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Fragrance Reviews

Pinrose Sugar Bandit Fragrance Review

pinrose-sugar-bandit
* Starts with a soft hint of Play-Doh – with a mix of burnt sugar and caramel.

* Actually, that’s not really fair – the “Play-Doh” accord burns off quickly and the caramel gets stronger.

* It gets sweeter as white chocolate and vanilla joins the caramel.

* I find myself wanting to lick myself around this point.

* The sweetness is grounded by creamy sandalwood for a long-lasting base.

Summary: Sugar Bandit is a really fun scent to wear.  It skews very young with the sweet notes, though it reminds me a bit of Guerlain Gourmand Coquin.  It stays present for a long time but it is never too dense or overwhelming – it feels more like a cloud of sweet air around you.  It reads more feminine, but a guy could still pull this off.  If you like sweet gourmands but don’t want to spend a lot of money, Sugar Bandit is worth testing.

Life With a Southern Girl
A Day In the Life of Jennay
Curiosity Found
Sloppy Minimalist

Pinrose Sugar Bandit is available from the Pinrose website

Disclaimer: Samples purchased through Pinrose webite. Image courtesy of Pinrose website.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

People of the Labyrinths  Luctor et Emergo Fragrance Review

the-people-of-the-labyrinths-luctor-et-emergo
* Off the top, I get booze (maybe cognac or rum) sweetened with vanilla.

* It is also creamy and a little rubbery, which might be a floral also in the mix.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Viktoria Minya Hedonist Fragrance Review

viktoria-minya-hedonist
* Bang.  Boozy sweet fruit explodes on the top.

* Apricot and peach infused with rum projects loudly.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Bond I Love NY for Holidays Fragrance Review

bond-no-9-i-love-ny-for-holidays* Fruity kick for the intro with berries, plum, and a sweet citrus.

* The berries stick around and are joined by a melange of florals.

* Just as we say fruit salad for a generic, indistinct jumble of fruit smells – ‘melange of florals’ would be my polite way of saying floral salad.

* The florals last for a couple of hours before fading a bit.

* The base is described as vanilla gelato and sensual musk.  Let’s skip the fancy talk and just say the base is vanilla and amber with a light musk in the mix.

Summary:  I haven’t been that impressed with the recent Bond No 9 fragrances (Parfumista Ave and NY musk) but for some reason the I Love NY scents seem to work better on me (and are at a cheaper price point).  I don’t get the holidays from this scent but that is not necessarily a bad thing – because if it was pine, cinnamon and fruitcake – the scent would be TOO specific to be worn for the holidays.  As it is, it doesn’t stand out from many of the designer fruity floral scents that dominate department store scents, but since it’s at a similar price point, has the iconic I Love NY logo on the bottle, and says “holidays” – it makes an obvious gift for anyone on your holiday list.  The compliment I want to pay it is that it is inoffensive and universal – but that sounds backhanded,  which isn’t my intention.  Longevity is good for an EDP, lasting about 8 hours on my skin before it turns into a subtle skin scent.

Other opinions:

Ca Fleure Bon
Man Loves Cologne
GoodSmellas

Bond I Love NY for the Holidays is available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks 5th Avenue and the Bond No 9 Website.

Disclaimer: Sample provided by department store. Picture courtesy of Sephora.