Chrissysmell

The initial spray is sour, floral, and powdery. It's strong for a total of two minutes and then fades into nothing. If you sniff really hard, the chamomile note calms down from sour to mildly honeyed. This fragrance is overall clean and powdery. It's nothing special. I don't like how it smells initially, but a bad fragrance is more exciting than a nonexistent drydown.

I find the notes of this fragrance to be a little inaccurate. Upon first spray, I was mainly getting spiced vanilla. My coworker I borrowed this from described it as “pumpkin pie,” which I agree with. Despite it being “Honey Oud,” I was not getting honey or oud. On the dry down, after a few hours, I get bittersweet honey and the vanilla from before has become more earthy. This is another fragrance that reminds me of Bath and Body Works Honey Coco Shea Body Butter which I miss dearly.

“Honey Oud” is pretty simple, as I can only smell two of the notes, but those two notes smell great. It’s surprisingly not overly sweet. This is also only $20 on Amazon, which is a great deal. If you’re looking to scratch a gourmand itch on a budget, this is a great option.

Despite this being a mint julep fragrance, it’s not minty at all on me, but fruity, sweet, and slightly humid. The whiskey and magnolia notes really warm up this fragrance and make it a little spicier, which is a pleasant surprise. I think this is a good compromise for someone who loves gourmands but doesn’t want to wear them in the summer. It’s really pleasant and wearable.

Despite all of the notes, Boutique is heavily musky, woody, and sweet on me. I get no florals or specific fruits at all. When I first spray it on, it smells like a bouquet of freshly cut flowers in a just-cleaned dining room, but when it settles it becomes warmer and sweeter. It reminds me a lot of the Bath and Body Works Honey Coco Shea Body Butter (which was their best one btw), but sharper. It lingers despite not being very strong, but gives you nice whiffs throughout the day.

I would consider buying a full bottle if it wasn't becoming a trauma scent for me. I've been wearing my sample for the past few days and the week I've been having makes me wonder if I was a dictator in my past life; this week is the universe's revenge against me.

Lys Sølaberg is such an interesting fragrance since I can't smell it on myself at all after 5 minutes, but it gets me so many compliments. To me it's a classic sweet yellow floral with some clean woody notes. It's the slightest bit banana-y. I wish I smelled what everyone around me smells because even when trying to figure out the notes, I don't get anything super unique.