EvaK

I would say that Madness really has a split personality, so the name fits juice very well! The way it develops is shocking every time I wear it. The opening is sharp like a razor, as nose-burning as the smell of wasabi. (No, it does NOT smell like wasabi at all! It's just the best example I can give.) To be honest I find that opening to be the worst and most godawful I've encounted to this day. It takes a long time - up to 45 minutes mintues before it changes noticably. At that point it turns into a very soft, non-offending skin scent - that type of scent that is hard to remember the next day. Odd, but definitely interesting. I've given it several chances, but I have to give up. Most of the time I can wait for an umpleasant opening to wear off, but not this time. The heart and base aren't interesting enough to be worth the suffering, especially not when it takes this long. Not recommended as a blind buy! Still, it's very pleasant if you can wait for it. But in case you like the opning, there's a risk you will be disappointed later on. Normally I'm fond of "chameleon fragrances" as I call them, but sadly, not this time.

This fragrance actually shocked me. A long time ago I got a sample,fell in love with it instantly, and it has been on my wishlist ever since. A while ago I got another sample and completely forgot about it until a few days ago when I sorted all my samples.
So yesterday I decided to give it wearing since I loved it so much. And god, it was horrible! Awful. Disgusting. I can't write a proper review as I simply had to scrub it after a good hour. It's the opening that almost killed me. Something extremely harsh and nose-burning. A very umpleasant bitterness. After a while some sweetness came in and morphed the fragrance into a very peculiar mix of eye-watering bitter hashness and something almost gourmand.
A totally new experience, to put it mildly. I didn't get any fig out of it. At least nothing like the figs I enjoy to eat. Not patchouli either, which is one of my favorite notes. The bitterness was very unique too. Nothing mossy there (that what my skin usually get bitterness from). When I scubbed it, it had softened up - but I admit I could never ever wear it again.
It's really strange as I know I adored it the first time, especially as my taste has evolved a lot since then. Back then I didn't like chypres, aldehydes, or anything challenging. I vas almost only into vanilla and wood.
A consfusing experience from a very confusing scent. No doubt it's good quality, but definitely not for me!

I aquired ** d'Oscar in a blind swap, and I expected something bright, fresh, probably light and summery. I was slightly worried, as that type of fragrances usually don't last on me and in general aren't quite strong enough for my liking.
I was in for a surprise.
Yes, it is definitely fresh. It is definitely bright. Very bright and uplifting, a ray of sunlight - but not at all weak and fleeting. Not "cute" either, but very sophisticated. Elegant and casual at the same time. It's spring now, and it seems the perfect time to wear d'Oscar. I'm think it will do really well for me in summer too - and fall - probably even winter! It's warm enough for that.
The drydown is one of the most beautiful I've encountered. I'm fussy about drydowns, most of them are too sweet and fat for me. This is the perfect blend of all good things.
Sillage is good, but not too strong for working environments. Discreet, but detectable. I like to be able to smell myself without putting my wrist to my nose, but I can be slightly embarrassed if I reek through the room in the wrong context, if that makes sense.
Longevity is amazing. It's been 8 hours and I can still smell it, which means I can expect at least 10 hours of pleasure from this gem.
What more can you possibly ask for?

I get a completely different impression of Maharanih Intense than everyone else, apparently! I don't get a loud or rough opening at all, and not a not a sharp citrus/orange either. To me it opens very fresh and clean, sort of like a summer morning still with dew on the grass. It soon turns quite sweet, but still very clean. I don't usually combine sweetness with this type of cleanness, but this fragrance manages to do it. It makes me think of good soap. (I never found out what "soapy" means perfume-wise, so I don't dare say that). After about 4 hours I detect "summer spices" (does that even exist?) and the sweetness is now very faint, but definitely there still. Patchouli and civet discreetly sneak in through the back door. The patchouli is very, very discreet here, and the civet doesn't seem animalic at all. Another contradiction, how can civet not be animalic? well, that's how it is. An elegant civet? Don't get me wrong, I love civet, but it's not usually elegant in this discreet way - more bossy if it doesn't have that raw animalic vibe that most civets have. All in al very elegant. Warm, fresh, aloof. An impossible combination, I'd say. I would wear it mostly on not-too-warm summer days and it would be great for work. The longevity is amazing, about 10 hours! Sillage is discreet. I get whiffs when I move around, but I don't think others would notice it more than maybe a foot away. A very good blind swap!

I hadn't had the opportunity to test this hard-to-find fragrance, so it was with both thrill and deep worry that I took the lid off. It seems like 1/3 of Dali perfumes are wonderful, and the rest are so fleeting I'd say they're pretty useless.
From the looks of all this clear transparency, I expected something very fleeting, light, aquatic, breezy, ethereal... in short: maybe very nice, but way too weak for my liking.
Well, I was wrong. Very wrong. It is indeed lighter than the original Salvador Dali (almost everything is), but it's rich and warm and potent. It opens fresh and a bit sharp, almost aldehydic to my nose. Rather prominent jasmine, softened up by the rose. I'm not sure I get much of the magnolia. The flowery heart is very well-balanced. Not sweet, yet warm and inviting. In the base the woods balance out the vanilla well and keeps the sweetness on a short leash.

I wouldn't call it particularly complex, but it's elegant and balanced. Adult - or maybe not, I'm sure my 13-yr old daughter will like it and I can totally see hear wearing it. But it's still adult?
I would wear it for any occasion, with any outfit. I often say that about perfumes that lack personality, but I don't think that's the case here. I am really happy I got this gem.

Afterthought: I have loved each and every one of the Dali perfumes in the lip bottles that I ever tried - and all the others are boring and weak to me. That is really strange.