Tubereuse Imperiale: Not Just Tuberose Yet It Is a Tuberose Forward Frag

Tubereuse Imperiale by BDK Parfums
Amber
Cécile Matton

A bourgeois white floral-tuberose fragrance. If you love tuberose, you are going to enjoy Tubereuse Imperiale. It is definitely a great one among tuberose fragrances.

Tuberose has other floral competitors in this perfume like ylang-ylang, jasmine and iris; nevertheless, due to its heady and opulent quality, it is still the dominant of the composition. Right after a traditional rose, tuberose is the modern queen of flowers in perfumery.

Together with other white florals like gardenia and jasmine, tuberose can get pretty polarising. The scent is so distinctive that you are either a “ride or die” fan or you hate it. I went through different phases of tuberose myself. Firstly, I did not pay attention to tuberose. When I was not into perfumes, I wore J’Adore by Dior and there is a tuberose and jasmine combo together with fruity notes, and I like it. I did not know how tuberose smells.

Later in 2015, I got more into perfume and I became a white floral lover. I liked the opulence and I reached for fragrances like Mon Jasmin Noir by Bvlgari, Jour d’Hermes, the original Michael Kors, White Patchouli by Tom Ford or 5th Avenue by Elizabeth Arden. Some of them I still like dearly. Then, in 2020, I enjoyed user-friendly tuberoses like My Way by Giorgio Armani or L’Interdit by Givenchy. However, recently, I trained my nose and a tuberose smell became something detectable, and predictable hence I must say I do not wear tuberose-forward fragrances unless I am testing them and this impacts my rating. If I were on a tuberose kick right now, the score would be higher. I am sorry, perfumes are subjective.

With that being said I still think that tuberose is a bright tropical creamy floral that can work for many men and women. Plus, Tubereuse Imperiale has vanilla and benzoin that sweeten the mixture and incense that adds a little bit of darkness and smokiness, and of course, all the other florals in a stunning blend.

Gris Charnel Extrait: A Captivating City by Night

Gris Charnel Extrait by BDK Parfums
Woody Spicy
Mathilde Bijaoui

Another experience with David Benedek! Gris Charnel Extrait and so as its predecessor Gris Charnel, explore Parisian sensuality. Whatever it means to be sensual in Paris by night, you will find it in Gris Charnel Extrait.

I am loving the cardamom that adds a gentle spiciness while fig brings a bit of a tangy kick to the combo. The base has rich and warm accords like sandalwood, vanilla, cedar and tonka. It is comforting, lux and sensual.

Let me picture you the scenario when I wore Gris Charnel Extrait and it came out beautifully. I went for dinner with my bestie, it was a freezing winter night. I know that she likes unisex slash masculine scents on women and that she has a thing for strong fragrances in general hence I was not afraid to put on such a powerhouse as Gris Charnel Extrait is. She could smell it, she complimented me right away and wanted to know the name of the fragrance. We could smell it the entire night, it did not have problems with the cold air. It is definitely something that you will not come across often. It is a perfume for someone who is into aromas and knows what to do with them.

Chris Charnel Extrait is a cold-climate night-time perfume for me the same way as for example Myrrh & Tonka by Jo Malone; therefore, I am giving it points down. There is a time and place for this; otherwise, it would be 10/10.

The Scent Of Peace: Tangy Glacé Musk

The Scent Of Peace by Bond No 9
Floral Woody Musk
Michel Almairac

Tangy grapefruit and black currant together with a tiny bit of green floral are balanced with soft musk and a hint of cedar wood. When mixed all together, we get the famous dove-like scent of peace represented by the United Nations.

It is a subtle fruity musk. Sweet innocent. Not sweet seductive that we have in Narciso Musc Noir. It is pretty good. I can see a teenage girl wearing this to high school. Her parents are well-off, she is living in a nice neighbourhood, is educated and well-behaved. A good girl that has a style and knows what is appropriate for her age. The Scent of Peace is the cherry on the cake.

As for myself, I would not buy a full bottle. Although I enjoy fruity musks, this is way too peaceful for me, especially for the price.

London Burberry: The Innocent and Bright Side

London by Burberry
Floral
Dominique Ropion and Jean-Marc Chaillan

This fragrance from 2006 is supposed to represent a lovely spring or summer day in London. Not the typical rainy day indeed. I lived two and half-hour drive from London and this pretty sweet floral represents the rare sunny days in the city well.

As oddly as it sounds I smell mimosa, I almost get Rose Alexandrie by Armani Privé vibes. Yet, there is no mimosa listed but the sweetness is in all probability coming from honeysuckle and peony. It is a white floral but not as indolic or bubbly gummy as some white flowers can be. I think it is a classic rounded scent that is still relevant today if you are into feminine sweet florals.

The lasting power and projection are not bad at all, and price-wise it is a steal of a deal. It can also make a good present for a lady of any age.

Chloé Naturelle: Fragranced Harry Houdini

Chloé Eau de Parfum Naturelle by Chloé
Floral
Michel Almairac

Chloé has a specific signature-worthy DNA – dewy soapy rose with a litchi and cedar background. It is good for lasting and sells well worldwide although recently they experience a bit of a backlash. The fragrance and all its flankers were so popular that its chromosome almost lost its charm. It is the Nomade line that stole the show.

Anyway, I wore the original Chloé EDP from 2008 a ton. In 2021 they brought out Naturelle to bring back the former glory of Chloé. Was it worth it? Let me elaborate on that. The scent is pleasant, organic roses with green nuances still a little bit soapy. A nice fresh spring rose for any age. A walk in the park. Easy no-brainer.

As much as it is a feasible grab-and-go kind of perfume, it is also an escape master. After literally 30 minutes the scent is gone. Boom! Out of nowhere! Like Houdini! I happily went through my sample, I had a good time but I am about to move forward. Thank you but next!

Sì Passione: A Safe Shampoo Scent for Any Situation

Sì Passione by Giorgio Armani
Floral Fruity
Christine Nagel, Julie Masse

Christine Nagel is the perfumer of the original super-popular Si from 2013. On Si Passione, she worked with Julie Masse, the creator of the great flanker Si Intense 2021. When these two talented ladies come together, you would expect a bomb, a perfume so fantastic to knock your socks off. However, Si Passione is more sort of an anti-climax!

Si Passione is, I hate to say it, a weak indifferent fruity fragrance that lacks the sultry woody body that we associate with Si fragrances. I do not see Si Passione as the sexier sister with bold red lips. Instead, it is a younger, carefree and innocent sibling.

If you like silky fruity vanilla, you are going to enjoy it though. It has its creaminess from black currant and heliotrope. The creaminess or milkiness if you want is a nice aspect of the scent, thumps up for that.

Si Passione is suitable to wear every day. It is neither strong nor seductive so you can pull it off at work as well. It is not the type of fragrance you apply in the morning and can rely on it to last all day long. It is sweet and feminine but the silkiness balances it off; therefore, formal occasions are not out of question. The best scenario to wear Si Passione is brunch with girlfriends, clothes shopping, or any hanging out with friends type of pastime. At the end of the day, why not?!

Bouquet de Hongrie: All Ballerinas Should Wear This

Bouquet de Hongrie by BDK Parfums
Floral
Serge Majoullier

The founder of BDK Parfums is only 32-year-old David Benedek, a Parisian of Romanian heritage. BDK is a family business, all its perfumes are authentic and real, tied to a particular moment from the past. While some perfumes are connected to the vibrant magic of Paris, others go back in time, to memories of David’s childhood. The price of the perfumes is niche; but luckily, on the lower side of the spectrum.

To me, Bouquet de Hongrie is a floral-musk scent. There are some bright fruits in the opening but they do not stay long. The fragrance soon settles to a rosy, jasminy heart combined with a soft musky undertone. She is a gentle romantic lady. I even imagine a beautiful ballerina. I like the scent. I see a breezy spring morning, a green park with pink flowers. Then I picture this happy couple, a soft-spoken lady with long brown hair blowing in the wind and a gentleman with a smile on his face and red cheeks. It is still chilly outside. They are relaxed, walking towards you and talking about something light and funny. You get a whiff of her perfume when she passes by. It is these soft musky flowers, powdery and pleasant … Bouquet de Hongrie. Spring is slowly but tenaciously approaching.

Yes, you got me on this. The jam is very similar to Chance Eau Tendre by Chanel. Rose, jasmine and musk. Exactly the same style. Nevertheless, Bouquet de Hongrie is less citrusy; but most importantly, has a better performance when it comes to both projection and longevity. So, if you are undecided and do not know which one to pick, go for BDK.

Pricewise, it is almost identical and you are going to get more from Bouquet de Hongrie. On top of that, it is always good to support an independent perfumer rather than a big established brand.

As far as my personal taste goes, this note profile is not my vibe. I acknowledge Eau Tendre and Bouquet de Hongrie as good floral musks but I would not buy a full bottle for myself just yet. However, they are definitely sort of smells that can grow on you. Nevertheless, I have learnt that BDK Parfums is a name to explore, so this is not the last bottle you are going to hear about on this blog.

Tommy Girl: Leave the Past and Go Forward!

Tommy Girl by Tommy Hilfiger
Floral Fruity
Calice Becker

I bought Tommy Girl for nostalgic reasons. Tommy Girl was popular back in the days when I was in school. Back then perfume had gender but did not have age. Our teachers wore Tommy Girl, and students wore Tommy Girl. It was an all-year-round fragrance. I was not a huge fan, but I did not mind the smell on others. From my point of view, it is always better to wear a mediocre scent than nothing at all.

I wanted to see how the scent is doing today in 2022. Obviously, it is still widely available on discount sites and it had to be reformulated for sure. Do I like it today, two decades later, older and hopefully wiser? The answer is no. It is a sharp floral fruity, very much on the floral side. I get lemon and violet the most, and this particular combo is not appealing to me.

The composition has sharp edges, at times comes across as almost nauseating. There is not much to balance the freshness and sharpness with. I know that it is probably not fair to judge the fragrance outside of its “prime time”, it had its days of popularity but were they truly deserved?

Loverdose Red Kiss: A Hidden Treasure

Loverdose Red Kiss by Diesel
Amber Vanilla

I was impressed with Loverdose by Diesel a long time ago. It is a pretty amazing unique fragrance, under the radar, for a great price. I experience the same with this flanker Loverdose Red Kiss. It has something from the original DNA – intensity, aphrodisiac, and sweetness. However, it is different enough to have both in your collections people.

Red Kiss is certainly more mainstream in terms of likeability but it is outstanding in the floriental gourmand perfume family. Especially for the price! The opening is sugary, black currant … you think nothing special I smelled this before … but wait what comes next! Get ready for comforting cacao and hazelnut balanced with sour orange blossom and apricot. The gourmand nutty side really comes through and develops beautifully on the skin.

Even if you spray a lot of sprays (10), the perfume does not have a cloying effect. I will be wearing this during winter but you can easily take this one to bed with you.

La Petite Robe Noire Légère Ma Robe Hippie-Chic

La Petite Robe Noire Légère Ma Robe Hippie-Chic by Guerlain
Floral Fruity
Thierry Wasser

La Petite Robe Noire is a line which has been confidently established on the market for more than two decades. Ma Robe Hippe-Chic is a flanker of the original La Petite Robe Noire from 2012. Its concentration is a lighter Eau de Parfum hence “Légère”. The main notes more or less stay the same but the overall effect is airier, day-appropriate, and summer-spring suitable.

What I really like about Ma Robe Hippie-Chic is the bright juicy dominant cherry in the opening. Rose comes across as dewy and modern. Black tea is also amplified in my opinion and creates a beautiful silk veil during the entire experience. Raspberry is adding a bright sweetness, licorice is still there but not overly powerful.

I wore the fragrance outside in winter which was not ideal though as it did not have the strength to cut through the cold. All in all, it is a successful flanker that most of the time beats the original.