TinkiB

...And if you are not there, Then condolences!

Well, do you know the song. And more importantly, do you know the feeling "wanderlust"? Especially after this year 2020? Do you also just want to jump on the next plane and dive off into foreign worlds & escape the German winter?

If you know the feeling, at least I'm not alone. Last week I was still enthusiastically testing and spraying the fattest vanilla scents, wanting to lose myself in them and warm myself through them. With a glass of wine, a book and the wonderful scent snuggle in and forget the world around me.

Now I want to get out. Out, just out. Not to the nearest muddy park, not to the cold Bavarian countryside, no OUT into the world. I dream of sun, flip flops, blue sky, beach and the beach bar that goes with it. Here I drink a freshly squeezed orange juice before I go on, always further towards the sun. Road trip through California. Always along the coast, life feels easy, people smile at me. Thousands of people who, like me, are enjoying the freedom. I look down at myself, nice this tan. Nice this warmth on my skin. Oh the tank is empty. A short conversation with the gas station attendant, without distance and mask. We shake hands to say goodbye. Oh how I have missed it. And the smell of orange trees is always in my nose? California, you beautiful place. Are you still with me? ;)

Yeah, I'm getting tired of my four walls. Want to book the next trip and what better way to help than to test summer scents. Sure I had to test my Van Cleef & Arpels summer fragrances first thing. Neroli Amara is a hit, but today I treated myself to CR. Between the two, I had to wrestle more with CR before completely taking it to my heart. I smell neroli, mandarin & jasmine in perfect form. It makes me feel light and free spirited. A very slight vanilla comes out now and then, but mostly the scent is fresh due to the citrus and like any Van Cleef, CR is unisex.

I can't wait to pack my bags again and explore new lands. Until then, I dream myself away with CR. The fragrance makes it easy, I close my eyes and ask with a grin on my face "Where's the beach?"

Actually, I really didn't want to do any more blind buys. Actually. But at 25% discount, because you have to strike but, is FAST given and such a chance you will NEVER get again. Blah blah blah. Yeah yeah, the lies you tell yourself when you hit "buy" and enter the credit card details. I don't have many resolutions for 2021. 2021 has to prove to me first that it can be better than 2020. Easiest job ever - 2021 don't mess it up. That said, my resolution is to stop buying blindly from myself. Wish me luck. Spoiler Alert: Petit Matin is already on its way to me. One more time, just one more time blindly...My resolution doesn't count until 2021, after all ;) Oh man...

Well then off to Grand Soir. Honestly, I was disappointed when I first tested it. "That was it already?" At first GS was quite masculine for my nose, bouzy, vanilla...but now no wow moment either. Wore the scent all day and have to say, oddly enough, it wasn't particularly noticeable to me. Hence another spray on the skin - nothing. Double checked that I actually have an original - fine, it's not that. I found the scent good, only I smelled him just really very subtle. According to the reviews, I did not really understand. Probably a bad buy for the money & GS wasn't FAST gift after all, more like completely overpriced. I began to regret it.

Then yesterday I got Grand Soir out again. And eww...oh so here you are! The scent came at me with such force that I can't really place my first impression. Again, it started off quite masculine, but the scent quickly evolved into an absolute vanilla/amber dream on my skin. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrist, even though I actually had the scent in my nose all the time. Sillage is top. Today, I still smell the scent incredibly strong on my skin. Long-lasting GS is therefore in addition. (so far 15 hrs)

Grand Soir is an addictive fragrance. With each whiff of the scent, I'm taken again and perplexed that I get to smell such a gigantic scent. Goosebumps - I love it. Even though I can smell GS more than well, I still bury my nose in the direct scent spot of my skin from time to time. Just don't want to "miss" anything ;) In my nose GS is not particularly sweet, somewhat spicy, definitely unisex, and has the perfect tonka, vanilla & benzoin notes. Would certainly love to smell the scent on any man. With GS you certainly always make the grand entrance. Whether woman, whether man & not only in Paris.

My verdict after the second test.

Grand Soir is at a 25% discount FAST given and such a chance you get NEVER again! ;)

I love this fragrance. Personally, I find it difficult to find summer scents because I'm not a fan of aquatic scents or too floral scents. I usually find that summer scents lack depth. Florabotanica is different. The scent is exciting, although light. Long lasting, although fresh. Special, although suitable for the masses. I feel like I've been freshly showered all day and I get compliments on top of that. I think you almost can't go wrong with this scent. I had to give the perfume a little time. After the first test, I still thought "don't understand the hype on YT". On the second test, I had to immediately reorder the 100ml bottle. IMMEDIATELY! 30ml? What was I thinking again? Ridiculous ;) I never wanted to be without this scent again. I can hardly grasp this fragrance, or describe. I just find it pleasant and the scent is perfect for the office, but also for a date in the summer. It puts me in a good mood - every time. The bottle is also amazing. Balenciaga - you have done everything right

...I'm currently madly drawn to the vanilla scent. The thanks goes out here to the Diptyque Eau Duelle EDT. Unfortunately, to the horror of my bank account, the scent made me realize that vanilla does NOT always have to be cardboard sweet & sticky, but can be smoky, herbaceous, dry, unsweet and and and.... can be. I like those pure vanilla scents - like scratching out a vanilla bean and smearing it all over yourself from head to toe. But who wants that. Would be a little disgusting ;) After the MFK Grand Soir, this quite affordable niche fragrance was allowed to move in with me & I was enchanted from the top note. Unsweet, slightly smoky, spicy, warm, pure, easy to wear & above all easy to love vanilla bomb. The scent is 100% unisex. Vanilla & benzoin is my favorite combo in perfumes right now. Find myself very comfortable with the scent as not overbearing or too spicy. Is often compared on YT with Herod, only without tobacco note. I can not judge, but for the price, there could possibly be any Parfums de Marly fan hellhörig. Same perfumer, quite similar scents and a really great fragrance

I only recently discovered the house of Van Cleef & Arpels and now I already have 5 fragrances of the brand. Thanks to 4 days of home office a week, this is only semi worth it ;) Well I don't know about you guys, but my hobby really helped me in this Corona time. Actually, my hobby became really "extreme" only through Corona. When the slight depression comes, because you haven't experienced anything this year and you can't plan anything, I just sniff the new and old scents and every time someone gets me down again. The Bois Doré in particular. It is so incredibly warm, soothing and pleasant. I really lose myself in this fragrance. That warm vanilla and those wonderful woody notes. I always love musk anyway. The scent is also unisex. Which I also like, because I can't stand scents that are too sweet. I immediately fell in love with this fragrance and of course I had to test it in public. 1* office a week - it really has to be planned which scent is allowed ;) Bois Doré of course made it outside and that day I got 4 compliments. So Sillage seems to be good. Also the durability is mega. After 12 hours I could still smell it on my skin. I can only recommend this fragrance. Close your eyes and switch off.