ChaiTee

When I first smelled "Bright Neroli" last summer, my first thought was that there is nothing 'bright' about it.
I still have that thought, and now I had to consult a German-English translator to find out what the opposite of 'bright' is. And I was presented with the word 'dull'.
'Dull' can mean: boring, uninteresting, tedious, lackluster, heavy, dreary, expressionless, low-quality, dull-witted, not spectacular, overcast, blunt, matte.
Well - just because I believe that "Bright Neroli" is neither radiant nor luminous does not mean that it is boring, tedious, uninteresting, or even dull-witted.
It’s just not as radiant or bright as the 'bright' in the name suggests.
I find "Noble Neroli" by Comptoir Cologne, which I also enjoy wearing in the summer, to be significantly 'brighter'. It is simply lighter and more airy than "Bright Neroli".
Without reciting the ingredient list, I can say in very simple words that "Bright Neroli" evokes a brief memory of Cologne Water for me, and then something earthy comes in, which is likely due to the vetiver and patchouli.
So it’s a neroli scent that is not radiant or glossy, but rather lightly satin-matte or faded. One that suits a somewhat overcast day and tempers a too-bright day. It goes well with a white blouse (or a white shirt), but also with faded jeans.
I like it a lot.

'Powdery'? Before this fragrance, I had a notion of what 'powdery' smells like - now I know.
"Iris" by L'Erbolario is a scent that I can only describe in images.
As soon as I applied it, I envisioned a little old lady with white curls, dressed in a dusty rose sweater, having tea.
So not just any old bag, but really an old lady. The kind you imagine a grandmother to be. A bit like from a film about the English country gentry. Preferably with flowers on the sofa.
The counterpart to the old lady in fur that I see when I think of Chanel No.5 & Co.
Or simply my Aunt Elsa, to whom I have already dedicated a comment - namely about "Camelia" (also by L'Erbolario).
The information from the ingredient list led me to expect a different scent.
I remember bergamot as a fresh ingredient, and ylang-ylang didn't stand out to me either.
Hawthorn isn't familiar enough for me to notice it, and I know the namesake iris as an intensely fragrant garden flower. (This scent is also intense - a dab on my arm immediately caught my husband's attention, who rarely comments on my perfume obsession, when he walked into the room.)
Tobacco didn't come through for me, but there might be a hint of vanilla and musk.
But no matter what - the scent smells exactly like the luxurious body powder of my old aunt that I remember.
As I said, old(!) rose and dust-dry.
By the way, my girls are once again claiming that I'm still too young for such scents...

Either with my nose or with the fragrance.
How do I come to that?
I read the ingredient list and the comments and think this fragrance could appeal to me.
Spices, cinnamon, patchouli, musk - what could go wrong?
I order the fragrance - blind. I receive the fragrance and spray it on.
And I smell something. But not what is listed in the ingredients.
No pepper - neither black nor pink and no other spices, especially no cinnamon.
One could say that I am not a specialist in the different colors of pepper; this statement definitely does not apply to cinnamon. I know cinnamon and I love cinnamon. Cardamom smells - as far as I know - also somehow different; well, maybe there’s a bit of ginger in there.
So the top note is not as expected.
In the heart note, I can't identify any roses, but I'm not a rose specialist.
I don't really miss jasmine - jasmine is not really my thing.
I should recognize patchouli and musk in the base, but they don't stand out to me either.
So, what do I smell then?
At first, I noticed a similarity to "Suddenly Woman I," which is said to have a certain resemblance to the famous "Chanel No.5." One of the few fragrances from the aldehyde direction that I consciously know and - probably unconsciously - associate with the image of a lady in a brown fur coat. Thus, I think it is the aldehydes that I encounter in this fragrance. And that is just not my taste. I am not a lady and I don’t have a (brown) fur coat either. I will probably never become a lady and I don't need a fur coat. And certainly not a brown one.
It may be that the fragrance is not bad, but if I get a fragrance with the ingredients listed above, which also carries the term 'Spice' in its name, and I can't identify any of those ingredients, the fragrance has missed its target.
It’s not for me and it can move on.
Postscript: Maybe I should also mention that the really pretty bottle is packaged in a quite appealing little box. That earns a small extra point.

Let's be honest - the price isn't worth mentioning, and with the gold-yellow plastic sprayer, you can't win any awards. It just looks cheap, that thing.
This makes the fragrance quite unattractive for some professionals.
If you ignore the above factors and hold the scented arm under the nose of a layperson, they say 'Hmm, that smells good'.
Why?
Because the fragrance enthusiast is easily impressed by pleasant names and beautiful packaging - and also because they become suspicious when a fragrance is offered at too low a price. And certainly not just the fragrance enthusiast. I wouldn't want to gift such a plastic thing either. And with a fragrance under 10 euros, I also don't have high expectations.
But if I were to transfer the contents of the plastic thing into a nice glass sprayer with a pretty label, I'm sure the fragrance itself would be received quite well.
Because it's not a bad fragrance.
It smells soft, warm, dry - good. Slightly vanilla-sweet, but not sticky.
It provides comfort, especially now in the cold season.
It flatters me, it blends with my skin. And it lasts quite a long time. Applied in the evening, my arm still smells slightly vanilla-sweet the next morning.
It was with my daughter in the clinic - as a piece of mom.
It's a shame that it's no longer being produced.
I'm glad I still have a full plastic thing, the contents of which I will transfer to a nice glass sprayer if needed.

Actually, I don't really need any more fragrances...
But as it happens - next to my workplace is a perfumery, and they had some Acqua Colonia items on their special offer table yesterday.
Unfortunately, there were only refreshment wipes left of the "Acqua Colonia Rhubarb & Clary Sage," so I had to try this new release. Apple and chili - that sounds quite original.
I applied it on my left arm, while on my right arm I sprayed some of the "Acqua Colonia Pink Pepper & Grapefruit," which I already knew and had commented on, but testing it again can't hurt.
At first glance, this apple-chili fragrance is quite nice, and I was tempted to take it home right away. Apple with a hint of spiciness, that would be something different. And that was exactly the top note.
Fortunately, I didn't do that - during the subsequent shopping stroll with my daughter, the top note faded away, leaving behind a scent that strongly reminded me of the aforementioned gummy apple rings with colorful sugar on one side.
And that scent lingered on my wrist for over six (!) hours.
I really don't need that.
And I still regret that the "Pink Pepper & Grapefruit" is not half as long-lasting - otherwise, it would have moved in with me.