I recently stood in front of a shelf with Juliette Has a Gun fragrances. Despite my panic about testing women's fragrances in public, I was able to do so without any problems this time, as a dear friend accompanied me. Well, in truth, she led me to the fragrance because the "Oil" in the name reminded her of Steampunk, since I had once told her that I am currently working on a Steampunk novel.
So what can we conclude from this?
1.) She is nice. Because she listened to me and even remembered when we talked about Steampunk.
2.) She has no idea what Steampunk is, as I am just getting into the subject myself, and she thought of Steampunk only because of the oil, without knowing what it actually is. However, with the "mechanical thingy" in Steampunk, she isn't entirely wrong about the oil!
Anyway. So I HAD to test the fragrance, not least because it was limited to 999 pieces... and also because she was already holding the bottle, as she often does, aimed at me like a weapon...
The fragrance: So,... this is strange. I perceive the fragrance quite differently than the notes listed in the fragrance pyramid. For me, the scent starts deep and dark with a very intense (but also slightly sour) Oud scent. It's not as off-putting as Oud can sometimes be, but to me, it smells extremely of Oud. I can't detect any bergamot. Then comes a note that I couldn't identify exactly,... when I wanted to get a hint, my dear companion told me it could either be tuberose or ylang-ylang (but what does she know? He he... oh dear, I hope she doesn't read this, or she'll hit me!). The problem is: I remember tuberose quite differently and don't really know how tuberoses actually smell. And ylang-ylang isn't exactly a scent I would recognize immediately either. Nevertheless, I categorize the fragrance as tuberose, as it reminded me a little of Tom Ford - Orchid Soleil (but only a tiny bit) and since there are also tuberoses in it. Anyway, the scent remains heavy, somewhat smoky, before it takes a dark-sweet direction with the amber. The iris finally makes the fragrance softer and a bit powdery, even though you can't really smell the iris itself. It pulls the strings from the background :D Later, much later, in the base, the vanilla comes through, but it is comparatively a bit weak and doesn't quite match the dark sweetness of the amber, which is why it may seem slightly weak. Even though it does become more intense later on, it always remains a step behind the amber. I could be wrong, but I have the feeling that towards the end, I still smell a bergamot.
The sillage and longevity: The sillage is incredibly strong at the beginning. And the fragrance doesn't weaken quickly, which is good for anyone wanting to fill an entire room. It will definitely be noticed by someone. The longevity is, as you can surely guess, also great, so the fragrance lasts several hours. I get more than 12 hours out of it.
The bottle: I had to look twice here. First, I only read the name, then I wondered what the brand was when the Steampunk-ignorant friend showed me the bottle. I would have never thought of Juliette Has a Gun, as I was too used to cylindrical bottles and had no idea that this brand also has an exclusive fragrance line. In any case, the bottle is rectangular with thick edges and a base. The fragrance liquid is brownish and highlights the golden lettering well, with the name of the fragrance printed directly on the front. The cap is chrome-plated and slightly trapezoidal. All in all, quite well and elegantly made.
Honestly... I don't think the fragrance is that special, especially considering it was only produced 999 times and is sold as an exclusive scent. It's not bad, yes... but also not that good, especially since it even lacks the "wow" effect for a fragrance in this price range.
Above all, I find that it has an oud character, especially at the beginning, where the fragrance also appears smoky. Later it becomes a bit sour, but always retains its strong presence, which is a big plus.
The fragrance belongs in winter due to its intensity, or rather, it works better on colder days and could then be used either as a daytime fragrance or for going out.
And as for Steampunk: No, the fragrance does not smell like oil, machines, switches, or mechanics in general. My companion had no idea and is silly... he he... ... oh dear... I forgot again that she will read this too...
Yep... that's exactly how I perceive it too. And I smell the Oud at first as well - I thought something was wrong with my nose. *and-then-the-thingy-trophy-put-down* :D
I didn't smell any oud here, but a beautiful waxy plastic floral scent with a heavy, dripping jasmine, the kind I can't stand. Later it becomes spicy, resinous, balsamic, and gourmand. An interesting, unusual scent - one that I don't need.
I mean the Oud :D