Sleuth

My first impression of 'Huge Navel' is that it is a unisex patchouli+resin combination. I get about 40% patchouli, 30% opoponax (sweet myrrh) & balsam, 10% vetiver and 20% of other things, such as a little carrot seed in the top and some pepper after that.

It is nothing like most patchouli or resin bombs because this isn't a bomb. After 15 or 30 minutes, the sillage dies down and it becomes quite a soft scent. I get good longevity but there's little sillage during that time.

This fragrance didn't wow me but it's still an okay scent because the notes in the drydown are quite well combined.This scent is just 'a little bit of Nirvana'

When a friendly priced body care company sells a fragrance for 14 years, there must be a reason why that fragrance keeps on selling. YR Homme Nature is such a fragrance. It's just decent quality for a cheap price. The only way it stands out is by being masculine in an original way. Though it's unisex enough.

Homme Nature starts with a nice cucumber reminiscent of Bond's Wall Street. It's followed by a little mint. The heart consists of an original ivy note. Homme Nature was released years before Diptyque's Eau de Lierre or Margiela's Untitled, which is kind of similar. If you've never smelled the scent of ivy: it's a green scent that is cool, a little bitter and reminiscent of a plant in the shade. Green fragrance fans check this out

While ivy is the star(let) of this fragrance, the scent soon moves into the dry down phase. I guess that is where it shows that this is a budget fragrance, it doesn't have the longevity of Wall Street. The dry down consists of a mildly bitter note that smells like sage to me. Other people say it's moss. This bitter note is complemented by a thin sandalwood. The sandalwood is nothing to write home about, but it's a nice addition. I get at least 5 hours out of this fragrance, but the sillage is rather timid.

Summarized: I've seen this for as cheap as €13 and you get a solid fragrance for it. It may have little sillage and not last all day, but at least you'll get something original when most folks are wearing aquatics

There's no tea in this fragrance, but it aims to be invigorating, like tea can be. This unisex Eau de Cologne-type fragrance starts with quite some lemon, and also a bit of mint in the top. In the heart: a little violet leaf and invigorating caraway. The iris is hidden, but it is there. Virtually no base.

The fatal flaw of this fragrance is the cheap unwearable 'cleaner lemon'. But it's nice that this juice has a composition, contrary to most natural fragrances. Longevity below average, but better than the 30 min.-2 h. like some naturals. Summarized: 100% natural EDC-type frag, with an annoying lemon. Try before you buy!

My first impression of Encre Noire Pour Elle: To my nose this perfume consists of approximately 40% rose, 30% musk, 20% vetiver and 10% other things. It has a 'serious' rose, but not a funeral rose, that is smoothed by pleasant musky notes. The smoothness reminds me of the smooth base in Jour d'Hermès and Voyage. The musky notes make it more feminine, but a guy can wear this fragrance.

Perhaps the best reason to read these reviews is to find out more about the vetiver. It is not like Guerlain's or Tom Ford's. But I smell the vetiver from Encre Noire Pour Homme, a relatively warm vetiver. Encre Noire Pour Elle has this vetiver in moderate-to-small amounts.

In the heart, a fruity osmanthus peeks out a little, making the composition more interesting. Summarized: Take, for example, one of the musky rose scents from Narciso Rodriguez. Well, Encre Noire Pour Elle is the more interesting, prettier sister of the Rodriguez perfume. Looking for a rose? Try this one.

This is a lime fragrance. For a cheapie it smells surprisingly good. The lime is mixed with a few other things that make it smell modern (to my nose: slightly gourmand, like boss bottled). The lime mix lasts for 1 hour. After that you're left with a very weak, slightly ambery base. Unisex.