Caliope

So, I really need to quickly write a comment about this fragrance because I want to say a bit more about it. Normally, I don't particularly like rose scents because they are usually too overpowering for me, sometimes piercing, and somehow also too boring.
Here, right after spraying, I smell an absolutely natural rose, just like when you stick your nose into one of the magnificent huge blooms that can currently be found in many gardens. This is truly noble and elegant and very authentic! After a few minutes, this rose scent is underlined by a lovely soapy freshness and a slight tartness. If the scent were to remain like this until the end, I would have found it quite nice but too insignificant, like, for example, British Rose from the Body Shop. It is the base that has convinced me here. It makes the fragrance more distinctive than the boring 0815 rose scents. Because after a while, a sugary sweetness sets in, which eventually paves the way for gentle spices that softly caress you, without you really figuring out what it actually is. But this hint of spice makes the fresh rose warm and friendly and takes away some of its innocence. I find the sillage and longevity to be just mediocre; for my taste, usually too weak, but for summer, that’s quite alright, as you won’t be overwhelmed when wearing the fragrance in high temperatures.

... but that's how I imagine it. I'm not sitting directly on the beach among tourists, but have wandered a bit inland, where I've settled next to one of those idyllic springs with small waterfalls, surrounded by dense greenery. It's still relatively early in the morning, the land hasn't heated up yet, and I can breathe freely. A light breeze distinctly carries the scent of wet stones and rocks to my nose, mixed with the exotic aroma of coconut and the sunscreen on my skin. By the way, it's the same sunscreen as in She Wood Golden Light Wood!
There's not much more to say about this beautiful fragrance; it is what it claims to be: a hint of island romance in its most natural form. Aquatic, aromatic, also exotic, but only moderately sweet, gentle, yet distinct and elegant, overall very pleasant and somehow familiar... this could become a summer favorite!

The title says it all. This scent has been sitting on the shelf at Müller for ages and has never really interested me. Perhaps because I had already mentally categorized it into the "bargain bin." But it doesn't belong there. At first glance, one might tend to think of it as just another generic lemon water. However, there is much more to it. It starts off rather zesty and fresh with a distinct, beautifully tart lemon or lemon peel, but quickly becomes floral in the most unobtrusive way I could wish for. Soon, a soft, powdery note emerges that reminds me of mild soap or luxurious face cream, giving me that well-groomed feeling. In the base, it becomes slightly woody, which I find very pleasant, as it grounds the scent somehow, even though the wood note is very subtle, just like a hint of berries that lingers throughout. Overall, the fragrance is quite gentle yet somehow modern, and it vaguely reminds me of Mugler's Cologne, but entirely without the grassy components. On the test strip, Electric Lemonade was already nice, but it develops even more beautifully in the sun on warm skin, then it has a hint of sunscreen. Such a lovely summer scent! And despite the fruits and flowers in the ingredient list, it is anything but a generic summer fragrance, not cloyingly fruity or sickly sweet at all. The sillage is quite close to the skin, which doesn't bother me at 30 degrees, and the longevity is actually quite good; whenever I think the scent has already faded, a little bit of lemon powder cream suddenly wafts back to my nose and makes me smile :-)

...it's not that bad after all! This scent has a distinctly berry-like quality to it, reminiscent of Armani's City Glam, somewhat herbal and perhaps a bit of an acquired taste for some noses. In the case of Sex and the City, however, there’s also a gourmand touch of caramel that starts off sugary and then spreads deliciously and slightly creamy, especially in the base. And a dose of almost overripe oranges/tangerines. I have nothing against herbal notes and I prefer the berry aspect much more than the orange one, but the combination of both isn’t really my thing, especially when both elements are so strongly present. I can't perceive ambroxan, and the woods could definitely stand out more for my taste, which would give the scent more edges and character. As it is, it remains quite agreeable.
Sex and the City is not a milestone in the art of perfumery, but it can easily compete with all the Katzenbergers, Playboys, Essences, and whatever else is available in the drugstore, and it makes for a nice companion on moderately warm days.

Unfortunately, there was no comment here yet, and not even the ingredients for this fragrance are listed anywhere online, apparently not even by Essence themselves. I would have been interested in that when I recently stumbled upon the scent in a Müller store. It seems to be a leftover, as I haven't seen it anywhere else. So I googled as much as I could, and somewhere someone wrote at some point that the fragrance smells like the forest. That would be just my thing, so I took the risk of a blind buy, and yes, I like it - and yes, it also surprises!

This is not a typical fruity-sweet Essence concoction at all! However, I wouldn't describe Urban Messages as very "woody" either. Maybe a little. It's generally not particularly complex, but I find it very pleasant. The opening is fresh, green, and sparklingly ozonic, reminding me of a nicely tart lemon soda. A gently sour note runs through the entire fragrance development. Everything is underlined with a cute grape sugar sweetness, but far from sticky. A slightly maritime note is also present. In the base, it becomes soft, woody, and very clean, smelling like a nice men's shower gel. In terms of fragrance type, I would most closely compare Urban Messages to Halle Berry's Closer, fresh, herbaceous, almost unisex, and certainly well-suited for hot temperatures.