Pixxelio

I am such a victim of blind purchases. When I read about a fragrance and believe it must absolutely suit me and it’s also a cheapie, I sometimes quickly hit the order button.
So it was with Bad Icon.

Of course, shortly after, I regretted the order: “Does this have to be? You already have so much. Probably another bottle that will be forgotten and rot in the cupboard. The bottle is definitely made of plastic. The scent is likely full of notes like Ambrocenide and/or Ambroxan, Oud, Iso-E-Super, Neroli/orange blossom, which I find so terrible. And the many fragrance notes listed - simply far too many - have never appealed to me. And then distributed by a company from Poland that sells nail design products. This perfume is probably another bad purchase).
Should the name of the fragrance be indicative?

None of this turned out to be true, and the fragrance is a dream (for me) and perfect for the upcoming autumn/winter season. I would describe it as sweet-oriental/sweet-gourmand.
Upon opening the package, a scent greeted me that I didn’t like at all, and I thought the bottle had leaked and felt confirmed. Until I found a card included that informed about the scenting of the package with another fragrance.

Unfortunately, I still find it difficult to identify and describe fragrance notes, even though I already belong to the "Club 10". I can only draw comparisons, and the scent is similar to Dolcelisir, Khaltat Night Eau de Parfum - without cherry, Arabesque, or even "Farah / Harâm | Brecourt". And my previously mentioned hate fragrance notes are not recognizable to me. The promotional photo prominently features coconut. I cannot smell coconut, and I think that is a bit misleading. I can recognize apple, honey, tonka, and cinnamon. The fragrance notes are beautifully intertwined. The longevity is good to very good.

The bottle is also very beautiful and made of heavy dark red, slightly transparent glass. The cap is made of plastic, but it is highly glossy, heavy, and has a magnetic closure (which adds value to a bottle for me).

As soon as time allows, I will post a photo of the bottle.

Actually, I wanted to name this post Gris Framboise, but that somehow conjured up unpleasant images in my mind?.

At the moment, I’m in a blind-buy frenzy. I like to be surprised. However, in my family and circle of friends, they’re not so keen on surprises. I’m even asked what I want for Mother’s Day. So sometimes I just have to surprise myself.
Preferably, the surprises that end up in my cart on the relevant fragrance retailers' sites are affordable and well-rated scents. Just like White Narcisse.
The listed fragrance notes fall exactly into my target range, and floral-powdery is also my thing. I also have a fondness for leather scents. So: order placed. (I just managed to hold back on two others).

By now, I’ve become a bit cautious and sprayed the fragrance on a paper towel after delivery. Boooah no, that can go right back, was my first reaction. The top note is very bergamot-heavy and was too intense for me at first. On the paper towel, the fragrance didn’t develop much either. It just smelled like bergamot with fruit, which became a bit softer over time. Nothing floral-powdery about it.
Then came the skin test last night. Yes, the top note is still bergamot-sparkly scratchy. (However, I believe that I react very sensitively to these citrus notes and perceive them very strongly. I have the same issue with orange blossom. I perceive these notes so strongly that they overshadow everything else.)

After about an hour, I fought through it, and the fragrance became increasingly softer. Now the fruit is also noticeable. Rosy, fruity raspberry swirls around me with a spicy base. All in all, the fragrance remains quite bitter with little sweetness. I’m sure there’s some patchouli in there too. Leather is rather minimal to nonexistent. The base is a dream. I would classify White Narcisse not as floral-powdery but rather as floral-fresh.

White Narcisse (why this name - no daffodil in sight) reminds me a lot of "Gris Dior / Gris Montaigne | Dior". I don’t know the similarly mentioned Tuscan Leather Eau de Parfum. But White Narcisse is not a leather scent for me.

The bottle is a chunky beauty in white heating paint. But it’s the inner values that count?.

Yesterday, the small 10 ml spray "Ménage à Trois" arrived at my place. Of course, I sprayed it right away. First came the big disappointment, as it smelled completely different than during the test in the store. There, I detected a lot of melon (even though I don’t actually like melon - but it smelled great there -) and just a little Iso-E-Super. I immediately checked: had I perhaps accidentally ordered the wrong fragrance? No, it is indeed the melon scent. Now I also understand the discussions about testers in stores smelling different from the original fragrance - but that has never happened to me before.
Instead of melon, it smelled like a lot of Iso. And the scent felt infinitely familiar. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: this is how it smells at WORMLAND. There, you are immediately greeted by a strong room fragrance in the entrance area (and I am often at Wormland - my guy is practically the ultimate male version of a shopping queen).
I’ll let the fragrance rest for a bit - I really want that beautiful melon again. Maybe I just didn’t notice it yesterday because I had already worn a fruity scent during the day.

After the "Evoke for Her" recently blew me away and has become my most worn fragrance at the moment, I took a closer look at the brand. There isn’t much information available about the Arabic brand, and comments about the fragrances are rather scarce.

The listed fragrance notes also appealed to me in "Evoke Silver Edition for Her," as they are among my favorites. So, I took the plunge with another blind purchase in silver, especially since I found a good deal - particularly because a certain "question frog" commented under my "Evoke for Her" review that this one would be even nicer. THAT would be unbearable:-)

Now to the scent: The Silver one has nothing in common with "Evoke for Her." It is a completely different fragrance. "Evoke Silver" is a sweet-spicy oriental scent. The top note hits hard with spicy sweet vanilla, which lingers on and on. After a short while, I can also perceive a slight fruitiness. It is also a bit scratchy (but only very slightly) - probably due to the sandalwood in the base, which I often experience. The scent is very present and has an enormous sillage and longevity.

Right from the first spray, the scent felt very familiar to me - which often happens when you’ve had many fragrances under your nose. Is Ajmal perhaps a manufacturer that recreates well-known perfumes? Here it resembles "Noir pour Femme." For me, the similarity is striking. "Evoke Silver Edition for Her" is minimally fruitier. I sprayed both on two test strips and compared them over a longer period. So, anyone who loves fragrances in this direction should mark a test for themselves.

I will probably not keep the bottle, as I already own "Noir pour Femme" (and I haven’t been able to tolerate it quite well since the last company Christmas party - uhmm). I also don’t often have opportunities to wear such heavy oriental fragrances. When I go out in the evening, it’s mostly associated with dining or concerts/movies with people around me whom I want to consider. I would never use up the 100 ml.

The bottle is made of heavy glass, highly glossy and reflective. The spray head is functional, and the cap fits perfectly.

Be that as it may, as always: fragrance and bottle - it’s all a matter of (good) taste.

Well....

Since I have owned this fragrance since the beginning of May, wear it almost daily, and have already used half of the 75 ml bottle, it should be worth a comment. Especially since there is still a lack of opinions here aside from a few statements.

This was a successful blind buy, and I fell in love with the scent from the very first moment.
The deciding factor for my purchase was the mention of the fragrance twin "Gris Dior," which seems unattainable for me. And there seems to be a resemblance to it that cannot be denied. Of course, it is not a twin. "Gris Dior" smells softer, more elegant, and of higher quality. "Bottega Veneta" also goes in the same direction but is sharper with more leather. Here, I see the greatest similarity with "Bottega Veneta Eau de Velours."

"Evoke for Her" starts with a zesty bergamot. However, the top note fades very quickly, making way for a soft and powdery mix of rose and spices. Later, clean and rosy patchouli joins in, and I think I can also smell a bit of peach or plum. For me, the scent becomes very gentle but noticeable. I do not perceive any vanilla at all. Evoke is also not very sweet. Perhaps a slight hint of plum/peach.
The scent lasts a long time. However, I do not find the sillage to be above average, as indicated above. I wear 5-6 sprays at home and during the week at the office, and no one has complained yet. I also prefer quieter fragrances. "Evoke for Her" is wearable at any time and for all occasions.

The only downside: The bottle
The craftsmanship is good to very good; the glass is heavy and free of rough edges. The cap fits well, and the spray head works excellently and mists finely.
But otherwise: Even when I saw the photo of the bottle here, I had the association with a thick slice of Edam cheese. And that has remained. The bottle is also wavy on the sides, as if the Edam slice had been left out in the air for too long. The outer packaging is made of beautiful, sturdy gold-shimmering material, but it feels like it has been printed with "Evoke" in gold foil 266 times. Additionally, there are also prints in black. The outer packaging also has a hole in the center. I refer to this as a design accident. The bottle will definitely remain hidden in the cupboard.

But the scent is truly beautiful. I will probably have to buy a bunker bottle soon.