Berresena

I selected a bottle based on the reviews and the fragrance notes without testing it beforehand and almost paid extra to get rid of it. Pure cucumber salad… and not the good homemade kind, but the pickled one from the freezer. Rancid! And it unfortunately sticks around forever.

(I also found it so terrible that I wrote to half of the perfume enthusiasts who didn’t already have it in their collection but had only tested it and left a good review. But with 9 out of 10, the responses were either: “I don’t know it at all” or “I think it’s awful.”)

I don’t know if it’s the combination of mandarin and fig milk, but that milky aspect of the scent, which some find creamy, is actually just a rancid, expired mayonnaise scent that makes the cucumber salad experience even more realistic than it already is. So Gourmand in a different way... you definitely smell something edible here, but whether you want to smell like cucumber salad or prefer sweeter gourmands is up to each individual.

I can’t say what it is, but I’ve often heard that sandalwood can be a bit critical for some noses and is often perceived as pickled cucumber or dill cucumber. But I must say, that has never been the case for me. I’ve always had great experiences with sandalwood and never thought that a fragrance could sneak up on me where sandalwood could be the ultimate enemy. In all my other fragrances with sandalwood, I could bathe, but this one is truly a disaster.

Well, maybe I’m just not the type for green scents or I got a tilted or old perfume; I mean, it seems to please some, but one thing I can say… this perfume is definitely not blind-buy safe.

Buy at your own risk!

The scent is described by Dolce & Gabbana as fruity fresh, but to me, it smells rather sour and like stale fruits in an alcoholic mix. L’Imperatrice is said to mean "Empress," but I can't imagine an empress wearing such a childish, fruity fragrance. The base notes are completely unnoticeable, neither after three nor after six hours, and the dry-down is therefore limited to the top and heart notes. Predominantly, you can smell the rhubarb, watermelon, kiwi, and currant notes, which together resemble a fruity cocktail that one orders at the bar when they can't handle much alcohol.

I used to wear it for a long time, but my nose has changed since then. I can no longer smell it without feeling nauseous, as it now evokes the image of a rotten watermelon in a blue plastic bag - you open it, and a swarm of fruit flies rushes out at you.

I tested this scent for the first time with my boyfriend at Pieper. I was overwhelmed by the extremely present ginger note, which gave the entire composition a kind of, yes, how should I say, maturity.

It transported me to a memory that I had actually suppressed and made me reflect. Why didn’t I pull out my notebook and cheat when I was locked in the chair room for a makeup exam? I remembered my innocent willingness in my early years, and strangely, this scent reflects exactly that innocence. What makes this fragrance special, however, is that this innocence is interrupted by the harsh reality of the world, which becomes increasingly apparent to us as we age. And that’s exactly the ginger note, because who would want to smell like ginger and frankincense as a child? But let’s admit it, we are not as grown-up as we like to convince ourselves … and that’s where the delusional and captivating frankincense note comes into play. Wonderful composition, but nothing new.

This fragrance was a complete disappointment. I don't want to offend anyone, but I cannot understand how anyone could appreciate any of the components of this composition. The only thing I perceive is a spicy Ylang-Ylang note, an old rose, plenty of caramel, sugar, and vanilla, all hidden behind an overwhelming cloud of pepper - What is creamy about that?

It's neither the jasmine nor the sandalwood nor the musk, but some component creates an incredibly spicy pepper accord that is unbearable for me. I smell like peppered marshmallows all day long and feel like one of those white Michelin Men that used to be seen in tire commercials. Unfortunately, this fragrance is far too sweet and intrusive for me, and the spiciness does not serve as a counterbalance but rather amplifies this incredibly suffocating, dirty sweetness.

I advise everyone against my mistake of trusting perfume influencers on YouTube, etc., and buying this fragrance as a blind buy.

During the autumn holidays of my elementary school days, I looked forward every year, just before Thanksgiving, to the trip to Saarland - a perfect blend of security and warmth. This is exactly the feeling that This Is Her evokes: adventure and homecoming in one.

One of the most beautiful memories I have from that time is collecting chestnuts. Behind the little church in the woods, amidst rustling leaves and the golden rays of the autumn sun, we were all together: my father, my mother, my aunt, my uncle, and my cousins. Together we searched for the shiny chestnuts that we wanted to roast in the evening and enjoy together on the terracotta-colored fabric couch.
In the evening, when the air outside grew cooler, we set off on the laughter-filled journey back.

I can still vividly remember the warm light and the scent of the chestnuts, how we all sat together, laughed, and simply enjoyed the moment. For me, as a child who still had so much room for deep, unforgettable memories, those were magical moments.
I don’t know if the perception of my other family members aligns with mine, but for me, it was irreplaceable - a feeling of closeness and security that I sometimes miss today. And this is exactly the feeling that the fragrance brings back: This Is Her by Zadig & Voltaire.

This fragrance is for me like a warm cashmere sweater that you throw over the back of a chair after a long autumn day, slip into comfortable flannel pajamas, hop down the stairs, and snuggle under the blanket with the others. It is a scent that captures the laughter and warmth of those evenings, bringing me back to the roasted chestnuts, the terracotta couch, and the old photo album that was later taken out of the cupboard, accompanied by incredible stories.

This fragrance carries all of that within it: the security, the warmth, and the unforgettable moments with family. It is not just a fragrance - it is a memory that I relive every time I wear it.