Jessie69

I am always excited to test new fragrances in the “fruity, gourmand, sweet” category. While looking for a fragrance that comes close to its inspiration, I came across this specimen here. Bought it blind right away with high expectations as to whether it really was what I was looking for. And I found what I was looking for. This fragrance is probably one of the best finds I have been able to discover this year.
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Packaging and bottle:
as with many other fragrances from the brand, the bottle comes in an oversized, shiny, glittery pink package (all that was missing were the unicorns). Once you open the packaging, you come across an even more bizarre bottle. Unfortunately, it is not at all to my taste, is unwieldy, too much of a good thing and the complete opposite of what I prefer: minimalist, clean bottles. But never judge a book by its cover and so on to the…

… fragrance: This one opens very nicely sparkling, tart and refreshing. Thank goodness the raspberry is tempered by the blackcurrant, which adds a certain tingle, a slightly fizzy quality. I have read associations with rhubarb: yes, definitely possible - it could also pass as a sparkling, tart rhubarb-blueberry mixture. This top note is simply unbelievably beautiful and varied, but then transitions into a softer, gentler base. Almost creamy, slightly woody, elegant and refined, the drydown remains on the skin as a companion and thus provides probably the sharpest contrast to the original packaging. Fortunately, the floral notes are very quiet here for me, as I do not like them very much, but this rice-wood-musk combination is incredibly beautiful in turn.

Longevity:
the longevity is good in my opinion, although I do not expect a fragrance to last 12 hours, but we are looking at a very solid middle ground here.

Sillage:
At first, in the top-note phase, it has incredible sillage that is truly breathtaking. A gentle rhubarb cake/blueberry muffin cloud accompanies you…. At least for a short while. Then the fragrance becomes somewhat more unobtrusive, more mature and more restrained. You can still perceive it well in the immediate vicinity of the person, but perhaps I simply become nose-blind over time.

Conclusion: one of the few blind buys I have ever made, but one I do not regret in the slightest. This fragrance has everything I love: the sparkling top note of its inspiration, a creamy, gentle woody base, hardly any florals and good value for money. I can (almost) overlook the appearance because of that.

6 | Six combines many things that I really love.
Including, for example:
- woody oud (with animalic oud, you can chase me to the ends of the earth and even farther)
- sweet vanilla (keep giving me more of it!)
- velvety-soft cashmere
- airy, sugary, cloud-like cotton candy
- and a certain similarity in the DNA to Babycat

Where Babycat is bold, strong, and graceful, 6 | Six is more like the slightly smaller sister, but one that should by no means be underestimated.
This magnificent specimen may be a little quieter, as it is less smoky, but it still knows how to make an impression. The oud gives the whole composition a dark and prominent depth, refining the sweet and beautiful vanilla into a well-balanced fragrance. Very sensual and seductive. And as if the whole thing weren't already a grand spectacle, this airy, light cotton candy further complements my gourmand-loving sweet tooth, making the fragrance deep but not too heavy. It now seems a little more playful, while remaining very sensual and seductive. I can definitely see this fragrance working for everyday wear (in my opinion, not directly at the office next to another person), but also for going out, on dates, or rather during the colder seasons. I simply believe that this is when it works best and reaches its full potential.

Yes… yes, I know, I’ve already written a statement. And honestly: I don’t want to delete it either. Because sometimes life (and the nose too) goes a little crazy somehow. Sometimes you change your mind about a fragrance once again… surely you’re still allowed to be flexible.

My experience with Animalique was, well, let’s call it “adventurous”.

On my journey through the world of leather fragrances, this specimen was also suggested to me. And from the moment I received a sample, it was a real emotional roller coaster. And when I say it was an emotional roller-coaster ride, I mean it exactly that way. In between, I changed my opinion back and forth by 180 degrees, only to end up here with this review.

It began, as already described, with a small sample I received. By no means enough to test it on my skin, but there was still enough for a little spritz on a paper test strip. And what surrounded me at the time was such a delicate, soft and powdery leather cloud made of the finest materials. By the way, I don’t smell any lemon or bergamot. Not even with a great deal of imagination. As enthusiastic as I was, I waited eagerly for more to conduct another test. And when my decant finally arrived - significantly later - (thanks for sending it, by the way), I was struck by lightning once again. The once so beautiful, delicate and bright leather fragrance from my memory was nowhere to be found. Instead, I got old car leather and the remains of a long-forgotten and perhaps even damp ashtray. Damp from the tears I wanted to cry that day. I must even confess honestly that I was disgusted. There was no way this fragrance was going on my skin.
But since I had apparently outraged one or two leather fans with my statement (I sincerely apologize; just look at what you’ve driven me to), I tested the same “unpleasant” decant on my skin once again. And there he was again? That beautiful, softly powdery and super delicate fragrance I had been longing for.

So what is the conclusion of my review? Yes, I’m asking myself that too, because I don’t know. I don’t know what the decisive factor was, why I temporarily disliked it. Was it my mood that day? The weather? We probably won’t find out. But what I do know is that I didn’t like the fragrance yesterday and I do today - and who knows what tomorrow will look like. New day, new adventure. And maybe that’s okay too. Animalique simply isn’t an everyday fragrance for me, but it’s also not one I would want to be without. And that’s exactly why it’s moving in.

A balmy summer evening on the beachfront promenade, in a bar somewhere in the south. The women are wearing beautiful outfits, bandeau tops and halternecks with fabulous hot pants and skirts, the men lightly unbuttoned linen shirts with elegant trousers. It is already dark, the wind is picking up by the sea, and only the lights from the decorative garlands cast shadows and contours across the guests' faces. Music can be heard from one corner, something modern and rhythmic, laughter from another, and somewhere else the crackle between two people who have found each other for the evening. And somewhere amid the smell of the sea, the cocktails and the warmth still lingering in the air, one scent in particular makes itself noticeable in this evening atmosphere of going out. A beautiful rose. But not vintage, dusty, matronly or even spicy. A rose that perhaps has not often been smelled quite like this before. Not unfamiliar and yet new. This rose is underpinned by a deep, slightly mystical incense note that gives it a very special direction: instead of being girlish or even fairytale-like, it is the exact opposite - seductive, alluring and graceful. Someone wants fun, partying, cocktails and dancing all night long, but not in a club on the dance floor, rather body to body in a pairing of two. A fragrance that, through one of the presumably most frequently used fragrance notes, somehow seems familiar and approachable, sociable and friendly, yet somehow adventurous and risqué enough to signal that one does not belong to the category of "normal" or "boring". This deep incense rose wants to feel warmth, wants to feel the crackle, wants to feel physical contact. To feel the magic and attraction of seduction.

This is not a fragrance for a woman who does not know what she wants. This fragrance makes a very clear statement.

Rouge Smoking Eau de Parfum was never on my radar. I had heard about it here and there, of course, looked at the fragrance pyramid and decided that it wasn’t something I needed in my life. Well… a scoundrel might think something untoward here. In fact, cherry is just as treacherous for me as rose. It can work well when done right, but can also quickly become overpowering and annoying.
Thanks to a wonderful fellow perfume lover, this fragrance was practically forced upon me (thanks anyway, because look at me: now I’m sitting here writing a review.)

The perfume mail arrived and, faster than I could look, I unpacked the sample. And although I had never smelled the fragrance before and had tested few cherry fragrances so far, it seemed familiar to me.

The fragrance opens with a warm, sweet cloud of vanilla and tonka bean. In the distance, I can make out what is probably the gentlest, most balanced touch of a fruity-aromatic cherry. Not boozy, not overwhelming, simply swaying gently in the background. It is there and present, but knows how to behave. It keeps a respectful distance, because one would certainly not want to be cheeky toward this beautiful vanilla-tonka composition. Heliotrope and musk refine the fragrance and make it a little creamier, steering it away so that it does not veer into an overly sticky direction. And this is exactly where the magic happens. This base seems very familiar to me and reminds me of one of my favorite fragrances. I have already smelled this beautiful base in my beloved Bois Doré. If we set the cherry aside and imagine away the mineral notes in Bois Doré, exactly this comforting oasis remains. So yes, I can certainly understand why people have listed it as „similar“, even though the fruity-sweet development then has nothing more to do with it. But since I love this very base, that truly refined and well-mannered cherry adds yet another… well… „cherry on top“. And so I find myself here again, dazed by this cloud (in two senses) and able to say: I never sought this fragrance at any point, but somehow it found me anyway and I am certainly not mad about it.