Kris2305

I recently joyfully acquired a sample of "Eau de Mandarine Ambrée" blind. Great hopes were tied to the first test. A pleasantly herb-fruity note wafted from the sprayer, so I sprayed myself generously on the left, right, and wrist - a total of three sprays.

Right off the bat: The scent really irritated me, and I didn't quite like what I smelled. This may be because my expectations were on a completely different track. I was expecting a herb-fresh fruity women's fragrance without the usual squeaky sweetness, which would also be wearable for men. I would have liked something like that. But what I got was something entirely different.

Even though I knew better at that moment, my first thought when spraying was: "Honey! For God's sake! Why did you unpack your terrible AXE deodorants again!" I had successfully fought to make these deodorants taboo for my partner, as I find them so overpowering. But exactly that one specific scent, which you smell on every third man, was now in the air. A nasty, artificially scratchy-herb aroma enveloped my nose. AXE! Yes! Oh no! I really didn't expect that. Cry. And now I smell like it myself. And how! Showering - not an option anymore. I guess I have to endure this. Chin up, girl! Pretend this is how it has to be.
Fortunately, the really nasty note faded quite quickly, and a mandarin-blood orange smoothie emerged. "Thank you, honey, that's sweet of you. I need that vitamin kick now!" Yes, the mandarin really stands out. Juicy. Fully ripe. Real. Pure fruit flesh. Nice! ...And still lingering, but softened, is the nasty AXE deodorant. Not nice! The fun lasts about half an hour, and now the scent is moving in the direction I originally expected. The synthetic AXE scratchiness disappears, and the scent becomes herb-fruity without the cheesy sweetness. However, the hint of drugstore men's grooming products remains, whether it's deodorant or aftershave. My nose remains offended. Even now, after 2 hours!

Unfortunately, this scent is nothing for me - and also nothing for my partner. We will sadly not become friends.

I am blonde and rather petite, a newbie to perfumes, and I haven't thought much of oud fragrances until now. To be precise, I didn't know oud before I recently got to know Parfumo. Relatively quickly, I came across posts about the highly regarded as well as critically scrutinized oud fragrances here, educated myself on what it is supposed to be, and soon came to the conclusion that oud does not suit me. Never! I'm just not that type. And my nose is sensitive anyway.
But the curiosity remained. I stumbled upon discussions about the new oud fragrance that is not available in Germany. Such things challenge my pride. Why can't I have this scent? That made me even more curious. Then the offer in the souk, a sample! I went for it. Deep breath in, breath out... ha! I've got it!

Today I found the muse to dedicate myself to this fragrance. A bit anxiously, I inhaled the scent that was still subtly emanating from the sprayer. I expected everything. A soft scent greeted me, soft but also profound. Bitter, but not off-putting. And rose, a lot of rose. OK - that can go on my wrist.

The scent is intense, warm, spicy, bitter, and radiates with its rose. This is how a proud rose smells. Dark. The scent is somewhat coarse, but not as "animalistic" as I imagined oud to be based on various descriptions. Yes - interesting. But no, it really doesn't suit me. Too heavy, somewhat coarse - despite the beautiful rose. However, I can very well imagine it on other women - basically also on a man - just not on me.

After 20 minutes, the scent becomes closer to the skin, it doesn't radiate as strongly anymore, and the coarseness fades. My nose keeps seeking out the wrist where the scent unfolds. I am unsure, trying to fathom why it intrigues me so much. It really has something. Less coarse and now smelling really good on the skin, it has become warmer. Rose, warmth, I even smell vanilla. Vanilla is supposedly not in it, but I smell it! Yes, really - this scent is interesting.

Now the scent has been on my wrist for about 3 hours. Now it is a scent for me, as if made for me. Warm, slightly woody, sensual, lightly sweet, a bit vanillic, and a hint of rose. The rose itself no longer dominates the scent; you can still feel it. The coarseness - which I originally interpreted as the oud - is gone. The scent is still not very close to the skin. With my arm movements, a scent banner dances into my nose again and again. Beautiful. Yes, really beautiful! I like it! I'm surprised...

The entire "Narciso Rodriguez For Her" fragrance range has captivated me. I am addicted. Yes, truly addicted to these scents. They draw me in, they caress me, they ensnare me, they captivate me. What causes this?

Now I have it. Finally! Enchanted, I lean back, close my eyes. I can't help but press my nose to my wrist.
"For Her L'Eau" has the same effect on me as its big brothers "For Her EdT" and "For Her EdP". Lighter, yes, and with a different signature - but with the same addictive potential. Perhaps even more romantic. It transports me to a lush flower garden with the most beautiful blossoms in late spring. Rose bushes. Clearly more roses than in "For Her". Also other flowers, which I cannot name individually.
The sun tickles my nose and a gentle breeze brushes my cheek. "For Her L'Eau" caresses the soul like a silk shawl that gently warms the shoulders. It wraps me in a rosy protective cloud of organza. It makes me happy. Simply conjures a smile on my lips. I melt away.

If a fragrance can break the heart, then this one can.

Yesterday I received the long-awaited sample.
Excitedly, I inhaled the scent that subtly flowed from the sprayer. I paused briefly. Needs getting used to! Earthy? It smelled of nature. I took another deep breath of the fragrance. There's something to it! I liked what I smelled. Earthy, slightly spicy, and flowers, flowers, flowers! Yes, I have to test it!
So, I sprayed it on my wrist. A fragrance bomb unfolded. Intense - yet velvety soft with countless flowers and a hint of pleasant spice. I also notice a - I would say "animalistic" undertone. Something is wafting out that I can't associate with plants, flowers, fruits, or spices. Something damp and musty. Not unpleasant, but it doesn't quite suit my nose. Irritating. Amber? Leather? So soon? No idea. Over time, this undertone fades, after 30 minutes I only notice it close to the skin. The flowers increasingly push to the forefront... It seems to me that I'm perceiving the fragrance pyramid upside down. The "musty" warm damp spice clings close to my skin, I can also smell the flowers even with my wrist stretched far away - lovely, clear, fine, sweet, heavenly, enchanting. An hour after application, the fragrance reaches a state that smells paradisiacal, tender and caressing - this is how a fragrance should be! And it lasts, and lasts, and lasts. My nose constantly wanders to my wrist. Wonderful!

Happy about the beautiful scent, I let my partner smell it. His head immediately turns away. "Not at all!" I'm perplexed. What could possibly be wrong? "Very coarse! Just a puff mother! Sorry!" What a mood swing! I'm horrified. My partner doesn't like the fragrance! Why not? A clear point deduction. What a shame...

When I read through the positive reviews, I have to believe that I held a completely spoiled bottle in my hands. But my bottle was newly purchased! I don't understand it. Not even close.
The bottle of Giorgio EdT that I owned for a very short time smelled, to put it mildly, like heaven's wrath. Extremely harsh, penetrating, sour, musty, and all of it in a breath-stealing strength. There was no trace of "aromas," nothing, absolutely nothing of what one would even remotely expect from a liquid that one voluntarily dabs on their skin. I simply cannot comprehend how anyone could possibly like it. Sorry. The worst part... it can't even be washed off! Shock! How I had to scrub and scrub!

I was irritated that there are even lovers of this liquid (I refuse to call it "fragrance"), so I gave the EdT another chance. Days later, I applied it in minimal dosage. With a cloth sprayed with it, I dabbed a small spot on my wrist. Ouch! That smelled too. The tiny, slightly damp spot on my skin smelled horrendous! Not a single nuance of it can be liked. I tried to hold out and actually waited another 10 minutes. No chance. It simply smelled penetratingly sour, musty, and urinal-like. Scrubbing was on the agenda again!

I will probably never understand it and I give up trying to understand it. I'm sorry, because I REALLY wanted to understand this liquid. Is my nose that off?

P.S.: That the scent apparently wasn't spoiled, as suspected, was shown by the enthusiastic positive review of the buyer on eBay. I didn't understand that either... Whatever, I give up.