Moonchild

I own Hypnotic Poison. I hardly wear it, and when I do, I realize: No, that was again not a good idea! Although I test it regularly and really want to like it; Hypnotic Poison annoys me. Do you know those quite sweet children who seek contact when you want to be left alone at the beach or in a restaurant? Loud and annoying but still very sweet. You can't be angry with them, but you're glad they're not your own. So now, seriously. I find Hypnotic Poison loud, annoying, synthetic, flat, and yes, I’m really sorry, it just doesn’t smell expensive or high-quality. It can say Dior on it ten times. Unfortunately, I can't find the much-discussed sexiness either. Well, I’ll try it again in winter... But I’ll probably end up reaching for Addict instead. Because that one is really sex in a bottle for my nose.
One thing I must give HP credit for: The longevity is top-notch! Addendum: This review was not detailed enough for an admin, so I was informed that this review will be deleted unedited... So, let's continue with the critique: Hypnotic Poison smells overly sweet to me and the vanilla has an artificial, not very high-quality "note." I perceive an indefinable and disturbing clay note paired with a rubber tire, along with something bitter. The scent is very sticky and I can't really detect a true evolution in the fragrance. One-dimensional is a keyword I find fitting here. Longevity and sillage are excellent, as mentioned above, so just one spray is already pushing the limits of overdosage. What also turns me off about the scent - the price in relation to the performance. There are now several alternatives to this fragrance that, aside from longevity, don't differ much. I suspect that the imitation works so well due to the lack of complexity. Nonetheless, I do not want to deny that when HP was released, this fragrance was quite innovative.

My little direct comparison: Left Paradoxe, right Mon Paradis, difference marginal. Left slightly less sharp, insignificantly rounder, perhaps less Neroli. In terms of projection, Mon Paradis has the edge in my opinion. Longevity: undecided. Spotted Paradoxe at 11, Mon Paradis at 12. At 22:15, I can still clearly smell both sides. The next morning: Both gone.
So how does Mon Paradis smell now? If Libre and my Way had a baby, it would surely smell similar.
Neroli in your face on a musk-vanilla bed decorated with slightly spicy wood. Modern, elegant, angular-creamy, quite sweet with minimal cool freshness and a certain tendency towards synthetic. Light chewing gum vibes. Mood-lifting. Conveys lightness.

Conclusion: For me, definitely an identical scent twin. I like it very much and find that Mon Paradis is one of the best Câline fragrances alongside Fleur Noir.

Moonlight Whisper: I must admit the name speaks to me directly. What also appeals to me: pistachio, caramel, and sweet gourmand scents. However, how Zara has connected the perfume name with the fragrance may always remain a mystery. If the perfume had a dark twist, a smoky accord, or a certain coolness, I could somehow understand the name. What you consistently get with Moonlight Whisper is a wonderful creaminess, a decent sweetness, nutty pistachio, vanilla, a light freshness, and a bit of floral frill. The opening is relatively short; here the scent is still a bit fresher, less sweet, and somewhat spicy/herbaceous, probably due to the cardamom. I wish this phase of the fragrance lasted a bit longer. For me, the longevity of 8 hours for a Zara scent is really top-notch! Sillage is also good. All in all, I find it a very successful fragrance that will surely accompany me often. In summer, many probably perceive it as more suitable for the evening: Aha, so one can indeed draw a connection to Moonlight Whisper!

First impression of Bohemian Oud: Terrible. Everything my nose perceives in the first 10 minutes is pepper, which is followed by tobacco after a few moments. Not a combination I want to smell. I had already written off the fragrance when, some time later, a wonderfully enveloping scent wafted into my nose at my trusted Zara store.
Bohemian Oud develops into a beautifully dry, warm, woody, sweet tobacco, vanilla, cocoa scent for me. It also evolves into something dirty, sexy, and yes, a bit animalistic. A fragrance that is definitely unisex. On my skin, it becomes quite sweet compared to when I just spray it on my clothes. I only perceive smoky notes a little. Bohemian Oud reminds me of Çomme les Garcons Wonderwood, which my mother owned years ago, better yet decades ago, and which, according to her, was considered a unisex fragrance back then. No idea if there was a relaunch of the scent.

I have never had the chance to try By the fireplace. I have heard a lot, and especially a lot of polarizing opinions about "By the fireplace." Since some consider Bohemian Oud a dupe of it, I really wanted to test BO to get a rough impression. I was all the more surprised when both my mother and I had an immediate association with Wonderwood in the drydown.

Thanks to the incredibly delicious drydown, Bohemian Oud has moved in with me. I like it a lot; unfortunately, the opening is so "Hardcore-No" for me that it really takes all my strength to "bite through" it. I don't know of any other fragrance that I despise in the opening but celebrate so much later on.

There are few fragrances that are as unmistakable, sexy, and at the same time somewhat strange to me. Rush is not one of those generic scents that get lost in the sea of successful fragrances. It is simply distinctive. I love how it envelops me and how it radiates. It is sweet, animalistic, fresh, while also being synthetic, and one should be careful not to overdo it. It definitely packs a punch. When I smell it, night falls. I see the lights of the big city. I taste beer, Vodka Red Bull, strawberry liqueur. I hear live music; rockabilly, punk rock, stoner rock, and I see hardcore shows (that’s music too ;-)). I think of the Röhren in Stuttgart, of the Submission with several floors. I set my alarm for 10 PM to get ready for the party. I remember pre-gaming with girlfriends and the hope of meeting certain guys at concerts or parties. I recall loud, wild driving music, incredibly good and terribly bad bands, sweaty crowds, sticky concert and club floors from beer, and foggy, smoky concert halls.
Furthermore, I remember the annoying birds that wouldn’t let me sleep in the early morning hours. And the Sunday morning that didn’t start until 2 PM - at the earliest. Rush accompanied me until that point and only disappeared after showering, when the hair lost the smell of smoke from washing and the remaining makeup was rinsed away. Yes, and today I sit on Sunday at 9 AM, well-rested after breakfast, still with a cup of coffee at the table, writing this and reminiscing about old times. Thanks to a spritz of Gucci Rush on my wrist. And I look forward to the next night out with a concert and girlfriends next weekend. Less wild, less long but still nice and surely accompanied by 3 spritzes of Gucci Rush.