Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Gallagher Fragrances: Tobacco Silk Tonight I am transported to a tobacco farm in Southern Maryland. The heat of the day has slipped away and I can smell the tobacco drying in the barns around me. As I walk through the fields, I get a musky, woody whiff from the treeline just ahead. Tobacco Silk is a lovely composition with a clean tobacco and a light musk wood to carry the main note. This easily makes a nice stand alone fragrance for someone looking for "the perfect" clean tobacco juice. It would be equally as nice adding it as a layer of complexity to another in the Series or a fragrance already in your collection. "The Silk Series is made up of ten fragrances with one “featured note” in addition to a blend of woody base notes. Each featured note is the main focus of the fragrance and the woody notes serve as a graceful, yet bold dry-down. The ten featured notes within The Silk Series are Bergamot, Black Currant, Jasmine, Lavender, Mandarin, Orange Blossom, Sanda...

Gallagher Fragrances: iloreN  This is my first test of a fragrance from  Daniel Gallagher . I was so pleased to receive my samples today (thank you so much!) I also want to thank our  John Biebel  for peaking my interest in this brand. So, formalities out of the way, I want to say that I just randomly picked out a sample to try without first reading the name. I wanted to approach this with no preconceptions whatsoever. In my personal fragrance discovery path, I'm learning that with scent, it's sometimes best to let the artist take you where he wants you to go; this is especially true with niche fragrances. On initial spray, I got an assertive bergamot and lemon verbena with a more subtle berry. The lemon stepped back and in came the softest rose you could imagine. It was as if you were standing in an orchard and the neighboring field was filled with wild roses....the breeze carried just a hint of that delicate rose scent. It's a careful and measured hand wit...

Gallagher Fragrances:  Carpe Cafe I've been so busy with work, I apologize that I don't have time to do review(s) of these justice. I wanted to post something though so a few quick thoughts. Carpe Cafe - Opening for me was like having a latte in the woods. Absolutely as if I had a creamy coffee. I could smell the cypress and fir. The vanilla faded on me and the scent wore on me as a light coffee over an ambery labdanum. The myrrh and sandalwood were softer and in the background. This lasted on me for 8 hours before I could no longer smell it. Top Notes: Colombian Coffee, French Vanilla Middle Notes: Cypress, Fir Needle Bottom Notes: Amber, Labdanum, Myrrh, Sandalwood

Gallagher Fragrances: Bergamot Silk. Bergamot Silk is the 4th in the Gallagher Fragrance Silk Series that I'm testing. Bergamot Silk opens with a blast of citrus. The bergamot is a bright and sparkling note that holds it's own for about an hour on me before the white amber musk and woody notes make an entrance. Like with the others I've tested in this series, Bergamot Silk balances the featured note with a nice base blend making this an easy option for layering. The freshness of the main accord also makes this more flexible with respect to seasonal options. "The Silk Series is made up of ten fragrances with one “featured note” in addition to a blend of woody base notes. Each featured note is the main focus of the fragrance and the woody notes serve as a graceful, yet bold dry-down. The ten featured notes within The Silk Series are Bergamot, Black Currant, Jasmine, Lavender, Mandarin, Orange Blossom, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Tulip, and Vanilla. Simplicity is the beauty...

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....

Etat Libre d'Orange: Secretions Magnifiques Anyone who knows me, especially those that know me well, know I have an insatiable curiosity. I'm also the girl that if told "you can't do that" is going to dang well do it. So with all the hate and drama directed at this juice, I HAD to test it. As perspective, in previous work I've worked in what many would consider pretty gruesome situations. I've photographed a child in the morgue, killed by a car and covered with tire tracks. I've worked fatal accident scenes with vehicles on fire and dead bodies strewn around the road. I've handled accidents with decapitations and dismemberments. So, in my mind, my curiosity was - Is this fragrance going to bring back any or all of the smells from these situations? On me, Secretions starts out with a very sharp metal twang. It is in fact reminiscent of the metal morgue tables and the smell of car metal being cut away. Then I get a sweaty musk. The kind of sme...

Edward Bess: Genre  I have to admit - I almost didn't try this. I've never really cared for leather in any of the fragrances I've tried in the past. I know many love the scent but for me, it brings to mind "new car smell" or walking into a tack shop; not necessarily a bad smell just not something I care to walk around smelling like. But, I decided to give it a chance anyway and I'm glad I did. Genre is unlike any leather fragrance I've tested. Yes, it's most certainly leather, but it's a kinder, gentler version. I get a mild to moderate soft, somewhat powdery leather and suede and a balsamic woody sweetness from the frankincense. I agree that this would work well for both a man and a woman (although I don't go much for classifying scents as male or female). I feel that this would be perfect for anyone interested in trying a leather fragrance; it's very approachable. "A force than cannot be defined, gracefully balanced between A...

Dua Fragrances: Caribbean Waters. This citrus aromatic was created by  Mahsam Raza . Ok, I did a quick spritz of this when I got home since a fellow fragrance lover reminded me I had forgotten to try this when it arrived. There are many out there that compare this to the Creed juice, but as I haven't smelled the "original" I can't offer a comparison. What I can say, is that on first spray, my brain went into a random reshuffle of "it puts the lime in the coconut"! This juice is pure Summer to me. It's tropical and beachy and fresh. It's all the best notes of a frozen fruity drink. Now all I need is a "tall ship and a star to steer her by"! "The fragrance features bergamot, lime, mandarin orange, coconut, sugar cane and white rum."

DedCool: Handcream 06 "CocoVanilla" Not a traditional SOTD but I wanted to post about this scented hand cream because it's absolutely fabulous. I'm funny about handcreams. Often I'll get a sample of one and simply pass trying it because I've had disappointment after disappointment. I mean, I don't think my "needs" in a handcream are that outrageous: 1. It has to work. And by this I mean genuinely moisturize and not for the first 5 minutes after application. 2. It cannot be greasy in any way. Nothing worse than trying to get on with your day afraid to touch anything! 3. It has to smell good. CocoVanilla meets every single one of my requirements easily. It does an absolutely brilliant job in providing long term moisture, it isn't even remotely greasy or oily, and the smell is divine. It's pure unadulterated cocoa and vanilla. A perfect compliment for a day where you pick a fragrance with those notes. And, since it isn't overbearing...

DedCool:  05 "Spring". Spring is my second trial out of my DedCool sampler. Normally since I'm an "organized" kind of person, I would test the samples in numerical order, however, it was suggested to me to try 05 Spring, next. At first glance, Spring seems to be created with notes that typically can be challenging for some. For me personally, lavender, incense, and moss are among those I consider challenging. For me, each of those notes can be easily overdone and overwhelm a fragrance. Spring is a glorious ode to the awakenings of life in Spring. It's a clever balance that speaks to the lovely wafts of flowers beginning to bloom in a rich and fertile earth. The spices, which could have easily been overdone, are balanced in such a way that they bring you a feeling of the warm sun with its rays reaching down to bring back life to a sleepy world. The base notes help to create a platform from which the notes rise into the air. Spring follows the brand for...