Claire! This is exactly the type of content I needed today. Thank you! I’m feeling really weary of the hyper-luxury-spending mindset expressed by many creators. Especially with all these holiday sales starting. 💵💵💵 Holy Cow! I’m just not going to spend any kind of real money on a blind buy anymore; I’ve learned my lessons. I really appreciate your thoughts on all of these. I think I might have a perfume spending hangover right now 🤯😫 Great video as usual 😘
Hi Jill. Hope you are well and have had a good week. I do think I judge more harshly when things are this pricey 😂 I do wonder what would make me spend £250+ on one bottle, I think I'd always just get a smaller quantity travel spray because I don't need big bottles of anything any longer... A lot of these are a definite like or even a curiosity, but not a love. Some are just a big no. But it's all personal taste isn't it? It doesn't mean they are bad, a lot of these are very popular, I guess as useful as these videos are, everyone just needs to make up their own minds with some sampling as you say. Clearly I don't get gifted bottles nor use affiliate links which is also perhaps why I might appear to be slightly less in love with everything, who knows? 😂
Yesterday I tested the much-hyped Xerjoff Ivory Route. Thirty minutes in I was trolling the inter webs desperately looking for the cheapest bottle. I thought I had found a new love! It’s funny though…about 4 hours later I was smelling my arm thinking “this is a bit too herbal and savory.” Removed from cart!! I will try it again on another day. I think if I test for extended periods of time on different days, I will make much better decisions.
Yes, I find testing repeatedly on separate days works best. I never trust my first impression because I've had it change really dramatically a few times. As you collect more fragrances, you naturally get more picky I think. You might go back to the Xerjoff again and love it. 🥰
I’m so glad I am not the only one choosing samples over buying full bottles on hyped fragrances. As always you delivered great well rounded reviews and saved some of us from ourselves. Have a great weekend.
You know this is a great video. I think fragcom needs more fair but subjective takes on fragrance. Not just people reading off the listed "notes" of course what we smell is personal and based on so many factors. So I really appreciate really reviewers telling is what they smell. Within reason, that can never be wrong as it's what we smell. The "hyped" ones tend to spoke about by folks who got the bottle an hour before the video so they could be the first to get it up to list the notes in order and show us more how shiny the bottle and box is making sure they make it long enough to whack 5 adverts in... That content has it's place and I do first impressions... But I always come back to them on insta. Just wanted to be one of many to tell you that your authenticity and honesty is very rare and very appreciated 😊
Thanks Jon. I agree, the race to be first to review new fragrances is ridiculous. I'm not that interested in someone's opinion of something they've not even worn to the drydown. Hype has a lot to answer for with regard to people just repeating what other people have said about the fragrances without actually taking the time to smell it and make their own minds up. I find I don't often love what other people have hyped and I'm ok with that now but I used to just think I was weird and that something was wrong with me 🤣 which is ridiculous...
Thankfully none of these overhyped fragrances appeal to me or are in wishlist. I have tested a few - Levant (expected to be blown away for the comparison made to Fleur Narcotique, but it was meh + too sweet and along the de Marly DNA that I am not fond of), Babycat (I have and love my Shalimar Tonka so I will be content with this), the Loboutin one and maybe also the Cafe Rose (not my kind of rose; I prefer something with character and/or one that is masterfully blended that the rose “melts” into the composition). These overhyped ones IMHO were not particularly distinct or memorable, at least to me. Saves my wallet and I promised myself that I will always test first and really think about a new perfume before buying a full bottle. Thanks for another sobering enlightening video, Claire. 😊
Sampling has saved me so much money 🤣 nothing stops me buying like sampling. I get very picky when fragrances are pricey too. I would hate to spend £250+ and not absolutely be head over heels in love with a fragrance. I've not tried Fleur Narcotique and I didn't realise that Levant is compared with it. I tried it because Jus de Rose said it was her favourite but I just didn't expect the ambroxan to be quite so dense. 🤯 Cafe rose I didn't enjoy to begin with, but I liked it after trying to a few times and found it more interesting. I can't see it being a hit for Tom Ford. Babycat sadly wasn't for me and I was quite surprised given other people's reactions to it! Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Oh yes, I saw this in Jus de Rose’s list indeed. And Fleur Narcotique is way more expensive although Levant is said to last longer (I have not tested this to confirm this). It’s not a bad fragrance but I cannot imagine myself wearing this and not for hours.
No Levant definitely has an elegance, the florals are really pleasant, they're just masked by a lot of ambroxan. I like Levant more as it dries down. 🙂
Was curious about Dries Van Noten.. the bottle 😍😍😍 Thank you for reviewing Black Datura ♥️❤❤ Silly me wanted to blindbuy it 😏😏😏Thanks for saving me 💸 I love Annicke nr 6 😍 it's unusual floral oriental!
Soie malaquais is lovely, I think you'd like it. I wish I smelt like Chantel did 🤣 Black datura is a weird one. I do still like it, despite the plastic. It's got something interesting about it. Annicke no 6 is really lovely. Of all of these, I think that one felt the most me. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume The interesting thing about Annicke 6 - all my family ladies get a different vibe from it. It's still one of those in my collection, I can't really figure out - it puzzles me.. sometimes there's a hazelnut accord & sometimes a green apple or even starfruit/kiwi, especially now that my bottle is half empty & the maceration process has done it's thing 🥰 I also watch Chantel, she is lovely ♥️
I really didn't pick out much with annicke no6, I guess it was just an overall impression of it being pleasant and sweet. I probably need to wear it more. I don't think I like it enough to buy it. If my samples hang around it's generally not love. 🤣
I really enjoy sampling videos, it saves me the coin and trouble of testing all of them myself. It helps me choose which ones are possibly down my alley and then order only those samples rather than all the hyped ones.
Yes exactly. There were a few here that really were quite nice. I think for sampling videos you have to understand people's tastes to be able to get much from them, I generally don't enjoy saffron which makes me sad 😔 None of these were bad fragrances, just mostly not for me.
Not sure that I ever tried any of Tom Ford fragrances such an expensive brand! Turkish rose often gives me Nanna vibes lol! Babycat interesting name 😳 lol but nice aesthetic! Such an enjoyable video! I just posted my Sephora haul where I purchased some new fragrances and so excited to try on! Wanted to say love the eyeshadow today Claire really nice job! 👍 Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. 🫶🫶
Thank you 😊 yes Tom Ford are pricey aren't they? I can't say cafe rose was for me, but I appreciated it more after I'd tried it a few times. Babycat is named after YSL's distinctive animal print I think. I will check out your video. 🥰
There are some brands where the bottles seem to be wayyy more exciting than the fragrance and I get that impression from house of Oud and house of silage.
I didn't try House of Sillage, but I have always thought that 🤦♀️ I shouldn't judge before I tried them though, so I feel bad thinking that. House of Oud bottles are truly beautiful in the flesh. I liked Dates Delight though. 😊
Second this! I feel that I am in a phase when I am so over with elaborate packaging. The more elaborate and incredulously flamboyant the packaging is, the farther I stay away from the house - which thankfully is good for my wallet. 😂
Yes, nowadays I get attracted to the dull ones, Frederic malle excite me more than I ever thought they might 🤣 and little indie houses with their basic packaging too.
Thank you for the honest review of cafe rose! It’s just not what I anticipated, because there is just no coffee in it. It IS a lovely rose, if you’re a real rose lover. I’m just not, and I don’t understand the hype.
Me neither sadly... This is not the type of rose that I enjoy really either, despite it probably being quite realistic to certain types of rose. I was so disappointed that there didn't seem to be much coffee going on 🙂
Weirdly I like it too, I just would like it to have less ambroxan 🤣 I can smell the florals in the drydown and they just all blend and it makes me think of very posh hotels. I said toilets in a posh hotel here but I meant loos that are luxurious and unexpectedly pleasant. It makes me think of weddings I guess (the only time I go to posh hotels, and actually it smells exactly like the jockey club loos when I went there in Newmarket, which is so very very posh, I know that's weird 🤣), it's a very wedding appropriate fragrance.
i have a sample of Annicke 6. I really like it too! a very nice warm gourmand.., but I don´t think it´s a 'me' kind of scent... but then I haven´t smelled my sample for a while now.. will have to revisit that one ❤
Yes I am not sure it's something I would wear regularly. It seemed the most me of this bunch but there was something niggly and no to some degree with all of these. I'm grateful 🤣 I saved a lot of money 🤣
Yes, I have a review of that range which I tried after Babycat, it's three videos back from my most recent. Trying Eau the Audacity made me appreciate how much richer Babycat is, but they do have a big similarity overall for sure! Thanks for watching 🥰
Claire I appreciate how you describe the fragrances because I can imagine the smells. There are a few words that I'm not sure what it means that I've heard in perfume descriptions that I'm not sure of: What is the difference between the smell of suede vs leather? What does salt or "saltiness" smell like? Is there a difference between something smelling aquatic vs marine? Thanks and I'll check out the other channels you mentioned.
Suede is softer, more powdery, more textured, if you smell a rough suede handbag and a leather one you will know, leather can be very smooth smelling and I think suede is generally less cold feeling than leather can be. Leather would be things like saffron, labdanum, even cade if it's greener etc or there are synthetic molecules to mimic the smell. Suede uses different synthetics I think 🤔 please check out my leather video, I think I go through a few things that are used but I think I kept it brief. There are some examples of leather and suede fragrances there too 😊 Salty or saltiness you can almost taste, when you smell it you can sense it at the back of your throat. Salt can make me a bit queasy sometimes so I'm probably not the best person to describe it 🤣 Aquatic just means watery fresh, whereas marine means something more sea like, so think of the smells of the saltwater plants, like the seaweed, saltwater, iodine and even sometimes that slight sealife decay smell of dimethyl sulphide. I think most fragrances tend to shy away from the dirtier smelling marine aspects but not all. Marine can also suggest something to some people like that typical blue shower gel fragrance smell but I don't really think of that as true marine as it's an 80s fragrance advert with a yacht idealised version of marine to me! Hope that helps 🥰
i always tried to not sink in the hype but sometimes its hard to resist..lol tried TF's Café Rose lately and tbh i was really disappointed, even though liked the shape & style of the bottle, the rose in it is definitely high quality and it smells better than many rose based frags but theres something in this mix that just made this scent just ok to me, i thought it can b really special... YSL's babyCat seems to be a fantastic release this year, i tried it a few times and really liked it and loved smelling it on other ppl but idk why whe i tried it on me it didnt really last that much even tho it projected very well for the very first hour... PdM's Herod is definitely a must have.. fabulous content ♥ big up!
Thank you! ❤️ Yes cafe rose is more interesting than I thought at first but I can't see it being much of a hit honestly. The hype has faded already 🤷♀️ I'm sure babycat is lovely if you enjoy saffron, I just struggle with that note. And with Herod, I can smell that it's not a basic tobacco and vanilla but the iso E super really takes over for me! I guess that does make it rather unique! Thanks for watching 🥰
Another thorough review. Well explained as usual. 👍🥰. I haven't purchased any for months now. I did get gifted 6 perfumes for my birthday but that doesn't count lol. 🤣
Thank you so much for the samples! I really enjoyed trying them and dates delight was really not how I expected but really nice and much stronger than I first appreciated 😂 and yes I agree, birthday perfumes don't count 😉
So interesting to hear your thoughts on these and I no longer have FOMO over BabyCat. Our whole family loves Herod although my son wears it primarily and it's fantastic smelling on him. I haven't tried many of the others you list but I definitely appreciate your reviews.
It's only my opinion with Babycat, I know it's loved, I think if you don't dislike saffron, it could be a winner 🙂 Herod is actually not at all what I expected, it was much less thick than I'd imagined, I think I was imagining something along the lines of Tom Ford tobacco vanille. I like the smell, just not feeling of it being everywhere 😂 If it was on someone else, I'm sure I'd enjoy the odd waft of it. Thanks for watching 🥰
Babycat smelled like burning leather/tires on fire. Could not scrub it off. My husband was like what have you done? 😂. I bleached I showered twice. Could smell it for a couple days. So they longevity is good if you love it.
@@Tina-wi7we it’s also strange with Levant, I get the similarity to Fleur Narcotique from Ex Nihilo, but for me the latter is much fresher. For some reason I also couldn’t get the hype. It’s pleasant but not love.
Yes it's got a really luxe feel to it, like some nice floral soap or product for me. It gets better as it goes along and is elegant, like something you would smell at a wedding, but just lots of ambroxan too!
👋👋 Cafe Rose was very underwhelming this time around. Loved the 2012 formula. They could’ve kept this one. Babycat smells like buttery oud, black pepper and church incense to me. I would buy it! 😅 You know my opinions on Black Datura 😂 The fragrance is slightly different to the one you’ve found on Fragrantica 9:11 I adore that dusty plastic smell, is this why I love it so much?? Vanilla Diorama is okay. If I was gifted VD, I’d wear it. It’s not exciting enough for me - I would rather buy Shalimar (which I have) Hayley sent me the Eight&Bob main collection discovery set along with a giveaway prize last year - I loved the original EDP (fatty soapy/sherbetty woody), as well as Cap d’Antibes (green petrol smoky) and Nuit d’Megeve (chlorine inky vetiver) Herod is also okay.
Hello! I have never smelt the original Café rose unfortunately. I would love to though. Babycat was dark for sure, just not for me sadly or happily, given the price 🤣 Black datura was a love to begin with, then I smelt the plastic and was less excited. I was so relieved when you said you smelt it too! I thought it was just me 🤣 Fragrantica always get the notes wrong for niche, I don't know how they get it so so wrong so often! I really can't be bothered to make my own note profile for one video though, although if I own the fragrance and the Fragrantica profile doesn't reflect what I smell at all, I make my own as I will reuse it. Anyhow, I still really like black datura, there's something about it that draws me in still. Do you get the comparison with orchid soleil in the opening? Vanilla diorama was just a no. I was pretty shocked not to love it. Wow I would love to try the eight and bob fragrances. They keep popping up in TKMaxx, it's got me intrigued! Herod was actually lighter and easier than I thought, I was imagining something like tobacco vanille but they couldn't be more different... The aromachemicals live long in that fragrance though! 🤣 Thanks for watching 🥰 have a fab weekend!
It wasn't for me sadly. I tried it a few times and the last time I found it crazily strong and difficult to wash off. I could still smell it two days later.
Hello Claire, personally, I bought Café Rose and I quite like it, 2 collgues made me compliments about it, rose is quite strong but it's not actually an old rose as it can appear. I don't regret my shopping, I think I'll enjoy it, even in summer. Have a nice evening.
That's lovely, I love a compliment, they make you feel very special! I wasn't keen on first spray, but I think that's perhaps because I was expecting some coffee 🤣 The more I wore it, the more interesting I found the rose, it changes a bit, from powdery, creamy to green even. But to the casual consumer, I think that kind of rose is not something you often smell these days in designer perfumes. It's unusual, which will make it potentially less commercial and less universally likeable. This is perhaps a sign of a good fragrance, i.e. something more divisive, because it means it's more interesting?But clearly if people love it, they love it. Lizzie and Kay definitely love it. Thanks for watching 🥰
My first thought on Ormonde Jayne "Levant" was I know this scent - it is similar to Moschino "I love love". Very citrusy scent, lovely for summer, but not groundbreaking.
Yes! I thought of Moschino Funny! And Moschino Fresh Couture. Funny! Is a more bitter orange rather than a sweet one so it wasn't quite like that, but Funny is often compared with I love love so that makes complete sense! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 😊
This is my kind of video! Literally one of the most helpful videos I have watched this year! I could do with a little bit of de-influencing lol 😅 Your description of café rose was so accurate… that was the exact same experience I had with that fragrance. Very very green vintage rose, and just not something I would gravitate towards. I totally agree about Babycat as well… All I could think of it was my sister's reaction to it in the video she did with me! 😅 I absolutely hated Annicke #6 not to sound negative but yeah.. just not for me. The way you described the Dries Van Noten scent, as well as Herod and Vanilla Diorama was so helpful. I could almost smell them as you were talking and I'm not even going to buy samples of them now because I feel like I understand how they smell so accurately. Thanks for saving me some money! Lol 😆 I did try my first Christian Louboutin scent last week, Loubirouge, and I absolutely adore the vanilla and iris combination however I found it very very light and gentle. I wonder if that is something that is common to that entire line of fragrance? The only one you mentioned that I'm actually a bit interested in is Dates Delight, just because I have been enjoying Jardins de Misfah so much and I do like oud in many fragrances. Thanks Claire! ❤
That's interesting that loubirouge is also light. I am intrigued to try a few more from Christian Louboutin. I think Loubihorse was meant to be part of a lighter range, so I excuse it being very soft. I'd definitely suggest sampling these three that I've clearly put you off, because this is just my opinion, you might love them. Herod I think will be super divisive with your tolerance to particular aromachemicals and my video a few weeks back suggested that you may have a bigger tolerance to them than I do... It might work for you? Maybe the other notes put you off though? Dates delight was really nice. The more I wore it, the more I liked it.
@@dr.claire.perfume I think maybe I related the way you described Herod to my experience with another PDM fragrance, Pegasus. With that one I was fully expecting a warm cozy fragrance, as it is often compared to Hypnotic Poison, and instead it was a cold metallic smell, very artificial and strange. Later I did get some sweetness from almond and vanilla but it was as if it were sitting on a sheet of chilled metal. I think it was a combination of your description and my experience that put me off! I would love to smell it in store if I ever had the chance to, but I doubt if I’d pay $20 for a 2ml sample 😆😅 I definitely do want to try the date one! 😃
That's really interesting, yes! Cool metallic... I can definitely see that description with PDM fragrances... Gosh that is so steep for a sample of Herod! I never realised. I am lucky, I have a store that sells PDM about two miles from my work, so I can go try them easily, even if these lovely people didn't send me samples. It shocks me how much samples can be, Levant was something like £18 on the Ormonde Jayne website. I guess this is partially why people blind buy. 🤷♀️
I agree, Dates Delight is very Middle Eastern with dry incense/woods and I get that mostly with the dates and honey. Also with Herod, it’s not a sweet tobacco imo.
Yes, Dates Delight wasn't what I was expecting, but I did really like it. Herod also was unexpected, and I agree, it's not a sweet sticky tobacco. It was good to test them both 🙂 thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume no problem, they’re both great fragrances and serve their purpose. I feel like for people who think Angels Share is too sweet, they should try Dates Delight since it has that smoky amber note.
Herod is really popular I think! I can't say I've not loved any PDM I've tried so far. I think it's maybe just not a brand for me. I will keep trying them. Herod was not at all like I thought it might be from people's descriptions... I was imagining something very rich, like tobacco vanille. I liked the fragrance itself, just not the aromachemicals. I agree with you that PDM sometimes use some things in some of their other fragrances that put me off them a little too. Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Herod and cassili are the only ones I have liked. Keep wanting to try the other one marketed to men. Layton I think. Althair would have been a love but it had that smelly musk I hate. Althair is more in the the tobacco vanille side. It would have been a love of not for the musk drydown. I love some musk's but others smell like clothes left in a washer to me.
That's a really interesting description. I will try cassili again, I remember trying it a while back, but not really what I thought. I tried that and the one with the black tassel, which one is that? I think I tried Layton too, on the whole, I think I prefer the men's line. I should really pay more attention to what I try 🤣 I've definitely tried a few more than just those, it's really not the same trying in store Vs having samples. 🤦♀️
@@dr.claire.perfume I ha e a notebook where I write everything I've tried down. When I try in store I try to remember and write my thoughts when I get home. Sometimes I remember to write the name on the strip. I bring those home when I think I might like it. On store just doesn't tell you much because of all the smells.
I found it a little headachey for me. But I'm sure if I smelt it on someone else it would be pleasant. I like the smell overall just not the aromachemical cloud that comes with it if that makes sense. It's gentler than I imagined. It's not a scary dark brooding tobacco at all, it's friendly.
Ok, so I got like 20 sample cards on ebay, I think I have Herod in there and I haven't smelled it yet. Let's give it a sniff and... Wow that's like super syrupy initially, almost like a flavored pipe tobacco in a bottle. I'm getting a few more masculine notes on skin and with time, but initially I was a little insecure about it lol. Not for me, I think, but still interesting.
Good to hear your thoughts on Herod. I know lots of people love it! I tried it quite a few times as I wanted to see what I was missing, I think I'd like it without the iso e super, it wasn't at all what I expected it to be like, I was thinking it might be something more tom ford tobacco vanille for some reason 🤷♀️ thanks for watching 🥰
Yes agreed Chantel smelt incredible in this one. It didn't really work on me either. Chantel obviousy has incredible skin. Kay is fab and has one heck of a collection. One day she'll be giving Lizzie a run for her money with wonderful posh ones. Cafe Rose actually was not a hate for me. I liked it in bits. Babykat wasn't a big love for me sadly I do get why folks like it. It's a more interesting vanilla one. I need to sniff the MH. Black bin liners 😍 I love that smell of emptying the bin 🤣. I do need to sniff it. Vanilla Diorama actually was nice just for me a little dull. I have three of them Anicke samples somewhere you know I don't remember sniffing them 🙊. Rose and incense with Indian sweets sounds not too bad. I've tried a couple from THOO yea not bad. Tho I'm not the hugest gourmand kinda person. This probably doesn't sound like I'd love it
Yes! Please try the Miller Harris, I'd love to know what you think and whether you smell the bin liners too 🤣 Jackie said that could be due to high levels of natural white florals... That's a nice thought. I must like it, because I keep trying it... 🤣 clearly intriguing at least. I'd like to try the other Annicke fragrances, no. 6 wasn't bad at all. I wonder which you have? It's annoying for me when perfume brands name their fragrances with numbers, I find the names so difficult to pin to fragrances. I just forget which number is which smell. 🤷♀️
Cafe rose is pretty but that price tag though! It does have a really nice dry down. My son said that it smells like baby wipes. I do love the powdery aspect of it.
It’s always so interesting to smell popular scents because I’m so often surprised by how different they smell to me! Lira for instance just didn’t excite me at all and I just got a sample of Blanche Bete…. it’s just not at all what I expected! Mind you a lot of this comes down to my brains aversion to most aroma chemicals lol!
I've never ever tried any Xerjoff, I need to, they get so much attention. I tried a clone of one and I actively disliked it, but that doesn't mean that the original Erba Pura is also not me I guess? Blanche Bête has been all over RU-vid hasn't it? I've seen two people dislike it, everyone else seems to absolutely love it. My taste is usually not other people's so I'm guessing I'll feel underwhelmed for the pricepoint 🤣 thanks for watching 🥰
Interesting about the Miller-Harris perfume as that off-gas, plastic bin-liner smell is common with highly natural white floral perfumes. And I think I saw on the note pyramid that you shared some ylang-ylang, amyris etc. Normally that gassy note evaporates quickly, and you get next a beautiful floral. It makes me want to look up this brand now as I really enjoy the quirky qualities of naturals used in perfumes - like an unfiltered pic without all the beautiful smile wrinkles erased out. 🤌🏼
That is fascinating! Wow! That's so interesting! I do feel myself really drawn to it. I keep trying it 😂 even with that smell. There's something weirdly addictive about it. The first time I tried it, I absolutely loved it, so I think I just want that experience again. I do think miller Harris have a reputation of using lots of naturals in general, but I clearly don't know in comparison to other brands whether that is unusually much more or not. Thanks for watching Jackie and for your insight into what I might be smelling, really interesting! 🥰
Oh Dr. Smith, I'm behind in watching your videos, Veronica's, and Jax🤷 I'm a trial watcher, and I following one civil, one criminal, both very polarizing in chatrooms. It's amazing how many international viewers follow the USA trials, especially the UK. Anyway, I enjoyed your review as usual 👋🙋
Hi Francine! Yes I think there is a fascination with court hearings here because televisation is not a thing. Probably different in Scotland a little bit though as they have different laws and rules. Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Of course I have Cuir Beluga and would recommend it, as you like leather fragrances and it also has heliotrope in the base. " Top notes are Tangerine and Aldehydes; middle notes are Immortelle and Patchouli; base notes are Vanilla, Suede, Heliotrope and Amber." Created by Olivier Polge, who took over as house perfumer for Chanel from his father Jacques. Olivier created Misia and Boy and Chanel No. 5 L'eau.
I love how honest your reviews are. It's fascinating, though, to see the different reactions people have to fragrances. I absolutely love Herod and Levant, but don't like the fragrances you mentioned as similar to them 😂 Anyway, as always, your honesty is appreciated!
Thank you ❤️ valaya isn't similar apart from it has a heavy dose of aromachemicals like Herod, although valaya is ambroxan not iso e super, so maybe not the best comparison. It does have an icy clear feel to it though. Levant is actually a nice fragrance underneath the ambroxan, I wonder how much I'd love it if it just had much much less ambroxan. As it dries down Levant begins to smell like something you might smell at a very expensive wedding, I guess that's why it makes me think of posh hotels... I don't mind ambroxan sometimes but it feels pretty dense in Levant, which is a bit of shame for me, maybe they needed the ambroxan for longevity and projection? Thanks for watching 🥰
Yes, Levant was a lot 🤣 it was one of the most ambroxan laden ones I've tried in a while, but actually still quite pretty underneath all of that. I wonder how it would smell without the ambroxan? 🤔 thanks for watching 🥰
From the ones you mentioned I would be interested in trying the Dries Van Noten one, even if you think it doesn't smell as nice on you as on your friend. I would also like the Cafe rose because eventhough rose has never been my favourite note in fragrances I've come to appreciate it if it smells like a natural rose. I think I would also like Diorama because I actually like Shalimar and black datura sounds interesting.
Yes! For sure try Soie Malaquais! It's lovely! Cafe rose became more interesting the more I wore it, I noticed much more about it. I think Vanilla Diorama will be a certain like if you like Shalimar. And I really do like black Datura, there's something that keeps me trying it, it's fascinating somehow and definitely worth trying! Thanks for watching 🥰
I have been enjoying penhaligon’s Luna and Artemisia recently. I think Penhaligon’s perfumes are a bit under rated in my opinion. I am going to try more perfumes from Penhaligon’s.
I love the juniper in Luna, the opening is really beautifully zingy. I don't think I've tried Artemisia though 🙂 I know a lot of people loved Solaris, which I think was released this year, did you try that one?
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment. Solaris is on my wishlist. I have a friend going to the UK this Dec and I am going to ask her to buy me a bottle. I find Luna very resfreshing with a sweet kick, and Arthemisia a more subtle and powdery scent. I find your videos very entertaining and informative than the others I’ve seen on youtube.
hi dr claire where did you find the info regarding that loreal did not buy the mugler formulas ?? very good insider knowledge i buy and sell frags for fun now and again , and tend buy frags which have been discontinued or when the license changes to a new manufacturer ie like Valentino/ prada moving from puig to loreal
There was another video talking about whether Alien had been reformulated or not and someone who said they work for Clarins shared that information in the comments. It's clearly unconfirmed but seems to fit. Reformulation on licence changes are definitely a thing. Valentino Donna got completely changed.
Hiya claire, always interesting to hear your take and perspective on the fragrances. It's a shame that many of these didn't work out but also a relief in many ways 😂. Soie Malaquais feels like something that shouldn't suit me or work but it's just so addictive once I've sprayed it. It's probably wearing me really. Café Rose has totally won me over, i do see everything your saying about it being a slight old fashioned Rose, but there's just something that works for me. I've got some samples of hyped and new fragrances on the way, including Guidance, very interested to see what i get on that one considering how divided people are on it. Xxx
Soie Malaquais is really beautiful. It just disappointed me on me, but who knows, maybe in reality I smell as amazing as Chantel did and I just don't realise?! Cafe rose I didn't like to begin with, but the more I wore it, the more I enjoyed it. I'll be fascinated to see what you think if Guidance! I hope it's a love! Although perhaps not for your wallet 🤣 thanks for watching 🥰
Thanks for talking me out of hunting down even a sample of Babycat. 😂 I have tried a sample of Herod and it was fine but didn’t live up to the hype for me either. Yay sampling!!
Babycat wasn't for me, but if you don't strongly dislike saffron, it might be a winner for you. Herod is a strange one, because I feel like if the iso e super were removed, I might actually enjoy it. Thanks for watching 🥰
It is beautiful, or it was for sure on Chantel! Hey maybe I smell like that in it too and just don't realise it? Maybe I smell just as delicious as Chantel did? 🤔 I know a lot of people absolutely love that one and I totally get it! 🥰
I am really curious to try these as well..I tried the Cafe Rose and, from what I remember, I got some rose mixed with spices..no coffee..interesting, but not sure it's for me
Yes! Where is the coffee?! I tried it a few times and I assume it's right at the beginning, but if I didn't know, I don't think I'd notice it at all! It's so subtle and I'm not sure whether I'm just imagining it. The more I wore it the more I liked it. 😊
Ok so this soir maliki? This bottle has been popping up all over but I mistaken it for that new D&G light blue flanker!😂😂😂💁🏽♀️So I didn’t realise it was a hot new topic!😅
Hi beautiful Claire 🤗 I was curious like most of us are with all these Fragrances! I enjoy listening to your thoughts because guess what? You saved my coins 😂 Dates delight is no longer in my cart I will definitely sample first 😉
Yes, I'm sad to say I didn't see the love for it. But I recently tried a few more OJ in a shop, the one that actually seemed appealing to me was OJ Woman. Did you try that one? Have you tried any of their other fragrances? Can you recommend one for me to try? 🥰
hi Dr Claire my wife is totally crazy on Hypnotic poison edp especially the first reformulation, the one with the black wax neck tie tassel which is the one she is crazy on do you know why they included a neck tie on this edp ?? normally Dior put a neck tie on their extrait de parfum bottles just asking out of interest maybe Dior just felt like doing it on this perfume because in my honest opinion Dior hypnotic poison edp first reformulation is nuclear beast mode perfume 2014 to 2019 first reformulation beast mode 2020 to 2021 second reformulation no neck tie ,still very strong 2022 to present third reformulation no neck tie,, less strong less liquorice let me know your thoughts on the neck tie francois demachy was the man
I'm really not sure about the tassel. I think Dior do tend to tweak the bottles upon reformulation. I guess you could be right that it's signifying it's power. It does sound like a beast! I think I only smelt the two more recent formulations unfortunately. I agree, François Demachy is missed, I am still waiting for Francis Kurkdjian to wow me with something from Dior.
@@dr.claire.perfume agree about fk he has produced some new MCD frags plus the two Dior jadore flankers tried the new jadore flanker 50ml for £140 very nice but very expensive,the other jadore is non alcohol based and is crap fk has to produce a new stunning men's frag, sauvage came out in 2015 under demachy fk has legendary status from jpg le male and his own mfk line which recently got bought out by LVMH, Dior 's owners
Aah I didn't realise MFK had been sold, it makes a lot of sense though with his working with Dior now. Yes, I think François left some big shoes to fill. It will take time for Francis Kurkdjian to create a legacy.
@@dr.claire.perfume agree if you connect all the dots and crosses sells his own niche brand mfk to LVMH and then becomes head perfumer at arguably the jewel in the crown of LVMH group, Maison Christian Dior I like fk but he needs to step his game up Dior is the real deal
@@dr.claire.perfume some people are critical of demachy because of the reformations he had to do for Dior I think people were very hard on him reworking some one else's perfume must be one of the most difficult jobs in perfumery especially with infra rules and regs he produced sauvage, hypnotic poison edp etc a tough job he had but overall he was a major success he reworked Dior home intense which I absolutely love
Hey Claire! Great video. I have a decant of BabyCat, I do really like it. Unfortunately it’s hard to get here in the US. When I find a seller, it’s way overpriced for me. I like it but I’m not paying $500 for it 😂. These prices are getting out of hand 😂. Be Well!
Hi Erica! How are you? ❤️ Gosh that's a lot of money! $500 😱 you'd be better taking a nice trip to the UK for a holiday to find Babycat 🤣 there is lots I like about Babycat but not the saffron unfortunately, it's a really big fragrance!
P2 Well... Herod could be the one I hated the least... I can't smell Iso E super which maybe helped 🤣. It's just like all of them horrifically dense and strong on me. OJ wasn't my favourite from them. I can see why people like it though. I'm an ambroxan struggler, it tends to liquidise my brain and pushes red hot spikey broken glass thru my eyes. You've been to posher hotels than me 🤣. I stayed in thst one across from Queen's and there was a 💩 in the shower. The next time I stayed in Queen's 🤣🤣🤣. Who doesn't love to lube a horse 🐴 🤣. I haven't sniffed this one just yet. I have to say genuinely as far as massively posh vastly overpriced designers go, they are one of the better ones. I reckon the bottles are where most of the outgoings go. Thanks Claire love these sorts of videos. You manage to be really objective and still positive about ones you personally don't love. Sadly there just isn't enough to for me to list all the hyped ones I hated and couldn't understand why they are popular. If you watch any influencer channel on here I suspect 90% of what they are talking about fall into that catagory 🤣
It's weird with iso e super, I couldn't smell it on its own in those escentric molecule fragrances, but I can smell it for sure in Herod. It's like a mushroom cloud. Do you mean the Metropole? Oh dear... I stayed there and there were a lot of drunk people at a late night disco making a lot of noise. It was 35oC day and the night was sooo hot. I didn't sleep as there was no air. I thought the Christian Louboutin was pleasant, I just struggled to smell it 🤣 it was interesting though. I would like to try some more from them. And yes, beautiful but weird bottles! There's so much hype out there isn't there, and then the little brands that have amazing offers at a relatively low price get no hype whatsoever. It's all a bit sad.
@@dr.claire.perfume yea hype seems to cost free bottles 😉 the two go together alot. Yes I think that was it. To call it a hostel would be bigging it up too much. It was horrific. Very cheap tho. Queen's was lovely and art deco but soulless. Clean tho 😂 always a bonus. Yea I imagine aroma chemicals will eventually burn themselves out as yup they make some garbage nuclear but a large amount of people will hate them. They'll have to start using quality ingredients and make something actually refined again 😱
Well Leeds uni book both, it depends how posh they think you are as to which you get 😉 Indeed! Free bottles and affiliate codes seemingly have a lot to answer for 🤷♀️ I don't need a fragrance to last for 4 days or knockout a room, but I realise that ambroxan is used in small amounts in so many fragrances now. If it disappeared, there would probably be some kind of crisis. I don't feel like iso e super is used as much, especially in female marketed designer fragrances.
@@dr.claire.perfume see its weird for me. Not all ambroxan kills me. It tends to be in the very very high priced ones that it gets to me the most. Weird isn't it the designer ones may use a better quality. Haha I'm sure u always end up in Queen's 😉
Oh they don't pay for me to stay anywhere 🤣 just my visitors... Yes I'm learning that the posh ones seem to be worse too, it feels high pitched almost when it's higher end. The designer ones aren't as piercing.
It seems there is a bit of confusion in your reviews as to what amber vs ambroxan is… As much as the word amber in both makes you think they are the same, it is far from the reality of it. And confusing the two types of notes very easily gives the wrong impression of a scent… Ambroxan is a synthetic note that attempts to mimic or remind of the natural scent profile of ambergris, which is the regurgitated secretion of a particular type of whale. And is a salty animalic naturalistic note that also conveys feromones which probably is the main reason behind its attractiveness in perfumery. As it is in its natural form not being used much anymore in perfumery - synthetic versions are necessary. And Ambroxan is the most common one. Albeit not smelling exactly in any way like ambergris, but still close enough to be a good substitute. Amber as a note on the other hand is a completely different thing. Originally it has gotten its name as a note from the type of hardened tree sap that often harbours fossils and that is found in trees and also can be used in jewellery. Real amber does however not harbour any particular smell unless you burn it as an incense. Then it produces a warm pine or spruce like scent. And a tiny bit of that can often be found in the note of amber. But amber as a note I perfume is really something completely different and a note that is often referred to as a fantasy note. In essence it’s a note made to invoke a sense of comfort, warmth and cozy ness. And is mostly built up around a mix of vanilla, labdanum and benzoin but can also contain other resins and balsamic ingredients. Sometimes with more sweetness sometimes with more woody ness. In essence the note of amber has nothing to do with ambergris or ambroxan apart from carrying the word amber in them. Which is understandably confusing. But still somewhat important to realise the difference in. Other molecules like ISO-E super are also playing off of both of these note families the fantasy amber and the ambergris but adds also more of woody facets that combined with the scent profiles of both amber and ambergris creates a complex synthetic note made to tic all boxes if that makes sense… Like a three in one kind of a deal… But to either appreciate or detest that one must still understand what it is. And also appreciate the differences. And in the review here of first Herod from Parfums de Marly and then Levant by Ormonde Jayne it becomes confusing. As Herod is indeed an ISO-E dominated fragrance and one built up around modern forms of aromatic molecules. But to say that Levant is ambroxan laden and ambroxan heavy is really very off. As Levant indeed does not contain anything even remotely resembling the synthetic molecule of ambroxan. It does contain an amber note very subdued in the base note layer. But as I described above amber notes and ambergris/ambroxan notes are quite different from one another. So calling it ambroxan becomes very misleading. The comparison to BR540 which does contain quite a bit of ambergris in synthetic form to the faint amber note in Levant is a bit off. As Levant is not aiming towards creating an ambergris or ambroxan note but if at all an amber one. In that sense more similar to the note of amber used in MFK’s Grand Soir if that makes sense and if comparisons to MFK perfumes should be used. Also to my knowledge Ormonde Jayne sources a lot of their ingredients from natural sources and don’t use a lot of synthetic molecules in their fragrances. And are these days therefore also often accused of not making their scents projecting enough… which is an effect of using more natural ingredients. In the Levant perfume however the note of amber is the more traditional one created by mixing resinous notes with vanilla and or other sweet notes together. So of course that will always be in one way or another a synthetic note, even if it can be made up of natural ingredients… But it does not smell like or contain anything ambergris or ambroxan like just to be clear. To me Levant is not very ambery at all but more of a fruity floral with a bit of amber anchored musk at the bottom. And the toilet cleaner analogy used here I can totally go onboard with… Even though it is still a very easily worn scent profile that smells like a sophisticated and not so vanilla heavy version of one of the most common scent profiles among the contemporary designer world… What I believe can make Levant seem synthetic to some is the way the fruity ness from the oranges and the orange blossom is combined with the other flowers used. As when combined in this sophisticated fashion it is hard to detect the single notes from one another and instead you get a sort of “fantasy flower” note and as we then cannot recognise it as something known we read into it as being synthetic. ❣️
Just to be clear, I don't think Levant smells of toilet cleaner, it smells like the toilets in a posh hotel, which is really the opposite of saying that, as those hotels always use fragrance and therefore I am saying it smells pleasant. It's just not something that I personally love because of what I perceived as heavy use of ambroxan in this fragrance.
Too bad that Miller Harris one didn't give you the same dry down as Orchid Soleil... I really need to sample more... although I don't have any fragrance I dislike, my collection is getting a little too big for my taste. I need to make room for loves and have less likes.
Well, I think it would be a little much for it to be a carbon copy, but the opening was so similar that I felt really so excited and hopeful 🤣 there is still something about black Datura that keeps me going back to it, it's weirdly addictive. 👀 Yes sampling is for sure the way to go. Nothing stops me buying like sampling. The only sample that's wowed me recently has been Astarte by Mabelle o'Rama, perhaps because I wasn't expecting anything from it. Hype really set a lot of these up for a fall for me I think... Probably too many expectations on my part. Thanks for watching 🥰
And I know exactly what you mean about fewer likes and more loves. I've been trying to finish stuff that I don't love or declutter what I truly don't enjoy, but it's a slow process!
@dr.claire.perfume If I don't like it enough, I give it to someone who will. No point in forcing myself to finish a bottle... especially when there's a bunch of others I would much rather wear.
