Blauemaus

Somewhere here, I read in a comment about a fragrance some time ago that bright clean scents correspond to the current zeitgeist (and I always thought that gourmands were in vogue). The scent of the cream in the blue jar is therefore more relevant than ever, and I dare say that everyone has had it in their nose at least once in their life. Most likely, it also evokes childhood memories. It’s no wonder that there have been desperate searches for "the most beautiful cream scents," "the scent of Nivea cream," and similar things here. I still remember when the first (?) EdT from Nivea was launched in 2011, and bulk orders were made in Austria. Unfortunately, you couldn't get it online like the current one back then. In hindsight, when I received a sample of it, I was glad about that because I didn't particularly like the scent. The new Nivea, however, I do like, although "new" isn't quite accurate anymore. Initially, it was probably just limited, but now it is a regular part of the Nivea range and the online shop.

A few weeks ago, I ordered the EdT for the second time. The scent is nicely packaged and simply pleasant. The EdT from 2011 smelled very heavy and a bit musty on me; it didn't remind me of Nivea at all. This scent does. My husband - a self-proclaimed Nivea fan - even said it smells better than Nivea. It has a fresh, clean, creamy scent. I can't pick out individual notes, except for the extremely clean musk in the base. It doesn’t even bother me as a musk hater.

I simply feel comfortable and well-groomed with it.

Why it is only sold online or in Nivea stores is a mystery to me. At €24/30ml, I don't find the scent particularly expensive. I bet that in a set with body lotion and/or shower gel, or even just as a fragrance, it would sell like hotcakes. Especially around Christmas or Mother's Day, there are plenty of nicely packaged sets from Nivea available in stores.

I have since noticed that after about 2 hours, I can hardly perceive it myself compared to those around me. Apparently, one gets used to it quickly. On one hand, that's good because the scent blends in nicely. The scent is also familiar to you through the cream, so nothing is bothersome here. On the other hand, it’s a bit unfortunate, which is why I don’t wear it as often anymore, so I can enjoy it for a few hours. You can also apply it generously, even I can. *g*

All in all, it’s a lovely scent that I must never run out of. I especially love it in the mornings, as it doesn’t annoy me and beautifully extends the scent of the Nivea products that I enjoy using. But it’s also just pleasant as a sleep scent.

Edit Feb. 2018: More and more drugstores are now carrying it, so the annoying ordering is finally eliminated. I hope it is never discontinued.

I have had Attimo in my collection for so many years now. I bought the first bottle in 2011. In the meantime, I have repurchased it once - and since it is unfortunately no longer being produced, it will probably be the last one. What a shame, because among the Ferragamos, I found it to be by far the most beautiful.

Attimo smells soft, warm, fruity (but not like fruit drops, rather noble, not artificial, and very pleasant) and delicately floral. A thoroughly pleasant, very noble fragrance. Yet suitable for everyday wear and all sorts of occasions. As long as you don’t overdo it with the dosage, this beautiful Italian will hardly disturb anyone, as it is unobtrusive and quite close to the skin. At least for me, but I only spray it 2 - 3 times.

The pear comes across soft and gentle, not as squeaky-fruity as in Petit Cherie. More like smelling a freshly picked pear. Lotus makes the fruit beautifully light and does it good. In the heart note, I can best recognize frangipani, and the peony makes the fragrance beautifully fresh and prevents it from slipping into tropical realms. A hint of gardenia adds a friendly floral note, but it hardly stands out.

In the base, cedar provides a balsamic woodiness, and a bit of musk adds creamy warmth without becoming animalistic. I don’t perceive any patchouli. The longevity is good; I notice it on myself for about 5 hours, then the scent begins to fade gently.

R.I.P. Attimo!

This year's summer vacation took me back to the North Sea after many, many years. As a child, I spent a lot of time there; my aunt lived there. At some point, my trips to the North Sea became less frequent, as I preferred to go south to the sea or later to the mountains with my husband. Then we had children, and the journey became too long for us with a small child. However, with a new vehicle, the kilometers seem to bother us less, and the comfort is significantly higher than with our old one. And finally, the kids are now much more suited for long distances than they were years ago.

So far, so good, the only question left was about the ultimate vacation scent. It should be unobtrusive, as I didn't want to overshadow the fresh sea air during breakfast with an intense fragrance. It also needed to harmonize with the scent of the sea. It didn't even have to last long to not bother me. For some time now, many fragrances have been annoying me, especially intense, artificially smelling ones. I prefer scents that are as light and inconspicuous as possible. Thus, the choice fell on Never Hide, specifically the EdT; I only got the EdP after my vacation. So to speak, to bring the sea air home with me. Now that I am back in southern Germany, the scent could last around 4 hours and be a bit more intense. The EdT lasts a maximum of 2 hours on me.

In short: The EdP has the same basic character as the EdT - salty North Sea air mixed with sunscreen. Just like the scent of sun-warmed skin after a day at the beach - sea salt and sunscreen. The scent remains pretty much the same; I can't detect any scent development. However, it is softer and warmer than the EdT, which needs sea air to really work. Here in southern Germany, it seems a bit pale; the EdP is much better suited for this.

I will put the EdT in the cupboard until the next trip to the North Sea.... :-)

CK Be recently caught my attention at Müller. I was looking for something light, fresh but not citrusy, something I could tolerate during the recent heatwaves. It is a fresh scent with a lot of white musk, which does not smell animalistic, but simply clean, fresh, and pleasant. At home, I first looked at the listed fragrance notes and was, to put it mildly, astonished. Somehow, I smelled something completely different! Spices, opoponax, sandalwood? I don’t smell any of that at all. But the other fragrance notes also left me puzzled. On me, CK Be smells, as mentioned, strongly of white musk, a bit floral and woody. Clean, like a mild shower gel. Without any scent development - linear, soft, and without any frills. So I did a little googling and found a completely different fragrance pyramid on Flaconi.

Top note: Juniper berries, mandarin, white musk
Heart note: Peach, magnolia, white musk
Base note: Tonka bean, sandalwood, white musk

I also found information at Douglas. They don’t provide an exact pyramid, but it resembles the one from Flaconi more than the one from Parfumo. Pieper also makes similar statements as Douglas. Notino, on the other hand, lists grass among other notes, and Easycosmetic even mentions orchids and jasmine. And Calvin Klein themselves? Forget it, there are hardly any fragrances listed on their website...

Unfortunately, the correction was rejected because these are not reliable sources, but I know exactly what I smell. And that is what is indicated at Douglas and Flaconi. Maybe the fragrance has been reformulated in the meantime, because in old comments, I read nothing about what slightly ruins the scent for me: the more than poor longevity. I am really sensitive and often smell many fragrances longer than others here. A scent doesn’t have to last all day for me. But here, it’s over after at most 3 hours, on warm days already after 30 minutes, if I'm unlucky. Others don’t smell anything anymore either, so I can personally rule out non-perception. I read similar things online. This really annoys me because the scent is, as it smells, truly very, very beautiful to me. But what good is that if the pleasure is over so quickly? Sure, it’s not expensive, reapplying doesn’t hurt - and still, it would be nice if it lasted at least 4 hours. On the other hand - if a scent sticks to me like Pattex, that’s not good either. Then I’d rather reapply. It can be applied generously like a body spray.

Recently, YR has been reformulating products from time to time. Sometimes it's the creams that appear under old names with new packaging (and I sometimes tolerate them better, but often not at all, even though the INCI lists are actually better). Shower gels are gradually disappearing, but there are many new ones as replacements. However, fragrances are also being reformulated from time to time. Often, the new packaging catches your eye first. When testing, you then notice that the scent somehow smells different. Even if the KD team insists that only the packaging and item number have changed - So Elixir, for example, smells different, and I'm not the only one saying that.

I never quite got along with Voile d'Ambre. Basically, there was always too much myrrh for me; the scent sometimes smelled good but also slightly bitter on me at times. I didn't like that. However, I somehow held onto the hope that Voile d'Ambre would smell different after a few years. My old bottle is a few years old but is already a reformulated version, as it, for example, does not contain denatured alcohol. That makes it more pleasant. My old mini still contains denatured alcohol and smells slightly bitter - a point that often stands out to me in fragrances that contain denatured alcohol. Fragrances that manage without it somehow smell rounder and softer to my nose. Only the quite intense myrrh remains...

During one of the last free promotions, a 30ml bottle of Voile d'Ambre once again found its way into my shopping cart for free. And my feeling did not deceive me: Voile d'Ambre has been reformulated again in the meantime. You can easily recognize which fragrance it is, but there are a few differences. The scent no longer smells of incense and myrrh (hooray!), but rather of vanilla and spices. By the way, it is a very nice vanilla that almost reminds me a bit of the unparalleled Guerlain vanilla. While Voile d'Ambre used to remind me of Obsession, I now perceive it almost as a little sister of Shalimar and its flanker Shalimar Ode à la Vanille - Sur la route du Mexique. When you compare the fragrance notes, my impression is not unfounded. Of course, it is not a fragrance twin, which is why I referred to it as the little sister. The sillage is also quite strong on my son and lasts about 5 hours on me.

Voile d'Ambre starts off fresh-spicy on me and quickly becomes wonderfully vanillic. Not sweet synthetic vanilla sugar, but a beautiful mature vanilla, underlaid with spices and creamy-balsamic resins. Really well done, rounded and cuddly like a silky soft veil. Those who prefer orientals even in warmth can wear this well in summer temperatures, as it does not come across as oppressive or overwhelming. Personally, I would set a limit of around 22°C for myself; at higher temperatures, I prefer fresher scents.

By the way: The name can be a bit misleading. Here, amber refers to amber, not the secretions from the whale. Thus, I also like it; however, I cannot stand amber, as it simply smells unpleasant to my nose. And the term "veil of amber" already describes the scent in just a few words.