KFMA

Like every year, I'm looking forward to September and a new Shalimar Millesime Edition.
This year, a concentrated load of jasmine takes center stage and is in the spotlight.

With Shalimar Millésime Jasmin, Guerlain has once again created a masterpiece and wonderfully composed and staged the 4 different jasmine components.

The fragrance starts sparkling and Guerlain-like with bergamot. It is clear from the opening that this is a Shalimar, the DNA is unmistakable.
Then jasmine enters the stage, floral, gentle, sweet and elegant
Slowly, vanilla joins in and the fragrance becomes more opulent, sweeter, a little smoky and powdery.
It is a Shalimar, there is no denying that, but it is sweeter, more pleasing, less heavy and less scratchy than Shalimar Eau de Parfum.
Shalimar Millésime Jasmin is released at the beginning of fall and thus in the season in which it is wonderfully wearable. The opulence and elegance of the jasmine blossoms and the typical Guerlain vanilla base will accompany me wonderfully through the cooler days.

you can't call this fragrance .... different, because everything is just right. Fragrance and bottle form a unity that is rare. The fragrance is so beautiful that you. You want to have it in your nose all the time.
The alcoholic start goes perfectly with the bottle, which looks like a fine whisky glass or cognac snifter, is high-quality and heavy.

The alcohol note is not sharp and unpleasant, but mild and high-quality, but quickly gives way to gourmand-sweet and spicy notes.

Cinnamon, vanilla, tonka and hazelnut are wonderfully balanced and composed, while the woody base and oakmoss are elegantly restrained.

The fragrance is definitely something for the cold season, the association with Christmas and Christmas cookies comes to mind. A crackling open fire, punch and spiced cookies appear in the mind's eye and the wonderful scent of "Angels' Share | Kilian" hovers over everything

In this respect, I am looking forward to cool evenings to give this wonderful fragrance the right setting The fragrance is elegant, warming, seductive and extraordinary and actually unisex wearable.

Longevity and sillage are also outstanding, like everything else about this fragrance.

A real masterpiece!

I have to say in advance that I really love Delina Eau de Parfum and Meliora.
So I was a bit skeptical about Oriana after reading the reviews/descriptions. I was expecting a very sweet, synthetic fragrance with headache potential. Nevertheless, I ordered a bottle.

Yes, Oriana is sweet after a citrusy start, but not unpleasantly sticky or sugary. Interestingly, the orange blossom dominates for a very long time, I can still clearly perceive it hours later, which is why the fragrance becomes sweet but remains floral. I didn't expect that from the fragrance descriptions.
I only notice the berry notes very subtly. Fortunately, I don't notice the impression of squeaky-sweet and synthetic bubblegum described by some.

The sillage is not quite as strong as with Delina Eau de Parfum and Meliora, the fragrance gets close to the skin more quickly and is therefore, in my opinion, also wearable in summer with a discreet dosage. The longevity is quite good, as usual with PdM. I was surprised by the fragrance's progression, even if it doesn't come close to the scent fireworks of Delina Eau de Parfum. Oriana is the somewhat more inconspicuous sister from the de Marly family.

Thanks to a dear perfumer, I was allowed to test Sunshine Woman and initially found it pretty and pleasing, but somehow not outstanding.

In the meantime, Sunshine Woman has completely won me over as a beautiful, complex and elegant summer fragrance.

With Sunshine Woman, as is often the case with Amouage fragrances, I find it difficult to identify and distinguish the individual fragrance components.
Davana and osmanthus make the fragrance floral and creamy. I perceive tobacco and papyrus as the scent of drying grasses and leaves, similar to the scent of a mown cornfield. Fortunately, I don't notice a smoky tobacco note at all, which many people describe.

The fragrance is pleasantly sweet and floral and subtly spicy. The fragrance components are ingeniously interwoven and blended.
Sunshine Woman envelops and accompanies me throughout the day and gives me a feeling of elegance and well-being.
The longevity is really good, as usual with Amouage. The fragrance lasts me 6-8 hours. The sillage is also decent for a summer fragrance.

The sunny yellow bottle makes me think of fields of ripe grain and the first golden leaves in late midsummer, shimmering rays of sunshine and white clouds in the blue sky.
Sunshine Woman is certainly not a blind buy candidate but definitely worth testing. It certainly cast a spell over me.

I blindly bought "Souvenir Floral Bouquet | Afnan Perfumes" based on the reviews and the alleged similarity to Delina Eau de Parfum. I have to apologize for Delina Eau de Parfum. Unfortunately, there really is no alternative that even remotely comes close to Delina Eau de Parfum. "Souvenir Floral Bouquet | Afnan Perfumes" starts out synthetic, acrid and scratchy. As it progresses, the fragrance becomes a little softer, the rose becomes more dominant, but the synthetic vibes remain.
Delina Eau de Parfum is balanced, sweet and lovely, while in "Souvenir Floral Bouquet | Afnan Perfumes" the scratchy acidity does not disappear. There is also no real perceptible development of the fragrance, which remains relatively linear.

Longevity and sillage are unbeatable, but I don't find this to be an advantage because the fragrance dominates everything and sticks to me as if it will never come off. Even after washing, it is still perceptible on clothing.

The bottle is really pretty and unusual, although not very easy to handle. The price is really reasonable.
And yet, for me, "Souvenir Floral Bouquet | Afnan Perfumes" doesn't stand up to comparison with Delina Eau de Parfum, which is a shame.......