Miserabel

Yes, I am starting my personal marathon of unnoticed fragrances spontaneously with Essence. I do visit DM regularly, so it doesn't take much longer to apply one or another scent. Today it's "Like Best Friends Forever".
I find the packaging and bottles from Essence very handy and cute, considering the target audience and their sense for bright colors and playfulness.

So, the scent. I already don't like the fragrance direction, as I had to notice at first sniff; perhaps the evaluation won't be very objective because of that. A chemical basket of fruits, whose names I can't identify, peach and some berries sound plausible, but I'm still searching for the caramel apple. It's more like a piercing fruit puree from a bag, laced with color and flavoring agents. And it stays that way.
After three hours, the scent is only omnipresent, but what reaches my nose is exactly the unpleasant fruity-powdery cocktail that I already smelled at DM. I don't want to smell it, even if it becomes a bit softer and warmer towards the end. After four hours, I would reapply if I liked it, but that's where I draw the line.

I must say, the perfume still doesn't disappoint me. It smells like young girls, good friends, spring, and somehow also like subtle plastic jewelry...nothing is promised here that the scent can't deliver.
Overall, it even strongly reminds me of Escada fragrances (of which I am also not a fan); the top note has parallels to Cherry in the Air, but Especially is also not entirely dissimilar.

I’ll go take a shower now :)

I perceive this scent a little differently than it is mostly described in the comments here. Of course, it is a very vanilla-heavy fragrance, but I still smell other components or at least additional hints.

For me, the top note has something very fresh; I immediately think of lemon buttermilk, in which a rich vanilla pod is floating. And the mild lemon lingers, even though it gradually recedes over time. Then the whole thing moves somewhere between sweet - spicy - buttery. I really like it :)

And here’s a special tip (which is why I wrote this rather brief comment): If you keep missing the "Sweet Delicious Creamy Meringue" or, like me, find that it is not worth the money, you should try this one from Yves Rocher. They are not identical, but after half an hour on my skin, they are very similar.

When I signed up here almost exactly a year ago, I was completely overwhelmed by images, impressions, and praises of fragrances that everyone knows and loves. One of those wonderfully soft dreams of warm powder and pink cotton candy turned out to be L'Instant de Guerlain - supposedly - and I was particularly pleased when I received a large bottle of this wonder water in the spring. So I was happy, sprayed a sample, and thoughtfully placed it in the back of the drawer of my dresser. So much for our start.

What I didn't know back then is that this is the EdT and not the "normal" L'Instant. I only realized that today when I was checking the stocks in the depths of Malms. It's quite delightful that I get to write the first comment on a fragrance.

However, I still doubt that I will do this honor justice, as I can only think of one thing: Amber. My first testing session ended last week in a terrible migraine attack, the worst I’ve ever had. So today: Test, the second.

Be that as it may, I believe this is a fragrance for amber lovers. L'Instant EdT is very dense, very full, and round in my nose, but I really can't detect any other component. When I still thought I had the EdP in front of me, I desperately searched for hints of vanilla or benzoin, but understandably did not find them. What I smell here is not the cuddle scent I expected.
It is really substantial and has a furry-stinging aftertaste for me. I don’t mean this negatively at all, as many berry fragrances have this note for me. I associate it with a dark piece of velvet, a heavy fabric whose fibers stand up when you stroke it against the grain. The magnolia probably plays a role here as well, which I unfortunately don’t like very much either. And otherwise - I repeat myself - a lot of amber.
After wearing it for some time (although it doesn’t develop significantly on me), it strongly reminds me of L'Ambre des Merveilles, just a tad more transparent, and that is also praised in the highest tones.

Now let me get to the point: I don't really like this fragrance. No powder, no cotton, no cuddle factor for me. I don't like it because I can't stand the smell of berries, magnolia, and amber, but certainly not because it is a bad fragrance. It is round, full, lasts really long (8 hours or more). It has something of neatness and femininity; for a lady, it is truly a beautiful fragrance. Considering that this is an EdT, I am complaining at a very high level.

I will now put the fragrance back in the drawer. Perhaps there will be an opportunity to pass it on to someone more deserving who will wear it with more joy.

What can be said about a fragrance that already has 16 meaningful comments? Actually, everything has been said. I just want to break a lance.

You need to know that I generally steer clear of Lancôme fragrances because I don't expect much. No one has ever blown me away. I came across this bottle like a virgin to a child (thankfully!), when I was allowed to choose a few bottles from a multitude of scents. There wasn't really anything that caught my fancy, so I grabbed Midnight Rose, because the bottle is truly pretty. As a last resort, I thought it would make a nice gift.
Should I also mention that I don’t like berry scents at all? And that rose gives me a touch too much of a grandma vibe?

Midnight Rose has dispelled all my prejudices and, above all, made me crave rose. Because here, I smell a concentrated dose of it, which only becomes remotely soapy. It’s really not a scent that I hang on my wrist; it needs to unfold, I think. One is enveloped in a very pleasant cloud (so we are not talking about a skin-close fragrance here).
I find it so remarkable also because Midnight Rose smells contradictory: it is sweet and bitter, soapy and berry-like, loud and elegant. While the little brother In Love belongs to a warm, playful woman for me, Midnight Rose is the scent of the cool, distant lady.

The hard facts just on the side: the usual solid Lancôme quality, you can't complain about the bottle and content, longevity is in a good middle range.

Conclusion: they haven't thrown the holy grail onto the market here. But for me, it’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a fragrance that makes me think: this is how I like to smell. Preferably in spring and autumn, as well as on moderate summer days. Not my disco favorite, but for work, university, a nice date, long walks, and whenever nothing else fits. I'm glad I found it.

I am not a brand victim. Actually.
Unfortunately, I have been weak for Pussy Deluxe for years. I used to really like the "original scent" during my teenage years, and that's why I fell into the trap of getting the Velvet Kitten as well. How angry I was back then. That was my first bad purchase, an endless misstep, if I may say so. I was inconsolable.
So much for my tragic Pussy Deluxe backstory, and now to this fragrance.

I saw it at Rossmann, standing in a small display along with the other two variants, and I was immediately hooked, even though I originally just wanted to buy a toothbrush and quickly get out. That didn't work, the visual appeal was too strong :D
Admittedly, the concept is absolutely girlish and sweet, not stylish or anything like that. The packaging promises that you will smell enchanting, somehow also shrill. In short: I tested all three on different body parts.

To get straight to the point, without going into it further: the other two are nice and sweet in their own way (Cookie Cat is very comparable to Hypnotic Poison, a tip for anyone looking for an everyday version of that).
Cherry Cat, on the other hand, stands out very much because it is completely different. I had expected a cherry scent, especially since it is marketed that way by name.

I'll keep it short: where is the cherry? If I hadn't just checked what the fragrance pyramid says, I wouldn't have been able to identify at all what this little water smells like. It is overloaded, piercing, dominant in my nose. I can't smell anything else. And it took no more than 2 seconds after spraying for me to realize what it reminded me of: Velvet Kitten! There it was. The scent impression is very, very identical, if you ask me. Especially this piercing note, which bothers me particularly (and which I have never smelled in other fragrances in this form), is identical. If you compare here, it can only be the combination of lychee and peach that repulses me. It's not a fruity sting, but really synthetic and bitter. Who knows how exactly this comes about, but it seems to be a secret recipe from Pussy Deluxe :D

In the base, a bit of vanilla mixes with the bitter component, which makes it more bearable for me, but still not pleasant. Only after an hour can I somehow sense cherry with a lot of goodwill, even though it should be in the top note. The scent later also takes on a clean undertone, a bit like fabric softener. It must be due to the rose, and I must admit I quite like it as such.

I am somewhat at a loss as to how to write an honest comment without making a total critique. We can agree that you can't expect a masterful fragrance creation for 10 euros/30ml. But this scent does not suit me, and I truly feel led by the nose by the marketing. In my mind, Cherry Cat fits as an everyday fragrance for a dark-haired woman in her late 20s, rather sporty. On me, it doesn't work at all, as I said, because I am none of that :)

The bottle is absolutely cute and handy, sillage is quite decent, and longevity of about 4-5 hours on the skin is acceptable for a drugstore fragrance. The spray head felt a bit wobbly on all testers, but that is also bearable if the rest were right. An unusual scent, I think, with an interesting scent development...but unfortunately too unusual for me, because far too bitter :)