Leimbacher

I kid you not, I've never clicked with "Bleu de Chanel". Maybe I never really gave the line a bad review and I would never put Chanel's fresh and boring bestseller in the same pot as generic failures like "Sauvage" or even "Y". But none of the editions even came close to a purchase. Can "L'Exclusif" now change this? Spoiler: unfortunately no, unfortunately not at all...

"Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif" cannot deny its origins, is clearly a "Bleu", is very close to the previous perfume version and unfortunately cannot stand out enough in terms of quality and innovation. Especially when you bear in mind the steep price. Its sexy shampoo freshness is rounded off with a little more darkness and leather, but very discreetly and more in the drydown. A labdanum flap. Most of the time it stays the same old same old. With a little more depth, perhaps. But despite earthy leather or even incense nuances, it remains primarily a citrusy-woody foam kiss. Its abysses are merely alibis, its shadows rather feigned. And so it hardly stands out from its relatives... But fans of the series will certainly not be disappointed. At least until you look at the price tag...

Flacon: square, handy, pretty
Sillage: BdC just... you can already smell it clearly
Shelf life: 8 hours is actually good. But considering the price, the name and the claim, not great...

Conclusion: even with its probably highest level, "Bleu de Chanel" cannot completely convince me... But this "L'Exclusif" is solid, sexy, fresh and easy to wear in any case. Whether you would have needed it after the perfume is another question though..

I don't know what it smells like in the Chelsea neighborhood in the morning. But if it goes that way, then I'll be happy to book accommodation there on my next visit to London...

"Chelsea Morning" by Lush is a caramel cracker before the Lord. Some perfumes have already gone in the direction of the popular cream sweets - but this one is probably one of the closest in its first half. Fortunately, however, it does not follow in Werther's footsteps too linearly. After an hour at the latest, it becomes saltier, fierierier and almost turns into an A*Men-like, smoky and well-hung, bacony tonka drydown. Strong! I wouldn't have been able to stand the caramel carnage for the entire playing time. That's too much of a good thing for me with this power. However, the progression and the overall picture are just right. And I like the second half even better than Werther's powerful values at the beginning. All in all, a banger, unquestionably and sinfully good. At least if you like gourmands. Burnt, grainy, rich in texture. Sticky has rarely been hotter.

Flacon: just Lush'ig...
Sillage: clear, dark, fragrant
Shelf life: 9-11 hours - longer than any caramel candy!

Conclusion: a smoky, latex-like, kinky caramel candy somewhere between a gourmand work of art and a madhouse Katanga. A latte caramel.

Prada may not have an irrefutably good track record, which big house has that, everyone misses the mark from time to time, some even more regularly. But nevertheless, I have often smelled enough great fragrances from Prada and for quite some time I could sense a DNA and a line. But that seems to be over now with "Paradigme" at the latest, which I've been hot as chips since the first glimpse of its sensational bottle - but which has now left me flabbergasted and disillusioned with its utterly bland, talentless content...

"Paradigme" still has that chalky, powdery Prada aura - it almost seems like history. But that would be half as bad if this green beauty had other tricks up his sleeve. But he hasn't. Absolutely nothing. A trivially sweet everyday bore like a sheep in the wind. Fresh, sweet, lame. Synthetic and chemical on top. Not green at all. At most behind the ears. Tasty, let alone clever, is a different matter for me. It's rather clumsy and banal. Very close to the flops of other big brands like "Y". "Paradigme" is a bizarrely empty mixture of shower gel and rose geranium foam. And I am shocked at how little it says, gives, means to me. It doesn't stink. Despite its artificiality, it doesn't really scratch either. And yet it could hardly evoke a bigger shrug. This is the opposite of a role model. This is a lemming.

Flacon: beautiful, worthy of a classic... Well, if the contents were completely different...
Sillage: subtle to weak
Longevity: even here it doesn't cover itself in glory... 4-5 hours.

Conclusion: very weak performance from Prada and their "Paradigme". Mainstream muddy fragrance. It could hardly be more trivial. A flowerbed of irrelevance.

There are flowers - such as jasmine or sometimes orange blossom - that can develop an enormous stickiness or even stinkiness. Fleshy, rotten, sweaty, leafy, musty, dusty. But they almost always have other, much more beautiful sides and facets. Fortunately. Unfortunately, the lime blossom still has to prove to me that it too can radiate pleasant vibes for me... And Harry Lehmann's "Lindenblüte" doesn't exactly give the impression of wanting to take part in this work of persuasion...

"Lindenblüte" has exactly that green, sweaty old-fashionedness that I don't like, that doesn't suit me, that I haven't yet been able to access. Berlin air meets moth cupboard. Linden avenue meets wet dog. Late summer meets migraine. Heavy, damp, annoying. But pretty pure lime blossom, you have to give it that. So if you want to know whether this particular blossom suits you, you are welcome to pick up this stringent Harry Lehmann. He doesn't ramble, he gets straight to the point. And that's not my thing at all.

Flacon: pragmatic, lame
Sillage: floral, sticky and strong
Lasting power: 6-7 hours - enough for an afternoon in the capital!

Conclusion: I really don't want to go to Berlin in this case... Does the lime take the bandage off the jasmine? For my taste, unfortunately, the unacceptable side of the broad bouquet.

Nowadays, you can't really blame people if some Amouages are overlooked, misinterpreted or completely forgotten, as the brand has simply been releasing new fragrances far too hectically and confusingly in recent years. Unlike in the past. No matter. However, the brand's true classics should not be affected by this - so today I would like to write a few lines about the still enchanting, mature and full-bodied... "Ciel Woman"!

"Ciel Woman" is an extraordinary and noble, undercooled floral giant of colors, shapes and fullness. As European as it is Arabian. A bouquet of worlds. Icy, beautiful, elegant. Unlike all other floral greats. Creamy, bright, a sensational snow peach. A musk queen. Untouchable. Every year. Almost too good for everyday wear. Larger than life. All-encompassing. Just as well with a paragraph in the Chyprebach as in the new, networked cyber world. Great.

Flacon: the color fits, the hand feel too...
Sillage: no bouquet massacre, but no prisoners are taken either!
Longevity: once again, Amouage doesn't let itself down... 9-12 hours!

Conclusion: the ice-cold mountain water lily... A beautiful and perhaps now underrated women's Amouage - at least if you're into classic, voluminous and almost snooty floral overtures!