Betty0714

Yes, I understand the comment that says the scent smells like a synthetic vanilla air freshener. When I smelled the sprayer of my sample, I could agree with that. Nevertheless, I took more time to sniff it. I also join those who have no idea which expensive ball gown they should wear to do it justice.
The fragrance is more than an overpriced cashmere. This is cashmere in an elegant form, ripped from its comforting winter persona. It is summer.
Impressions of a carefree, beautiful woman who, let’s say, shakes hands with aristocrats at charity events with a balanced smile.
Ylang in Gold smells like an expensive body cream that I want to slather on. It lacks a bit of depth, but certainly not height and fullness. A hint of mint lifts the scent into the air along with the ylang ylang on a vanilla-coconut bed, where it shines down on me like light steel. At the same time, there is something trivial and inconsequential that resonates with the fragrance. That is exactly what makes it so beautiful for me. The gold-shimmering magic wand of Ylang in Gold soothes my nerves, and free of all worries, I sail through the sunlit air.
Admittedly, I also feel a bit trapped in a Raffaello commercial. But sometimes, that’s exactly what I want.
Sometimes, that’s just what I want. Simply to smell smooth, slick without edges and corners, just beautifully picturesque. The lack of depth helps me switch off without feeling out of place.

What should I write about this fragrance? The only thing I know is that I want to share my experience, as it is quite special to me. What prompted me to comment is the fact that I thought the scent was a joke, even a counterfeit, after my first sniff. Because do you know what the fragrance smelled like? - like nothing at all, with a hint of soap. I could hardly believe my misfortune, having spent about 15 euros for 10 ml. Out of anger, I aggressively sprayed the cardboard box that the fragrance came in and locked it away in a drawer. I wanted to throw away this transparent liquid; it would have even been too embarrassing to give away...
I reached out to people who own this fragrance. I offered to send them my sample so they could confirm for me that it really is Champaca Absolute! Because this scent was supposed to be my summer fragrance...
The Parfumo member from whom I received this fragrance assured me of the authenticity of his product and wrote, "Maybe the sample is cold?" - "Yeah, sure," I thought. You pay so much for Tom Ford and then the cold is to blame... No, I was definitely deceived! No doubt!
Then, after a few days, when I opened the drawer where the sprayed cardboard box was, I noticed more than just a hint of 50-cent public toilet soap. There was already a stronger aroma and a bit of a banana note, just as the YouTuber described this fragrance, which she would wear at her wedding in an exotic, warm location... ahhh... - and it made me curious after all.
Then summer came to Germany with a muggy heat that makes you long for far-off travel destinations. Adorned with a large hairpin that visually sways between hibiscus and orchid blooms, I took this scent, which was supposed to be thrown away, and sprayed it on myself almost subconsciously, and bullseye! In this heat, my skin radiates this fragrance so beautifully that I want to kneel down: I smell clean, creamy, exotic, noble, dense, and lush, and at the same time, I walk almost angelically floating and hypnotized by these foreign-looking flowers throughout the day.
During my summer vacation in scorching hot Egypt, the sample came along and was even my signature scent there, one could say. This noble bloom is such a diva. It shies away in the cold, but in tropical heat, it makes itself known and wants to be worn. Or it hibernates and wakes up in the sweltering heat; I don't know exactly...
I can only say that no fragrance has ever surprised me like this. The absolute dream scent in unimaginable heat. Applied after a day at the beach on clean skin, I feel like Cleopatra.
Clean - noble - unique - creamy - resinous - woody - royal.

This fragrance only reaffirms my fascination with the world of scents. Yes, it is full of mysteries. You think you have understood a fragrance and categorized it for eternity, and then you realize that it is the fragrance that leads you astray... There are simply scents that are made to be worn on your skin at a very specific temperature, season, and also occasion and factor xy. These sensations are, of course, super individual. You can't just spray a fragrance randomly somewhere and wait to be swept away in a state of enthusiasm. Some aromas are demanding, and maybe you are not yet ripe enough for this next step or were not ready for the complexity of the fragrance. That is what Champaca Absolute taught me. Be open and brave and give it several chances. The story of the first impression is not always true! Thank you for this lesson, Champaca Absolute.

I once had a solid body scrub from Lush, "Aquamirabilis" if I remember correctly. It's no longer available. In any case, it smelled incredibly good in the bathroom, like cocoa butter with a kind of spa note... I can't describe it any other way. Such a cozy, buttery, rich scent with a hint of salt that reminded me of a thermal bath. Butterball comes very, very close to this scent memory.
Initially sprayed, I step into a sauna. Cozy-medical-salty honey wafts toward me in a steamy embrace. After a short while, a (cocoa)buttery-powdery mist forms. A scent experience that makes my soul melt.

To also enjoy some of the cozy scent aura myself, I have to spray quite a bit. A wonderful, unobtrusive, and skin-close fragrance.
It also smells very nice layered with tonka or vanilla scents!

Encouraged by a dear perfumista, here are my impressions of this scent.


I was so looking forward to Grain de Soleil because of the comments. For me, it was my first blind buy ever, and it was also supposed to come all the way from France for me. The time between ordering and the arrival of the foreign fragrance mail was almost unbearable, as I kept reading the fascinating remarks about GDS and could hardly wait. When I finally had it, took off the bottle cap, and smelled it, it felt as if an old fragrance love was waving at me warmly, as if in a dream.

I really did not expect that. Now, for all those who might guess what could come next based on experience: For me, it bears no resemblance to Hypnotic Poison, as some other dear perfumistas have reported, but if anything, it reminds me of... Alien.
And even my partner said when I first wore the scent, "you smell like in the times when we first got to know each other." And at that time, I always wore Alien. I DO NOT WANT this Alien association with the scent because Grain de Soleil is absolutely beautiful in itself. I can smell the neroli, but overall the fragrance is so rounded that I really have difficulty perceiving a specific note distinctly. It smells very beautifully neroli - powdery. It has something very romantic, intimate, and trustworthy about it. I also detect something almondy. The problem for me is this damn Alien association. The scent smells sunny but not like the blazing summer sun on the body, rather like a winter sun, or a very concentrated sun, like a seed of the sun or a romantic sunset. For me, it's a scent for going out in the evening. It is definitely not too sweet, I would say. For me, it’s a mix of everything: powdery, sweet, a hint of spiciness (everything is too rounded and blended), floral. The scent is very lush and concentrated. 1-2 sprays are definitely enough. A fragrance for intimate conversations, sharing secrets, deep gazes. Emotional intelligence in scent form.

I really wonder how such a perfectly harmonious fragrance like "Dia" can have the same origin as this scent candidate. At first, I can briefly imagine a beach atmosphere with sunscreen and salty sea - albeit with some help - under this scent. The bergamot in the top note surely plays a significant role in this. However, the fragrance retains its bitterness from the very beginning and only intensifies it over time. Like an impenetrable wall of the hardest scent metal, something emerges on my wrist that meets with deep aversion and leads to attempts to wash it off...
It's conceivable that it might smell pleasantly sunny and perhaps sweeter for some wearers, but it is definitely not my case.