Blauemaus

Before Pleats Please leaves my house, I would like to dedicate a few lines to it.... I personally enjoy light fragrances with rather low sillage. Japanese scents are quite suitable for this; I have a bit of Masaki Matsushima in my collection, and I also like many things from Kenzo very much. But to conclude that all Japanese scents are airy-light can turn out to be a fallacy. With "A Scent," I already had a mishap (Wow, what a hyacinth bomb), and "Pleats Please" was my second disappointment.

I know Nashi pear from Suu by M. Matsushima; I believe there is also Nashi in other fragrances from this brand. I like it very much. Peony is also lovely - nice and light and fragrant. White musk is okay as long as it is not animalistic. The musk in the Matsushimas is fragrant-transparent, so I had no concerns there, and cedar always works well on me. Regarding patchouli and vanilla, I just wanted to be surprised by how they smell on me. That left the sweet pea....

Well, none of the notes I mentioned above could I really recognize, apart from a pretty, fresh opening with a bit of Nashi pear. If I had discovered it earlier in the store, I would have immediately fallen into the buying trap without waiting for the fragrance development. What would later turn out to be a mistake. It’s not that I don’t like the scent. On the skin, it develops a pleasantly natural floral quality; however, I can neither detect white musk nor cedar on my skin. Especially with the cedar, this is strange, as my skin usually amplifies all woody notes extremely. I can usually detect white musk even in homeopathic amounts. I also can’t smell anything of the peony at all. The immense floral quality, which becomes increasingly suffocating over time, must be the sweet pea. Don’t sweet peas in nature overgrow everything? It’s the same with the scent. It becomes increasingly stuffy, oppressive; the clothes smell the next day as if they had been soaked in the fragrance. You can only wash it away; airing out does nothing here. So there’s not much of that Asian restraint. If you can’t already guess - patchouli and vanilla also had no chance against the monster sweet pea. By the way, it’s not fruity-sweet on me, just floral.

The fragrance would really be quite charming if it weren’t so intense, almost intrusive. What a shame. I hope my successor has better luck with it....

This new Otto Kern doesn't seem to have many fans. I can't quite understand that. Sure, it's not a complex masterpiece of perfumery - but does it always have to be? A beautiful, fresh, understated summer scent is definitely what Never Hide is. I can't break down the individual notes, nor do I want to. I'd rather convey my scent impression.

For a long time, I searched for a fragrance that simply smells like summer. Like a summer day by the sea. Capturing sea air in fragrances is only achieved in very few scents. Here, I think it has succeeded quite well. This typical salty note, mixed with a hint of sunscreen, seawater, and fresh air, is well represented in Never Hide (EdT). I do refer a little to the pyramid: I can clearly recognize the salty accord, peonies, and Ambroxan, and it doesn't smell like much else. Which it doesn't need at all - it's truly a lovely blend. Especially if someone, like me for example, doesn't like lemon scents for summer but still wants a nice fresh fragrance, this one is not sooooo bad. It reminds me a bit of Close by GAP, which unfortunately disappeared from the scene quite quickly. I'm afraid Never Hide will meet a similar fate; Otto Kerns are generally not available for long.

Unfortunately, the longevity is nothing to write home about. After 2-3 hours, it's time to reapply, and in warm weather, it’s already over after 1 hour. I can't judge how long the EdP lasts, as I only know the EdT.

If you're looking for something affordable and uncomplicated for summer vacation, you can definitely take a look at it. I, for one, quite like it...

Edit August 2017: I took it with me on my summer vacation at the North Sea. Since we were traveling with our camper, I had the fresh sea air in my nose immediately upon waking up, or rather 24 hours a day. The EdT fit perfectly here, and the short longevity and sillage were only advantageous. Besides, my skin smelled just like that after a day at the sea: salty and like sunscreen. The perfect scent for days by the sea.

Unfortunately, it seems to be prone to going off. My bottle, which I had to dispose of yesterday, was just 1 year old, and the bottle was still 1/3 full, so not a small leftover amount. I can only advise against bunker purchases; it's better to buy again only when the old bottle is empty.

First of all: I consciously refrain from giving a rating, as I am not clear on how to evaluate a pure Iso-E-Super scent. And here we go...

I traded for MOL Intense through a swap game. The fragrances from Harry Lehmann are unbeatable in price, and I was curious to see how this inexpensive scent compares to the much more expensive Molecule 01. Overall, MOL Intense seems harder and more masculine to me than Molecule 01. However, it is significantly cheaper. The opening is piercing and slightly medicinal, which I didn't notice as much with Molecule 01. A cedarwood note emerges fairly quickly. The scent remains relatively constant; the "sometimes you can smell it and sometimes you can't" phenomenon is not the case here, unlike with Molecule 01, as the Berlin scent is always present. What strikes me: I find it much more intense than Molecule 01.

Catch22 once wrote that today, many fragrances use Iso-E-Super in large quantities in the base. I have the same impression now, since I first smelled Molecule 01. You feel like a drug-sniffing dog. Once consciously perceived, I can smell it in fragrances where I had never noticed it before.

If someone decides on a pure Iso-E-Super scent, everyone must know for themselves how much they want to invest. The scent direction is not bad, but it's also not a must-have. I always find it interesting how fragrances behave when layered with pure Iso-E-Super. It's worth trying out!

Paradise Bay came into my collection at the end of November through a swap. One would actually think that it fits better in spring and summer, but I prefer it in cooler temperatures; in fact, I wore it a lot even in the depths of winter. A cool, overcast spring or summer day is also okay, but as a summer fragrance, it feels too stuffy to me. In warmth, it takes on a note that almost overwhelms me. I simply miss the freshness. However, I can imagine it well on a summer evening when the heat of the day has passed.

PB starts fruity and rather sweet; I can clearly recognize all three notes. Nevertheless, it is not a squeaky, artificial fruitiness, but it smells just like fresh, sweet fruits should smell. And those that have ripened on the tree, not in the transport box on the way to us. After a while, the scent becomes less fruity and more creamy. I smell floral notes; whether they are magnolias, I unfortunately cannot tell. The flowers do not smell stuffy but fresh, bright, and airy. Warm and soft, the scent then fades away. Overall, I find the fragrance rather subtle, as long as you don't overdo it with the dosage. 2-3 sprays are completely sufficient; otherwise, it becomes unpleasant.

To me, it really smells like vacation - like gentle blossoms, a warm, gentle breeze blowing through the open window, billowing the curtains and bringing the scent of warmth, flowers, and sea, as well as the aroma of ripe, sweet fruits from the fruit bowl sitting on the table next to it.

The longevity is good - about 5 hours. The bottle looks quite bulky, but it is nicely designed with the gradient that reflects the warmth of the fragrance well. I don’t understand why it also had to come in a blue bottle; blue does not fit here at all...

I first bought cK One at Easter 2003. At that time, I was pregnant, the severe nausea was over, and my bottle of Contradiction was empty. I was looking for a fresh scent that wouldn't bother me and that suited the summer. I preferred Calvin Klein fragrances back then, so I ended up with this scent. It accompanied me faithfully through the hot millennium summer of 2003; it was the first fragrance I wore months after my pregnancy. However, at some point, I got tired of it, and only a few weeks ago did I bring another bottle home.

It's possible that it has been reformulated. However, I haven't noticed anything; to me, it still smells just like it did 14 years ago. Fresh, powdery, woody. A bit citrusy and like tea. Clean and like a body lotion. I find it neither boring nor generic. It stands out pleasantly from the current fragrances and smells elegant and puristic due to its simplicity. Furthermore, it strongly resembles The Blanc by Bvlgari, but without that annoying musk note.

As powdery-fresh as the scent starts, it becomes soft and warm in the drydown. Unfortunately, I can't pick out individual notes, except for the green tea and bergamot. But only now do I read that it is supposed to contain oak moss. I can usually smell oak moss everywhere because I absolutely dislike it. I would never have noticed that cK One contains this fragrance ingredient. At least it doesn't bother me here. On me, cK One lasts about 4 hours, then I can reapply. I find that acceptable for such a light scent; after all, it is an EdT.

I still like the scent just as much as I did 14 years ago and am already looking forward to next summer with it. Although, I don't consider it a purely summer fragrance. I find it suitable for year-round wear and appropriate for all kinds of occasions, for ladies just as much as for gentlemen, regardless of age.