Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
10/18/2023
PetitePinup
26 Reviews
PetitePinup
1
Vanilla-Musk that pretends to be a Hypnotic Poison dupe
When I bought this perfume I had no idea it was supposed to be a dupe for Hypnotic Poison - it was recommended in a circle of Arabic perfume users as a layering scent. Because it was so inexpensive (I paid just under 7 euro) I added it to my cart when I was buying sth off Amazon anyway. My 1st experience was terrible: "blegh !" A huge alcohol cloud, and barely any perfume scent apart from some screechy faux vanilla and a bit of nasty jasmine. I'm used to more of an alcohol blast in cheapies, either because maceration barely happened or the alcohol used is of bad quality. But this made me cough up a long!
My experiences with online orders, particularly those coming from abroad (as products in my own country are generally much more expensive than other EU members I tend to order the majority of my perfume across the border), and especially if fragrances are under €40/100ml, have taught me that I should let a new arrival have some "maceration & chill" time, as I've dubbed it now ;). So I sprayed a few more times to empty the atomiser and left the -by the way super handy travelsize - bottle alone for 3 weeks. After that, the alcohol in the opening was still very strong, but less so. And with each extra week it became less.
While the alcohol opening never fully disappeared, it was now only 'active' in the first 10 seconds. After that a boozy, bitter almond scent appeared (from the tonka I assume). The almond was shortly accompanied by a creamy vanilla and a soft jasmine-tuberose mix. And that's when I thought: what the hey hey...I KNOW this fragrance! Hypnotic Poison (edt)!
Unfortunately the heart is flighty and loses the strength of the almond- vanilla-floral accord quickly in the pushy musk of the base. On my skin it therefore loses the bulk of its dupe quality.
The dry down ends in a strong musk that has very soft accents of sandalwood and a barely recognisable white flower, or what I considered bitter almonds. I can see the resemblance with Dior’s popular baby, but mostly in the heart. The dry down is too musky - at least on my skin. That's a shame because for a moment there it came very close to the inspiration.
As a fan of Hypnotic Poison, but with a small wallet, I've tested several dupes already (Jeanne Arthes Guipure and Silk, Pascal Morabito Lady In Red, La Rive's Sweet Hope, Zara Femme, or Poison Noir by an Arab brand). Like this Spirit none of them reach 100% scent wise, but for their prices they're acceptable. If you are lucky enough to have a skin chemistry that holds on to the fragrance that blossoms in the heart of the pyramid development in the dry down as well, Cashmere is one of the better duplicates.
Alas, there's good reason why I won't be repurchasing Cashmere in the future. First off, projection, sillage and longevity are rather disappointing. To say they're all limited is an understatement. I always spray the fragrance in question on my hand when I'm reviewing, in case I need a reminder. In the time I've written this text, the perfume has walked all its pyramid steps, gotten to the dry down and already lost pretty much its entire projection- what little is there to begin with. It's now a very soft skin- scent, only perceivable when nose hits skin. You'll then get mostly musk, some vanilla and a hint of almond.
I think this is why it was recommended as layering by certain fellow fragantophiles. It's a nice smell that'll quite likely strengthen a vanillic base or bitter almond note in another perfume. However, as a standalone it won't be strong enough imho. Now, I do have perfume eating skin, but this is bad performance. Even for me. If I douse myself in the stuff - at least 30 sprays - I expect to get an hour from a bodymist. As this is sold as an eau de parfum I would expect three hours for this price. And with 30 sprays! But...I get maybe half an hour of intimate projection and then approximately 15-20min of barely there skin scent. Then: poof!
(EDIT OCTOBER 2023). What's more: the quality also lacks in another department. Shelf life. Literal shelf life. We're usually promised around 3 years before we need to shuck our perfumes. We all know those with strong, heavy notes can sometimes last half a lifetime with good care, where citrusy and other lighter fragrances might start to change, losing topnotes, becoming less strong. And based on my experiences most freshies need to say goodbye around 3yrs after opening, save for a few exceptions (DKNY's apples! The OG's about 14yrs old and still exactly the same!).
I keep all my perfumes in their own boxes, in a dark closet that's rarely opened during their "off seasons", and otherwise on a shelf in my bedroom where the sun never hits if my room would be bathed in light (But as my very thick UV blocking curtains are always closed - creepy voyueristic neighbour across the street - they're basically in a dark room too then.) That's why my freshies have not gone off, nor changed since I got them (pre 2020, or 2020).
That's not the case for the in 2022 bought Cashmere. It turned pinkish - strangely enough the picture shows it pink, but it arrived light yellow - and now smells like vinegar with a hint of almond and tuberose. Barf. White Vanilla, another Spirit I got early '23, still mostly smells like its meant to be, but *extremely* light... and the off-smell is slowly creeping in. Seeing as they're about 11 and 9 months old respectively and were treated well, that's just not okay.
If you're on a tight budget, are looking for A. a dupe-ish of Hypnotic Poison or a nice vanilla smell with white floral/ musk/ almond accents, and B. don't have a large collection: definitely go for it. It's not a huge loss of money and if you don't have 50 or 100, or even more fragrances competing for attention, you might likely finish this 30ml before its untimely demise. Besides, even the majority of the best of perfumes perform atrocious on my skin, so it could just do better on yours. Don't expect miracles, though.
As for me: I'm done with this brand. For the scent I would've repurchased Spirit of White Vanilla - this Hypnotic Poison wannabe just isn't it, for me - but the quality and early trashcan journey makes me think even €7 is €7 too much.
My experiences with online orders, particularly those coming from abroad (as products in my own country are generally much more expensive than other EU members I tend to order the majority of my perfume across the border), and especially if fragrances are under €40/100ml, have taught me that I should let a new arrival have some "maceration & chill" time, as I've dubbed it now ;). So I sprayed a few more times to empty the atomiser and left the -by the way super handy travelsize - bottle alone for 3 weeks. After that, the alcohol in the opening was still very strong, but less so. And with each extra week it became less.
While the alcohol opening never fully disappeared, it was now only 'active' in the first 10 seconds. After that a boozy, bitter almond scent appeared (from the tonka I assume). The almond was shortly accompanied by a creamy vanilla and a soft jasmine-tuberose mix. And that's when I thought: what the hey hey...I KNOW this fragrance! Hypnotic Poison (edt)!
Unfortunately the heart is flighty and loses the strength of the almond- vanilla-floral accord quickly in the pushy musk of the base. On my skin it therefore loses the bulk of its dupe quality.
The dry down ends in a strong musk that has very soft accents of sandalwood and a barely recognisable white flower, or what I considered bitter almonds. I can see the resemblance with Dior’s popular baby, but mostly in the heart. The dry down is too musky - at least on my skin. That's a shame because for a moment there it came very close to the inspiration.
As a fan of Hypnotic Poison, but with a small wallet, I've tested several dupes already (Jeanne Arthes Guipure and Silk, Pascal Morabito Lady In Red, La Rive's Sweet Hope, Zara Femme, or Poison Noir by an Arab brand). Like this Spirit none of them reach 100% scent wise, but for their prices they're acceptable. If you are lucky enough to have a skin chemistry that holds on to the fragrance that blossoms in the heart of the pyramid development in the dry down as well, Cashmere is one of the better duplicates.
Alas, there's good reason why I won't be repurchasing Cashmere in the future. First off, projection, sillage and longevity are rather disappointing. To say they're all limited is an understatement. I always spray the fragrance in question on my hand when I'm reviewing, in case I need a reminder. In the time I've written this text, the perfume has walked all its pyramid steps, gotten to the dry down and already lost pretty much its entire projection- what little is there to begin with. It's now a very soft skin- scent, only perceivable when nose hits skin. You'll then get mostly musk, some vanilla and a hint of almond.
I think this is why it was recommended as layering by certain fellow fragantophiles. It's a nice smell that'll quite likely strengthen a vanillic base or bitter almond note in another perfume. However, as a standalone it won't be strong enough imho. Now, I do have perfume eating skin, but this is bad performance. Even for me. If I douse myself in the stuff - at least 30 sprays - I expect to get an hour from a bodymist. As this is sold as an eau de parfum I would expect three hours for this price. And with 30 sprays! But...I get maybe half an hour of intimate projection and then approximately 15-20min of barely there skin scent. Then: poof!
(EDIT OCTOBER 2023). What's more: the quality also lacks in another department. Shelf life. Literal shelf life. We're usually promised around 3 years before we need to shuck our perfumes. We all know those with strong, heavy notes can sometimes last half a lifetime with good care, where citrusy and other lighter fragrances might start to change, losing topnotes, becoming less strong. And based on my experiences most freshies need to say goodbye around 3yrs after opening, save for a few exceptions (DKNY's apples! The OG's about 14yrs old and still exactly the same!).
I keep all my perfumes in their own boxes, in a dark closet that's rarely opened during their "off seasons", and otherwise on a shelf in my bedroom where the sun never hits if my room would be bathed in light (But as my very thick UV blocking curtains are always closed - creepy voyueristic neighbour across the street - they're basically in a dark room too then.) That's why my freshies have not gone off, nor changed since I got them (pre 2020, or 2020).
That's not the case for the in 2022 bought Cashmere. It turned pinkish - strangely enough the picture shows it pink, but it arrived light yellow - and now smells like vinegar with a hint of almond and tuberose. Barf. White Vanilla, another Spirit I got early '23, still mostly smells like its meant to be, but *extremely* light... and the off-smell is slowly creeping in. Seeing as they're about 11 and 9 months old respectively and were treated well, that's just not okay.
If you're on a tight budget, are looking for A. a dupe-ish of Hypnotic Poison or a nice vanilla smell with white floral/ musk/ almond accents, and B. don't have a large collection: definitely go for it. It's not a huge loss of money and if you don't have 50 or 100, or even more fragrances competing for attention, you might likely finish this 30ml before its untimely demise. Besides, even the majority of the best of perfumes perform atrocious on my skin, so it could just do better on yours. Don't expect miracles, though.
As for me: I'm done with this brand. For the scent I would've repurchased Spirit of White Vanilla - this Hypnotic Poison wannabe just isn't it, for me - but the quality and early trashcan journey makes me think even €7 is €7 too much.
Steffi91
