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Fragrance Reviews

Parfums Retro Grand Cuir Fragrance Review

parfums-retro-grand-cuir
* Starts off with pine, sage, motor oil and a hint of citrus.

* Off the bat, this is a classic and rugged manly scent.  You kind of need chest hair to pull this off.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Ormonde Jayne Woman Fragrance Review

ormonde-jayne-woman-quintessentially-gifts

* Starts off with a brash yet narcotic sweet smell. Syrupy and resinous, with a hint of spices.

* This is a real comfort scent, heavy, but not overbearing.

* The resins stay present and act as a layer- a Christmas tree filled with violets.   A little bit of wood dries it out, but it is still feels vibrant.

* At this point, the scent becomes really close to skin.

* The wood stays in place and is softened by amber for a snuggly base.

Summary:  Wait, Ron, it says Ormonde Jayne Woman, aren’t you afraid that you are going to sprout breasts if you wear this fragrance? The gender thing in fragrances is all marketing and OJ Woman couldn’t be more unisex if it tried. It starts loudly, then calms down to be a really nice comfort scent that would be appropriate for the office. Longevity is about eight hours, so it will get you through the workday. Ormonde Jayne scents aren’t widely distributed in the US – but if you are ever in the London, I strongly recommend your going to their boutique and doing their smell test (or whatever they call it). The sales associate has you smell individual notes to see which you like, then recommends a scent based on your preferences. It’s really quite ingenious.  One note about the boutique, they are stingy with samples – but the smell test makes up for it.   Ormonde Jayne Woman isn’t an earth-shatteringly amazing fragrance, but it’s a great intro to niche and would make a nice gift for just about anyone.

Other opinions:

Eau MG

Kafkaesque

Olfactoria’s Travels

The Candy Perfume Boy

The Non-Blonde

Australian Perfume Junkies

Confessions of a Perfume Nerd

Bois de Jasmin

Perfume Smellin Things


Ormonde Jayne Woman is available from the Ormonde Jayne Website.

Disclaimer: No disclaimer needed as I own a full bottle. Image courtesy of Quintessentially Gifts website.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Jovoy Les Jeux Sont Faits Fragrance Review

* Les Jeus Sont Faits stars off as a mix of smoky wood and dry, sweetened fruits with a hint of balsams.

* The topnote is strong and powerful, dare I say manly?

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Smellbent Bollywood or Bust Fragrance Review

Smellbent Bollywood or Bust* Bollywood or Bust kicks off with a dry rose surrounded by pepper and wood.

* I don’t get the Bollywood theme at all.  To me Bollywood is loud and vibrant colors.  BoB is more mature and refined.

* The rose lightens a bit as the spices come into play.

* Guys shouldn’t be afraid of this rose, it’s not girlie at all.

* The base is all spice and woods.

Summary:  I am impressed again by such a high quality fragrance from Smell Bent at such a reasonable price.  If you are a fan of Le Labo Rose 31 but don’t want to shell out $150, try Bollywood or Bust.   I will go a step further.  Layer Amouage Lyric Man of Creed Spice and Woods and you’ve got the luxury version of BoB.  If you are an a budget and want to smell “expensive,” this is a scent for you.  Longevity of the base is incredible at over 12 hours.

Other opinions:

EauMG
Perfume Smellin Things
Perfume Do Dia

Smell Bent Bollywood or Bust  is available from Indiescents and the Smell Bent website.

Disclaimer:  No disclaimer needed.  I own a full bottle.  Images from Indiescents.com and Smellbent.com