Anessa

It remains a mystery where this wateriness comes from - the pyramid does not disclose any clues to me. 'Love of Almond' opens with a vaguely sweet nutty note, supported by light and indistinct florals notes. Although this Belle would be positioned as the more (but not the most) 'gourmand' of the series, the vanilla is kept subtle and does not provide any edible aspects.
This is a linear fragrance lasting around three to four hours minimum with noticeable projection and could be, with careful application, one of the inoffensive sweet spring florals in the vein of Lolita Lempicka's daylight flankers. However, a prominent tart citrus note becomes bothersome after a while, its sharpness intensified by the edgy marzipan, and the persistent spike of sourness sticking out of the watery sweetness started to get on my nerves. A nice idea gone wrong to my nose.
On a positive note, this fragrance is fairly recognisable. Someone apparently took a liberal splash on a midsummer's day and I instantly knew this perfume by its trail in a split second, after more than 15 years. As it still failed to appeal to me, I assume it was a matter of taste and less about lacking chemistry.

For those who are familiar with the (discontinued) bath product 'Almonds of California' by Yves Rocher, its scent is quite close to this EdT (without the somewhat disturbing tartness).

This Green Tea flanker made me curious about the 'Camellia' note, together with the fresh colour of the bottle and the retro-taste package illustration. Although some camellia varieties are said to have a distinct scent (as Shiseido using headspace for their various camellia fragrances would tell), for my part, the ones I came to know were odourless.
In this Green Tea interpretation, I rather perceived the familiar scent of the traditional camellia oil hair treatment - a little bitter, green, smoky and leaning on the masculine side. The main notes for me were the mix of fruit, a tiny hint of juicy citrus, and spices. Watery, pale florals show up to just add a gentle, clean touch, keeping to the background. The spices provide a very nice cooling sensation, more subtle and mild in their refreshing effect than mint - as in the opening of the original Green Tea, it could often appear menthol-like and too harsh for my liking.
Once the initial spicy spikes had subdued, Camellia's projection also became skin-close, and after 12 hours, it left a faint trace of a cheerful orange.
My nose being accustomed to really strong, concentrated green tea scents, it apparently was oblivious of any tea note in this fragrance, as much as in the original version.

Although my expectation based on the advertising ('inspired by the Asian feeling of peace and tranquility') was not met, I found it very enjoyable nonetheless, in a more sportive, extroverted way - the sensation of relaxing in the open air, in the cooling white shades at the poolside under the clear blue sky. Overall, this is a nostalgic scent to me, like an homage to the 90s - a mix of L'Eau Par Kenzo pour Homme and Eau Belle d'Azzaro which I both used to wear and enjoy.

Camellia, despite the listed notes, does not have any sourness and is more aquatic (meaning watery, not ozonic), fruity without being over the top, invigoratingly spicy, just a little flowery and, to me, even more unisex than the original Green Tea. It is discontinued, but I would still recommend to give it a try if you are looking for a pleasantly cooling and relaxed unisex floral fragrance suited for summer, especially in humid heat.

I used to have a shower gel (not from this brand) named 'Raspberry Rose' which smelt identical to this perfume. This would really be a simple, fun scent for spring and summer. A rosy-fruity, 'girlish' fragrance that settles down to sugar-free hard candy. Any flowers that ever came to the party must have been processed and silenced so as not to disturb the fruity guests. Here, the emphasis is really on 'party' - just as the advertisement would suggest, the scent evokes the imagery of floral-patterned sundresses floating over the lawn and red berry cocktails sipped from sweating glasses.
Since the sweetness comes from the fruit, most strongly from the lychee, Flowerparty may be a good option for those who are looking for a cheerful and sweet fragrance that is not based on sticky cotton candy or foody vanilla even if the latter is listed.

The name seems well chosen for this fragrance.

The scent of the sample tissue resembled that of vanilla tobacco with the combination of heady smoke and the concentrated sweetness of vanillin essence.

The liquid fragrance developed a very distinct and persistent musty note, bordering on sweat on my skin. In fact, there is a similar perfume that also has this buttery, strangely 'dirty' and 'perfume-y' kind of vanilla, although I'll have to test Hypnotic Poison again to confirm the widespread comparison.

While I suspect that the cedar note adds a somewhat dry 'shrewdness', the rest of the sultriness and somewhat artificial florality must be attributed to the name-giving star of this perfume: Apparently, three different types of vanilla were used; quoting the brand - "Bourbon vanilla absolute with leathery accents, the delicate and floral absolute of Tahitian vanilla, and the Uganda vanilla with a woody and spicy character".

Apart from the surprising 'leathery' aspects of the Bourbon vanilla, the spiciness of the Ugandan variety was probably too unfamiliar for me to be comfortable with. I, for my part, prefer a simpler rendition of this note, such as in the body lotion of the same brand - cheerful, tasty and uncomplicated without any suggestiveness like Vanille 'Noir', a fitting name for its somewhat shady facet.

Judging by the overall favourable reviews wherever I look, I seem to belong to the minority that does not appreciate this perfume.
Nevertheless, it may not be to everyone's taste, and despite the great positive feedback, I strongly recommend a skin test before purchasing.