Cluddi

OK, so I actually don't want to talk too much about this infamous perfume, because everyone already knows it. Many fine noses have dissected it into its different components and described it in detail. So I'll spare you and myself that. For me, it's a perfect blend of fruit, flowers, sweetness, and bitter notes. Like a great dish, it engages all the taste buds. That's CM for me. Nothing too much, nothing too little. Since I've been using this scent daily and neglecting my other favorites shamefully, I just have to write briefly about what really impressed me. My husband, who has rated every fragrance I've put under his nose (and that's been a hell of a lot over the last 14 years) with 99% "Yeah, it's okay!" except for Alien (which he rated with a 1- as the highest score), approached me four days ago while we were out walking the dog. He said, "Your scent today smells amazing!" I almost fell over dead. I laughed and said, "Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?" And he replied, "No really, the scent smells great." This was repeated over the next three days, during which he kept saying he could smell the scent again. Throughout the whole walk, he mentioned, "I can smell your scent with every gust of wind. And it's really beautiful. I would say it's a 1-.....!" And then it happened!!!!! Alien was dethroned. I never thought I'd see the day. I don't know why he only mentioned it now, because I've worn CM on and off. But somehow, it seems to have made an impression this time. Yes, and my dear Coco Mademoiselle, you also smell simply heavenly. Unfortunately, it doesn't last on me at all, which is why I'm very glad to have found a great alternative.

Over 2 decades ago, I became acquainted with Anais Anais. Back then, as a sweet-toothed child, the more gourmand and sweeter, the better, I found Anais way too dry/powdery & floral. The first time I smelled the fragrance was on a mom who had her little one in my kindergarten group. It suited her wonderfully... but she had also become a mother late, and was already 41... (as old as I am now) The floral/powdery mist she left behind was beautiful. I complimented her on how great she smelled, and when the little one left kindergarten, she gifted me this perfume as a farewell present. My joy was enormous, but quickly became quite small. Because on me, this scent smelled totally overdone, too much, with that slightly bitter-floral note on powder. As foolish as I was, I gifted it to a friend at the time who was older than me. (She quickly turned out to be not a good friend, and I cut off contact).
Now, since Parfumo, I have been testing various fragrances, and I was very curious to test this scent on myself again over 20 years later. My preferences have changed... and I love powdery floral scents. So, curious yesterday evening, I sprayed 1 spritz on my wrist, and off to the couch and Netflix. What is this? I smell absolutely nothing... except when I sniff directly at my wrist. It’s hard for me to make precise scent comparisons after so many years, but the original Anais would scent my entire small apartment with just one spritz. And here? Strange... OK, new day, new luck. Test again, because maybe too little perfume came out of the sprayer (one has to sometimes rationalize it a bit). So, coffee check and 3 generous spritzes on the wrist... Now I notice a hint of the initially slightly bitter, yet sweet floral blend. It could be that it smelled like this back then too. Still, I remembered it as more powdery and floral. Not so bitter. Somehow softer. But one thing I know for sure is that it is absolutely not as strong as I perceived it back then. It’s a lovely floral powder scent, but not: "OMG I need to buy this immediately!" I will definitely spray my sample empty, and see how I feel with the sea of flowers when I wear it on my neck and décolletage. Because some fragrances come across quite differently when worn than just sniffing at the wrist.

Well, Rammstein, you know how it is. Everyone who knows the band knows they love to provoke. With their music, their lyrics, their appearance. And of course, with their fragrances. But hey, we’ve already had enough of that here, right? So I had to get a sample right away. Like with all the other scents, I don’t read the reviews or comments at all, and I let myself be completely immersed in the fragrance and MY own perception before I read anything.
Pussy starts off slightly sour and fruity; I can definitely smell the pomelo. But the hyacinth joins in with a fresh breeze right away. The tuberose is present in a way I’ve never experienced before. The jasmine doesn’t take long to appear either and is quite prominent. Since I love jasmine, I probably like Pussy quite a bit.
I also really enjoy woods in fragrances, and I think they fit very well here too.
The pheromones, hmm, well, I don’t know what good they do for the scent. I’ll just wear it at work tomorrow. Because I think it’s absolutely pleasant, a floral fresh scent. I probably wouldn’t buy it for myself, though. But, I’ve said that many times before...

Montale. Hmm, I don't know it. No, rather... I DIDN'T know it. At least not until the moment when I got to know and prefer various scents here in a short time. I received Dark Purple as a little goodie with an order about a year ago. When testing, I thought, yeah, not bad, but I didn't perceive it particularly well on myself and quickly forgot about this scent. Into the bag with the seemingly hundred other 'must-test samples'. After watching a few videos on YouTube about fragrances with strong sillage, Dark Purple was mentioned. How many compliments she would get for this fruity floral scent, and how extremely long-lasting (typical for Montale) it would be, with a super sillage. I pondered, I thought, well, I've already tested that one. So I rummaged through my sample collection and put it on my arm. Fruity fresh and floral. Great plum. Yeah, you're really not bad. But again, no killer sillage or longevity. I didn't understand the world anymore. However, I have often noticed on my skin that extremely hyped fragrances with monster sillage and longevity do nothing for me at all. Well, I thought, I'll just dive into it. Said and done. The next morning I went to work, briefly walked into the group with my colleagues and said at the door, "Hello" and closed the door and walked to the wardrobe. Back in the room, my colleague said, "You smell wonderful today! I got a huge wave of your perfume in my nose as soon as you stood in the doorway. Totally floral and fresh!" Long story short. Whenever I wear Dark Purple, compliments pour in. Even hours after spraying, I get approached. Apparently, others perceive it much longer and more intensely than I do myself.
Dark Purple starts with a strong, musky plum. I can also smell the woods immediately. The geranium adds its two cents right away. Patchouli is super soft, gentle, not earthy, but well recognizable. All together, a super interesting, zesty fruity floral scent with a great base.

So, today I'm in the mood to write again. In my last order from Notino, there was a sample of Helene included. Hmm, a star fragrance... unfortunately, most are rather just lukewarm breezes, too synthetic or cardboard sweet. Well, I'm still curious. So... Pfft Pfft, on the wrist it goes. Just waiting a moment for the alcohol to evaporate a bit. Ok, let's take a sniff. Yoooaaa, floral. And sweet. I can only faintly smell the rose. The vanilla is sweet, but not too much. Overall, I must say it's not bad. I once had a body lotion that smelled very similar. And I loved it. Freshly showered, mood-lifting. Ok, sillage and longevity aren't fantastic, but it does last quite a while on clothes. For me, it's a fragrance that automatically gets downgraded. If it weren't "just" from a pop starlet, it would have scored much better here. Absolutely for sure. So for spring and summer, it's quite a solid, nice fresh scent. And in my opinion, it doesn't deserve the extremely harsh criticism.