Avidea

Cyprus Shell.... When I think of the name and the bottle, I think of the sea, of summer in Croatia. Of salty air with algal nuances, of dry pine needles on light sandy ground, of bright stones heated by the sun, of sweetly dry-scented skin.

I was soooo excited about the scent; it had to be a blind buy because I couldn't wait until I was back in a perfume store that had it.

The first test: phew, I thought, quite intensely floral and powdery. However, I could immediately relate to the association of warm dry sand. Definitely summery. In the first few minutes, I smell a hint of lipstick iris (which I unfortunately don't like that much). So far, so so-so. I throw my sprayed handkerchief into my basket in the footwell for my drive to work. It's super cold outside, the car ventilation is very warm, and it blows Cyprus Shell towards me with a warm breeze. The lipstick iris has woven itself in, a fine dry-woody spiciness has developed. It smells a bit molecular to me, very attractive.
I think of "Shine Despite Everything | Atkinsons," which was too intense for me. The drydown of Cyprus Shell is like a more feminine, lighter summer version of Shine Despite Everything in my nose.

Okay.... I'm hooked but still unsure whether to keep it.

Second test because I can't detach myself from the sprayed handkerchief from two days ago:
It starts floral again, and immediately I get lipstick iris again, but what else is there to smell that is on par? Yes, the pear. Iris and pear combine wonderfully. It is not a dripping sweet overripe pear like you find in many fruity florals, but rather a drier one that is neither sour nor sweet, one that is still crisp and unfolds an elegant woody fruitiness that never takes the lead but dances equally with the iris in the grand opening.

After a few minutes, the lipstick impression reduces, and a deliciously elegantly woven roughness comes in. I think it's the incense. There is still a dry unsweetened floral note present. The pear also retreats.
I love the heart note because it still carries parts of the opening but slowly transitions into the molecular direction for my nose.

In the drydown, the scent becomes a bit sandier, drier. This wonderful iris-incense note remains. I don't find it masculine in the drydown. Neither oakmoss nor patchouli come out strongly.

I couldn't smell the rose well, but I can imagine that it creates this slight floral quality that makes the scent so three-dimensional and exciting. I also don't get the salt, but I perceive a dry spiciness...

I am completely thrilled. On one hand, I have never smelled anything comparable, and on the other hand, the progression is really exciting for me. I don't know if it's due to the bottle/name, but I see a hot rocky coastal landscape in summer here. Rather without significant vegetation, if anything, just dry shrubs. No algae, no sunscreen....

A fantastic, unusual, unique scent that I see on both women and men. Longevity and sillage are above average. The bottle and packaging are dreamy, and the price is so good!
Clear recommendation from me.

Casse-Noisette is the fourth fragrance from the house of Les Néréides that I have the pleasure of getting to know, and I am once again very excited about this scent.
Since I am currently in a nut phase, I had to order the fragrance blindly as part of a sharing (thank you to everyone who participated and helped me get a bottle).

In two weeks, my husband and I will be heading to Prague for a child-free weekend, and I wanted a fragrance for this lovely occasion during the Christmas season that would remind me of this weekend again and again....

About the bottle and packaging:
These beautiful bottles are simply a 10/10. I love the elegant look with the lovely gold print of the flowers. It looks fantastic in the collection. The outer packaging is simple. The bottle rests in a plain but very sturdy printed cardboard box. Absolutely sufficient and solid for the price range.

Now, onto the fragrance:
I have no idea what glazed chestnuts smell like, but I was hoping for a sweet-nutty note. I was concerned about the jasmine and neroli in the top notes, as I feared they might be too strong and cloyingly floral.
I recently added a bottle of "Le Vie di Milano - Passeggiata in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II | Trussardi" to my collection, precisely because of the aforementioned nut phase. Here, the tuberose is very noticeable, but beautifully integrated... I wanted to find something less floral and loud.
The fragrance starts off subtly floral; I perceive a delicate jasmine. I don't smell neroli, perhaps just as a supportive note at most. Immediately, a delicious nuttiness comes in with bitter sprinkles and a pleasant sweetness that is never sticky or overwhelming.

This dominant nuttiness only lasts a few minutes; the delicate jasmine as a base is never completely gone but never takes the lead either.
After the nutty note recedes a bit, a golden, elegant (amber?) sweetness becomes noticeable. Rich and harmonious. Not cloyingly sweet, not too subdued. Just right, like golden velvet.
I can't really pick out the cedar, but I think it forms a woody boundary, adding a bit of edge so that the sweetness doesn't overflow.

The drydown then remains like this. Sweet, warm, golden, elegant, harmonious, sensual, beautifully wonderful.

Like all the fragrances from this house that I have experienced so far (Pas de Velours, Baie de Cassis, Rue Paradis), this one is also an extremely harmonious, very expensive-smelling, wonderfully elegant composition that is present but never too much. Never overwhelming and "full on the 12," which I truly appreciate and enjoy.

I would describe the fragrance as a gourmand scent with floral sprinkles and a moderate warm sweetness, which I believe fits best in the autumn/winter. Other gourmands that are currently very popular (e.g., Bianco Latte, "Saint Honoré | Nicolaï / Parfums de Nicolaï", "Vanilla Haze | Fugazzi") are much sweeter, more overwhelming, less elegant, and "perfumy," which can be too much for me. Just for your reference. Those who love this type of gourmand will probably find Casse-Noisette a bit bland or flat or too quiet.

Since the fragrance has such a pleasant sillage, it can be worn for all occasions. I am also very satisfied with its longevity. On my skin, it lasts 6-8 hours, and on clothing, it still smells delicious, sensual, and enticing the next day.

For our Prague weekend, it’s simply a perfect fragrance.... I am already looking forward to wearing it during Christmas walks through this beautiful city, at the Christmas market, when we go out to eat, and during moments together in the apartment...

Absolute recommendation from me. I love it!

Half a year ago, I discovered this wonderful fragrance through a sharing. I was looking for a beautiful leather scent that is not too masculine.

During the first test, I was somewhat disappointed. I primarily perceived juicy sun-drenched lemon, gently underlaid with tea and light flowers. Softly, the leather joins in and grounds the bright lemons. A wonderful dialogue begins between the bright notes and the darker notes, which is always well balanced and very harmonious.
The leather in this fragrance is not a light, tame suede. It is a bit darker; one gets the feeling that a little sexiness flashes through now and then, but it never takes over or becomes too dark and dirty.

These contrasts and tensions between the clean-girl lemons and the femme-fatale leather are truly a great joy. Invigorating, playful, refined, and beautiful.

So why did it only spark between us now?

At the beginning of the year, I had a huge appetite for fresh, citrusy scents and went through all my little samples again, and there it was again!
I sprayed it on and thought: Wow, this incredibly beautiful lemon, which absolutely has no cleaning product vibes, something that bothers me with many citrus scents otherwise. Then I perceived the leather much more intensely than during the first test when I was looking for a leather scent.

I also really like the Wūlóng Chá Extrait de Parfum among lemon-tea scents, but what I like so much about this one is that the leather creates a tension, making the fragrance not just well-behaved but giving it a little edge that makes it very special.

I find the fragrance absolutely successful; the bottle is a dream. On my skin, the scent lasts without any problems for 8 hours, and on clothing, over 24 hours. The sillage is very pleasant, not overwhelming, not too close. I was told that at a normal conversation distance, the scent is perceived very pleasantly.

A clear candidate for purchase at a fair price.

I see the fragrance on both men and women, with no tendency toward one gender. The scent is basically both man and woman, leather and lemon.
I don't know if the fragrance suits very young people, but I find it suitable from around 25 years old to open end.
Due to its great balance, it fits for me in every season. And even in cold weather, it works very well; I have no ashtray associations, as someone mentioned here.

Thank you very much for reading!

What a scent! A real surprise for me, as I usually struggle with fruity fragrances, but I was determined to find a cherry scent that wasn't too marzipan-like, too synthetic, or too sweet.
My sample arrived, and it was love at first sniff.

The fragrance starts off slightly cherry liqueur-like, which quickly develops into a delightful little cherry fruit acidity that makes my mouth water and keeps me from moving away from my wrist.
This cheeky cherry is nestled in a wonderful caramel sweetness that reminded me of the caramel in "Rendez-vous à Milan | Montale." However, the sweetness is not sticky, but warm and sensual.
As it progresses, the scent becomes a bit softer and more cuddly, but not noticeably so for me or those around me.
The cheeky fruitiness takes a step back and merges with the warm dark sweetness into a hug that has an almost erotic aura.

The scent lasts on my skin for about 8-10 hours, with projection becoming a bit less after about 4 hours. I can imagine it more in the cooler months, but I will also do a summer date night test when it gets warmer again.

I see the fragrance more on a woman. A seductive, confident, strong woman who knows what she wants.

A clear candidate for purchase, a very unusual scent with high recognizability that will soon find a permanent place in my collection.

Thanks for reading! To all Femme Fatales: get this scent. Even though it is quite different, it gives me the same sexiness as, for example, Hypnotic Poison Eau de Toilette or "Dior Addict (2014) (Eau de Parfum) | Dior," just with this cheeky cherry.

It started some time ago with Santal 33 Eau de Parfum. I had read about the hype surrounding this fragrance and got a sample, which I liked very, very much. I was unsure about how I would find the dill opening. But I wanted sandalwood. Not oriental-sweet sandalwood, but a fresh-dry spa sandalwood.

I was completely new to the world of perfume and was not ready to spend so much money on Santal 33 Eau de Parfum. This led to a very extensive testing series of all possible sandalwood fragrances, which in total would probably have equaled the value of the bottle ;-)
At some point, I came across "Santal Super | Son Venïn" and was blown away from the very first spray.
It was simply EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL than Santal 33 Eau de Parfum. The opening has almost no dill-pickle associations, and the sandalwood unfolds dry-creamy-wellness-beautiful.
The scent starts green-fresh, I immediately notice the eucalyptus, then comes the cardamom and the magnificent sandalwood. Then the scent remains linear for me.

I love it. I like to apply it to my sleep shirt after showering, and it lasts about 2 days there. Even longer on my bathrobe, which I put on after an evening swim in the pool. Or on my seatbelt when I’ve worn the scent during the day because I slept poorly or my mood is bad and I need comfort.
And in all scenarios, I breathe in this scent and feel better, calmed, held, relaxed, cozy.

The perfect weather is a rainy, gray, mild day when you have nothing on your to-do list. When it is cozy and quiet. It’s not warm, but you can walk barefoot through the house in the most comfortable clothes that feel good. And there’s a midday nap on such a day, and no one gets on your nerves.

It is not loud, does not project much. But it is there for you. The bottle reflects the mood of the scent very well. Quiet, unexcited, round, simple in the best sense.

Savasana.