What kind of reviews are helpful?

Lately, I've been feeling something while writing reviews, so let me share it with you. When I read reviews left by others and think, "This might smell good," I try it in the store or buy a decanter, and then I find myself wondering, "...why were the reviews raving about it so much?" Oh,I'm not complaining that your review made me make a useless purchase! Everyone does this for free, as a hobby, so I wouldn't say something so mean.

But, it occurred to me that the reviews I write might not be helpful to anyone either. What do you think a truly helpful review looks like? What exactly do you want to see in a perfume review?
By the way, in order to reduce the number of people who fail at blind buys, I make sure to write down the specific parts that I am dissatisfied with.

I like it when there is a very clear description of the notes somebody is smelling, and the intensity of those notes. But since that can be read in the fragrance pyramid I of course also want them to kind of describe the mood those notes create. Is it soft or sharp? Youthful? Well blended? Is there a hint of something in the background that ground the other aspects, or does it overwhelm everything else? The reviews that usually push me over the edge into trying something new are the least abstract, it's really just "I smelled this note in this intensity, the promised note of this or that is only subtly present" or "A heavy dose of this note and nothing else"

So basically to compare expectations based on bottle/marketing/notes and what actually happened on skin in as much detail as possible. I like flowery language in reviews but find it usually completely unhelpful (even if I indulge in flowery prose myself haha).

Your answer hit the nail on the head, exactly what I wanted you to understand. Thank you.

>So basically, compare expectations based on bottle/marketing/notes and what actually happened on skin in as much detail as possible.
Hmm! I see! I usually encounter perfumes online, partly because I use review sites. But the internet doesn't have a "scent." It's all visual. That means you have to imagine it based on the bottle design, color, marketing, and notes.
So, everyone next turns to reviews. It's helpful to write which scents in the notes were strong, or what scents you actually felt that weren't in the notes.

> I like flowery language in reviews, but find it usually completely unhelpful (even if I indulge in flowery prose myself haha).
Hahaha. Well, sometimes I write like that too.But,I try not to use overly fictional descriptions because it really bothers me. For example, things like "like a unicorn." I've never smelled a unicorn, so I don't know.

Oh...the times I blind bought perfumes based on reviews (or on note-pyramids for that matter)...

Well, I don't do that anymore. Because even 'sweet' can be something that I perceive as 'spicy' or whatever... 'Soapy' can be like shampoo or like an aldehydic fat bar of soap...Same goes for 'clean'...which could be either aquatic or more lotion-like...

Powdery may be either warm or cold, babywhipe-ish or cosmetic...etc. etc.

And notes are all about the blending. I can hate Oakmoss in one perfume and love it in another for instance.

I rather look up the ratings and, after having spend some time over here, I'm beginning to recognize the preferences of people that seem to come close to mine. 

But I do like to read reviews and most of the time, those that describe a certain mood or feeling one gets from a scent, get me interested. 

But never will I blind buy a perfume, based on reviews or pyramids again.

What really bothers me are reviews that tell stories rather than that they describe a perfume.

The reviews I value the most and that I usually write are the ones detailing the sort of evolution and notes compared to the advertised ones and the sort of timeline of wearing the scent. I do like the more prosey-like reviews but when I'm going to buy something I like to read the more objectives ones.

To me a helpful review is something that tells how the fragrance smells like, for example describing the notes or describing what kind of vibes or images the smell is evoking. I also find it helpful if there's some comparison to other fragrances in the same genre so that I can know if it smells similar or different to some other perfumes that I already know. Of course every time I read a review I understand that it's just somebody's personal perception. However I don't find it helpful if someone just says "this is disgusting" or "this is dreamy" or "this smells like my aunt's livingroom". Those things tell nothing about the actual smell to me as I can't know what is "disgusting" or "dreamy" to some other person let alone how their aunt's livingroom could possibly smell like. If they are actually telling why they like or dislike the smell or how their aunt's livingroom smells like, then I do find it helpful.

I find it useful when the reviewer describes what kinds of perfumes they usually like or don't like. "I don't like gourmands, but this one wasn't too overpowering" is helpful to me. Someone who only wears green and fresh fragrances may review a grass (example) note as "fresh" and someone who mostly prefers amber and Tonka may review it as "screechy". 

I would also like to know about the climate the reviewer is in. Do they live in a hot, humid climate? Is their climate similar to mine and could it likely smell different for me? 

The last bit of into I would love to have is about their skin. Do perfumes turn sour, sweet or stay exactly like described on them? 

 

I think one of the most important things you can do in a given review is point out which notes stood out the most. Note pyramids have dozens of notes, most of which you can't smell. Either because there's just too much going on and your nose focuses on one or two stronger scents, or maybe just because the marketing team went overboard and just listed a bunch of notes that are barely detectable because it makes it seem like a more "complex" fragrance (looking at you, Spirit of Dubai).

If a fragrance has 5 notes: rose, vetiver, incense, patchouli, and amber, you cannot really tell what kind of perfume it will be just based on the notes listing. Is it mostly a floral rose-patchouli chypre with the other notes in the background? Or is it a resinous incense-amber with slight floral hints? Does it mainly focus on the earthy notes or is it mainly sweet because of the amber? Is the incense powerful or does it play a bit part? Another thing is that notes themselves can be hugely different from fragrance to fragrance: is the rose jammy/sweet or green and light? Is the "amber" more like ambergris/ambroxan, or a "true" amber of vanilla, benzoin, and labdanum? Does the incense note smell like pure frankincense resin, or is it mixed in with charcoal and smoky notes to give the impression of incense being burned in a censer? The answers to these questions play a huge role as to whether or not someone will enjoy a fragrance, and none of them are answered by a note listing.

The only time I've blind bought perfume after getting into this fragrance hobby is when something is strongly recommended by a fellow reviewer who has tried a lot of different scents, whose reviews I like and trust, and whose tastes overlap somewhat with mine. So far, it hasn't steered me wrong. 

For me, a helpful review is detailed and gives me confidence that this person has actually tried the fragrance at least a few times, in different conditions. It doesn't have to be overly long, but it shouldn't be a statement either. There are some folks on here who've written tons of reviews, but I have to agree with @Ninamariah: a lot of those are written in haste, they lack the detail that matters to me, and they are so boring, like the person just sprayed a whole bunch of stuff, sniffed for a few seconds, then wrote something. Those reviews usually start like "This one is...," "That one smells...," blablabla. The pace at which they pop up, too, 30 per day makes me wonder if this is a bot or just an incredibly dull being. And no, these aren't just folks moving content from other sites: the people who care about fragrance so much to take the time to do that generally don't write such insipid drivel.

I agree with those of you who mentioned the notes that stand out the most and how the perfume evolves in different conditions. Yes, some scents that superficially appear similar based on the pyramid of notes can be entirely different creatures based on the concentration of ingredients and the blend. 

All in all, for me a useful review is written with detail and passion and I generally like to know how much experience that reviewer has.

I like descriptive reviews where they paint a character, showing what kind of person wears the fragrance. But technical details are important, too. Performance, and what fragrance family it belongs to. Is it more gourmand or floral, or an equal mix of both? What notes stand out? I want a good balance of interesting descriptions and the "personality" the scent represents. Is it innocent, dark, or promiscuous? "From the future", or does it smell like a "blast from the past"?

Comparisons with other scents can be tricky. I like them, but sometimes they are way off. For example, if someone is just starting their fragrance journey and has tried 10 perfumes, one of them being La Vie Est Belle, and they notice the sweetness, they might write that all sweet perfumes remind them of La Vie Est Belle, even though the only thing they share is sweetness. I’m always wary of comparisons. And "nose blindness". Because some people are anosmic to entire accords and attack other reviewers personally, claiming they are lying about what they smell. I detest the passive-aggressive reviews bashing other reviews.

I agree about the comparisons: Like every aldehydic perfume is being compared to Chanel No 5; it often doesn't make sense.

Fresh bergamot and grapefruit in the opening, followed by clean cedar and musk. Lasts about 6–8 hours with moderate projection. Great for spring, summer, and the office, but those who prefer sweet gourmand scents may find it too dry.

I really love that you asked this question!

I think what someone wants from a review is going to depend on the kind of information they want out of a review. I like reviews that stay more grounded in what they're smelling as they wear the fragrance, if it smelled different on fabric, how strong they think it is, over reviews that tell a story, if I'm trying to find a specific scent. I don't know what some notes smell like so I'm interested in what people are using to describe a perfume, what they normally like, how long it lasted, if other people smell it on them. as much detail as they noticed. I find I don't have a very refined nose so I may not make note of things other people might which may be helpful to someone else who is new to all this as well.

However sometimes when I look at reviews I am interested in just the range of ways people describe the same smells and then I'm not sure I care as much about detail, this tends to be what I'm looking for if I've smelled or work a fragrance or if I think a perfume is similar to something I've tried.

I think I'm always sharing my opinion because I find a lot of perfumes that don't have many reviews and I think I'm always curious about what other people smell even if we smell completely different things. I love how personal scent can be and I think different reviews help different people. I try to write the review I want to read, and I pay attention to what I like when I read other reviews and to me my reviews are always in flux and I tend to edit them after my initial note because I find I'm able to explain myself a little better.

It's super interesting to see what others actually look for and find helpful in reviews!

For my opinion, A truly helpful fragrance review skips generic marketing praise (smells clean and luxury) and gives the reader concrete details they can actually evaluate.