Benlives

A perfume bottle in the shape of a lipstick. In the gift set, it even comes with a lipstick bag. Do I really need to say more? Hello? Perfume in LIPSTICK FORM. With LIPSTICK BAG.
You can't get more than that. Like bread and butter. Like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Like Jack and Rose. Like Christmas and family feuds. Like RTL2 and Wife Swap. Like Benlives and Parfumo. What belongs together simply comes together. A cosmetic overkill. Or as my beloved likes to express it: "Uuuuh".

This thing immediately caught my beloved's eye, of course. Anything in the realm of cosmetics that is somehow particularly outlandish and crazy gets a "Uuuuh" from her. Whether it's makeup, makeup accessories, perfume bottles, etc., everything gets a "Uuuuh". The line to kitsch is thin. But who cares - normal is for everyone! Of course, the above applies especially to this striking lipstick bottle, particularly in combination with the unfortunately just as dysfunctional as eye-catching lipstick bag, hereafter referred to as "Täsch". Just by itself, it’s already a perfect setup for a "Uuuuh".

The craziest part is that the scent actually matches its appearance. Crazy, because nowadays this is all too rare, especially with new releases. A sweet-spicy, crazy berry cocktail with a certain, slightly quirky touch. Definitely not a rip-off. Yes I am "Uuuuh". With it, you definitely stand out. Unfortunately, you can only fit a pack of pocket tissues into the Täsch. Or maybe a small wallet?! Well, definitely not mine, as I somehow always collect so much change that could be used as a projectile or blunt weapon in case of an attack. But it doesn’t really matter; the Täsch serves its purpose of completing the "Uuuuh"-like overall picture. That’s the main thing!

Subjectively, my girlfriend rates the scent:

Bottle: 10/10 "Uuuuh" 's
Täsch: 10/10 "Uuuuh" 's
Scent: 8/10 "Uuuuh" 's
Longevity: 8/10 "Uuuuh" 's
Sillage: 7/10 "Uuuuh" 's

So, now off to the city with this thing and make some competition! Lipstick Love! Uuuuh...

The exact words of my friend during the spray premiere. And this despite the fact that we live about 80 kilometers away from Cologne. But you really can't put it any better. Right after spraying, you expect any moment the bomb disposal squad to forcefully gain access to the apartment of the perpetrators, to take into custody the nose-explosive along with the accomplices of this scent conspiracy.

This fragrance is the opposite of subtle. And of average. And of mainstream. Actually, of everything that is currently considered "hip," "trendy," or however youth language might express it. An olfactory fist of God (no blasphemy), that first narcotizes every halfway functional nose within a radius of at least 5 meters, sending the olfactory cells to nirvana. Wonderful. Why kick down the door when you can just tear down the wall.

You don't have to like this scent. You have to pay it respect. An incredible thicket of exotic plants and dripping humidity. A real jungle, indeed. So dense that I can no longer recognize the individual trees in the forest. Mango, ylang-ylang, cardamom, clove, heliotrope, hit me with a stick... for all I care. It might all be true. But for me, it simply works as a total work of art. Very difficult to filter out individual notes. But you don't need to. The jungle is alive. And it trembles. With vitality. And it will find its own exotics. Definitely not for everyone. And that's a good thing. What should the gray mice do among the majestic big cats?

PS: The hypothetical disposal squad would probably just get lost in the jungle anyway. And until the thicket clears, well, that could take a long time...

One secretly hopes for a miracle. Once again a blockbuster, one that goes through the roof. Yeah, okay, that's illusory. Then something solid, well-crafted with flair. Not that either? Oh dear... well, surely a brand like Davidoff can come up with something halfway decent again, right???
You think so. The name "Run Wild" alone is the worst mockery. What is wild about this? Who is going to run amok with this uninspired plastic stuff, except maybe the perfumer, out of guilt. Although you can also find the meaning "to run wild" as in "to become neglected." Okay, that somehow fits. Olfactory neglect. Plastic - special waste dump in the woods. It really has notes with potential to make you gag in it. At least that's how I feel. A strange synthetic mustiness. In a perfume that should actually exude a certain freshness (in terms of the "claim" to the scent, if you can really still call it a claim...). Even the new "The Man" series from Otto Kern (Becky Lynch edition?) can convince me more. Oh dear.

I can't judge the longevity and sillage, I eventually stopped paying attention to it on my arm.

This could really become a new low light for Davidoff. Sad given the "competition" in the market.

So far, I have been able to find something to appreciate in all Jaguar fragrances. That doesn't mean that each one has suited my taste, but I found them all at least craft-wise solid and could understand the idea behind the scents. Whether sweet (e.g. Excellence), fruity (e.g. Gold), soapy-green (Original), or whatever.
This plastic Barbie here, however, is hard to surpass in terms of lack of ideas (although... one should never say never). A complete absence of creativity and natural ingredients. Actually, the perfumer should be sent to an ENT doctor... although I can even imagine that something like this might be intended in 2018.

Opening: plastic citrus fruits (plastic lemon and plastic apple) from the decoration department of a hardware store

Heart note: plastic with a lot of plastic, even more plastic, and a bit of wood-licorice aroma from BASF

Base: probably a bit more licorice aroma from BASF (they apparently had to dispose of their leftover stock).

I simply can't smell anything else, let alone something natural. Sorry!

Conclusion: downright desperately uninspired chemical trash that unfortunately lasts longer than hoped.
Obviously, something new had to be thrown onto the market quickly before the Christmas business to make a few bucks

PS: at least the bottle stands stable. Maybe the name "Stance" refers to that...

...this works with Glow at least feels very good. Who thinks when reaching for a product in the drugstore that they will suddenly hold such a clean powerhouse fragrance in their hands? Usually, such star scents are hardly surpassed in terms of insignificance. Jlo takes a refreshingly different path here with the clean scent released in 2002. Glow is not a product of complexity. It doesn’t have to be. The interplay of the fragrance notes creates a "freshly showered" feeling that hits you hard. Bright flowers, soap, musk. Bam. A very present clean scent with brutal recognizability. This perfume doesn’t need an overloaded fragrance pyramid to make an impact.
After all these years, Glow doesn’t seem to have fallen victim to the widespread reformulation virus. Hopefully, it stays that way for a long time. A final anecdote about the longevity of Glow:

around eight in the evening... girlfriend gets into the car

Me: "wow, Glow!"
Girlfriend: "uhhhh.... well"
Me: "huh, I can smell it quite clearly!?"
Girlfriend: "I sprayed it on this morning..."
Me: "and you haven't reapplied since???"
Girlfriend: "no... strange, I can't smell it at all anymore..."

Conclusion: If you like clean scents, you should grab this one, as long as no one starts tinkering with it.