Spirit of Sensual Desire Spirit 2014

'Spirit of Sensual Desire' was already on my list of fragrances to get rid of. And now I'm really glad I haven't done it yet, as I like it more with each wear. At first, it seemed like a bad purchase: I had foolishly picked the wrong scent. The reason was that I suddenly discovered my enthusiasm for Hypnotic Poison, which I had always found terribly sweet and overwhelming. Suddenly, however, I liked it quite a bit. I considered buying a bottle but hesitated because I feared I would find it just as annoying and headache-inducing again after a while as I did before. So, I wanted to buy one of the cheaper fragrance twins first, and if I still liked the perfume after using it up, then I would buy the original. I heard that one of the 'Spirit of...' fragrances was a pretty good dupe and picked it up when I happened to see it while shopping at the drugstore. There were no testers, but I thought that wasn't a big deal since I knew how Hypnotic Poison smelled. And it was supposed to be a twin. At home, I rolled my eyes in frustration: I had picked the wrong 'Spirit of...'! This was not the Hypnotic Poison twin at all! My Parfumo research on the mispurchase revealed that it is supposedly very similar to Alien, almost a dupe. I must admit that I would never have figured that out on my own. They are not twins; rather, they are the kind of sisters whose familial similarities only become apparent after you find out they are siblings. Yes, the resemblance IS there; it reminds me a bit of Alien, but not much more. Alien is more floral, while Spirit is distinctly woodier. I cannot agree with the classification of 'floral-sweet' at all. I find the scent VERY woody, quite oriental, somewhat floral, and not sweet in the slightest. In direct comparison, Alien smells a bit more complex and balanced to me, but Spirit does not smell cheap at all; on the contrary. If it weren't for the fact that many people are unfortunately so snobbish (sorry) that they wouldn't even test perfumes in this price range - or if it were sold for 10 to 100 times the price, I'm sure it would have many fans here. What Spirit has in common with Alien is its very distinctive character, which positively sets it apart from the currently trendy sweet uniformity. In direct comparison, Spirit is spicier, woodier, more oriental, and a bit harsher. Its spicy notes remind me of a walk through an oriental bazaar. I can distinctly smell cardamom, musk, and amber, along with jasmine, other flowers, and a tiny hint of vanilla - also, although not listed in the fragrance pyramid, a whiff of cinnamon. The longevity and sillage are not as overwhelming as Alien's, but by no means are they subpar, at least not for me. Whether I wear it on my skin, in my hair, or on my clothes, Spirit lasts all day for me; the sillage is still rather strong than weak even after hours with 2-3 sprays. All in all, a beautiful and unusual scent for anyone who doesn't want to wear what everyone else already has and for those who want something different from the currently popular sweet perfumes. Those looking for an Alien dupe will not find a twin here, just a half-sister. I highly recommend this beautiful perfume to all very young perfume lovers: A lovely, high-quality smelling perfume at an unbeatable price that won't hurt any student or pupil's wallet. Purchase recommendation!