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The smell of incense clingings to your sweater after Sunday service. Crumbs of the candy bar your mother gave you to tide you over til lunch still wafting around in your nose. Pistachios. Hazelnuts. Almonds. Caramel. All enjoyable on their own, but the woodiness and smokiness of the incense adding an expected depth to your mid morning treat. That is what Antonio Alessandria's Dies Auroræ is like.

For me this scent confirmed two things: 1. I do not like the taste of hazelnut, sorry Nutella lovers, or the smell of it on skin. 2. I can only handle incense when it is sweet instead of savory. This is an absolutely stunning scent for those who enjoy those deeper, smokey scents. The pistachio gives it a touch of saltiness, the hazelnut a soft nutty twist, and that caramel just the right about of sweetness for someone but not enough for me. This scent did last about 6 hours and rested pretty close to the skin, so longevity is definitely not an issue. I love this scent for someone else, its just not for me.

I'm really tired of seeing every person compare anything with pineapple to Creed Aventus, stop it.

Now I saw this line at The Scent Room in Dallas and was taken in by the bottles. I read through the notes on the back of each bottle and when I got to this one I was intrigued by Pineapple, a note I don't have much experience with and apple, a note understated know fragrance but I LOVE. I gave it a spray and decided it needed to come home with me.

I gave it a full wear test today and I was impressed! I sprayed it on at 8:40am and could still smell it at 9:09pm. It opened up with a tart pineapple smell, not the juicy summer pineapple one may expect. The apple is light, I really felt like it and the Bergamot were only present to keep the pineapple from being sickeningly sweet and I was ok with that. Over the course of my shift I was complimented 3 times on this fragrance! One of which was an employee across the counter in Chipotle standing next to the food. How she could smell me I don't know, but she made sure to tell me at least three times before I left I smelled REALLY good and very different.

Overall I think it's good fragrance, especially for the price point! I can't wait to try more from the house.

Imagine standing in your kitchen on a cold rainy day, the beep of your oven timer going off in your ears. Opening the oven door your body is washed over in warmth, the smell of cinnamon and cardamom overtaking your being. That's what Eyes Closed by Byredo is like on first spray.

Cardamom and cinnamon overtake your senses and radiate off your body. It is comforting and cozy - naming it blanket would have pronably been more appropriate. As time goes on it begins to soften into a powdery and slightly woody orris, the carrot coming through with traces of cinnamon almost giving it carrot cake vibes. Thankfully I don't much, if any, of the patchouli in the dry down just the smokiness of the papyrus.

On me I get about 7 hours of wear time, it projects off of the skin creating its own little bubble and does leave a nice little sillage trail. I was a little worried given the performance of Vanille Antique but I'm glad I tool the plunge.

I won't sit here and say I wanted to love Vanilla Royal because I didn't, the patchouli scared me from the moment I laid eyes on the notes. Reading a few people say the patchouli pulled more of a dark chocolate on their skin I pulled the trigger anyway- and was met with surprise and a twinge of sadness. I do get sugared patchouli- it pulls like an earthy dark chocolate on my skin, oud, and the rum were most prominent. As it started to dry down a little the BURNT part of a creme brulee started to come through and add a little sweetnews, and once it settled completely that ambery vanilla that's so prominent in vanilla 28 started to come through. There is something at the first initial smell that's a little cooling, kinda like vicks but it doesn't last long.

I got a wear time of about 6 hours with this and it didn't seem to project more then arms length. Ultimately I don't feel like it's a bad fragrance but it should have been marketed more towards the boozy and earthy fragrance lovers rather then the gourmand lovers. For me she will definitely be going back as the earthiness is so much for me.

Born From Fire was one of my two pickups from The Scent Room in Dallas that Fran picked out when I told her Iove gourmands. Out of all the vanillas I sniffed that day this was truly something unique. The first thing I realized is that the notes and the way it smells on skin are completely different. With the black pepper and oud I was expecting something spicy and a little anamalic but instead I get something....burnt. Yes, burnt. On first spray this smells like a batch of sugar cookies in the oven that's done cooking but JUST the bottom has been burnt so there's that slight charred layer. Not enough charr to spoil the taste of the cookie and make it a wasted batch, but rather it enhances the flavor.

About an hour in we start to yet this interesting almost breakfast cereal in milk dynamic. Don't misunderstand though, it doesn't smell LIKE milk but rather like cereal once it's hit the milk. Not anything fruity,just something sweet and simple like frosted flakes. By the five hour mark it settles into this beautiful musky vanilla that carries you for the next four to six hours. To say this scent takes you on an adventure would be an understatement! One thing is certain though and that is tha I love where it leads me. It's got a very solid 8 hours of wear time and gets me compliments all day long.