Sweetgrass

I am going to have to second Gold and Missk's impressions of this fragrance as floral, soapy/detergent-like, and instantly forgettable. The juice is, like the aforementioned "Guilty", a total waste of a great name and bottle. Apparently there is a market for this kind of perfume — I gave my sample to a friend, and am happy she liked it. Here's hoping this trend of soapy nondescript florals in mainstream fragrance takes a turn for, well, anything more interesting, and soon.

Instantly recognizeable as a member of the Alien fleet, and not just because of the jewel bottle. The official note list claims this flanker should not smell of jasmine but rather lemon and orange flowers plus pink grapefruit; it is nevertheless very similar to the Alien signature jasmine blast, an end-of-days white floral. There is a similar slightly unpleasant sour-ish phase towards the very end of its development as in mothership Alien, but it doesn't last long and dries down to a pleasant wood-amber base.

All in all, It's a good daytime scent for Alien fiends like me, less imposing, with fresher notes yet unmistakeable with regard to its heritage. If Alien intrigued you but felt too heavy, I recommend testing this if you run across a sample. I half wish Mugler would decide to keep this in stock. It's hardly the fragrance of the year, but it's wearable, it's distinct, and it's pretty. Like a good flanker, this fragrance retains many of the original Alien's strengths, like longevity, sillage, and projection. It is an EdT legere but you really should be careful when spraying this to avoid death by white floral. One spray goes a long way.

Disclaimer: I an Alien girl, the original is my signature, and so far I have loved all of the flankers that I've smelled, too. So I am definitely partial. With that in mind, I agree with the previous reviewers. This is essentially a richer, more mature and rounded Alien, not to mention more expensive and with a narrower product range.

For me, the vanilla is instantly discernible amid the blast of jasmine, but the jasmine subsides a lot faster than in the original, giving way to the softer, deeper notes. Wood and amber are there, and apparently incense, myrrh and orris root as well in the best oriental tradition. It lacks the original Alien's occasional harshness, but is not for the faint of heart either: at least for me, it drowns out other perfumes easily. An excellent autumn/winter scent.

I generally like flankers when they are well made, because I like having different takes on my favourite fragrances to wear for different occasions without having to deviate from my signature. If you were underwhelmed or repulsed by the original, you probably won't care for this one, either. In the end this perfume rises and falls with Alien. I love both, but not enough to warrant buying both as full bottles. Essence Absolue is a close contender with the original for a permanent place in my closet.

At first try, the incense (or is it hay?) knocked me out and gave me a headache. The second time, it was still mostly incense but not overwhelmingly so. The third time, reapplied directly after the second, was LOVE.

I don't think I have a lot to say that others haven't said already. But I honestly thought I hated it for the godawfully persistent frankincense which I find entirely superfluous in such a nuanced, multifaceted oriental as this turned out to be. It started opening up quite slowly as the hours passed (I was working at home today, it was cold, so I decided to give it another try) and it got a chance to dry down... And there is such beauty in it, perfect for warming up on such a cold winter day. I still don't love the frankincense, and am docking one star for its dominance, but it doesn't put me off any more.

Even if it is one of the most approachable Serges around, it doesn't yield its beauty at first whiff to a beginner like me. I advise anyone who would try Chergui to do so when they can count on being alone most of the day, as it comes on quite strong for the casual sampler, and not wear it near people with tendencies to sensory hypersensitivity, but that's just me :)

I just sprayed this on to give it a good smelling, but after the initial citrus blast I can't smell anything. Where did the scent go? Does this happen to other people as well? I love the opening, but am docking a few stars because of the disappearing act.