MarielleP

Some people love that light, clean musk at the dry-down. So-called white musk. I absolutely despise it. I sprayed it on my wrist at Nordstrom, and went about my shopping. For about 15 minutes, FdP was actually quite nice. Those pretty notes soon evaporated and left me with that horrid base. If the dry-down were a color, it would be the ugliest, dull, grayish beige you could imagine. If it were a texture, I would describe it as rubbery. Rubbery greige. I couldn't wait to get home and wash it off. I scrubbed like mad, and still it clung. I smelled it on my shower pouf for days.

I don't get the point of notes that completely disappear in a few minutes, with the dry-down as the only accord that lasts. Maybe one day I'll understand. If you dig this structure and this skin scent, you'll prolly love Fleur de Peau.

Tommy Hilfiger was a ubiquitous name in American fashion back in the 90s. His aesthetic never appealed to me, so it didn't occur to me that I would like a fragrance with the TH label. I don't think I ever smelt it back then. If I saw it in the department stores, it didn't even register as I walked past. Now I know better. Just because you don't like a fashion house's clothing design, doesn't mean you won't like their fragrance.

Many years later, I wanted a summer fragrance, so I picked up a 30ml bottle at Ross Dress For Less for under $20. Best blind buy yet. Light, fresh, and a little soapy. The citrus notes are dry to my nose, not juicy like the modern fruity fragrances I smell today. To my nose, Tommy Girl is structured and balanced. As it fades, I don't smell anything drastically different. I detect a gentle, gradual change over many hours, until finally I get soft woods. It's not my #1, but I keep going back to it on bright summer days. It's growing on me, for sure. One of the best cheapies I've ever gotten my hands on.

There are those who love indole, and then there are those, like me, who find indole smells like a urinal cake. Indole doesn't smell dirty to me, but rather like a sharp knife to my olfactory nerves. Like the blue fluid in a chemical toilet, it's a separate note from the dirty stuff.

I have conflicting feelings about Femme Rochas. So far, I have only smelt the current formulation. Despite my rating, it truly is a great fragrance, and I understand why people praise it so. It's just the damn urinal cake note that gets in the way of my enjoyment. It takes at least 2 hours for it to calm down enough for Femme Rochas to register as something beautiful. Only then do I experience the stone fruits and spices. Not until the drydown does it turn intoxicating. The rich-but-quiet skin scent is absolutely divine. I just don't want to wait 8-12 hours to get there. I will use up the sample I have in the interest of expanding my palate, so to speak, but I doubt I will ever buy a full bottle. Out of curiosity, I may try a sample of vintage, pre-90s Femme Rochas to see how it compares. I am trying to understand fragrances that are out of my wheelhouse, even the indolic ones.

It's nice, but nothing special. If you ever wished for a fragrance that smells like Becherovka, this is it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I didn't expect CdG to smell like a sweet shop at Christmastime. Some describe it as not sweet. LOL... yeah, it's sweet. It was sufficiently festive for the holiday season without bothering my neighbors at dinner. Do not blind buy a full bottle, unless you really, really, REALLY love cloves.

This is a lovely aquatic: a refreshing marine with a slight hint of idodine, and a deep, ambery undercurrent. Like many fragrances, this one turns sweet on my skin. In this case, the fresh, green note of amyl salicylate. Aquatic fragrances aren't my thing, but if they were, I'd buy a full bottle right this minute. I look forward to revisiting Squid when summer returns.