The Perfume Post!

This is my perfume collection, the one I'm currently trying to shop from, before I buy any more gorgeous scents. Note: I said 'try'. Yes, I have already failed the no buy and added more liquid gold to my collection but ahem, more about that later!

This 'no buy' phase has left me with an interesting mix of perfumes to choose from each day.
I thought today I would pick a few highlights (or in the case of one or two, lowlights) to share with you. Just before we start, there are a few perfumes here so I'm not going to go too much into notes or history (in some cases, I've done that in earlier reviews and such trivia can always be found via google). Instead, I've concentrated on what stands out for me about the fragrance or how it makes me feel as this is usually the information I process when I decide if I want to get that fragrance to the tillpoint or not.
And now without further ramble, to the perfume . . .

Beckham, Intimately

The perfume that will always make me smile. So, so pretty and I know this is not going to sound right but the notes almost flutter. Yes, honestly, I said flutter. There is a rave here.

Benefit, Something About Sofia

Yep, this one is still hanging around even after my review almost two years ago. Hmm, now it is getting colder, it might be time to give this one another go.

Britney Spears, Fantasy

This vanillary one is great value for the every day and I think, I prefer it to the very hyped Vera Wang, Princess.

Ghost

You might remember that this is my "grown up" perfume, the one I will wear when I want to be all mature and worldly. This scent makes me feel safe and confident. I love the security it gives me yet personally, I feel it is quite understated in the sense of a girly perfume. I just get something deep, musky and cosy from it. However, this one gets quite a few compliments.

Gucci, Flora

I've posted about my Gucci scents before and I have yet to find one that I do not like but Flora (originally reviewed here) is one I feel I've grown in to even more over the last year. It is very feminine and quite sophisticated. It reminds me of the city slicker rush hour in London. I'm sure half the girls catching the tube to work were wearing this. I like to wear this scent when I'm shopping, especially in the city or the department store. This scent allows me to feel a little bit richer then I am and certainly a whole lot more richer then I am, by the time I get home from said shopping sprees!

Gucci, Guilty

Gucci Guilty is a perfume, I love. It is also a perfume that can not be denied, if worn. Make no mistake, this perfume makes itself known. See my original view here.

Gucci, Rush 2

Gucci Rush 2, again Love! After all, it is a Gucci but this one is very unique. The Rush line smells very different to any other scent out there and those who like these scents do not just like them but really love them. See my thoughts here.

Michael Kors, Very Hollywood

A scent which includes notes of bergamot, orange and gardenia and one I expected a lot more from. After all, many people name it as their signature scent and then there are the illusions of red carpet glamour that the name and bottle create. This is what Michael Kors has said about, Very Hollywood,

“My original Very Hollywood Michael Kors Eau de Parfum pays tribute to old Hollywood glamour. Inspired by iconic screen sirens, it’s indulgent, sexy and sophisticated. . ." Quote found here.

It all sounds very exciting and yeah, almost life changing. Imagine what you could do if you felt indulgent, sexy and sophisticated?!

Now for the reality.

Granted, I have the eau de toilette (not the perfume) and it gives off an ok scent but nothing more then that. I wouldn't say it is immediately identifiable as a fragrance. There is not really a rhythm to the notes and nothing in it really changes as you wear it. There is just a constant dull hum (scent style) of an almost plastic, unremarkable room scent.

There is no edge to Very Hollywood and for me, it does not do enough. It is too immature and too safe. Saying that, I have almost finished the bottle but most of it was used to scent the sofa and on the few recent occasions that I bothered to wear it myself, I have only done so in partnership with The Daily Smooth, Ralph Lauren, Romance style, to give it an extra something. Sadly with so many perfumes out there to try, I don't think that I would purchase this one again.

Tom Ford, Black Orchid

Now when I first tried Black Orchid (aka, Sex In A Bottle!), I found the top notes so intense, deep and unique that it scared me and so then instead of adding an edge, I tried to take it away by pairing it with the Jennifer Anniston scent. I thought this was a pretty smelling pair.

However, I now wonder if instead of teamwork being key, it was just the magic of time and the middle notes in Black Orchid which resulted in a more feminine, pretty scent.

Black Orchid is absolutely divine after about two hours of wear. Honestly, it is like it bursts in to blossom. You can almost pinpoint the exact moment and from there on in, for the next five or six hours, everything in the wake of this scent smells gorgeous. However, then we get to the bottom notes and unfortanately these notes are what scare me when I consider wearing this fragrance more. You see, it seems as Black Orchid starts to go off, it smells almost like I've being frying food. Umm, yeah, not exactly how I want to smell! I've tried respraying another spritz of Black Orchid to lose the less attractive edge but that doesn't seem to bode well. I've come to the conclusion that Black Orchid seems to have its moment (which lasts a good five or six hours, by the way) but then, there is no recreating it until you shower and start all over again. I like this scent a lot but it is not the easiest to wear!

Valentino, Rock and Rose

I love the name but have never really got this scent. I find there is something almost medicinal in it. I don't mind wearing it but it is not really one I reach for. It has took me about two or three years to get through 30mls.

So that is pretty much it, there are a couple more floating around in my collection but they are more non-descript such as one from Monaco with no name (very nice though, darn) or the So . . . ? And then of course, there is Romance which I reviewed recently. Ooh and there is the Jimmy Choo original, the one I recently broke my 'No buy' for. We're still getting to know each other but so far, no regrets! It reminds me a lot of Flora and has the whole shopping, feminine aura about it.

Due to the no buy, my collection is currently lacking a few perfumes that I would like to become staples. These include Givenchy, Very Irresistable (have no doubt, got to be in top five scents ever); Davidoff, Cool Water (so easy to wear); Elizabeth Arden, Beauty (I wore this every day for a year or so sometime during the Uni years) and Paco Rabonne, Lady Million (Now the darker nights and numerous hot chocolates are almost here, the 'No Buy' may have to broken again for this one since for me, Lady Million is the perfect winter scent! See my earlier post here).

I'm also tempted to list Katie Price, Stunning here (see my rave, here). Stunning is a gorgeous scent with staying power at a great price. Also, it is regarded as a dupe for Miss Dior Cherie and reminds me a lot of my beloved pink Soap and Glory scented products.

In the never tried before section, I'm still lusting after  212 VIP and now also, lusting for a bottle of Illamasqua, Freak. I also want to get a proper bottle of Shalimar. I've only had the samples before and now each time I try it. I like it more and more.

Ok, I actually think I'm all perfumed out now. Ha, bet that won't last long. What are your favourite scents and go on, tempt me to break my no buy, what scent are you wearing now?
Hope you're all well and have a fabulous weekend. Please, if I can ask you to do one thing, this weekend. It would be to please check out Nicoletta's post CLICK HERE!, if you haven't already. It is such a special one and she has obviously put everything in to it.

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