Tiffany & Co fragrance

 Everyone knows what Tiffany is what and what they sell-expensive jewelry, home goods and yes, fragrances which is what I usually get because their jewelry is not something I am interested in. 

I used to wear their original Tiffany scent in the late 90s, my friend used to wear it and she got me on it as well. Those who remember-it was a rich floral, typical of the 80s era, very potent, spicy, and powerful.  It still popular as OG classic although it is hard to find nowdays.

However, it was discontinued, as it seems to happen to most fragrances sooner or later. In 2003 they added short lived Pure Tiffany -fresh white floral which in short time found it's way to Bermuda Triangle of fragrance world, never to be seen again. 

And it wasn't until 2017 that they finally came out with Tiffany & Co fragrance. (we can't say that names were particularly imaginative. I mean how many times can you reference word Tiffany in a name, can we have something more creative?) Going with classic simple aesthetic, they once again created fresh floral but this one had more of a uniqueness to it. 

Notes from Fragrantica:

Mandarin orange, bergamot and lemon

Iris, rose, black currant and peach

Musk and patchouili

Personally I am not a huge fan of fresh florals but I really like this. I am starting to think that iris is one note that I really enjoy in the florals. I don't get much of citrus, I think it's barely there. But I do get plenty of patchouli and musk. In my opinion, patchouli is what makes this scent. Without it, it would be another insipid creation. It also adds lasting power as lot of fresh florals don't last long. Tiffany & Co does last for at least 4 hours and I can actually smell it on myself, a major point in it's favor. Bottle is gorgeous(of course, it's Tiffany so why wouldn't it be, right?). 

I think on the scale of 1 to 5, I will give it a solid 4 overall. I find it unique in a sea of nondescript  florals that everyone is putting out. Projection is several feet if you give it good 4-5 sprays, although even with 1 spray on my hand I got whiffs of it every time I moved my hand close to my face. 

So projection is also a 4 in my book. 

If you want a fragrance it compare it to-Romance by Ralph Lauren. For some reason I found patchouli to be lot less bearable in that one, although after trying Tiffany, I want to revisit Romance. While notes are not exactly the same, it does have some similarities and both have musk and patchouli in the base.  

Tiffany & Co currently is in most department stores, starting with $80 for 1.7 oz bottle. 

So should you get Tiffany & Co? If you would like a fresh floral that's not common or boring, if you want nice everyday scent for summer, if you would like an office appropriate fragrance -then give this a try. And even if florals are not something you usually like, I still recommend trying it because it's unique enough to catch your attention. 

Because I follow a fragrance vlogger who mentioned Tiffany & Co Intense, I am now going to sample that one as well and will report back. She mentioned that it reminded her of powdery version of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood which was enough to make me want to sniff it in a worst way possible. So review on that one coming as well very soon:)

Bitter Peach by Tom Ford and New York Nights Bond No 9

Bitter Peach by Tom Ford 

You can't get away from hearing about Tom Ford scents especially if you are a fragrance fan and it seems like every scent that he puts out, gets overhyped to the max. I asked in my local Nordstrom's if they had Bitter Peach because I been hearing about it from literally every fragrance vlogger. She told me they got it last week and it was already sold out. Good grief, are people drinking the stuff? She had the tester so I was able to sample it. Since I heard it was all about peach and I LOVE scents with peach notes, I figured it was a sure winner for me since I tried number of Tom Ford scents by now and most failed to impress me. 

Notes from Fragrantica: peach, blood orange, cardamom, heliotrope, rum, cognac, davana, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, cashmeran, tonka bean, vanilla, labdanum, styrax, benzoin and vetiver.

Well, it doesn't smell like what I expected, not even close. There ARE peach notes in the opening but it's more of a "drunken" peach that had too much rum and fell into the bunches of flowers and spices to sleep off the hangover. Basically a peach alcoholic drink, with spice. It IS sweet so it you don't like sweet fragrances, don't even bother.  I sprayed it on my wrist in the store, and 2 hours later it was gone. I just resprayed it from my sample because I wanted to see how lasting power is but I am not holding my breath. I guess the jury is still out whether I will actually like it-right now I am on the fence. Although for me personally, its not worth $350 price tag.

New York Nights Bond No.9

My local Bloomingdales has a huge selection of scents so if I shop in regular retailer, thats the place I will usually go. And it seems like the closest place to me that sells Bond.  Out of all niche brands I prefer Bond and Mancera because those have unique fragrances with good lasting power(generally speaking). I bought Gold Coast recently because I just fell in love with it(more on that later) and I didn't intend to buy anything but wanted to see if they had anything else I may like for later. SA suggested New York Nights when I told her I like sweet fragrances as a rule. I loved it at first sniff. Before we go into description, notes according to Fragrantica as follow:

Gardenia, jasmine, carnation

Patchouli, sea notes, sandalwood

Caramel, coffee.

I would have never guessed there was gardenia in this because my nose is usually finely tuned to it and I couldn't smell it for the life of me. It's smells sweet and creamy which I guess is where all the white flowers went and fresh, most likely fresh note is from sea notes. Most Bond fragrances marketed as unisex but I don't see it on a man, to me its way too feminine but whatever rocks your boat. Lasting power has been pretty decent. I sprayed once in the store and it's still lingering on my hand 3 hours later with one very light spray. Love that! I think this one is going on my "want" list. Right now it retails for $260 at Bloomingdales for 1.7 oz

NEW FRAGRANT OFFERINGS FROM VICTORIA SECRET

Victoria Secret has several new fragrances this fall.  I have to say that their body mist and lotion collection rotate in and out so quickly that you can blink and you will miss it. They still carry their classics like Love Spell and Pure Seduction as well as Amber Romance and Coconut Passion but the rest changes at the drop of a hat.

As far as their fragrance collection, I seen so many Bombshell flankers when I went in to VS the other day, that it was ridiculous. Bombshell is their best seller and I can see why-its very fresh crisp floral that actually reminds me of Bright Crystal by Versace. Suitable for all ages and always appropriate. Generally their flankers still retain Bombshell DNA but have some minute differences.

They have one new flanker which stood out to me more than the rest, called Bombshell Gold. According to Fragrantica site, notes are as follow: litchi, vanilla, peony, sugar and wood notes. This actually smells NOTHING like the original for a change which I was happy to see. It's warm sweet light floral oriental. 

Few months ago, VS had lotion and body spray called Gold Struck which smells IDENTICAL and I mean IDENTICAL to new Bombshell Gold-sweet citrusy, slightly fruity vanilla scent. I haven't seen it in stores so they probably done away with it as they do with most of their scents. I couldn't resist and picked up Bombshell Gold Fine Fragrance Mist because they are having 2 for $25 sale. Lasting power is meh as usual. If you like sweet citrusy vanilla go no further.  And of course packaging is always top notch. I think their edt has gone up in price because right now it is $57 dollars for 1.7 oz -close to department store price. If you like a flanker, and don't want to shell out your coins for full price, I highly recommend waiting several months because they will go on sale before being axed out.

Another notable mention is Bombshell Seduction -they changed the color of the bottle but otherwise its a same scent. Note from Fragrantica: sage, tuberose, musk. VS site also mentions white peony. This scent stood out a bit from the rest because its very fresh and clean. It still retains Bombshell DNA but I think tuberose makes a difference. I actually like it a lot and wish lasting power wasn't so poor. I also prefer the new lighter peach color bottle as it compliments the scent. However, I do not see anything remotely "seductive " here.  It is a great everyday scent.

Gucci Guilty Absolute for men(new) and Cabotine Gold

Gucci Guilty Absolute

Notes-leather, patchouli, cypress, woods and vetiver.

When I was in Sephora, I actually seen two guys smell it, wrinkle their noses and put it right back. One guy even went as far as exclaim "Damn, this is bad!"
so of course I had to smell it for myself. I can see why this doesn't appeal to some(or many) people-it smells like old leather. No, really. Old cedar box and old leather. You can picture both of those things and all is missing is the horse, and a cowboy hat(at least those are the images I get from this).
I wouldn't like it on a man(that's just from my female point of view) but if someone wants to smell like old tooled boots and wood, its a free country.

Rating-1(on 1 to 5 scale)

Cabotine Gold by Gres

Notes: Orange, pink pepper, melon(I am sorry but I can't smell any of those other hint of citrus in the beginning)
Jasmin, tiare flower(none of that I can smell either) and peony
Patchouli, vetiver and amber.

Cabotine Gold is a flanker of "regular" Cabotine and its not a new fragrance(its been around since 2010). However, I didn't sample it until yesterday even though I seen it sold numerous times at CVS drugstores. I checked Fragrantica for reviews and I was intrigued by those who claimed it resembled Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle.
Upon actually smelling it, I would agree that it does bear resemblance to Coco M but Coco M is much heavier overall and more intense on patchouli. Cabotine Gold is very light, golden smelling and sparkling. Kind of like champagne. It has very light citrusy note and then it unveils the golden sunny floral which is light and unoffensive.  I really like it but lasting power is zilch. I can spray it all over myself and its barely there. It lays VERY close to the skin.

I will say that its actually closer to Chanel's Chance if anything. Also, Perry Ellis Love is another one that is rather similar except Love is "drier" and more "Astringent" .

Rating-3.5. I would happily give it higher rating if it actually projected and lasted longer

Guess 1981 -new spring fragrance

I own another perfume from Guess and in my opinion their fragrances not half bad. So when I heard they had new one, I decided to check it out on my recent visit to Guess store.

Not sure why its called Guess 1981-is it supposed to be a throwback to 1981? Not sure what is the deal with the name but its the scent itself that matters, right?

I love Fragrantica site because I can usually find notes for most perfumes on there and so here are notes for Guess 1981
ambrette seed, violet
pear, jasmine, sandalwood
cedarwood, musk and amber

Best way to describe it is woodsy floral-it opens up crisply, with tart smelling violet, but middle notes mellow out into much sweeter floral which doesn't wait too long to hit you with the woods.  Its nice.
I wouldn't say its anything earth shattering but I like it. I doubt it is something I will purchase but the ladies who enjoy woodsy florals that are fairly light, may like this. Bottle is a bit too plain and boring for my taste but different strokes for different folks. It can be purchased online or in Guess store for $52 for 1.7 oz

Bath and Body Works new April offerings

Bath and Body Works has four new fragrances out which are available in store and on their website. I have to say that its been a while since BBW impressed me and those fragrances don’t break that mold.

Somehow, it supposed to have “French feel” to it although I still yet have to see what exactly is “French” about any of those.

So we have:

1)     Bonjour Paris-notes of Inspired by macarons at a Paris café

Notes: pink sugarcane, whipped marshmallow, candied orange blossom, white honeysuckle, fluffy amber.

To be honest, it doesn’t smell like macarons. I get fairly basic vanilla with hint of floral scent. Meh.

2)     La Fleur-Notes-waterlily, tulips, freesia blossom, mandarin, sandalwood. This was fairly basic green floral that’s not different from thousand others.

3)     French Rivera-Notes-seaside citrus(not sure what that means-citrus eaten by seaside? Got me), jasmine water, amber musk, summer fig, driftwood. This one reminded me of BBW scent they used to have, I think it was called Dancing Waters? Very clean, fresh scent. Nothing too unique but if you like clean fresh fragrances, this maybe up your alley.

4)     Rose Champagne-Notes-clementine, bergamot, apple blossom, pink pepper, blond woods. I don’t know why its called “champagne” since nothing about it reminds me of champagne. Its kind of citrusy, “sparkling” scent, with bit of woods in the drydown. To me, it was very “eh, nothing interesting”.

I kind of feel like all four scents are VERY basic and generic. Not that BBW have not done it before but this is just more of the same.

Notable mention from Bath and Body Works-At The Beach

Its been a long time since I posted but I am back:)
I always been fan of Bath and Body Works but there has not been too many interesting fragrance that they put out in those last few years.
Right before the summer, they always come out with some coconut themed fragrances and this year is no different. However, in my opinion, this year selection smells just like same ol thing, they do every year. Except for "At the Beach"-it smells like coconut but not sickly sweet kind. This is tropical floral, ocean and green leaves. And light coconut.
Notes from BBW:


Top Notes: Palm Leaves, Coconut Water, Bergamot Splash

Mid Notes: Jasmine Petals, Fragipani, Coconut Chips

Dry Notes: Salty Amber, White Musk, Raw Sugar Cane

This is lighter and more floral than usual coconut offerings so I fell in love with it on the spot. Now, they have several items in their collection like the usual body lotion, shower gel etc but also, they had small perfume sprays for $6 bucks which is what I eagerly snagged. I am not a fan of their body sprays because its a waste of money in my opinion.
But this fragrance I am loving. Spray "At the beach" and you will be instantly transported to the beach;)

Another one that I really loved was from their "Tutti Dolce" collection- "Golden Honey Praline"
if you want to smell like you are sitting in the cake, go no further than this scent.
Notes from BBW:

Top Notes: Pear Blossom, Hazelnut

Mid Notes: Salted Caramel, Cashew Milk, Sheer Jasmine

Dry Notes: Tonka Bean, Whipped Honey, Praline Musk

Those two are really nice but the rest is kind of boring in my opinion. Of course, if you like one of the other fragrances, more power to you but I find these two to be better than average. Happy shopping!