First Impressions – BORNTOSTANDOUT Part 1

Rose features in no fewer than 4 of these first 6 perfumes from the Korean brand BORNTOSTANDOUT. I always set about smelling new perfumes/brands with an open mind. But, the suggestive in-your-face style provocative marketing from the new Korean brand BORNTOSTANDOUT (yes, their name is in all CAPS) rubbed me a bit the wrong way. … Continue reading First Impressions – BORNTOSTANDOUT Part 1 →

First Impressions – Diptyque -L’Eau Papier

L'Eau Papier, the scent of white, just like my blossoming snowflake tree. First Impressions - Diptyque - L'Eau Papier - I've been out of the loop and offline recently, as I've been on jury duty for the past weeks. And sure enough, just my luck, this time, my name was drawn from the barrel, and … Continue reading First Impressions – Diptyque -L’Eau Papier →

First Impressions – YSL Babycat

First Impressions - YSL Babycat - One of the things I like to do is try overhyped scents about six months after they first burst onto the scene. I allow the hype to die down and the commotion to subside. Inevitably, after sampling "hype train" scents, I'm left disappointed. Though, I'm tough to please. I had … Continue reading First Impressions – YSL Babycat →

First Impressions – Amouage – Guidance

Amouage - Guidance - Amouage is back with four new scents titled "The Odyessy Collection - Chapter 3 - Escape". All four feature frankincense and are accompanied by the usual nonsensical marketing mumbo jumbo. Overall, it's a stronger collection than the previous ones under their new creative director, Renaud Salmon. Still, that wouldn't be difficult. In … Continue reading First Impressions – Amouage – Guidance →

First Impressions – New Fig Fragrances – Beso Beach, Houbigant, Obvious Parfums and Essential Parfums

In retrospect, 2022 was a particularly active year for new fig fragrances. So many brands got figgy wit it and attempted to capture the essence of the sweet fruit in perfume form. I tried quite a few, and I'll detail my thoughts on four of them in today's post. The first cab of the rank … Continue reading First Impressions – New Fig Fragrances – Beso Beach, Houbigant, Obvious Parfums and Essential Parfums →

First Impressions – Parle Moi De Parfum – Wake Up World

Parle Moi de Parfum's latest is a blast from the past. Image from Google. Parle Moi de Parfum - Wake Up World - As we know, fragrance can transport us back in time. And Michel Almairac's/Parle Moi de Parfum's new Wake Up World transports me back to my high school days in the mid-nineties. For you … Continue reading First Impressions – Parle Moi De Parfum – Wake Up World →

First Impressions – Jovoy – Fire at Will & 21 Conduit St

The two newest perfumes from Jovoy are under the microscope this weekend. Jovoy isn't a house I speak about often, but their latest two are worth a sample if you're a fan of their respective genres. Jovoy - Fire at Will - Putting the silly name aside, I enjoyed wearing this scent. Undoubtedly, it could have … Continue reading First Impressions – Jovoy – Fire at Will & 21 Conduit St →

First Impressions – Eight & Bob – Agneta, Guéthary

I'm nothing less than disappointed with the two latest releases from Eight & Bob. Unfortunately, and for two different reasons, they fail to impress. Eight & Bob - Agneta - Agneta begins with an interplay of spices. Cardamom, nutmeg, and pepper give this extrait a decent punchy opening. However, it quickly unravels. The middle phase … Continue reading First Impressions – Eight & Bob – Agneta, Guéthary →

First Impressions – BDK – Gris Charnel Extrait

Picture courtesy of BDK. I tested quite a few BDK fragrances towards the end of last year, and sadly most of them had one nauseating common denominator - woody amber dry downs. Velvet Tonka, Pas Ce Soir, Ambre Safrano, and Villa Néroli featured such harsh base notes that within 30 minutes of testing each, it's … Continue reading First Impressions – BDK – Gris Charnel Extrait →

First Impressions – New Summer Scents – Carner Barcelona, Guerlain & More

Image from Carner Barcelona. First Impressions - Carner Barcelona "Summer Journey" Collection "The heat is on," sang the late great Glenn Frey in the 1984 movie Beverly Hills Cop, and indeed the heat is on here in Australia as summer starts to bite. Fresh scents are again at the forefront of my fragrance rotation, and … Continue reading First Impressions – New Summer Scents – Carner Barcelona, Guerlain & More →