Stinkekatze

For years, I wore Obsession Eau de Parfum as my signature scent. Still, I occasionally strayed from "my" Obsession. With "Ange ou Démon (Eau de Parfum) | Givenchy," the angel and the devil in a bottle. Since the fragrance was not used often and I hadn't owned a bottle for many years, reformulations passed me by. Until recently.

I treated myself to a small bottle of Ange ou Démon Eau de Parfum again. However, upon the first spray, I was met not with the familiar start of sweet, fruity mandarin and spicy, dark thyme, but rather a still opulent and long-lasting, yet sweet floral cream, along with a hint of vanilla-saffron mix and minimal spice in the background. The scent does not change much on my skin either; after a few hours, the vanilla comes out stronger. Would-be oak moss appears minimal, and saffron disappears.

What’s going on? Has it gone bad? Is my nose broken?

A dear perfume friend provided me with a sample from 2006 to help get my nose back in shape. Also, to compare concretely. Scent (according to research production) from 2024 against scent from 2006.

From the scent of contrasts, a floral, even softly powdery women's fragrance has emerged. The battle between mandarin, saffron, and thyme, the noble, bitter oak moss, is gone. Thyme? Hardly perceptible to me. Oak moss? At most faintly detectable in the base.

What remains is the creamy-sweet, friendly face of the angel with fruit and flowers. The loving caress of the lily on my skin while it embraces the orchid, as if to say, "Stinky cat, we are here for you." One word: harmless.

I do not know the reformulation stages over the last 20 years. I have only tested the current version and the original version anew. But for me personally, it is clear: A fragrance that was explicitly defined by the dual theme "Angel versus Devil" has mutated into a friendly, yet contourless floral scent due to (presumably) several regulations.

It is exactly as I wrote in my statement years ago. Back then, the sentence "I am all angel when I wear this" actually referred to my emotional state. But now it can be said clearly: The angel has defeated the devil.

When I stumbled upon the sharing for Fig Lemonade by chance, I was really skeptical. Fig in lemonade? Spontaneously, a limited edition of FuzeTea came to mind that is supposed to contain fig. Spoiler: I don't like it. Trying is smart, so I signed up for the sharing. Spoiler No. 2: Fig Lemonade does not smell like FuzeTea tastes.

The opening gives me pure joy. Fresh, invigorating lemon helps me endure the current heat (BaWü) with less complaining and puts me in a really good mood. The lemonade that gives the fragrance its name is already detectable in the top note. Sweet, fresh, ice-cold lemon lemonade for the nose. From this scent, a new "summer drink" for the cool kids could definitely be created: the Fig Limo Spritz.

Gradually, fig comes into the lemonade. Not creamy fig, not woody, but the green-sweet fruit. Together with the sparkling lemon lemonade, it's a lovely summer combination. At this point, I also have to think of my favorite "Orange Crush (Eau de Parfum) | Fugazzi." Both fragrances convey a similar cheerful, fruity, lively party vibe. However, the Fugazzi has greater longevity and overall feels less synthetic to me.

Because the base of Fig Lemonade becomes woody, similar to the Orange Crush Eau de Parfum, while the fruity part fades more and more. However, it has a distinctly synthetic undertone for me. It smells like a very mild form of Akigalawood & Co. Those who are quickly affected by this type of fragrance notes or who prefer natural scents will definitely notice this synthetic touch more strongly.

The fig lemonade for the skin shines especially in the top note. My entire living room smelled for a while after the little test spray on my arm. After about an hour, however, it retreats significantly before becoming very close to the skin after about 3 hours and completely disappears from my skin after around 5-6 hours.

Fig Lemonade is a lively, cheerful, and sparkling summer fragrance with a lot of "good mood," lemon, and fig with a fruity-woody slightly synthetic base. It would be a purchase option for me if my No. 1 from Fugazzi didn't exist.

A new Greek tavern has opened in our city. My partner and I actually have our "regular Greek place," but a review from our local food influencer caught my attention so much that I wanted to test this new location. Fig Fete accompanied me on this visit.

It was a wonderful evening! Our new tavern is set up on a green rooftop terrace, with blue-painted chairs and tables under trees and large bushes, where one can sit comfortably in the heat and enjoy Greek delicacies.

And Fig Fete fits right in here. It gives me that Greek feeling of lightness, amidst sunshine, ancient history, small coastal villages, and the sound of the sea.

At first, I smell a pleasant freshness of grapefruit, sour, light, and invigorating. Relatively quickly, the fig comes in with lotus, and from that moment on, it becomes really beautiful. The fig tree and the lotus take center stage. Not too sweet or floral, but soft, green, and a bit creamy. In the base, the scent becomes woodier and sharper; the creamy fig fruit has turned into pure fig leaf. The longevity is really good for me, around 7-8 hours. And the scent trail is present but not too strong. Just right.

When I now smell the bottle of "Fig Fete | Pendora Scents," I am back up on the tavern's rooftop terrace. I feel as if I am sitting again under the trees in the shade with a glass of ouzo and my plate of moussaka, while the air around me is filled with the scent of warm leaves and ripe fruits.

When I checked the price, I couldn't believe my eyes. A super cheapie! The price-performance ratio of Fig Fete is really amazing.

I assume that soon "a Greek" will be joining my perfume collection.

In the past, I was not a fan of the "Sì" line from Armani. Too sweet, too fruity, too strong, and above all too youthful: Whether it was the original EdP or the subsequent flankers, we just didn’t match.

Until I received a sample of this beautiful Sì perfume as an addition to a sharing. I often find that I am suspicious of extras, freebies, or "Thank you gifts" (as one perfumer called it), because these additions almost never suit my taste; until now.

In the top note, I smell a delicate powderiness and the spice of saffron. I usually don’t like saffron, but in this fragrance, I really enjoy it. In the heart, it becomes more opulent, spicier, and slightly sweeter. I believe that the sweetness comes from the candied fruits, at least that’s what I imagine. After about 5 hours, the base reaches my skin, the sweetness diminishes, and it becomes slightly earthy, subdued. I don’t smell roses or leather.

Overall, the Sì perfume has shifted for me into a higher age group. I find that all the other Sì EdP and flankers seem very squeaky, very youthful. With this one, I feel comfortable at my twelve and thirty years; I find the scent very noble, mature, and elegant.

Nevertheless, it holds true: If someone very young finds this fragrance great: Go for it!

The perfume is too heavy for my everyday life; I would use it as an evening scent. Personally, I would also find it too heavy in summer temperatures, more suitable for autumn/winter or in cooler degrees also for spring.

The scent lasts a very long time. I applied it in the morning for testing while working from home and could still smell it on my wrist in the evening when going to bed. That was about 15 hours! The scent trail is not enormous, as one is used to with the "Sì" line, but it is noticeable when passing by and afterwards. I prefer it this way rather than the scent coming around the corner and announcing the wearer.

Dear @AccordNoir, thank you for including this sample in your sharing. You have enriched me greatly. I am happy that I can now also say "Sì" with full enthusiasm!

It all started about 3 years ago with a dupe of the famous Tom Ford perfume, which my best friend is still extremely enthusiastic about. This perfume - and the original later on - always felt too marzipan-heavy, gum-like, and sticky for me. I even had a scratchy throat or a feeling of tightness from "Lost Cherry (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford."

But cherry never really let me go. With my registration on this platform, I embarked on a cherry journey. I found many scents that I liked and tested, only a few repelled me. But my number 1 until now has always been "Vicebomb | Simone Andreoli." I had (actually) fallen in love with the extremely liqueur-like Amarena cherry and the smooth, creamy-rosy vanilla, and for me, the search for my cherry was over; only my personal (now broken) 10 bottle rule held me back from purchasing.

It usually turns out differently than you think!

A dear perfumer provided me with a sample of "Tonka Rouge | Maison Tahité." I am generally very open to the brand, as I find "Vanilla² | Maison Tahité," "Cacao in the Sun | Maison Tahité," and others to be beautifully crafted.

Tonka Rouge blew me away: Haribo cherries tumbled out of the sample and landed joyfully grinning on my skin. The cherry in Tonka Rouge is really very, very sweet; but there’s something about it that the others don’t have. And above all: While the Amarena cherry in my ex-favorite from S. Andreoli gradually transforms into a pure vanilla cream with a hint of rose soap, the Haribo cherries stay around me the whole time. Gradually, another creamy, velvety sweetness joins in, which really fits wonderfully with this type of cherry scent. No marzipan, no scratchy throat, just cherry-like, creamy, sweet.

The scent trail is just right. You can't smell me from 100 meters away, but there is a certain presence, and above all, it’s not overpowering, so no one should feel disturbed. The longevity is sufficient and pleasant for me at around 6-7 hours. I think this scent is reserved for the colder season. I also believe this scent is wearable in almost all situations: in leisure time, going out, cuddling under a blanket on the sofa - worn very subtly - I would even take it to work.

And the (warning: pun) cherry on top: after a long time, Tonka Rouge is a perfume that captivates me AND Mr. Stinkekater responds with a nice compliment: "That smells really nice!"

Cherry scent search: THE (happy) END