Ratigail

This fragrance applies fizzy and fruity, and dries down to reveal the rose and a slightly woody note. I like it, but don't love it as much as I hoped I would -- the lychee could have been punched up more, but even then I think I personally would need an extra note or two to make this scent more intriguing. Not bad, but there are other rose-dominant perfumes that I enjoy more. Luckily, my mom really enjoys rosewater/rosewood-type scents, so I've passed this along to her and she's very happy with it!

While the tang of New York City in the summer is potent and oh, so very nostalgic to me... I don't really want to wear it directly on my skin. Something about this fragrance gives off a sour note that is a little too literally like trash sweltering in the summer sun, trapped between plastic bags and asphalt. Maybe this was intentional, maybe not, but I can't really get past it.

Toy 2 is pretty immediately sweet and fruity on application, but in a way that reminds me of Dawn green apple dish soap. It doesn't change much on the dry-down, either, so it's really just as though you've washed your hands... with Dawn green apple dish soap. Certainly fresh and clean, but might be better used as a layering scent with something that has a bit more body.

I first tried Toy Boy about a year ago and did not enjoy it -- I found it too rosy for me, and more or less forgot about it. However, I've opened my heart up to florals (rose in particular) more this year, and so I thought it was time to give this one another chance.

Man, I was so wrong about this perfume. I think what happened was I sniffed it straight from the bottle first, got that big whiff of rose, and was immediately turned off by it despite trying it on my skin after. But the first note on application isn't rose -- it's pink pepper, and it's elemi. The rose creeps in after on the dry-down, sweetened by the pear present through the entire wear, but never feels too old or too powdery. This scent is spicy, fresh, and perfectly rosy. Glad I tried this one again!

I blind-bought the full size rollerball of this fragrance because it seemed like it would be right up my alley -- primarily spicy, gently sweet, evocative of a chai latte (my favorite). Unfortunately, the sandalwood and cinnamon are so over-prominent from the top that this scent blasts to the back of my throat every time I smell it and ultimately gives me a headache. It never dries down to the point where the spice is rounded and soothed by the sweeter, heavier notes of the vanilla, almond, and musk.