Go back home?
Here, let me show you my perfume collection
Each bottle is a different house, click on it to read my thoughts on the scents I've sniffed!
I generally buy discovery kits, which is why I have so many entries for just a couple brands. I really convinced myself that buying samples was a cheap way to get into fragrance..
Curio shelf kindly built by hillhouse, recoloured by me
ELDO my love. I adore the perfumes from this house, even when i dont actually *like* them. They were the first brand I explored when I got into fragrance, and it absolutely enchanted me. Also, their absolutely incredible discovery BOX is a treasure chest and I love them for offering it. Thank you ELDO for my stupid expensive interest! But really, I just find everything I sniff from them is so interesting, and has a really clear direction.
Wishlist: Spice must flow, I am trash, Exit the King
Notes: green tangerine, vanilla, archid, incense, plum, amber, musk, sandalwood
My thoughts: My go-to everyday autumn/winter scent! Warm and beautiful, without ever being cloying.
Notes: Powdery, violet, leather, rose, lily of the valley, musk, amber
My thoughts: Kind of smells like the incense in mass?? The amber note must be very bezoin-forward, it's wild. No hints of powery florals as promised. It's nice, but just kind of fine!
Notes: cardamom, rose, ginger, incense
My thoughts: SO delicious! The opening is deep sweet rose, entirely smells like proper Turkish delight. The rose then (sadly) takes a supporting role to the spice and incense.
Reminds me of Istanbul. Manages to hold the line between rose and spice without being headachy or powdery. I love it so much. WILL be buying a bottle as soon as I can possibly justify it.
Notes: Soap, aldehydes, musk, pepper, timur, rose, jasmine, ambroxan, sandalwood, patchouli
My thoughts:I don't get soap at all! Honey and sticky ripe fruit, slow heady summer, like a sluggishly hot day. Great projection, though slightly self-consious wearing it on a very warm day. Really love it though, really interesting in a delightful way.
Notes: Okigala wood, neroli, iris, vanilla
My thoughts: Medicinal camphor opening, okay but don't love it. Strangely slightly sweet?
Notes: apple, Iso E, rose, sandalwood, cedar, akigala wood
My thoughts: Bit hit of apple, and then rich riipe fruit. Maybe a teeny bit soapy? It smells cleaner than I expected! The woody notes come a bit more slowly, and round it out. Beautiful!
Notes: Rum, coconut, leather, osmanthus, ylang-ylang, ginger, bay, patchouli, calamus, cashmere
My thoughts:Kind of disappears? Soft leather, coconut sweetness but not beachy. Doesn't smell very dangerous, actually quite cozy! Sandalwood takes a little time to show up but i really like it - gives a warmth without being overhwelming.
A far more approachable scent than I'd expect, surprisingly light and wearable! If it didn't disappear I'd like it more, but it's really nice.
Notes: lily of the valley, marshmallow, muck, jasmine, amber, cacao, orange blossom, patchouli, aldehydes
My thoughts: Pretty, slightly boring powdery. Reminds me of Anais Anais. Kind of meh, but perfectly nice.
Notes: ginger, pepper, bergamot, rose, geranium, jasmine, pachouli, incense, banzoin, cacao
My thoughts: Rose, giner, pepper, absolutely! The rose is fresh and real and the peppers keeps it from being flat or cloying. Smells like a magic potion.
Notes: galbanum, rose, peperwood, blackcurrant, geranium, olibanum, ambroxin, vetiver, patchouli
My thoughts: Slightly medicinal herbal, old school pharmacy with big wooden counters. Reminds me of an old Italian apartment filled with dark wood antiques, windows wide open. Dries very airy.
Notes: grapefruit, curry, champagne, cardamom, pepper, sandalwood, jasmine, lorenox, labdanum
My thoughts:Mint cocktail on a rooftop bar, really good and fresh! Slightly sweet and very edible.
Notes: aldehyde, lemon, birch, pine, cypress, pepper, geranium, iris, suede, vanilla, musk, styrax, vetiver, tonka
My thoughts: Soapy, clean, pleasant. Just enough of something (leather?) to keep it grounded, more prominent in the dry down. Really like this one, one of the better soap scents.
Notes: vetiver, cream, vanilla, myrrh, chestnut, opopnax, oliive leaf
My thoughts: Clean and sweet, a little bit vegetal note? I like it, but I wouldn't wear it.
Notes: mint, grapefruit, anise, bergamot, cassis, rose, hedione, musk
My thoughts: Green herbaceous basil and mint. Fresh cut grass and breezy air. Soap bubbles on the dry down. Summerly and light, super nice!
Notes: cumin, apple, lychee, rose, honey, jasmine, akigala wood, patchouli, musk
My thoughts:
Notes: bergamot, rose, incense, pepper, orris, suede, sandalwood, musk, vanilla, bezoin, tonka bean
My thoughts: Rich, spicy, powdery incense but not too overpowering. Slightly sharp edge from the bergamot that lifts it and gives it some clean freshness. Really good, will happily sniff this without getting claustrophic, as some spices make me.
Notes: incense, leather, aldehydes, oakmoss, ladbanum, iris, pachouli, amber, pepepr, cumin, rose
My thoughts:
Notes: lime, ginger flower, coriander, shiso, coconut, rose, cinnamon, jasmine, tonka, musk, amber, vetiver, leather, castoreum
My thoughts:
Notes: pumpkin, immortelle, giner, heliotrope, musk, vetiver, neroli, rose
My thoughts: ginger bread and lemon, fresh air, the honey & earthy smell of a bee hive.
Notes: jasmine, tobacco, hay, apricot, musk, cedar, cumin, tonka, amber
My thoughts:
Perfumes for pretty girls ONLY (gender neutral). I can envisage the woman who wears each of these perfumes, which says a lot about the storytelling happening here. Really beautiful work overall.
Wishlist: Delina
Notes: blackcurrant, red berry, cassic, rose, lily of the valley, ylangylang, musk, vanilla
My thoughts: Rosy and full of blackcurrant. Little bit of raspberry too, and something green which keeps it fresh and clean, doesn't stray too powdery to me. Vanilla and musk sweeten and soften it. Spring time, picnic under a cherry blossom kind of scent. Absolutely no longevity though, which breaks my heart!
Notes: red currant, floral, bulgarian rose, frangipane, plum, mimosa, vanilla, tonka, sandalwood
My thoughts: Super cute! Sweet, ultra ripe peach. Smells like being on a swing in summer, or sitting in the sunshine with friends. Slighly powdery and softened, lot's of fun. Fruity over floral, very fun, playful scent. This was scent of the summer when I was 24 but I think it's almost a little too cute for me now. Delicious though.
Notes: luchee, rhubarb, rose, peony, musk, petalia, vanilla, cashmere, cedar, incense, vetiver
My thoughts: Straight up lychee! Sugary rhubarb, pink grapefruit, slightly tart. Lovely peony, I don't notice rose at all actually, except as part of the supporting cast.
Notes: orange blossom, iris, white musk, amber
My thoughts: Beautiful sophisticated iris, smells like the colour lilac to me. A clean, soft soap. Luxurious.
Notes: pear, orange, orange blossom, ylangylang, iris, vanilla, amber, sandalwood
My thoughts: Okay, just at the end this smells like Eythymol toothpaste, but in a good way I swear!! I get the iris and orange blossom, a little bit of honey sweetness, but the sweet menthol slightly eucalyptus smell is what my brain is latching onto. It's so good though, very warm.
Despite smelling a lot scents from this house, I'm still not decided. I think I tend to err on the side of not really loving these.. I have my stand-outs, but I will need to smell more to see if I can totally say this is a house I love.
Wishlist: Poets of Berlin, exclusively to wear in December. Mango skin, exclusively to wear in August.
Notes: acai berry, lemon, raspberry, violet leaf, magnolia, musk, sandalwood, amber
My thoughts: Such a light airy fragrance. The florals are quite lovely, sweet & fresh. Very springtime!
Notes: blueberry, lemon, bamboo, orris, vanilla, sandalwood, vetiver
My thoughts: I get the base notes most strongly - vanilla, vetiver, woodsy and soft. Baked good and warm jumpers, ultimate winter scent to me.
Notes: mango, blackberry, black pepper, jasmine, orris, lotus, vanilla icing, patchouli
My thoughts: Fragrance of summer 2022! Norwich in 40 degree heat. Playful, sweet, fruity, summery and delicious.
Notes: basil, fig, dragonfruit, violet, grass, hay, vetiver
My thoughts: Grass and hay, summertime lying face down in the grass, sweet and earthy. Almost a little bit of pine? So unusual! No idea where the fig and dragonfruit is supposed to be!
Notes: angelica, cassis, lemon, fig, galbanum, cyclemen, cypress, cedar
My thoughts: Very green and balsamic. I'm not so drawn to it, but it's fine!
Notes: lemon, pepper, almond, rosemary, geranium, moss, patchouli, black amber
My thoughts: super fresh pepper, citrusy, almond and amber in a box. On second smelling, I'm getting so much sherbert. Sweet citrus, and quite pepery on the skin. Eh!
Notes: blackberry, mandarin, orchid, violet, bamboo, musk, black amber, sandalwood
My thoughts:
Notes: juniiper, basil, bergamot, cardamom, cassis, maté, cedar, vetiver, sandalwood, ambergris
My thoughts:
I feel so attached to this house! I found them by ordering a random sample from a niche fragrance store, and the rest is history. Azahar is the first full size bottle I ever bought, and I love it still. I bought grand jeu to wear to my graduation and for the summer after, going to Naples, Brussels, and Lisbon with it. They can produce nothing but god awful fragrances for the rest of time and I'll still say I adore this house.
Wishlist: I have what I want!
Notes: orange blossom, petitgrain, tangerine, marshmallow, vanilla
My thoughts: One of my favourites! Reminds me of fizzy orange sorbet. Sweet but not sickly at all, still fresh and lovely and a little bit effervescent. Vanilla rounds and softens it out, gives it a little more warmth.
Notes: balsam fir, lavendar, patchouli, rose geranium, vanilla
My thoughts: Definetely fir, but the florals and vanilla so far keep it more herbal, slightly medicinal to me. I actually really like it! Wet wood scent comes and goes.
Notes: coconut milk, gardenia, tuberose, vanilla
My thoughts: Another fave, THE ultimate summer scent. Straight creamy coconut, with white florals appearing as it dries down. Just smells like the idea of summer.
Notes: immortelle, amber, labdanum, chocolate, benzoin, tonka, vanilla, bergamot
My thoughts: PHEW. HUH. Coughing fit. Boy that's smokey!! Interesting but sniff with care! It's not disgusting, but it's just sooo in your face. Will probably never spray this again, just sniffing the sample is enough.
Notes: fig, cedar, lemon, pink pepper, guaiac wood, tonka bean, bergamot
My thoughts: It's fine! Woody, herbal, tiny bit of salt and spice. Dry down is pure lemongrass. Nice but not my thing.
Notes: tea, bergamot, maté, tonka bean
My thoughts: Very light tea scent to me, almost leans soapy? Quite a delicate fragrance despite the name to me! Almost a little buttery? Nice, but just fine.
My opinion of Le Labo is still forming, but so far none of ther fragrances have been so spectacular that they're left me any great impression of the brand!
Notes: sandalwood, iris, leather, papyrus, cedar, cardamom, violet, amber
My thoughts: Love the opening, reminds me of a cocktial bar. But then hm... it's not soapy, but the florals kind of put it in that territory? Some reviews say dill pickle which makes me laugh, I do see it! I like it, but I don't adore it. I'm sadly not blown away!
Notes: orange blossom, petitgrain, bergamot, lemon
My thoughts: First spray is really bright, managing to be a pleasant citrus without straying into toilet cleaner. Floral comes to the front quite quickly though. Overall really balanced. Like a bouquet of flowers when you stick your nose in a bouquet! Super natural, slightly green floral.
Notes: ambrette, musk, aldehydes, lemon, fruit, amber
My thoughts: Barely there?? Soft musk, but not much of it
Notes: orange blossom, orange, aldehydes, jasmine, rose, musk, vanilla, tonka
My thoughts:
Ehhh..? Beautiful fragrances, badly formulated, at a price that is utterly disrespectful. Would love to love Byredo, but I can't. In fact, I couldn't even explore the brand because until recently, they straight up didn't do samples. I've sniffed some bottles in store and there really are a few that I'd love to get my hands on, but so far the consistently weak performance and non-existent longevity just cannot justify the price.
Wishlist: More samples but their discovery set costs FIFTY EURO for FOUR samples and genuinely, as a point of principle, I refuse to pay that.
Notes: mandarin, lemon, neroli, jasmine, cotton candy, musk
My thoughts: sooo good, laundry, fresh air, citrus and bright. Airy italian apartment.
Notes: blackcurrant, bergamot, lemon, fig, apple, praline, peach blossom, cedar
My thoughts:very juicy, kind of see the idea of overripe fruit. a little sour, like a lambic raspberry beer.
Notes: freesia, rose, lily of the valley, magnolia, jasmine
My thoughts: At first, soap. But then just sticking your nose into a bouquet of flowers! It's not very sweet, but very natural. The rose is very green and realistic. Freesia and jasmine is there but not cloying at all. Disappears by the time I remember to take a second sniff.
Notes: juniper lemon, bergamot, pepper, pine, orris, rose, pine, incense, vanilla, amber, sandalwood
My thoughts: Opening reminds me of poets of berlin. Maybe same lemon, and vanilla notes? Lighter and transparent version! Pepper does come through really nicely.
Notes: sapodilla, ambrette, magnolia, violet, sandalwood, ambergris, cedar
My thoughts: A little soapy, but pleasantly so? Very soft, almost watery. Pear starts to come through after about 5 minutes. Surprisingly sweet, marshmallowy vibe, cream soda kind of thing. Woods keep it a little more grounded but I think maybe just a little too sweet for me. Not much projection, thankfully, because otherwise it'd be too headachy!
Yes, the hype around B540 is what brought to into the world of perfume. She's hyped for a reason!! The rest of what I've tried from MFK is less spectacular to me, but nevertheless very elegant perfumes. I never really find myself reaching for them, and as a consequence I can't give any firm opinion on the house yet.
Notes: saffron, jasmine, ambergris, amber wood, fir resin, cedar
My thoughts: Ah, the scent that started it all. Luckily I loved it, unluckily for my wallet I bought a (small) bottle. But no regrets, it's a bit of a basic bitch scent in the fragrance community now but I dont CARE. It's sweet without being cloying, it's comforting, it's decadent, it's like being wrapped up in a silk sheet. Deserves to be an icon imo, she is THE gourmand.
It's a comfort scent! This is what I spray on my coats, and not just because this scent will last on clothes for WEEKS.
Notes: iris, rose, violet, lily of the valley, patchouli, orange blossom, jasmine
My thoughts:
Notes: lemon, musk, orange blossom, lavendar, hawthorn, ambroxan
My thoughts: fresh, airy, citrus. Crisp sheets and bright mornings. Simple and uncomplicated!
Notes: lily of the valley, lemon, bergamot, musk, orange, wood
My thoughts: Clean, airy, a little like fancy detergent.
Notes: lemon, mandarin, guaiac wood, tonka, vanilla, jasmine, hedoine
My thoughts: citrus fresh, like a fancy spa. Vanilla gives it a fluffy towel quality that I really like.
I actually haven't gotten enough samples to say much about the scents, in part because I keep deciding to buy other discovery sets instead of theirs. Maybe because they're so accessible, so I can buy it anywhere? Maybe because when I smell bottles in store, my opinion is generally "that's nice" and not a lot else. Which is kind of fascinating, given the fashion house this brand comes from. Anyway, gotta go try more.
Wishlist: From the Garden MAYBE, will need further testing. I just want a tomato leaf fragrance SO BAD.
Notes: tomato leaf, green mandarin, geranium, patchouli
My thoughts: Almost perfect tomato leaf which I am OBSESSED with. Green and spicy. Develops into a more subtle warmth, and less tomato leaf-y unfortunately. The spice is really that green prickly vegetal warmth. Good longevity, stays pretty close to the skin.
Oh a brand I do not care about at all. I was intruiged at first, because I expected they were going for photorealism, given the names of the fragrances. And their frags are nice, but turns out I really need a story to care about. They're just so boring.
If these reviews get left blank for a long time its because I am not inspired by this brand at all, and loads of these are discontinued anyway!!
Notes: cedar, eucalyptus, rosewood, bergamot, cypress, amber, sandalwood, musk, velvet
My thoughts: cucumber! Unexpected from a scent called book, but a perfectly nice summery scent. Wore it layered with mango skin which was nice, but super one-note on its own.
Notes: water lily, grapefruit, magnolia, violet, ylang-ylang, rose, musk, labdanum, caramel
My thoughts:
Notes: blood orange, mandarin orange, lemon, bergamot, orange blossom, jasmine, orris root, musk
My thoughts:
Notes: pink pepper, angelica, pimento, jasmine, orchid, freesia, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla
My thoughts:
Notes: Juniper berries, lime, grapefruit, freesia, labdanum, oak, musk, smoke, patchouli
My thoughts:
Notes: violet, black currant, plum, wormwood, lavender, oak, ambergris, vanilla, mahogany, vetiver, cedar
My thoughts:
Notes: bergamot, clementine, mandarin, mint, jasmine, geranium, violet, musk, patchouli
My thoughts: I'm actually struggling to describe this,beyond that brings to mind standing a large room in an old house with open doors wide open to the garden. It's a little airy, the mint doesn't make it smell minty per se but does give it minty qualities? Opens it up a lot. A cool, sweet, fresh floral. Not particularly my style but perfectly pretty.
Notes: Grapefruit, apple, orange, lavender, cedar, basil, musk, vanilla, amber, vetiver
My thoughts:
Notes: pomelo, bergamot, neroli, honeysuckle, cedar, musk, orange blossom
My thoughts: True to it's name, reminds me of sticky yellow florals, sucking the nectar from fuschia blossoms. Straight neroli and honeysuckle, but a lovely round fragrance. Late August languid, humid evenings, when the scent of flowers thickens the air. It definitely reads florals first to me but the citrus makes it vibrant and tempers the sweetness. So good. Actually really beautiful. Appears to be discontinued T.T
Notes: black cherry, saffron, pink pepper, rose, peony, violet, musk, ambroxan, myrrh, frankincense
My thoughts: I sniffed this one in a store and I cannot remember anything about it except that I was suddenly very vulnerable to sales tactics in that moment. Sweet and divine and I wanted it very badly.
Recipe: (drops) in 10ml ethanol - ambroxide (2), vanillin(2), vetiver(2), myrhh(3), rose(1), alpha-ionon (iris) (2), aldehyde C-18 (buttery, coconut) (2), PTBC (leather) (2), neroli (1), orange (1), bergamot (1), calone (watermelon) (2)
My thoughts: Fragrance of the summer!!! So pleased with this. It's bright, soft, summery, smells of coconut and sunshine. Yes I am obsessed with it. Reminded me a lot of L'grand jeu by voyage imaginaires, another white floral and coconut summer dream.
Notes: cherry, saffron, sichuan pepper, violet, mimosa, jasmine, leather, tonka, patchouli
My thoughts:
Notes: nectarine, peach, pear, licorice, bitter almond, brown sugar, vanilla
My thoughts:
Notes: lavender, bergamot, cedar, musk, citron, gooseberry, rose, petitgrain, sandalwood
My thoughts:
Notes: violet, lemon, rose, licorice, plum, amber, oud, vanilla, sandalwood, patchouli
My thoughts:
Notes: bergamot, grapefruit blossom, basil, tarragon, peppermint, orange blossom, ambroxan, vetiver, incense, cypress
My thoughts:
Notes: bergamot, orange, lemon, bitter orange, lanender, rosemary, myrtle, neroli, jasmine, pitosporum, amber, angelica, musk mallow
My thoughts:
Notes: blood orange, bitter orange, mandarin, geranium, jasmine, pepper, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, cedar
My thoughts:
Notes: neroli, bergamot blossom, lily of the valley, sandalwood, jasmine, musk, cedarwood, ambrette
My thoughts:
Notes: Iso E Super
My thoughts: pleasant, clean and slightly sweet. A little headachy smelling it up close, but nice! Probably will never reach for it again though. *Update* actually it makes me feel a little sick, tho smells fine! Damn Iso E super..
Notes: african orange flower, osmanthus, bergamot, musk, amber, vetiver, patchouli, vanille
My thoughts:
Notes: jasmine sambac, orange, lily of the valley, rose, leather, blackcurrant, patchouli, musk, ambergris, oud, benzoin, sandalwood
My thoughts: