BlueStarr

Another TOCCA scent that I immediately loved upon initial spray, only to be genuinely sad that I couldn't smell it without my nose shoved to my wrist half an hour later. In this instance, though, I do not know for sure how much of that is specifically the TOCCA trend of ridiculously weak projection and longevity, versus this particular scent profile.

First, I will say that the scent itself is lovely. Citrus that isn't sharp nor chemical, a gentle vanilla, soft florals, and a cozy woodiness that feels like taking a walk through a forest. Genuinely a delightful, beautiful fragrance. And, as with the rest of the line, the bottle is very charming; the soft purple color is especially pretty. It's how poorly it performs that gets me.

Colette is, from what I can tell, essentially a dupe for Byredo G Water. I've not tried the Byredo scent, as I cannot afford Byredo at this time, but I've seen many a review comparing G Water to Colette. Now, is Colette anywhere near as expensive? Goodness, no; Colette is a mere fraction of the cost of a Byredo bottle, even at the largest size. However, both have reviews of short lifespans and very small projection bubbles. After trying a few other dupes for G Water, I can say that this is, in general, a fainter fragrance profile that is intended to stay at least somewhat close to the wearer's skin.

That being said, I *have* had better performance from a random TJ Maxx brand dupe (Recently Molecular Essence) that didn't even cost me $15, and the Sand + Fog Spring Morning (also called Amore) perfume oil for $25 that outlasts both Colette and the TJ Maxx find. If TOCCA just had put more lasting and projecting power into Colette, I wouldn't have had to hunt for a better dupe. That being said, I'm more than happy with the Sand + Fog oil. If you like G Water but, like me, cannot afford Byredo, and find TOCCA Colette disappointing as well, I encourage you to seek out Sand + Fog Spring Morning as an affordable, lasting alternative.

Belle is a very simple scent as far as notes go. Clean, sweet, citrusy floral with a comforting warmth that sneaks up on you from the base notes. It isn't necessarily groundbreaking, and I've found several other fragrances that have a similar scent, but this was still one of my favorites when I tried TOCCA's current line-up. Just like the rest of TOCCA's fragrances, it has a lovely bottle that would look charming on a tray or bedside table. Belle has an effortlessly pretty, fresh, but also cozy effect that makes it a very easy scent to reach for.

However, I would not buy a bottle, especially at TOCCA's prices. Even with 6+ sprays you have to press your nose right up against your skin to smell it, and it's practically gone within thirty minutes. There may--MAY--be a little of the base lingering past the first hour. That's my biggest gripe with the entirety of TOCCA's line. They have genuinely beautiful fragrances (I've liked Giulietta, Belle, Colette, Lucia, and Florence, at least until I could no longer get past the odd unripe banana-like note of the last one), but their longevity and projection is so abysmal that I feel it should be illegal to sell these as eau de parfums when there are body mists that outperform them. And I've tried the usual tricks: spraying on clothes, applying scent-free lotion to my skin beforehand, spraying more, etc. Nothing makes TOCCA fragrances last or project. The one time I had a TOCCA scent last was when I'd really, drastically overdone it by accidentally spilling some of my Florence mini dabber when trying to carefully apply it. I shouldn't have to empty half a 2ml sample spray of any fragrance just to smell it past 30 minutes. The salt in the wound is that, rather than invest in higher quality perfumes, TOCCA seems to have hopped on the "buy multiple products to layer for longevity" trend, but even then, Belle does not have their body oil or lotion to pair it with. Belle stands alone, unsupported, giving a weak, dying whisper on the skin as a faint breeze wipes the final traces away.

TOCCA Belle unfortunately falls into my tragic category of, "If only the brand gave it more quality." $86 for a 50ml bottle that I'd need to probably use 1/4 of just to smell past 2 hours? No thank you. I'm not even sure I'd want to buy a bottle at a 25-50% discount with that kind of performance. It really does make me sad, though, because I love the scent and the aesthetics of the brand...but poor performance at a their prices is a dealbreaker. If anybody from TOCCA comes across this, please, PLEASE get your perfumes to last longer and project better.

After sampling TOCCA's Colette and being deeply disappointed in the longevity and projection, but absolutely loving the scent profile, I wanted to find a longer-lasting, stronger option. I absolutely do not have the money for Byredo's G Water, which seems to be the origin for the pine-citrus-vanilla combination, and I was having trouble finding reliable alternatives. That is, until Sand + Fog released their new dropper bottle version of this fragrance (also called Amore in the rollerball bottles) this autumn. After checking the notes, seeing how similar they were to Colette and the other dupes I'd tried, I ordered a bottle without a second thought, and I haven't regretted it a moment since it arrived.

Now, I cannot compare this directly to G Water, because I have not sampled it (I make it a point not to sample scents I cannot afford a bottle of), but compared to TOCCA's Colette, this has far better longevity and projection. I can smell Spring Morning on me hours after application, whereas Colette would fade so much in thirty minutes that I could only smell it when pressing my nose directly to my skin. The projection still is soft, in accordance with the scent profile and the nature of most perfume oils' composition, but I can catch whiffs of the scent as I go about my day either because my clothing shifts or I move around. I don't have to be shoving my face against my hand or wrist to smell it, thankfully.

The scent itself is like fresh woods and the gentlest lemon and vanilla combination. I get the mental image of enjoying some lemon cake on a picnic in the forest, when everything is lush and green. However, this feels like it could be enjoyed any time of year, no matter the weather. It's become such an instant favorite of mine that I need to force myself to stick to my monthly tray, lest some of my other perfumes end up neglected!

Additional tidbit: I will on occasion layer this with my Nest Indigo perfume for something more complex; Indigo is my "dreary day with a cup of tea and a good book" fragrance, and combining it with Spring Morning is an absolute treat.

Admittedly, I'm new to Sorce's offerings and have only worn my sample twice since it arrived last month, but I'm already curious to continue testing this out. This might just be one of the more unisex offerings I've tried from their house so far. It's fruity, it's spicy, there's a bit of sweetness to go with the hint of green at the beginning, and that carries down to the warm and cozy woods at the base. And, as has been my experience so far with other Sorce samples, while the scent on paper seems quite strong, on skin the fragrance ends up sitting closer to the skin but maintaining longevity for at least 4-6 hours for the lighter scents. I've not yet timed Serpentine, but I would estimate the last time I wore it, (I had just one spray on) it was still very noticeable before I had to get my shower for the evening.

Because of the fig and cardamom, it made me think of several other scents I've tried, for different reasons:
- Nest Indigo: this one is more "moody" and better-suited for cold weather, and has a tea note. There also is less fruitiness here.
- Lore Somewhere But Nowhere: definitely connections with the cardamom and woody undertones, but much more dry and aromatic than Serpentine. Also, not sweet, as Serpentine is.
- MITH Thai Tea: this one is more like a spiced orange, but the spice and mild sweetness have traits in common with Serpentine.
- Lake & Skye Apaaray: the trace of fig, woody base, and aromatic, but not spiced, quality of Apaaray have some similarities here.
- Collective Harmony Co. Secret Garden: (this one's a small business in the US) a sweeter but very similar scent to Apaaray mentioned previously. For a designer fragrance, you could probably compare this to Jean Paul Gaultier Le Beau Paradise Garden. Same green, fruity, woody profile.

Obviously, it isn't a 1-to-1 between Serpentine and any of the listed scents above, but I was wracking my brain as to why aspects of this perfume felt so familiar to me whilst still being unique. I was almost surprised that this listed no tea notes, specifically because it reminded me of the tea scents I mentioned; when comparing them side-by-side, though, I can definitely tell the difference between the tea scents and Serpentine. I really love Nest Indigo for cold weather, and if wearing the rest of my sample of Serpentine goes well, I may just consider this as a warm weather alternative.

Initially, my favorite Carolina Herrera scent was Good Girl Supreme. As I've been testing out more fragrances, though, my preference has now shifted to the Very Good Girl flanker. It is admittedly much fruitier and sweeter than the original three Good Girl fragrances, but that's what I appreciate most about it. Rather than feeling sexy, as the line is intended, Very Good Girl instead feels playful and nostalgic in a very unexpected way.

The scent itself starts out with a mildly tart, but very sweet lychee and redcurrant combination that eventually blends rather seamlessly into the rose heart, and the vanilla-vetiver base. The vetiver is much appreciated, as vanilla can sometimes become a bit much for my nose; I like the grounding effect the vetiver has on the vanilla, and the syrupy profile overall, as it helps to round it all out. The Carolina Herrera website also mentions a lily note, but I've not encountered lily in isolation to know how true that description is. All in all, I find it to be a very pleasant and fun combination of notes. My only warning would be to apply with a light hand, as this can become quite overpowering in office settings and/or hot weather. Most reviews I've seen recommend this as a cold weather scent due to the density, but I found as long as I was careful not to overspray, I could wear this during the summer without overwhelming myself.

Now for the nostalgia. It's a little odd, and not a direct one-to-one with the scent itself, so bear with me. For a while, I had mild regret in purchasing my 1oz bottle, as I realized I wasn't wearing it much and I had accumulated a handful of rose fragrances. This past summer, I decided to try and push myself to wear it more, either to determine if I'd need to eventually declutter the bottle or if I liked it more than I realized. Wearing Very Good Girl more frequently did prove to me that I liked it enough to keep it (it may very well be one of my favorite rose fragrances at present), but because I found that every time I wore it, I ended up remembering the times I'd spent in summer day camps as a kid. Sometimes the day camp would take us to a public pool, a park, or a nearby lake so we could run around and burn-off energy before being returned to our parents. On occasion, I'd get some cash from my parents so I could buy a frozen treat if the option was available (such as at the public pool or lakeside concession stand). For some reason, Very Good Girl made me *specifically* think of times I'd choose a red twin-popsicle or one of the "firecracker" kinds, the ones that were rocket-shaped and had a red, white, and blue color scheme. Why those popsicles? I couldn't tell you, because they were almost always cherry or strawberry flavored, and Very Good Girl is primarily lychee, rose, and vanilla. But that's the memory it gave me, and I'll be darned if wearing this doesn't make me want to take a day and indulge my inner child somewhere warm, sunny, and preferably poolside (or a beach, I'm not picky).

If you're a fan of rose and/or fruity florals, I would definitely encourage you to try Very Good Girl. I have seen everyone compare it to Parfums de Marly's Delina, but I haven't tried that one to know how they go up against each other. I can say, however, that Carolina Herrera's fragrance is far more affordable between the two, and perhaps also easier to get your hands on to test. This one also bears some resemblance to Nest Lychee Rose, though I find the latter to be lighter and with a much shorter longevity.

If I'm permitted to get away with being a tad cliche, this is a "girls' girl" perfume. Very Good Girl isn't the insecure diva shoving everyone else out of the way to make sure all eyes are on her. This one is like meeting up with your best friends to have a stress-free, fun-for-all day, whether you're all dolled-up or keeping it casual. You don't have to be a fierce femme fatale with endless parties to go to to enjoy Very Good Girl, as the stiletto bottle may suggest. All that's required here is a love of sweet scents and a youthful spirit.