Raluko111

Sadly, I am probably one of the few people who does not enjoy the famous white floral scent that Amouage lovers rave about, Honour Woman Eau de Parfum. Aside from the fact that the name and origin of the brand make me think of honor killings, the indoles in that sumptuous white flower bouquet read too heavy for my nose, and for a spring/summer perfume, it just seems a bit over the top. So I hadn`t imagined that I could enjoy an offshoot from the same scent profile as much as I love Ashore. Granted, this fragrance is a lot more straigthtforward and easy to wear than its predecessor, but it is a well crafted blend nevertheless. The jasmine is surprisingly salty, as though it`s a seashore full of discarded jasmine garlands from worshippers who've gone home after the festival broke up in the wee hours of the morning. She is one of the most unusual jasmines I've come across in a while: not at all indolic, spiced with improbable notes of pepper, cardamom, and turmeric, and quietly mysterious. Ambergris is a tricky note for me, but here, it`s perfectly placed in this marine story puzzle, harmoniously combining with the florals and the sandalwood base. My top jasmine, Catherine, has got a serious contender. Incredible longevity (a small spray on the inside of my wrist wore for a good 8+ hours in the Thai muggy heat) and decent silage (folks perceiving and asking what I am wearing, even from such a small application).

A very fresh, green stem of a rose, incredibly beautiful and simple and demure. Even without the zest and squirt of the grapefruit, this resembles Baby Doll Eau de Toilette a lot more than the saccharine roses in Delina. I almost bought it the instant I sprayed it on. It's perfect for a spring/summer day. It's not loaded with a lot of sensations, but it's one of the cleanest, most presentable florals I've tried in a while.

Straightforward, uncomplicated and sunny neroli and jasmine with a touch of minty-sweet citrus. I like it. When it`s hot and humid, what else do you need? The only thing that doesn`t make me excited about wearing this is the sweetness. It`s too sweet, and I don`t want all that sticky, fruity blackcurrant on me at the height of summer.

On paper, I loved Darzalas. It gives an alluring black licorice that feels masculine because of the bitterness of the cardamom and tobacco, and the darkness brought on by the patchouli and vetiver. On paper, it`s awesome. On my skin, though, it feels completely different from what the paper tester promised. And not different in a good way, either. It`s sickeningly sweet in a disturbing animalic manner. I sense cardamom with a sweaty cumin? The label claims that it has a chtonic quality, but I really wasn`t expecting to smell a ripe, freshly buried kitty-cat from the pet cemetery.

This iris is a bit too old school for me. It`s very heavy on the orris butter, which combined with the balsamic notes makes for a vintage lipstick vibe, an old lipstick tube in those vivid reds and salmon-orange hues of the 1950s. It`s quite heavy and not particularly pleasant. It doesn`t smell exactly like it, but the first words that popped into my head were N°5 Parfum. Maybe because this is the type of woman whom I imagine wanting to wear something like this, a woman who douses herself in Nr. 5, then paints her pout with a bright red that smells like Iris Parfum. There are vintage fragrances that I enjoy, but this one just feels...old.