Pollita

You know me. I can't refuse my husband's fragrance wishes. Actually, I just held Weltschmerz by Art Brüt under his nose to show him what men are currently enjoying sniffing, or rather what they would like to smell like. I know it's peach, but I definitely smell a cherry in Weltschmerz. No matter. Unexpectedly, he reacted with great enthusiasm. He thought it was wonderful and would like to test it himself. Although the little sample from dear ElAttarine was supposed to move on to another lovely perfume, I granted him the test with the request not to use it all up. And when he wore it, he fell in love with the perfume. So I ordered him a bottle for Christmas.

When he is happy, I am happy too. And to be honest: The price-performance ratio of the Berlin brand convinced me. Beautiful, high-quality bottles that also look good, along with an excellent sprayer. And this scent lasts a long time, quite unlike Disko Disko, which I would have loved to indulge in, but I couldn't perceive it at all after five minutes. But that's another topic.

So, Weltschmerz. Since my favorite person surprised me with a gift on St. Nicholas Day that I wasn't expecting, he got the bottle a bit earlier. I had to quickly find something else for Christmas.

Well, since December 6th, he has been wearing the scent almost daily. He is really happy with this sweet fruit combined with rich clove, cinnamon and resins, honey, tobacco, and vanilla. And I must admit, it’s not that sweet on him at all, although nearly all the notes, excluding the tropical ylang-ylang and whisky, fit very well into the Christmas season. The base is wonderfully spicy. Here, woody notes and labdanum come through beautifully. If I didn't know better, I would have suspected patchouli and maybe a hint of vetiver, but as we know, the creators of fragrances only reveal the notes we are supposed to perceive. By the way, I still smell a cherry to this day, even though apparently there shouldn't be any in it.

So, what can I say? At first, this rather powerful scent overwhelmed me quite a bit. Because when he wears it, the whole house smells of it. By now, we are in January and already deep into work stress, this sweet fruity-clove aura actually grounds and calms me. Yes, I have grown fond of Weltschmerz. Although my husband owns some fragrances that I prefer to sniff; this one has now reached me after some time. Because despite all its presence and sweetness, the scent contains no unpleasant aromatic chemicals for my nose - neither synthetic woods nor chemical cocktails - and that indeed makes it very likable. This applies, by the way, to all perfumes from the Berlin label.

My thanks go to dear ElAttarine for the testing opportunity.

It is biting cold. Everything is white. She seems to almost float over the freshly fallen powdery snow in her long dress and wool coat. Her destination is a small cabin at the edge of the forest. There, a cozy little fire protects against the cold and there is incense. Here she warms up, drinks green tea, and dreams: of blossoms, of sunshine, and a spot on soft moss. The taste of dragées transports her back to her childhood. Strengthened, she joyfully jumps into the snow, creating a snow angel in the powdered white landscape. Yes, winter can be cold and dreary, but it has its own, harsh, sometimes even bittersweet beauty, she thinks, feeling like a little child again, looking forward to the Christmas gifts.

With Angélique, despite the flowers and green notes, I first think of freshly fallen snow, because this scent is cool, dry, and powdery. Added to that are notes of incense and - bam - a bit of childlike anticipation for Christmas arises in me. There is a slight hint of dragées beneath the fluffy, soft powdery layer. Perhaps a bit of heliotrope and vanilla? I don't know, but there are definitely some sweet Polly notes present. Still, the beautiful lady in the snow remains serious, cool, and the green aromas shine through the iris powder mist. The opening is initially smoky-green. Quickly, an iris appears, which first shows a carrot-like quality and gradually becomes softer and more beautiful.

This is elegance in a subtle way. The scent is incredibly delicate and ethereal. If I didn't know I was testing a Papillon fragrance, I would have guessed at first that it was a work by Olivia Giacobetti. I catch glimpses of similarities with the IUNX fragrances here and there. A little talc resonates, also a bit of L’Eau Blanche and perhaps even the cool note of L’Ether. Angélique is a very delicate scent, more aura than perfume. Hence this image of floating over the snow. I am not usually a big fan of powdery scents, but here the powder is so delicate and fine, it feels wonderfully beautiful to me.

Perhaps just right now to enjoy a bit of winter tranquility before the annual stress around Christmas time begins?

A beautiful fragrance that I would highly recommend to iris lovers. I would like to sincerely thank Petra66 for the sample.

There you stand, in the midst of a blooming meadow in the moonlight. The night is starry. The jasmine flowers spread their softly indolic veil of fragrance. I look up at your mighty crown, lean against your strong trunk, breathe in your warm woodiness, and tell you everything, everything that makes me sad. My freshly washed clothes mingle with the scent of the wood and the blooming meadow. A hint of the sweet dessert I tasted earlier still lingers in my mouth. I stay a little longer. Leaning against your trunk, I feel the magic of this night. A bit like in a fairy tale.

Yes, it has happened. The surprise package Vincent Dreamhouse has often managed to convince me of fragrance notes that don't quite fit my idea of a Polly scent. I have always rejected oud. Too dark, often too medicinal, even barn-like, sometimes terribly synthetic, and sometimes closer to nature than I would like. But with Tree of Sorrow, everything is gentle, soft, and nestled in the most beautiful jasmine flowers and musk. Oud goes Polly. Yes, that actually exists too.

Tree of Sorrow is a floral scent with a certain indolic quality. That should suit someone. With its dense white musk, this new perfume from Vincent is reminiscent of Coralie, but here, alongside the slightly alcoholic and sweet notes, the flowers and musk are joined by a dark woody oud note. And it's a type of oud that I have never perceived before. I assume it's a synthetic note meant to represent agarwood, as the house is not exactly known for its naturalness. But no matter what we are dealing with here, it is beautiful and absolutely suits my taste.

Whether this scent suits me, I am still pondering. Somehow yes, but it probably needs a bit of getting used to, as I have actually never worn anything like this before. I am curious to see if this Tree of Sorrow will soon be mine. The possibility certainly exists.

I would like to sincerely thank dear ElAttarine for the testing opportunity.

Ibiza. Sometime around the turn of the millennium. My partner and I are browsing through the shops in Playa d’en Bossa. Back then, there were plenty of department stores offering perfumes at duty-free prices, along with clothing, trinkets, and all sorts of things. He picks up a bottle. An A/S of a long-discontinued fragrance. Samba for Men. I remember the mini bottle he treasures like a gem. He never had a full bottle, as it had already been discontinued by then.

In the collection of a dear perfumista, I discover - we are now in 2025 - a mini of the fragrance from Perfumer’s Workshop from 1989. And then I want to know more and go on a search, using my usual sources, and I strike gold. Surprisingly, no moon price for this almost forgotten fragrance today.

He beams as I hand him the bottle. And he immediately sprays the scent on his wrist. A fine one, just like back then. And a bit incomprehensible why it disappeared from the shelves so quickly. After all, it has inspired one or two fragrances that came after it. With Samba for Men, I sniff out quite a bit that I find in numerous other popular fragrances from that time. I recognize hints of Cool Water, which was released a year earlier, but I also discover some similarities with Heaven, launched in 1994 (okay, this one also disappeared quickly from the shelves) as well as with CK One, also from 1994.

Citrusy and a bit green at the top, floral at the heart, and an aromatic-oriental base, of course for the standards of the time, with amber, musk, and woody notes. Just like Morillas with CK One, the creator or creators of Samba for Men, unfortunately unknown, worked with fine spices. Nutmeg is simply a wonderful fragrance note, in my opinion, which I also love on myself, for example in my highly valued Max Mara Le Parfum. Unlike all the reference fragrances from that time, Samba for Men has a somewhat more classic base with patchouli. Yatagan describes the scent as a kind of crossover between the eighties and nineties, and that fits very well for me. It is a bit rougher, spicier than the others, which generally develop more sweetly. The fine powderiness of a Heaven, which became more pronounced in the nineties, can also be found here already.

The scent lasts a long time with a pleasant sillage. It is well noticeable, but never annoying or overwhelming. In the base, it definitely invites closeness. That’s what makes a beautiful perfume for me. I would love to learn more about the perfumer. And since Tea Rose from Perfumer’s Workshop is still produced today, could this beautiful treasure perhaps make a regular comeback? My partner would definitely be very happy.

Some connections in life endure. Over months, years - a few even for a lifetime. When I hold Boutique by Perfumology, an addition to my last order from the American supplier, under my nose today, I know immediately, “I know you!” It took a while for it to dawn on me, as I have indeed had quite a few fragrances. Only after some time could I place the memory. It smells like Chemical Bonding by Ineke. A love of mine that lasted 100 milliliters, a bottle's length. Oh yes, I bought several scents similar to it later, like Bal d’Afrique by Byredo, but I ended up not keeping any of those.

Now I am not so sure about Boutique, although it very much wants to activate my “wanting” center in the brain, if it would be a scent that could stay. Because not everything about this floral musk aura enchants me. It has some little edges and corners that can be very beautiful, but on the other hand, they can also develop into disturbing factors. Together with Ineke Chemical Bonding, it has according to the fragrance pyramid only musk and amber. The flowers and fruits we are supposed to sniff here are different. The grapefruit listed for Boutique I also perceive as such. Chemical Bonding had a lemon there. And I can also recognize the apple as an apple. In Chemical Bonding, we instead had berries. The flowers are also different, with no specific flower dominating for me here. I can say that we are dealing with white flowers on a musk base, and we get that very clearly in both fragrances. And along with that, a synthetic note that I find very beautiful. Perfumology even names this with Ambrettolid. Now it is often the case that such aroma chemicals make me a bit anxious. Fragrances with such notes usually have a shorter lifespan in my perfume cabinet in terms of months or years. Well.

Both fragrances are expensive, and I wouldn't prefer one over the other in that regard. And since I have never thought about buying Chemical Bonding again, I will hold back here for now. Especially because the scent doesn’t necessarily fit into the colder and darker season for me. Such citrus floral fragrances on a musk base really shine better in spring-like temperatures.

However, for fans of fragrances like Bal d’Afrique, I would like to give a clear recommendation here. This one could also be pleasing. And the best part: it doesn’t have that marigold note that many find bothersome in the Byredo. Perhaps the marigold was the reason why the African Ball was not a lasting love for me?

By the way, Boutique is described on Perfumology as the scent that lingers in the room after a few specific fragrances from the portfolio have been shown to customers, depending on individual taste. And that makes me flinch a little again, because almost always the not-so-nice aroma chemicals remain after a few different perfumes have been sprayed. You see, I am indecisive and will need a little more time with this beautiful perfume here, which I would definitely recommend to you if you love Bal d’Afrique.