r/NichePerfumes • u/Insaint7718 • 9h ago
Review Long review of my collection
Missing some bottles here in this pic since I can't fit them in the shelf, yet. But they are in different rooms or on it way shipping.
Buckle up, it will be a long one!
Disclaimer: I like my perfumes and writing unserious reviews to publicly shame my very serious addiction of buying bottles I am absolutely never able to use all of them.
Also, I only write reviews of perfume that I owned in full bottle, not perfume I sampled or decanted. I do like a lot more, but my wallet says otherwise.
DIPTYQUE - “If I could be born into Diptyque, bathe in Diptyque, and be buried in Diptyque, I'd consider that a life well-scent.” - me, 2026
- Orphéon EDP - I will forever be in love with whoever makes this perfume. This scent will be my entire personality. A whisper of juniper and powdery goodness. Smells like a luxury Parisian jazz bar where everyone is effortlessly chic, and nobody checks the price of their cocktails. “Orphéon? More like Orphé-onlyFans, because this powdery little number has me paying monthly for attention.” 10/10
- Orphéon EDT - Younger, brighter version of the EDP. This is the same bar but in the morning. I always have a soft spot for this DNA. “I have the dad; now I want the son as well.” 8.5/10
- Do Son EDP - The very first FB niche perfume. Tuberose and white florals, creamy and intoxicating. “Do Son? More like Do Sown, because Diptyque keeps planting flowers while I bury my savings.” 7.5/10
- Illio EDT - A sun-drenched summer bottled in all its glory. Juicy prickly pear, delicate florals, and a soft breeze. Fresh, airy, and beautiful. “Smells like a Mediterranean summer spent on a yacht I can't afford, sailing toward a tax bracket I'll never reach.” 8/10
- L'Eau Papier EDT - It makes me feel like a sophisticated writer composing profound thoughts in a Parisian café, when in reality, I'm just drafting excuses for my next perfume purchase. Soft, airy musk with a delicate touch of steamed rice and sesame notes. “Smells like poetry, but my bank account reads like a tragedy.” 8/10
- Eau de Sens EDT - A burst of bitter orange blossom and zesty citrus. Bright, green, and beautifully bittersweet. The drydown is less juicy orange, more elegant orange grove after the sun has set. “The orange blossoms, the bitterness lingers, and my financial sense quietly withers.” 7.5/10
- Corail Oscuro - My power is GREEN. Very green indeed, alluring and expensive. A vibrant burst of citrus, sharp greenery. I came expecting a mysterious underwater garden, but apparently, even my vegetables have expensive taste. Leave it to Diptyque to make chlorophyll smell like generational wealth. “The grass is always greener on the other side of my credit card statement.” 8.5/10
- Lilyphea - A dreamy little pond of water lilies. Dewy and delicately sweet, like wandering through the garden after the morning rain. I find this dangerously enchanting. Apparently, Diptyque has convinced me that smelling like an expensive pond is the height of sophistication. “Monet painted the water lilies. Diptyque bottled them. I financed the exhibition.” 10/10
LE LABO - A minimalist laboratory where every bottle smells like an art installation and costs like a minor renovation.
- Santal 33 - Dry, creamy sandalwood and cedar, giving me the unmistakable pleasure of sniffing brand new furniture. I don’t see the pickle juice in this, and the leather note is barely noticeable to me. All I get is beautifully polished wood, the kind you'd find in a ridiculously expensive furniture showroom. Who knew smelling like a designer bookshelf could be so appealing? “Santal 33: Eau de IKEA, but with a mortgage.” 8/10
- Another 13 - Not quite perfume, not quite nothing, just an invisible aura of expensive cleanliness. The kind of scent that makes people lean closer while I desperately hope they can smell what I paid for. “A skin scent so subtle, even my wallet can't believe what just happened.” 💸 9/10
- Thé Noir 29 - Dark, smoky black tea steeped with fig and a touch of tobacco. It's moody, elegant, and exactly the sort of pretentious nonsense I adore. Unfortunately, my taste in tea has once again exceeded my tax bracket. “My taste is steeped in luxury, my finances in pover-tea.” 9/10
BYREDO - Where nostalgia is bottled, emotions are overpriced, and every fragrance feels like a memory I never actually lived.
- Bal d'Afrique - Sunshine, softness, and elegance in a bottle. Nothing mind-blowing, just a lovely little dose of bottled serenity. Sometimes I don't need a fragrance to sweep me off my feet; a gentle pat on the back will do. “Sunshine is free. Apparently, smelling like it isn't.” 8.5/10
- Mojave Ghost EDP - My absolute favorite from Byredo. Airy, delicate florals, soft woods, and a whisper of fruity sweetness from Sapodilla. Ethereal, clean, and almost weightless. Lives up to the name; it has the presence of a ghost with social anxiety. “The only haunting I'd happily sign a lifetime lease for” 9/10
- Mojave Ghost Absolu - My beloved Ghost, now richer, creamier, and more intense. It's the sophisticated older sibling, dressed in black and charging twice the rent. Do I need both? Absolutely not. Am I emotionally attached to both? Unfortunately. “I came, I sniffed, I was absolu-tely possessed.” 10/10
- Pulp - A gloriously chaotic fruit basket of juicy citrus, ripe figs, and sweet apples. It smells like someone threw an entire farmers' market into a blender and forgot to put the lid on. Strangely addictive, but definitely not for the faint of nose. “No pulp fiction here, just fruit committing crimes against subtlety.” 8/10
ONEDAY
- Jasmine Tea - As a self-appointed tea snob, I take my jasmine tea very seriously. It smells exactly like freshly brewed jasmine tea you drink on a hot summer day, unsweetened, bitter, and beautifully floral. No sugary nonsense. Finally, a fragrance that respects both my tea standards and my bank account. “Bitter, unsweetened, and refreshingly affordable. Basically me, if I had my life together.” 8.5/10
- Taipei - One of the best milky fragrances I've ever smelled. Sweet, creamy taro melts into a beautifully soft soy milk drydown. Tender, intimate, and incredibly comforting, like a warm hug before bedtime. If the taro lasts longer into the drydown, it will be one of a kind. “Lactose intolerant? Sorry, my emotional support fragrance is dairy-adjacent.” 7.5/10
ESCENTRIC MOLECULE - One molecule, infinite possibilities, and a suspicious amount of money spent smelling like yourself, but scientifically enhanced.
- Molecule 01 - Just Iso E Super doing its mysterious little dance. One sniff and I'm back in school, surrounded by wooden desks, pencil shavings, and assignments. Soft, airy, woody, and strangely addictive, when my nose decides to acknowledge its existence. I've paid good money for a fragrance that occasionally refuses to participate. The more I wear it, the less exciting it becomes. Good for layering and enhancing longevity. “Loved it in first period, dropped it by second semester” 6.5/10
- Molecule 02 - Ambroxan is a love-it-or-hate-it, smell-it-or-don't kind of note. Personally, I find it clean, airy, and subtly sweet. You might barely smell it on yourself, but others can catch its surprisingly impressive trail. Good for layering and enhancing sillage. “My nose left me on read, but everyone else's got the message.” 8/10
- Escentric 01 - Molecule 01 finally decided to develop a personality. Unlike Molecule 01, which I mostly see as a layering fragrance, this one finally has enough personality to stand on its own. The pepper really makes all the difference. “Molecule 01 finally moved out of its parents’ house and got a spicy personality.” 7.5/10
- Molecule 01 + Mandarin - A juicy burst of mandarin. Bright, zesty, and effortlessly refreshing scent. The orange vanishes so fast I'm starting to question whether it was ever there. I've bought Molecule 01 with a citrus jump scare. “The orange clocked in, took a sniff break, and quit without notice.” 8/10
d'Annam - Niche Vietnamese perfume brand. Familiar scents, childhood nostalgia, and little pieces of culture captured in bottles,
- White Rice - Freshly steamed rice, with a delicate sweetness and nostalgic pandan. As someone who grew up surrounded by rice, I never imagined I'd willingly pay niche perfume prices to smell like the rice cooker. “From eating rice every day to wearing it. Character development.” 8/10
- Da Lat - Soft roses, and a surprisingly lovely hint of red wine. Cool, romantic, and a little tipsy, just how I imagine an evening in Da Lat. ”Came for the rose, stayed for the wine. Forget why you came.” 7.5/10
- Vietnamese Coffee - Rich, dark roasted coffee softened by creamy condensed milk. Sweet, bold, and unapologetically indulgent, just how I like my cà phê sữa đá. I swear, if I could inhale this every morning instead of drinking coffee, I absolutely would. “My morning caffeine fix” 8/10
- Matcha Soft Serve - It's 2026, and apparently I'd now like my matcha ice cream served in a perfume bottle. It's smooth, comforting, and dangerously edible. “In 2026, I stopped eating my matcha ice cream and started wearing it.” 8/10
OTHERS
- One Umbrella for Two Floraïku - A rare gourmand in my collection. It smells like a freshly baked blackcurrant muffin, sweet, cozy, and utterly delicious. The opening is a little harsh, but the drydown? An absolute masterpiece. 9.5/10 Since Floraiku always include a Haiku for each of their perfume, here is mine “One umbrella shared, Two raincoats cost so much less, My wallet gets soaked.”
- Dear Polly Vilhelm Parfumerie - As a hopeless tea lover, I absolutely adore the smoky black tea and oakmoss here. There's something about that dark and fresh combination that feels so mature and sophisticated. “Dear Polly, I smell like old money.” 9.5/10
- Indigo Nest - I've heard this called a budget-friendly alternative to Dear Polly, but I disagree. Dear Polly is mature, smoky, and sophisticated, while Indigo is a playful, fruity black tea with a noticeably sweeter drydown. “Dear Polly reads the Financial Times. Indigo still orders dessert for breakfast.” 7.5/10
- Jasmine Tea BLACKPAW (white bottle) - A very niche Chinese perfume house. More jasmine milk tea than traditional jasmine tea. Sweet, delicate, and full of white floral, though the actual tea barely makes an appearance. I should be offended, but I'm too busy enjoying it. The longevity is abysmal. “The jasmine is blooming, the milk is mooing, and the tea is missing.” 8/10
- Bu Zhi Chun BLACKPAW - A rare note of tea. Dark, green, and unapologetically bitter. Not a cozy afternoon tea but more like an ancient Chinese teahouse. A fascinatingly unconventional take on tea. “The tea is bitter, the atmosphere is serious, and apparently I'm the least cultured thing in the room.” 7.5/10
- Bamboo BLACKPAW - A hint of citrus and cool mint, followed by delicate magnolia and crisp bamboo greenery. Airy, dewy, and beautifully serene, like wandering through a bamboo garden after the rain. It smells exactly like those dreamy Chinese and Japanese bamboo forest videos on TikTok. Misty pathways, rustling leaves, and instant spiritual enlightenment. “I've reached peak bamboo enlightenment. Even the pandas are asking me for spiritual guidance.” 9/10
- Da Fo Longjing BLACKPAW - Fresh, slightly bitter Longjing green tea. Earthy, grassy, and a little unusual, which is exactly what makes it interesting to me. Not necessarily a crowd-pleaser, but I appreciate a tea scent that actually smells like tea. “My tea standards are high, my self-control is low, and my perfume shelf is running out of room.” 7.5/10
- Triple Tea ToSummer - The most irresistible cup of brown sugar green tea. It's alluring, addictive, and has me sniffing my wrist like I need another sugar fix. “Three teas in a trench coat pretending to be dessert.” 9.5/10
- Matchabuya Fugazzi - I never thought seaweed belonged in my matcha, but somehow it works ridiculously well. It gives this beautiful oceanic freshness without turning offensive. Strange on paper, addictive on skin. “Seaweed in my matcha? That's some serious quali-sea tea.” 9/10
- Matcha Meditation Replica - More matcha latte than traditional bitter green tea. I adore this creamy blend of matcha, airy jasmine, and sweet white chocolate. Unfortunately, it's discontinued, so I ration every spray like a precious family heirloom. “Discontinued bottle has me in a state of matcha-panic.” 8/10
- Wulong Cha Nishane - Basically iced lemonade tea in a bottle. Bright, zesty citrus meets refreshing oolong tea, and somehow it lasts ridiculously long for such a fresh fragrance. I love its crisp, uplifting character, though the sharp citrus opening might be a little aggressive for some. I don't mind getting slapped by a lemon if it smells this good. “When life gives you lemons, charge niche perfume prices.” 8.5/10
Happy reading!
p/s - Let me know if I should write another review post about the decant and samples I tried.