Tamagucci

Normally, I steer clear of comments about my hate fragrances. I struggled for a long time before I finally decided to write this comment, because I can't say anything good about this scent. Sorry, sorry, sorry to the lovers of this fragrance. I know, for every scent there is the right wearer who truly makes it smell good. Unfortunately, I haven't found such a wearer in this case yet. I just find the stuff terrible. However, since it is quite popular and still on the market after so many years (unlike many other, better fragrances), I give it a new chance every few years. I always thought maybe I wasn't ready for this scent yet. But now I am 45 years old and feel like I am still about 300 years too young for it.

Ultimately, I was able to muster the courage to write this comment after reading Turandot's comment. Turandot wrote: "Heavy, sweet, loud, old-fashioned. Admittedly, this scent is more suitable for older ladies, like me, but why does it have to be old-fashioned?? Does a fragrance get negative points just because it’s not for young girls??"
The answer is quite clear, dear Turandot: NO!
In fact, a fragrance gets negative points from me primarily when it is only for young girls.

There are so many fragrances that are actually only for older wearers, and I love almost all of them. They are even the scents I cherish the most. Even if they don't quite fit me yet - they are a reason to look forward to getting older. Especially Turandot's collection is like the holy grail for me, which I still need to earn with a bit more life experience.

But back to No. 4:
Why do I find it terribly old-fashioned? No, not because it is more suitable for older ladies. Absolutely not. I find it old-fashioned because I associate it with a time when people powdered their faces white and shoved a wooden stick under their lavish wigs to scratch their eternally unwashed scalps underneath. Hygiene was generally considered overrated at that time. People didn't wash, they powdered and perfumed themselves. The motto was scratching instead of washing. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately), I don't really know how people smelled back then under their towering wigs and pompous robes. But when I smell No. 4, I can easily imagine that they perfumed themselves with it. Above all, it would have been strong enough to cover up the odors that were in the air at that time.

Still, I give this fragrance 40%. No. 4 is a high-quality and balanced perfume. I just find the scent a bit too medieval. I will certainly give it more chances. One in 5 years, the next in 10..... but I have little hope that I will ever like the scent. Neither on me nor on anyone else. The last time I tested it was 2 weeks ago before we met friends at the Christmas market. I thought the Christmas market would be a good opportunity for such a heavy scent. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Our friends were horrified because I "smelled like pestilence," and my husband wanted to kick me out at night because this (direct quote) "medieval stench" wouldn't go away even after showering.

I apologize once again to the lovers of this fragrance. I still hope to meet one of them on whom No. 4 smells good. I don't understand it myself. According to the fragrance pyramid, No. 4 should fit my preferences perfectly. But with this scent, I just don't get it anymore. Above all, I don't understand why this perfume still exists while my beloved Woman Two was taken off the market.
Woman Two was also a bit old-fashioned. Or let's say - it was more for older ladies. But it was my first real perfume. I was 14 years old and I loved it. And so did my sniffing entourage hanging around my neck. Sob....

There is no "too young" or "too old" for this or that perfume. There is only "fits" or "doesn't fit."

Then I will take pity and write the first comment. I'm not very good at picking out individual components, but I always come up with plenty of other associations. I hope you can make something of it.

At first, it smells like a cozy winter fragrance. It reminds me a bit of Casmir by Chopard. No, it actually reminds me very strongly of Casmir. However, it's not quite as heavy and very, very close to the skin. In the heart note, something comes in that reminds me of burnt plastic. Frankincense and pepper knock each other out. Once we reach the base, it smells like Si Lolita by L. Lempicka. You could already read the comparison to peppered cola there. And that's exactly what I smell now. Both fragrances remind me a bit of the good old "KL" by Lagerfeld, only KL was much more pleasant, rounder, and less scratchy.

What remains on my skin is a lot of pepper, a hint of bubblegum, cola, and still that burnt note.

The fragrance is certainly not bad. But it's not really good either. For a cozy scent, it's too scratchy and peppery. The sillage is limited, and the scent feels a bit flat. It's definitely not worth the high price.

I know this comment is a bit chaotic. But I also perceive this fragrance as quite chaotic. It confuses me somehow. On one hand, a lot of it fits my preferences, on the other hand, it's not rounded enough. The scent wants so much to be warm and soft. However, it comes across as rather cold and heartless.

What a shame, with a little finesse it could have worked out.

Take:

1 toothbrush cup that smells very, very strongly of plastic (probably available at the 1-Euro store), fill it with warm water (so the plastic fumes really come to life), add a few drops of Odol and garnish it all with a tiny spritz of the good old Jil Sander - Woman III (which was still available everywhere two weeks ago. I don't know where it suddenly went...). And now: gargle vigorously. Okay, the bad breath isn't completely gone and there's a hint of "Eau de Keller" added, but what is now wafting from my mouth smells exactly like the new Woman III. Well, look at that - saved some money again!

Actually, I wanted to say more. But somehow I'm at a loss for words.....


Okay, okay - a little addendum:
The top note smells exactly like the original Woman III. However, it dissipates after just 15 minutes. What comes after that is this strange mixture I described above. A hint of Woman III, a hint of cellar, a hint of toothpaste. But only very, very faintly perceptible. The drydown reminds me a bit of Salvador Dali. But only for a few minutes. What remains smells like a rather nice aftershave. It's not bad. But also not good. And above all, hardly noticeable.
Conclusion: Lid on - toss in the bin - lid closed - forget.

I am a bottle sniffer. Yes, I know I shouldn't do that. But I just can't help it. So when Signorina came my way, I have to say - what I smelled from the bottle somehow appealed to me. So warm, so familiar, so exactly my thing, so familiar, so familiar..... So I sprayed it on.

I will now make the greatest effort to describe this scent to you in the most precise, exact, correct, and detailed way:

It smells like Flowerbomb

- End of comment -

Okay, a little addendum:
In the farthest corner hides half a drop of fresh floral notes, but it doesn't dare to come out because it is mercilessly crushed by Flowerbomb. The base is quickly reached and completely collapses in on itself. The fresh floral note dares to take a small step out of its hiding place, but now it has to fight against some undefinable, sour-musty mishmash and gives up.

Dear Signorina, you really pleased me for a moment. You come across so warm and caressing, yet in the end, you're just a brat. But it wouldn't have worked out between us anyway, because first of all, I already have Flowerbomb, secondly, you lack perseverance, and thirdly, summer is just around the corner and I want something completely different then. Take care, Signorina. I wish you much luck and success on your further journey!

Since no one has shown mercy before me, I will write a comment so you know how this scent tastes....uh, smells.

Unfortunately, this comment won't be very detailed. It's been a few years since I tested this fragrance, so I can only describe the overall impression.

Lea is a classic almond scent. While, for example, Heliotrope by Etro smells like pure marzipan, Lea has a strong alcoholic note. It smells like Amaretto. With a slight bitter almond note. I love Amaretto. Still, I couldn't bring myself to buy this perfume. Unlike many other almond and vanilla scents, it doesn't blend nicely with the skin. Warm and soft it is not. Just Amaretto.

As far as I remember, the sillage is quite decent. And the longevity too. All in all, a delicious scent. But I would actually prefer to drink it rather than spray it on myself. What if I end up in an alcohol test?

Cheers!

PS. Oh yes - and the bottle is just boring. It looks a bit like those countless imitation fragrances à la Liguma. Totally unspectacular and not even understated.