Mon Evidence by Yves Rocher

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

Though Mon Evidence by Yves Rocher is a spring fragrance, it was perfect this sunny autumn morning. The air was crisp like it is in early spring and the sun was shining warming up the city. 

This fragrance became a part of my collection by chance - I received it as a gift from Yves Rocher and though my initial reaction wasn't positive, I am happy that I can reach for this amazing fragrance when the mood strikes me.

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Mon Evidence has a light and brisk floral bouquet opening. I had to smell it a couple of times before I could distinguish it's fresh note as citrus. Unlike niche fragrances, generic fragrances are always difficult for me to separate into their respective notes; to me they are always fused mixtures that do not have strong charismatic note that stand out.

I have never been an admirer of floral fragrances, which is why I initially thought nothing of this fragrance and why many popular fragrances are lost on me. I gave it a go, but wasn't enamoured, so I left it on a shelf thinking I could gift it to whoever visits me and who would love to take it home.
I am glad that that never happened.

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Mon Evidence is supposed to be a rose and patchouli fragrance, both very dominant notes, but in actuality it is a very fresh, light, spring floral; like going through the park in early spring when the flowers are beginning to bloom and the weather is quite cold with the morning dew still lingering on the foliage.

Bergamot is the opening act of Mon Evidence, then a bouquet of jasmine, orange blossom and rose is revealed, behind this very feminine floral fragrance profile is deepening vanilla giving the fragrance it's sweetness in perfect balance.

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Sometimes you have to revisit a fragrance to experience its full potential, that was certainly the case with Mon Evidence, the only floral fragrance I see myself wearing and repurchasing every spring.

 

444 by The Essence Vault

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

For some reason it has taking me more than weeks to sit down and review no. 444 by The Essence Vault.

It might be my subconscious, because I went on a whole "should I or shouldn't I" rant with myself whether I should support a brand that copies other fragrance houses and their work.

It is no secret how much I love Lost Cherry by Tom Ford, but every time I tried to give it a chance, I was immensely disappointed by the poor longevity and it was not only just Tom Ford's Lost Cherry, but also Bitter Peach and other fragrances that I have tried from the house.

I respect the time and effort it takes to blend and compose a fragrance, which is why I didn't feel proud about caving in and purchasing 444 by The Essence Vault, a dupe of Lost Cherry. However, I do expect a considerable longevity from a fragrance when you invest in an expensive luxury brand like Tom Ford. The products do not deliver and the price tag becomes an absolute insult.

It seems though, that I am not the only one who experiences poor longevity from Lost Cherry, so I did what seemed to be inevitable and purchased a bottle of 444.

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Whether I am reviewing Lost Cherry or 444 is difficult to say, The Essence Vault has absolutely perfected the blend and it resembles Lost Cherry to a T.

In all sincerity, this review is in regards to no. 444 only.

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The opening of 444 is an absolutely intoxicating cherry with marzipan filling dipped in just a hint of liquor. It is a perfect balance between sourness and sweetness, a gourmand to the extreme, yet very elegant. 

The cherry note melts into your skin and goes from a fresh and fruity cherry to a sensual lingering hint of cherry with almonds after oxidation.

I cannot stress enough how riveting this fragrance is.

Hours in, running errands at work, I get whiffs of it and relive the amazing blast of boozy cherry. An absolute bliss.

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I adore this fragrance, as soon as I received my order, I wore it daily for weeks only to alternate with samples of fragrances that I was testing for other reviews.

The question whether this is a want to have fragrance or if it is repurchase-worthy is a given, I made a small dent in my 30 ml bottle and had to invest in a backup of 100 ml immediately after smelling it.

Sticky Cake by Comme des Garcons

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

Let me preface by saying that I avoid fragrances in bottles that I find unappealing. I know, it is quite vain of me, but it gives me sore eyes to see them on my blog. I usually find beautiful photos of fragrances I have as samples and share them from other fragrance reviewers, but I could not find any of Sticky Cake and had to resort to a sample photo of my own.

I can spend all the time in the world to avoid them, but Lulua Perfumery is always too kind and sends me samples with my orders. In one of my older orders, a little sample of Sticky Cake by Commes de Garcons was sent to me. Just the name had me waiting until I found the mood to try it out.
I have been ill for a week and thought "if not now, then when?".

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Sticky Cake is exactly what it implies; a sweet and gourmand fragrance. The opening is surprisingly not nauseating, but it is very sweet and in my opinion too sweet. Though I love vanilla, gourmand fragrances and do not shy away from sweet fragrances, Sticky Cake 'takes the cake' when it comes to reaching my limit. It is overpoweringly sweet, it lacks a contrasting hint of freshness from either citrus or green notes (at least in the top notes), but in all fairness, it is pleasant for what it is.

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After some oxidation, I keep trying to identify a note, but I fail to do so. Is it burnt caramel, is it amber? It is in fact myrrh, but the fragrance is a mixture of all things sweet and it becomes difficult to identify any specific notes. 

Sticky Cake is dripping honey into a warm glass of milk. It is sweet and lactonic.

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On paper, Sticky Cake is much lighter, but do not be fooled, it is still very sweet. I imagine that this would be the perfect gourmand base for layering fragrances. I do not imagine wearing this on its own.

Thé Blanc by Collines de Provence

Photosource: Scent Studio (Own Copyright)


Collines de Provence is a natural cosmetics company that has many scent series from different genres such as ouds, spices, fruits and more. Each scent series has everything from soap, fragrance diffusers, candles and eau de toilettes. 
I came across Collines de Provence through my occupation and fell for Thé Blanc.

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The opening notes of Thé Blanc are fresh and light, an amazing composition of tea, a hint of lemon and something sweet, like a homemade and not overly sweet iced tea.
The tea note is truly that of white tea, it is not as bitter as green tea or prominent as black tea. It is light, just slightly bitter tea of precious quality such as pai mu tan. The citrus is indistinguishable to me, it is neither lemon, lime or bergamot, maybe a mixture of them all.

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The concentration of Thé Blanc is unfortunately as low as it usually is in most EdT's, I really wish it was an EdP.
A couple of hours in, all the freshness of citrus is gone and you can just barely sense the fragrance. Thé Blanc has just left a trace of vanilla and tea; very pleasant, but I wish it had a stronger sillage.

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The note composition has orange, lemon and bergamot on top; tea, rose, lavender, plum and petit grain as middle notes; and sandalwood, vanilla, tonka and musk as base notes.
I can detect all the citruses as top notes, but only tea as the middle, and vanilla and tonka are definitely the base notes, but I do not experience any depth from sandalwood or musk.

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Thé Blanc is a wonderful fresh and light fragrance. Even though it reminds me more of spring, it will suit any season with its pleasantness.
Though I find myself reapplying it during the day due to poor performance, this fragrance is a staple in my collection.

A City on Fire by Imaginary Authors

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

My love for the house of Imaginary Authors is no secret. I am committed to try all of their fragrances and today I finally sat down to review A City on Fire.

This little gem is hefty, so I gave it a try, but did not review it immediately, I had to give it another go.
I have been trying a lot of new fragrances lately and most of them have actually been quite smokey, by pure chance.

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A City on Fire is as many niche smoke fragrances an amazing venture into an olfactive experience. These fragrances do not only divide noses between like and dislike, but they also evoke different memories.

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Smoke dominant fragrances always remind me of bonfires, which I for some reason only experienced during summer vacation. These deep and mostly autumnal fragrances give me therefore flashbacks of colder summer nights too.

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To my surprise, revisiting this fragrance, I find it less smokey than Jezebel by Anka Kuş and Blackmail by Kerosene. It is a more delicate impression of a burning match.
Though unisex, I would prefer A City on Fire on someone masculine, because it is a quite single note fragrance. If it had some undertone of sweetness, I would find it more unisex.

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Like many Imaginary Authors fragrances, the quality and longevity of the fragrance is amazing. Even after a shower, I could sense a hint of it on my skin.

A City on Fire opens with an intense and almost slightly sour scent of a burning match, after oxidation, the sourness disappears and the fragrance reveals a hint of spicy cardamom and labdanum.

After a little reapplication, there is an immediate scent of almost liquorice cough-sirup. I know I'm not selling this one right, but give it a try, it is a special!

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The note composition is burnt match, labdanum, juniper, jatamansi, cardamom and wild berries.
I wish I would have gotten the sweeter hints of berries and fresher note of juniper, but unfortunately, A City on Fire is solely a smokey fragrance to me.

This was a wonderful experience, but not a fragrance I would wear.

Mardi Gras by Olympic Orchids

 

Photosource: American Perfumer

I don't know much about the house of Olympic Orchids, but I do know that they make amazing fragrances. I was looking for some animalic notes in a fragrance and Olympic Orchids came on my radar.

The design of the fragrance did not say much, I was actually unsure what was in store for me, but I ordered Mardi Gras hoping it would satisfy my animalic need.
It didn't, but it sure made me want to experience more from this house.

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Mardi Gras has a very floral opening with a blast of heat and warmth. My first impression is that it has a strong resemblance to Tresor by Lancome. Even though the notes in Tresor are vastly different, Mardi Gras is how I remember Tresor smelling like on the women of my childhood.
It is a quite mature fragrance and in my opinion almost elderly.

Mardi Gras smells like enjoying a spicy and sweet chai in the baking sun of Turkey.
After oxidation, the fragrance becomes less floral and more sweet nestling into your skin. It loses most of its mature quality and becomes a quite sexy, musky fragrance. Very slight hints of incense or benzoin appears making it a deep and wonderful autumn and winter fragrance.

I am honestly at a loss for words, this one is a fragrance you have to try for yourself to understand.

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The note composition is linear and consists of orange blossom, civet, benzoin, vanilla, neroli, musk and labdanum according to Fragrantica. Rather than focusing on whether those notes appear in Mardi Gras, I am more focused on the impression and vision that this fragrance gives. I am only missing the element of civet.

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Mardi Gras is a definite want to have in my collection.

Blackmail by Kerosene

Photosource: Famehooker on Fragrantica


Kerosene fragrances by John Pegg have become one of my favourite fragrance houses since I started exploring niche perfumes. Unfortunately, where I am from, there isn't any niche perfumery, so I went to my favourite shop online, Lulua, and bought a handful of samples.

What initially was curiosity towards these new mysterious fragrances, quickly became an obsession. My sample collection consists of Blackmail, Unforsaken, Follow, Unknown Pleasures, Santalum Slivers and Walk the Sea. All of them were so unique and special that choosing one of them for my perfume collection was almost impossible.

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I did not choose Blackmail, but it made such an impression that I had to make it the review first.

Blackmail has a beautiful, deep and smoky opening. There is an immediate scent of burnt wood, but it is balanced perfectly by notes of something sweet, a trio of vanilla, amber and sandalwood.

This fragrance has a note composition resembling a bonfire to a T. However, it is just that, if you like perfumes that oxidise and change over time, this is not for you. Blackmail keeps its profile throughout the whole wear time, it does, however, settle into your skin and fit your chemistry, which will differ from person to person.

This fragrance is a wonderful autumn fragrance, it is almost a richer version of By The Fireplace by Maison Margiela.
There is something mesmerising about smoke fragrances, just like Coeur de Noir, A City on Fire and Jezebel, Blackmail intoxicates your aura.

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The note composition of Blackmail is smoke, agarwood, berry fruits, vanilla, amber and sandalwood. Of all those notes, I only do not sense berry fruits.
Despite the lack of berries, this is a very wearable fragrance.

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Kerosene's Blackmail is a definite like to have in my collection.
John Pegg has just released a new fragrance, Triptych, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it! 

Coffee Break by Maison Margiela

 

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

Replica by Maison Margiela has always been a fragrance range that I have dreamt of having in my collection. The bottle design, the descriptive fragrance names based on moments in life and the unique scent creations was what made me so enamoured.

At the time that I discovered Replica, I did not yet dare to wear different fragrances rather than the more generic ones. But Coffee Break was the ideal stepping stone to the world of new fragrances.

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Coffee Break has a sweet and milky opening. It is quite fresh as well, which is a pleasant contrast to the creaminess of the fragrance. I smell flashes of sweet coffee, something green and undertones of herbs.

The opening notes are quite indistinguishable making it difficult to describe the fragrance.

Over time the fragrance deepens. The fresh element disappears completely and you become engulfed in a sweet, creamy cup of coffee. This fragrance is perfect for autumn.

If you are searching for a potent coffee fragrance, this is not it, I would lean towards Follow by Kerosene.

Coffee Break by Maison Margiela is not a strong and realistic coffee fragrance, but rather a creamy, milky, warm drink with hints of herbs and coffee.

This is an ambience fragrance, taking you back to a memory of a cosy visit to a coffee shop, nethertheless, it is a beautiful fragrance.

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A couple of hours in, the fragrance has fused into a sweet and creamy concoction of the best kind.

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Top notes of Coffee Break are pepper, orange blossom and patchouli; the middle notes are lavender, coffee, milk, tonka bean, benzoin and cypriol oil; and the base notes are vanilla, cedar and vetiver.
Of all those notes I can only detect milk and tonka as main notes, vanilla and slight coffee in the background. Lastly, I can envision how lavender and orange blossom give the fragrance its fresher more herb element, but all the other notes are not there to me.

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Coffee Break is one of my favourite fragrances in my collection. It is one that gathers the most compliments when I wear it, which is always nice for a fraghead like myself.