Icekat

Being a rose perfume aficionado I always on a lookout for a new rose scent to add to my collection. Attar de Roses is a beautiful true rose scent that is definitely worthy a full bottle. What I love about this scent is a combination of soft and subtle with sensual and rich. It embodies the rose in full bloom perfectly – its delicate, fragrant petals, rich deep color and a divine smell. It wraps around me like a delicate silk veil so gorgeous and feminine. A perfect selection for a romantic evening or a first date.

The opening of this scent is luscious and rich. Natural, true rose in all its glory. I find there is a little bit more going on in this scent than just straight roses. There is a bit of oriental and sweet feeling to the scent in the first half an hour. However, the sweetness with just a touch of powder is never overwhelming but rather perfectly balanced. As the scent develops, I could smell a bit of ambergris, but on my skin it never goes into animalistic territory, but rather remains floral. I get only hints of leather, but it adds a nice touch to the whole composition. The scent settles to a lovely soft rose scent, which stays close to the skin and lasts about 5-6 hours.

I would definitely recommend this scent to those who are looking for a nice, true rose scent which smells natural, not overpowering and easy to wear. This is a rose scent that I can wear to almost any occasion without being overwhelmed by the diva personality, which so many rose scents have. Overall score 9/10.

Leave it to Pierre Guillaume to take a concept of sweet perfume to a different level. Vohina is a sweet but not sweet perfume at the same time. Effect is achieved by mixing the super sweet honeyed notes with aromatic lavender and layering it with something purely abstract and airy. It is like sipping a sweet, nectar-like cocktail at the abstract art gallery opening with high ceilings, skylight windows and lots of white space filled with sunlight. Modern, yet comforting and happy, minimalistic but also romantic.

Vohina does not smell holistic and natural to me, but I don’t think it is intended to. The abstract notes create this spacious and airy feeling that is central to the composition of this perfume. The scent opens with lovely honeyed notes of peach and lavender. And yet this abstract, fresh wind note wraps around the composition and lifts it above the earth like a cool wind on a spring morning. There is not much development in the scent. It becomes very light and sheer after 30 minutes while still retaining its original structure and composition. Don’t expect much sillage or longevity here.

This is certainly a modern take on the honey central composition. I have to be honest, I do not normally like scents with abstract notes as they smell, well, synthetic and artificial to me. This synthetic note in Vohina sometimes reminds me of an inexpensive hair product (which bugs me) but sometimes it smells so fresh, airy and lovely (which I absolutely love), so this dilemma leaves me a bit conflicted about this scent. I will give it 7/10. I certainly enjoyed wearing the sample, but I am not sure if I will invest in a bottle. Definitely sample before buy.

Night of Fancy is a lovely berry composition, which perhaps is not that unique or complex but it is girly, flirty and pleasant for everyday use. The scent does not have a loud synthetic edge but rather smooth and soft to wear. The sweetness is not overdone and the notes mix well together making this scent a crowd-pleaser.

The berry opening is juicy and luscious and reminds me of a blueberry smoothie. After about 15 minutes, the scent settles into a soft skin scent which is slightly sweet and silky. It does not last long on my skin but it is pleasant while it lasts.

I was seduced by beautiful pictures of the Night of Fancy bottle, so I risked a blind buy. Unfortunately in person I did not find the peacock plastic ornament very attractive. The whole purple color theme and the bottle itself are lovely, but the peacock ornament looks a bit cheap and tacky to me.

I will wear the scent but I will not repurchase it, as though the berry opening is fine, there is not enough complexity and substance to this scent to captivate me. Overall score 6/10.

This is certainly not my cup of tea. I love aquatic and clean scents in summer time. I also enjoy fresh and crisp floral scents. This one is trying to bring both worlds together and it does not work at all for me.

The composition is synthetic beyond redemption and, I thought I would never ever say it about a perfume, but it does remind me of a household cleaner. The opening is very sharp and crisp with a blast of alcohol. Then the scent settles to a strange aquatic with peculiar sweet note which I could not recognize and definitely did not like.

What I loved about this scent is the bottle. It is fun and eclectic. The juice color is a beautiful turquoise. It is such a shame that the scent failed to live up to the expectations I had. Overall score 4/10.

This review is for EDT version

There are many perfumes from 80s era that I admire for their flamboyant style even though I feel that they are too overpowering and too loud for me to wear. Not Coco. It has style, complexity and exciting flair of 80s but when I wear it I always feel like a lady, which I find true about many other Chanel scents. Coco has an edge but a classy one. It has a strong presence and character but it carried in an elegant and sophisticated way. It is sultry but well-behaved. There is not one note in the composition that I find out of place. For me it is an evening scent that goes so well with sharp-looking dress and 4-inch heels. High class and timeless.

I am always wary of usage of coriander in perfumes but in the opening of Coco, Jacques Polge masterfully mixes it with soft fruity and citrus notes. It keeps the opening interesting and unique. The jasmine note adds elegance but in no way it is overpowering or indolic here. It mingles lovely with the rest of the notes as the scent unveils slightly spicy and sultry bouquet of orange blossoms and rose. There is a lovely note of sandalwood that is noticeable right from the start. I love how it gives the scent this deep, multidimensional tone. The sandalwood and labdanum prevails in the dry down on my skin warmed up but only slightly by tonka bean and vanilla.

Overall score is 8.5/10. Elegant, complex and unique, Coco is a classic scent that I definitely recommend. The sillage and longevity is excellent. You will not need to re-apply during the evening event and might still smell it next morning.