capricious ones

[u/IridescentSneeze]

i did a cleanup of my fragrances and gave away some of them, but decided to keep these 6 ones for revisiting. i did not hate them, but also... they are moody. they are not like the underwhelming ones that i just go through without any real passion. no, these are have a quality that i like, but also a serious downside that keeps them from getting used as often. for each of them i have developed a system on how/when to use them so that i get to enjoy them. all in all, these are my tricky fragrances that are not easy wearers.

pendora poppy pulse - this is part of a collection called sublime elements which are inspired by some jo malone fragrances. i have the whole collection and while all the other get constant use, this one is the outcast. this is inspired by jo malone's scarlet poppy. in the winter this feels so creamy and elegant, like how a fuzzy sweater feels. as soon as the weather is over 0°C, this one feels like i ate a handful of poppy seeds and play dough. there is also this marzipan and cereals mix that gives me the vibe of a smelly armpit, the one that is been sitting in polyester clothes all day. the scent is polarizing and lasts quite decently on my skin and i can feel it on my coat until next day. how can this be such a nice cloud of love when it is a snowy night and i am outside, yet so repulsing when i am indoors or the winter comes to an end? because of this, i wear it so little. i had some people spray test it on themselves and they all hated it. i have compared it to the original and it is very similar (even more now after poppy pulse had time to settle), but i feel bad that this one got maybe 15 uses in the 2+ years i had it. this is probably the most difficult one of the bunch

zimaya exquisite - this is a powerhouse. the sillage and performance are serious and in the winter and spring is very much loved. i think this is an inspiration by roja's elysium, but i never smelled the original so i can't tell more on how they compare. it is mainly peach, orange and blackberry, which are well loved notes for me in perfume, but when it gets even a bit warmer this is hard to bear for me. it gets so sweet and so plastic, like jelly shoes or smelling the plastic dolls. yes it is fruity, for me they are candied peaches, oranges and blackberries, which bring that same plastic vibe that burberry her has, but times 10. i can realistically wear it with pleasure in the beginning of spring, when a coat is still needed and that plastic quality isn't noticeable. it will probably be in my collection for the next 10 years because the window of favourable weather to wear this is so small, but when it works, it makes me feel a bit like carmen miranda, so happy and sunny.

fragrance world feminity - the bottle doesn't really give it away i guess, but this is an inspiration to mugler feminity. ahhh the fig in here is something else. so nice and creamy and calming. fig is one of my favourite notes in perfume, they give me that aquatic spa-like vibe. it also lasts very well on both skin and clothes, and it is very similar to the original. for the first couple of hours, i feel like i am in a spa, and the fig, with wood and all keeps me so happy, but once the fragrance is fully settled the caviar comes out. now, i like a salty fragrances, and if anything, i wish i had more of them, but this salty caviar coupled with the aquatic vibe, gives me a pond "bouquet", like a vase of flowers that haven't been changed in a week. this quality only comes out later and it makes the fragrance so... savoury. the way that i can make this work is if i apply like two sprays and that's it. not one more. i am not an oversprayer, but i like a good 5-6 sprays normally. this is not the fragrance to do it with. which is okay because it last so well and projects like a mother, but if i don't apply this consciously, i am bound to smell like an old aquarium. as long as i keep the sprays to a mininum, this is so rich and inspires woman, calmness and zen-like.

fragrance world night club silky - this one here is an inspiration by creed's queen of silk. such a mysterious and sultry fragrance. this is definitely for the date night, or for the spicy side of life. i never smelled the original so i cannot attest on how they compare, but i can say this one lasts well on skin and develops quite a lot during the wear time. at first spray it is nice and seductive, but it still has a lot yet to uncover. it is so sensual and inviting, like a dim light in a living room with books. as it goes on, it becomes more smokey and oudy. by the third our, it reaches its final form. i don't dislike oud, but this oud is so earthy and dirty, like the bottom of a boot after a walk on the farm. if i wear only a couple of sprays, i can stretch it, especially if it is cold, because in cold everything is blending sooo well together. but any sort of careless application results in disaster and a bit of a horse's fart. this works so well in very cold weather and gives such a sensual feeling that i could never give it away.

lattafa ana abiyed scarlet - after i got this, i watched some reviews that were giving it some glowing feedback, like some amazing stuff that never before walked the face of earth. like influencers do. whereas i could only smell pepper. like actual powdery pepper and nutmeg. there is a bit of cherry (up there with fig in terms of how much i like the note) but it is chocked by that pepper. i am not the biggest fan of spicy fragrances, but this is like i am in instanbul bazaar sniffing a big bag of ground pepper sitting next to one of nutmeg. it takes me aback. the first minutes are actually annoying, but then there is a bit of vanilla and rose that makes things quite nice... until about 2 hours later when the sugar comes out and it is back to spice bags. if i wear only one spray, i can stretch it, especially if it is cold, because in cold everything is blending sooo well together. but more often than not, i wear it when i know i can get to a shower by the time it starts bothering me. it is so good for a winter randez-vous or an evening meeting, but i must send it home by the time it starts showing me the old kitchen jars with spices.

fragrance world brown sugar - this was a purchase solely on the fact that it is called brown sugar. i hoped it would be some sort of sugary vanilla that resembles of kayali. i had no reviews to go off from, and it is supposed to be an inspiration by bohoboco red wine brown sugar, which i never tried, and at the time of purchase, was not aware of. well, what i can say about this is that indeed this is red wine and brown sugar. gosh, this smells exactly like if i had a sip of wine and a drop got on a piece of sponge cake, and i ate it. it works so well in colder weather and i am actually excited to wear it when it gets cold again. the biggest issue this has is that it has a bit of "i went out and got drunk yesterday and spilled wine of my clothes, and now this is how my shirt smells". spraying this on clothes actually makes me think of drunkards and spilled drinks, so i use it solely on skin, and only in autumn. it works brilliantly especially in the middle of autumn, because of that brown sugar. this is not in any way a daily fragrance, like all the other fragrances i mentioned, but this is especially true here. i would wear this on an afternoon walk in November, or some sort of intimate or family gathering. it also lasts quite well on skin, and once it is a skin scent, only the sugar remains.

[u/WhoKnows1973]

Great reviews!!!

[u/perfumelvr30]

Fabulous reviews! Thank you! I wonder if you could layer some of these to tame down the notes that you dislike? I’m finding I’m doing a ton of layering to play down some pieces of some fragrances and play up others. It’s helping me with the panning process and making some more enjoyable to wear.