Maantje

Blanche is for me a subtly piercing, strongly aldehydic clean scent. It has something of both laundry detergent and cleaning products. Almost as if both were mixed together. It has these bright and clear qualities mixed with a sterile, almost biting freshness, which is something that aldehydic fragrances usually possess. I generally love clean scents, though most tend to be more musk-based. They usually feel rounder to me and smell warmer on my nose.

For the wardrobe or on freshly washed laundry, Blanche could indeed work well. Everything would smell like freshly washed for days. For this purpose, however, I still prefer to reach for my usual laundry perfume. But I find the fruity drydown very nice on clothing. However, the price is too high for me just to spray it in my closet. If my laundry perfume were ever discontinued, I might reconsider :) The scent might also be something for people who want to smell like freshly washed laundry while exercising or during the day, or for those who don’t like musk but still want to smell fresh and clean. For such occasions, I have other fragrances that I prefer.

I have actually stayed away from this fragrance for years, as the comparisons to Love Don't Be Shy Perfume and Paradoxe Eau de Parfum have rather put me off. I have tried both fragrances several times, but unfortunately, they are not for me at all. Recently, I bought a sample set from Parfums de Marley and instead of giving my Oriana sample to my sister or best friend right away, I decided to try it myself. And I must say I was very positively surprised! I find it to be a pretty, feminine scent that is sweet and fluffy. On my skin, it becomes, like all fragrances, a bit sweeter, but not intrusive or unpleasant. I can understand the comparisons to a "grandma scent" (although my grandma tends to wear clean musk fragrances and strong, masculine scents), even if it doesn’t come off that way on my skin. I think this is due to the sweet, very powdery composition, which I can imagine might develop musty on some skins. Luckily, it doesn’t do that on me. I can actually see Oriana on many different people, but I find it to be quite feminine. However, I can see it being suitable for anyone from young to old. Even though I don’t find it bad, I don’t need a bottle of it. It doesn’t really suit me, and even though my boyfriend likes it on me, I have other fragrances that impress my surroundings more. It smells a bit too generic and too girly-feminine for my taste. But I will still use up my sample :)

After hearing everyone rave about this fragrance, I decided to give it a chance myself. Normally, fragrances with rose always pass me by, unless I can hardly perceive the rose note. Nice, yes, but smelling like rose? Preferably not.

After a sample of Gris Dior arrived, I tested the fragrance. (Fun fact: I usually test fragrances on my legs, because if I don't like it, it's farthest from my nose, but I still get an idea of how it smells on my skin.)

My first impression: a beautiful soft rose scent with patchouli; elegant and pleasant, but not immediately my thing, so it ended up with my other samples that I occasionally fish out and test again. My nose is changing a lot at the moment, and I am learning to appreciate more and more fragrances.

A few days ago, I had a very important exam, and on such days, I take extra time to choose a fragrance. It should calm me down, not be too intrusive for myself or anyone else in the room, and give me both courage and joy and peace. But on that day, I didn't have to think long; Gris Dior immediately came to mind.

The result: I have never received so many compliments in one day as I did in that exam room. I find the statements that one is practically pursued by fragrances to be very exaggerated, but Gris Dior managed it ^^ And I also passed that exam positively :)

All in all, a masterpiece, and it's not as secret as I called it in the title anymore. After all, I had to write it down for several people ;)