Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Montale Parfums Paris - Intense Tiare EDP Intense Tiare (“Tiare”) is an oriental floral fragrance that was released by Montale in 2005.   The fragrance celebrates the tiare flower; a member of the gardenia family. With Tiare, I don’t get a lot of development.   On me it’s one of those “what you smell is what you get” fragrances.   And what I get it a deep dive into a tropical vacation.   This one is truly intense.   It’s as if every note has been concentrated and then reflected back.   I get a lush, sweet, intense coconut paired with an equally intense blooming jasmine.   The pairing prevents Tiare from moving to gourmand territory.   The ylang-ylang and rose are present but in the background.   Vanilla adds interest to the fragrance.   The vanilla is more of a dry essence than a sweet note.   There is a creaminess to the scent as well.   The creamy element seems to add to the feeling of depth and the headiness overal...

Parfums de Marly Paris - Meliora Meliora, launched in 2013, is said to be a floral green fragrance, however on me it wears as a fresh fruity floral.  On initial sniff, I get a lusciously juicy fruit blend.  The blend is filled with crushed red berry and black current that drips with fruity sweetness.  Just when I begin to think this fragrance will be simply a fruit-filled one, in comes a floral blend. At that fifteen minute mark when the florals mix with the fruits, the florals lift up the fruits from being a fruity simple syrup type accord.  While I’m aware that several florals comprise the notes, I cannot readily identify one over another in Meliora.  Is this rose?  Is it lily?  I can’t really say.  It feels more like quickly sniffing a bouquet at a flower stand in the city; you know you’ve smelled flowers but the smell was not singular.  Thirty minutes into wear the fruity floral takes on a creaminess.  As the fruits ...

Prada - La Femme Prada EDP La Femme Prada (La Femme) is an oriental floral that launched in 2016.  At the time of the release, it launched with an accompanying make fragrance, L’Homme Prada.  La Femme is a contemporary spin on floral and takes floral to a less than innocent place. Prada’s La Femme opens with a lush, juicy, somewhat gardenia-like frangipani.  The frangipani is amplified by a slight spice and honeyed vanilla.  The juice sweet but not overly sweet.  La Femme feels warm, confident, yet intimate.  As the juice wears, I get hints of tuberose and vetiver.  The tuberose is soft and lovely; it contains none of the harshness often found in tuberose laden fragrances.  The vetiver adds a lovely clean, balsamic woodiness to the base.  It feel quite feminine or unisex rather than a typical masculine vetiver.  La Femme reminds me of the perfect scent for sitting in a small, lovely garden on a warm day with the sun shining down...

Le Jardin Retrouve: Tubereuse Trianon ( Michel Gutsatz ) I am about to gush. What an absolutely sexy, gorgeous interpretation of tuberose! With Tubereuse Trianon I get a succulent creamy, sweet tuberose. I get a jasmine that seems to pull a bit like plumeria as it mixes with a soft raspberry. The ylang-ylang is rich and deep. I don't get the coriander as an individual note but rather feel as if it anchors the tuberose from becoming too sharp. This juice would be such an easy scent to wear even for those who shy away from an often garish tuberose. Tuberose Trianon is the potion of liaisons; a fragrance that beckons. "1689. You are headed towards the Trianon in the Versailles garden where the King has had a profusion of flowerbeds planted. It is evening. You pass by a group of courtesans. A gaze pierces you. In its wake, the heady scent of tuberose, mingled with jasmine and ylang-ylang, and as though veiled, the unexpected trace of raspberry. Your heart just encountered lo...

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."

Parfums de Marly: Safanad Safanad is an absolutely gorgeous rendition of a creamy orange blossom/white floral and vanilla fragrance. The connection to the meaning of Safanad - pure - is perfectly fitting as this juice has a completely natural smell (nothing chemical or artificial at all). It's light and delicate. The orange is present at the top but only slightly. The pear also adds a bit of a fruitiness but as it's not a citric, it adds to the smooth creaminess of this scent that the sandalwood provides. Safanad has a restrained elegance. There is a subtle coziness to this fragrance as well; something I don't often find in a floral fragrance and that I find incredibly appealing. "Safanad, is from the ancestor of an Arabian horse breed that exists for several thousand years. The queen of Sheba presented to the wise king Solomon this thoroughbred horse named Safanad, meaning “The pure”. This fragrance from Parfums de Marly reflects the grace of a thoroughbred. Be...

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....

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