Winter of 99 by Kerosene

 

This is the consequence, if you don't have spare time for your hobby.
Dried up samples! In the short snippets of time, when I do have a spare moment, I buy too many samples. Cut to when I don't have time to try them (for over half a year, if not more) and they dry up.

I cannot throw them away, so this review is just for sh*ts and giggles. No respectable fragrance enthusiast would consider this a fair review!

Anyhow, I found two Kerosene samples. Followed and Winter of 99. If you saw my post on stories, you would have seen that Followed looks unscathed, whereas Winter of 99 has dried down to one-quarter of what the juice should be.

This oughta be good...

Woods, molasses, nutmeg and vanilla. Sounds absolutely divine! Even though it's spring, today is a cold and rainy day, so the scent is perfect.

From the atomizer, it reminds me a lot of Sweetly Known by Kerosene.
Sweet, spicy and with notes of cardamom. 

Suspiciously similar to Sweetly Known, but as soon as Winter of 99 starts to dry down, the woodiness appears. It is a warm and comforting scent of woods, spices and molasses. Juuust a tint of nutmeg. Absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I own By the Fireplace, Memoirs of a Trespasser, Sweetly Known, and Lune Feline, which all dance in the same realm (but are oh-so different), however, Winter of 99 would have its own place in my collection without of doubt.
Why? Because I don't have a woody and spicy vanilla fragrance with the depth and character of nutmeg! The more it settles onto my skin, the more it becomes darker, richer and more dry. The sweetness is there to soften the scent, but it is by far a woody and spicy fragrance.

Cozied up in a cabin with the fireplace going, a cup of spiced black coffee in hand, and a snow blizzard outside.

Notes taken from Parfumo.

Woods Molasses Nutmeg Vanilla

Rose by Sense Dubai

 

So, I fell off the bandwagon again, didn't I...

Well, let's just not address it anymore and just focus on the times that I'm back!
Today I saw a porcelain bowl filled with samples of fragrances I have already tried, reviewed and some that haven't yet been touched. I tried to separate them for future reviews and one sample was a sight for sore eyes.

Rose by Sense Dubai.
Why, you ask? Because yeeeears ago, when I went to Sense Dubai, to buy Taj by Yas Perfumes, I got to try Rose. My initial reaction was "no thank you", because at that time, I hated rose fragrances. Now, I own a fair few rose-heavy fragrances. How?
Because I tried Rose by Sense Dubai and fell in love with quality rose oil.

Rose by Sense Dubai cannot be found on Parfumo, and I only visit Fragrantica in these cases. However, Rose isn't there either, so here are the notes from the horses mouth:

Top notes? Rose.
Middle notes? Rose.
Base notes? You guessed it, rose.

Now imagine this. It's late 90's or early 00's. You are young (if you are a 90's kid like me). You enter a beauty shop that doesn't exist anymore in 2025. The store sells anything from creams, soaps, loofahs and body mists. You see the classic themes, lilac, vanilla, and... rose.
You avoid the lilac products (because "yuck"), vanilla is delicious as always, and the rose?
Yes, it's dated, but Rose by Sense Dubai is the essence of a classic rose. It's a mix of Damascene, Bulgarian, and rose from Taif. Floral, elegant, classic. Made from the highest quality oils.

Unfortunately, my sample has gotten a little old. I can smell it. But I have a vivid memory of what it was. Due to the quality, it still has it's charm and effect.
One thing I've learned about Middle Eastern fragrances is that they are not made for Danish climate. For hot Polish summers? Yes, most definitely. My Taj from Yas is nothing compared to how it smells in the Polish summer heat, when I bought it. I dare to say that Taj, in +30 degree city heat, is the sexiest fragrance I own. Dominating, but non-invasive. Confident, but not arrogant. The same goes for any sample I have from Sense Dubai when trying it back home - it is just not the same.

Unfortunately, Rose also falls flat, but its quality roars even in Danish weather.