginger steps back ever so slightly and the tuberose seems to gain some ground.  The tuberose is fresh and bright.  The sandalwood remains to round out the fragrance and temper the sharpness of the ginger and the tuberose.  Other than the initial hour of wear where the ginger is very strong and prominent...

Parfums de Marly: Sedbury Have you ever been excited about receiving unknown samples with your fragrance purchase? And have you ever looked at one of those "mystery" samples and turned into a toddler inside your head? Ok, so yes, I'm admitting it. That's exactly what happened when I realized I received this sample . I'm talking full bore toddler. Whining inside my head - "But I hate chypre florals"... Now rolling on the floor and thrashing about..."Lavender? No, no, no, no, no!" Sigh. But being the good open minded sport that I am (LOL), I decided to give Sedbury a try anyway. (I want to note here that Sedbury is named after the eighteenth century thoroughbred horse of the same name. Sedbury was said to have been, "described as a horse of exquisite beauty, fine shape and form, Sedbury was said to be the best of his size in his day." I admit to find it a little baffling that a fragrance described as being "a decidedly floral,...

Chanel: Gabrielle I need to admit before I say anything here, I've never been a huge fan of the House of Chanel for fragrance although I do like a few of their offerings. I know, I know, if I said that in person, I'd most likely be run out of town! For, me, most of the Chanel scents have just always been a bit too "biting" for my personal taste. So, I've put my personal prejudice aside to approach this new fragrance with clarity. On me, Gabrielle is a light (for Chanel) and airy floral. I get each of the four main white florals in fairly equal proportions. This feels like a more youthful and playful fragrance than some of Chanel's previous offerings. I believe I read some of you surmising that Chanel was trying to reach out to a new and younger audience. I would agree. This is not our Mother's Chanel. Gabrielle feels very much like a young, free-spirited woman. The juice feels decidedly more feminine than masculine; although personally I feel all fr...

Besame Cosmetics 1910. "Art Nouveau, Belle Epoque, Klimt, 1910s Floriental".  I purchased the discovery set from Besame during a promotion. I already had 1930 (so I won't be re-reviewing it). 1910 is the first I'm testing out of the ones new to me. With 1910, Besame has created a period accurate fragrance. This is a classic floriental with the orange flower, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and peony being the most prominent to my nose. The lemon was present but only in the introduction. The base is nicely rounded with a nubuck and civet made slightly softer and creamier by the addition of the vanilla and sandalwood. Neither the vanilla or sandalwood seem to "speak" out on their own but instead simply change the character of the other two base notes. Top notes: lemon, orange-flower, ylang-ylang Heart notes: tuberose, saffron, jasmine, peony Base notes: nubuck, vanilla, civet, sandalwood