Sequoia

Unfortunately, the summer vacation is almost over, but I had a great time with my teenager. This year we were in the mountains - and happened to end up in the "Empress" theme again and again.

It all started when our vacation apartment greeted us with a very pleasant scent that I couldn't place at the time. Fresh, fruity-sweet, clean, a little watermelon... In any case, not typically like a cleaning agent, but friendly and feminine.

During a random search for rhubarb fragrances in the evening, I came across "L'Imperatrice". I was surprised because I had actually saved it from the 2000s as uninteresting and had saved it for the next opportunity to test it again.

After various encounters with "Sissi" over the next few days - Romy Schneider Museum at Königssee, Sissi statue in front of Salzburg train station, a tour with my e-scooter "Franzl" (it was already called that before) and planning a tour of the Salzkammergut including Bad Ischgl - I ended up in a perfumery on the last day of my vacation and stood in front of "L'Imperatrice".

As planned, the new test was about to begin. And I was surprised when the Empress turned out to be the twin of the fragrance in our vacation apartment. Fresh, fruity with a hint of rhubarb and a clear watermelon note. Somehow clean, but not soapy. I haven't bought the fragrance yet, but after sniffing the test strip several times in the last week, I couldn't resist. If only for the sake of my personal relaxation ;-)

To be honest, I don't find "L'Imperatrice" imperial. Very pleasant, but rather understated. If Sissi, then fresh and youthful - or on vacation.

I'm now looking forward to a summery fragrance as a belated souvenir - and my next e-scooter ride with Franzl.

With some quite complex (and usually rather expensive) fragrances, I don't really have the words for a suitable review. And so I'm trying for the umpteenth time to describe "Draco" and do it justice.

The dragon came to me this spring as an evening fragrance for a special occasion, initially only as a bottling. It carried me confidently and radiantly through the evening and crept into my heart. Sorry for the kitsch - it's not really my style.

I find "Draco" so complex that I can't identify individual fragrance notes. For me, it starts off citrusy-sweet, then becomes very feminine, warm, sweet, soft, elegant. It is noticeable, but not intrusive, lasts forever - well, at least it can still be detected in clothing even after a few days.

The fragrance is very rounded and harmonious. Perhaps not an aha experience, nothing surprising here. Not necessarily an evening fragrance for me, it can also be worn during the day. I even like it now in summer, as long as it's not the really hot days.

I have now bought "Draco" and kept the beautiful, very heavy bottle with me.

I'm a dragon fan - it has the makings of a new signature.

Even though I keep coming across samples of "Chloé" - somehow I can't get my hands on the fragrance.

I generally like rose fragrances to begin with. There are already very different rose fragrances, and they are just as versatile: sometimes sweet, sometimes ultra-floral, sometimes dark like in a vampire movie.

This one is very ultra-floral, like a bright spring bouquet. The lily of the valley adds a powdery component. This makes the fragrance radiantly clean and unfortunately also soapy.

For me, the fragrance is not fresh at all, hardly sweet. Rather dry as dust like a good sparkling wine. I can still smell it hours later, although the lily of the valley gets on my nerves at some point.

I think "Chloé" is quite nice. It has style and can also pass for an everyday fragrance. However, I've had bad experiences with lily of the valley in an office fragrance (e.g. YSL "Paris") - it's not everyone's cup of tea. Chloé" doesn't suit me, it's too romantic.

"Daisy Wild" got my ticket for the vacations with a quick dip into the sample pot. And it turned out to be wearable, even if it doesn't completely fit my style:

Immediately after spraying it on, this fragrance is exotic-floral, fresh and a little sweet. Unfortunately, the combination seems artificial. "Daisy Wild" does not impose itself, remains friendly. Jasmine is added - clean, not heavy. An indefinable earthy-woody base is initially crushed by the flowers and is also rather fleeting afterwards.

For me, there is nothing wild about the fragrance, perhaps something more exotic like a greenhouse in a botanical garden. It's nice for my taste, but too well-behaved and fleeting.

So for me, this flanker fits into the concept of the Daisy range: so far I've always had the problem with the shelf life, mostly I thought it was cute. I still think the bottles are cute - it's a shame that none of them have found their way to me yet.

At a barbecue party a few years ago, I took along a homemade Moscow Mule in a thermo mug. It was a good idea: after some initial curiosity ("What have you got there? Can I try it?") and a few surprised and disappointed faces ("Uh, that's spicy!"), I had fun watching and then had the rest to myself afterwards.

Well, the ginger spiciness is divisive... I like it. With this cocktail in particular, I think the mix of fresh, tangy, spicy, sweet and alcoholic is great, especially in summer.

I don't know how it got its name, but the surprised, relaxed faces may have triggered the association with a grinning donkey.

The only thing that surprised me about JhaG's Moscow Mule, however, was the lack of association with the cocktail. For me, it's a nice fresh summer fragrance with a strong resemblance to D&G Light Blue.

It starts citrusy and tangy. I only detect the ginger faintly and not at all spicy. But the apple. A bright, radiant jasmine is added - not so much that it is beguiling. The ambroxan mix is a good base for me, which gives the fragrance a dry finish and lingers for a while.

Like most summer fragrances, Moscow Mule is not a hero in terms of sillage and longevity. The fragrance quickly wears off and you have to take the bottle with you to get Moscow Mule through the day.

Due to its proximity to Light Blue, the fragrance is quite mainstream, nothing that stands out or has recognition value. Quite in contrast to the cocktail, which still has what it takes to derail facial features.