By Designer

Idylle by Guerlain

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I’m back with another review of a ladies’ fragrance. This time it’s Idylle, a release from Guerlain Paris which came out in 2009. It comes in a water droplet shaped bottle and features many floral notes. I’m going to explore how it smelled, performed, when it could be worn, and if it is worth a purchase.

What does Idylle Smell Like?

Notes: freesia, rose, raspberry, lily of the valley, musk, peony, lilac, patchouli, litchi

Click here to try: Idylle by Guerlain, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

I’m not a huge fan of the smell of roses, so when I saw that it was a not in Idylle, I thought that it might overpower the rest of the composition and make me not enjoy it. That actually wasn’t the case.

The opening is like a bouquet of floral notes with some raspberry and litchi to give it a slightly fruity aroma. The main floral that stands out is the Lily of the Valley note which is accompanied by a tempered rose.

What I like about Idylle, is that, as a floral it doesn’t become to ‘green’ and plant like. Nor does it fall too much into the trap of overdoing it with white flowers.

It’s a great mix of several different floral notes that creates a bright and upbeat fragrance. It is a sophisticated and very feminine scent, that never strays into grandma or little girl territory.

As it dries down, Idylle picks up more of the musk note which I feel rounds it out and doesn’t overwhelm. Idylle seems to be very well blended and while the lily is the main player, it is more of a team effort between all of the notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection on this perfume falls somewhere between moderate and strong. It isn’t a beast but I was always aware of its presence.

I think that first hour or so is going to produce a nice scent trail for the wearer. After that, it’ll be above what the average fragrance provides, but not hitting elite levels.

The longevity is also solid but not insane, probably 6-7 hours of good wear. Testing Idylle out a few times, this is all that it seemed capable of. Better sillage and projection versus how long it actually lasts on skin.

Idylle is a bright womanly scent that could be worn in mostly casual or just daily wear situations. I honestly like it enough that I would want to smell it on a woman that I was dating. I don’t think I’d call it sexy, more like very pretty and attractive.

But, it is one that should offer plenty of opportunities to spray it on before you leave the house. Not a super unique standout, though it can certainly serve a function in one’s perfume rotation.

This is a warmer weather scent, so spring/summer. The florals, fruits, greenish qualities all make this Guerlain ideal for these two seasons.

Overall Impressions of Idylle

Overall, is Idylle worth a buy? If you like florals, yes. This Guerlain perfume does a great job at not becoming dominated by one note or just making you feel like you’re stuck in a garden. A good balance and very wearable.

Idylle is feminine and enjoyable while also being a pretty nice performer. If spiciness or sweetness is your thing, look elsewhere, but everyone else should like this fragrance and not be too offended by it.

Lily of the valley and some periods of rose, are really the two standouts from the balance of this fragrance. Even then, it’s a slight advantage over the other notes. A nice musky period to add to the cleanliness of Idylle’s floral arrangement.

To me, this is a pretty good scent across the board. I’m not overly enthusiastic about Idylle, while I do like it to some extent. It’s sort of a dumb reach floral scent. Easy to wear and will fit in many occasions.

Alien Aqua Chic by Thierry Mugler

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Beyond getting a sample of Pure Malt to review, I also picked up a fragrance for the ladies by Thierry Mugler, Alien Aqua Chic. Now, this is a flanker fragrance to the ever popular, Alien, and while they do share some similarities, Aqua Chic is quite a different perfume. In this post, I want to give my full impressions of this scent, on how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, and if it is worth a purchase.

Alien Aqua Chic Overview

alien aqua chic

Notes include: freesia, wood, ginger, amber, lemon verbena

Click here to try: Thierry Mugler Alien Aqua Chic Light Eau de Toilette Spray for Women, 2 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Alien Aqua Chic is somewhat reminiscent of the original Alien perfume but this one is decidedly more floral/aquatic with a slight spiciness provided by that ginger note.

I actually like the way the freesia and lemon verbena blend together to create a fairly unique floral fragrance and a welcome departure from the usual rose or violet that many perfumes have.

I would say that the aqua name fits as the floral notes do seem ‘juicy’ in that watery sort of way. I like this perfume but am not overwhelmed or really wowed by it.

The ginger note does feel like the highlight of this fragrance. It is a very fresh and crisp aroma, that comes across as being confident without being gaudy.

There isn’t too much development with this one. More freesia, less spice, some amber, and light woods in the base. As it moves along, it also loses some of that initial freshness. Basically a floral/aquatic/spicy/citrus blend to one that is more floral/amber.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection on this one is pretty good. Aqua Chic is a moderate fragrance in my opinion and I don’t think there will be a problem with choking people out while wearing it, unless you really go overboard with the sprays.

It has a lighter and fresh tone, rather than being heavy. But, that projection does hold up, without overwhelming. I think the initial strength is above average and then gradually decays into something more middle of the road.

The longevity is very good and lasted on my skin for 6-7 hours before I washed it off…it was still going strong, so my guess is this one will hit 8+ hours pretty easily. It wouldn’t shock me if some can get to 10 hours with Aqua Chic.

Alien Aqua Chic isn’t really a nighttime or sexy kind of scent. I would say, that it is best for casual wear during the spring or summer months of the year. I think that it is an interesting contrast versus most of the summery type of perfumes out there.

Overall Impressions of Aqua Chic

Overall, I think that this Thierry Mugler perfume is pretty good. The performance is exactly what you would want from a perfume. The smell is pleasant, but it isn’t really mind blowing to me.

It’s quite similar to Alien, but with a fresh ginger note, and and aquatic aroma. Less woody, smooth, and vanilla overall. Pretty simple and linear without too much development. Basically, you like Alien but want something more wearable in the heat.

That’s not a bad thing for a spring and summer wear, because you do at least get solid performance from this one. Which, is pretty much the case with every Mugler perfume, and this doesn’t mess up the Alien namesake with poor performance.

If you need a solid casual scent, like slightly spicy florals, and can get a good price on a bottle, I’d say go for it.

Update: It’s not as available as it once was, but I’ve seen bottles of Aqua Chic still floating around, just much more sparingly. I don’t think you’ll be able to get it at a cheap price any longer.

Astor Place by Bond No. 9

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In this incarnation of the ongoing fragrance reviews on this site, I want to turn my attention to another ladies’ perfume from Bond No. 9 entitled, Astor Place. This one came out back in 2009, so it’s an older option from this brand. I will cover what’s in it, how it smells, how it performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Astor Place Smell Like?

Notes include: violet leaf, freesia, red poppy buds, mandarin zest, teakwood, amber, musk, orris

Click here to try: Bondno.9 New York Astor Place Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Astor Place gives off a blend of violet leaf, red poppy, and freesia with a slight mandarin zest. This isn’t a citrus takeover, as in Bond’s Little Italy. Rather, it does feel as if it’s just a bit of zest on top of the floral arrangement.

The floral notes have some sweetness to them, as well as a fine powdery feel supplied by the orris. Mainly, it feels a bit wet/dewy and greenish with the violet leaf, and layer of citrus on top.

That’s what it’s going to be for most of the wear. The light citrus will be the first to fall off and the other notes will jockey for position. Mostly, the violet leaf and freesia with red poppy being the weakest of the bunch.

As it dries down, Astor Place has its musk note emerge along with the unique teakwood note. There is usually an hour or two before the initial floral aromas give way to the clean and simple scent that follows.

The freesia becomes more dominate over the other floral notes and at this point, the perfume become much more interesting and pretty, in my mind.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection on this isn’t huge, it’s kind of a scent that sneaks up on you. Like, it’ll go unnoticed and then you’ll suddenly catch a whiff of it and be drawn in.

It’s not going to leave a huge scent trail, even during that opening hour. However, I will say that this is a bit above average with its ability to project and Astor Place does float around for a good amount of time before going into skin scent mode.

While it isn’t super strong, it is one that lasts a long time like 8+ hours, which is well above average. Depending on the climate and your skin, you might be able to get over the double digit hour mark with Astor Place.

This is a spring/early summertime fragrance for casual or other daytime wear. It fits right in at an office, as well, since it won’t be choking anybody out while one is wearing it. This is less along the lines of being a ‘sexy’ fragrance and one that is just bright and beautiful.

So, it’s a pretty versatile fragrance. Probably won’t be a go to scent for the colder months or for a night out. Though, for just about anything else, it can work. Astor Place has easy daily wear perfume, written all over it.

Overall Impressions of Astor Place

Overall, would I recommend Astor Place? I like it. Actually, the further it gets into the wear, the more I like it. The initial opening is easy to dismiss as just another floral but this one has some depth and it’s quite pleasant.

I usually like freesia, but I’m not a big fan of violet leaf. I wasn’t expecting much coming into testing this Bond No. 9 out. Though, the violet leaf really didn’t bother me and I thought that this had a good balance and charm in its simplicity.

Is it amazing? Not really. But as a casual floral, it’s good, and has great performance. Astor Place is not for everybody but there will be those who adore it.

The price point could be a deciding factor for many people. Is it worth paying Bond No. 9 prices for something that isn’t all around outstanding?

I’d say no, but it has good enough performance that if you actually enjoy this sort of scent more than I do, it could be well worth grabbing a bottle. There’s nothing that it does poorly and is a solid scent all around. The question is, is that enough to warrant a purchase?

London for Women by Burberry

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Burberry is a fragrance line that I roll pretty heavy with during the fall and winter months. Their men’s colognes, namely: Brit, Burberry for Men, and London are pretty fantastic when the weather cools down.

The men’s version of London is a sweet tobacco and woodsy scent that even some women like to wear. As such, I was curious as to how the 2006 ladies perfume version of London would stack up and if there were any similarities.

Well, the two are wholly different in their contents and characters and this perfume is definitely a much more feminine type of scent. In this post, I want to overview how it smells, how London performs, when it should be worn, how it compares to other Burberry offerings, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

London for Women by Burberry Overview

Notes include: rose, jasmine, peony, tangerine, honeysuckle, musk, sandalwood, Tahitian flower

Click here to try: BURBERRY London for Women Eau de Parfum, 3.3 fl. oz

My Full Wear Review

My first impression of London was how dominant of a floral perfume it was. I immediately get the rose and honeysuckle notes as the main force of the opening. Rose can be hit or miss for me, I like it in something such as Declaration d’un Soir for men but find it kind of overwhelming in Bond No 9’s perfume, Broadway Nite.

In London, I feel that the rose note is just right and actually kind of pleasant. Accompanying the floral notes is tangerine, which supplies a juicy citrus element to this fragrance that I think gives it an extra bit of mystique.

The citrus sweetness of the tangerine stays with the scent in a support role, but the main attraction, is the array of floral notes. This goes on to include jasmine and peony, as the perfume develops.

On my skin, the tiare flower isn’t very distinct at all. It’s kind of just stuck in the morass of all the other floral notes.

The jasmine note becomes particularly noticeable to me after 10-15 minutes or so. To me, it seems that the jasmine starts to overtake the rose and provides London with a very fresh type of aroma. It’s all slightly powdery and almost a green/herbal scent in the undertones.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a floral scent all the way but there is a warm musky spice and earthy sandalwood note giving London more body.

During the dry down, I do start to smell the honeysuckle stronger, than I previously had been. It pairs nicely with the jasmine, to create a white floral bouquet.

The tangerine is light and flanking it all, with a bit of musk, on top of a sandalwood base. It’s wonderful and clean, the rose and peony, begin to fall by the wayside to my nose.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this is a very well performing scent. It isn’t really ‘heavy’ but it can be loud. A few sprays should be enough for anybody.

I was really surprised at the sillage and the scent trail that London is capable of leaving behind. Especially, in that first hour or so. London projects itself pretty far for such a mainstream scent. Burberry giving some good value with this one.

Longevity on this perfume is absolutely fantastic, just not elite. It is a great casual, all-day type of wear, that doesn’t quit after a few hours. 8+ hours should be achieved with almost every wear and most likely more than that.

I’d say that it can maybe just squeak out 10, on the right day. More likely, 8 or 9-ish, with most normal wears.

I like this as an autumn/winter perfume. Spring, would also be fine in most places. It might work decently in the summer, but the heat could tear it apart pretty good. It surprising, based on the notes, but I’m not feeling it in the heat. The jasmine starts to really stick out, on the warmest of days, which can be somewhat annoying.

London is an excellent choice for a versatile daily wear perfume. This can be a casual fragrance, be worn at the office, and smells attractive enough for a date later in the evening. Though, it’s not what you’d typically classify as an nighttime scent.

Overall Impressions of London

Overall, is London worth a buy? I’d say yes, if florals are your type of fragrance. Particularly, jasmine heavy floral perfumes, as that is the headliner here. The citrus note balances it out greatly, in my opinion, though.

I like this somewhat better than Burberry Body (which was pretty good: see the comparison) and way better than the completely bland Brit Rhythm. The tangerine in London is nicer than the peach in Body.

That initial citrus is great. The floral notes mostly all have their own time to shine, in the mix, so you’ll get plenty of different notes to experience here. Burberry London doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses, which is why it’s stuck around for as long as it has.

London is a classy and delicious scent for ladies who like to dress the part. It performs well, smells great, and is suitable as an everyday wear.

Brooklyn by Bond No. 9

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So, I’m back to the site, after taking more than a month off from reviewing anything. I noticed that I hadn’t finished with all of my Bond No. 9 samples from a few months back and decided that I should get back to business. Today’s scent is Brooklyn, a unisex scent from the brand. How does it smell? What’s inside? Is Brooklyn worth a purchase? Scroll down to find out my complete take.

What does Brooklyn by Bond No. 9 Smell Like?

Notes include: gin, cedar, cypress, juniper berries, grapefruit, cardamom, leather

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Brooklyn Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Brooklyn starts out with a really dry blend of cypress, cedar, and leather. It is an interesting combination and strikes me as somewhat different than many other woodsy scents.

A few minutes into its life, those notes are met with an outburst of juniper berry and gin. This creates an herbal/boozy/woody triumvirate that is surprisingly fresh and unoffensive.

From there on out, Brooklyn is a pretty linear fragrance. There isn’t much change that I noticed while wearing it. This particular blend of notes seems to give off a fizzy drink aroma, as if you added seltzer water to gin and berries. Brooklyn is a very clean type of scent with a zesty kick to it.

Cypress and the mixed drink element, really dominate this scent, and if you’re not into that Brooklyn isn’t the right choice. It’s kind of an odd choice to represent Brooklyn with, but that’s basically what you get here.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Brooklyn isn’t the best. I sprayed 3 times on my forearm and couldn’t detect it unless I moved my nose particularly close. It’s fine that it’s not a beast, but it does seem kind of weak, on my skin at least.

Update: Coming back to this again, it is pretty middle of the road. Even the initial sprays aren’t all that powerful and Brooklyn is going to stay quite close to the skin. 3-6 feet at its maximum.

In terms of its longevity, I got about six hours out of it as a skin scent. Not amazing but not the worst that I’ve ever encountered either. Update: Yep, still getting about six hours out of this. It’s just not a formula that seems to last all that long.

Brooklyn is a unisex scent and I would say that it leans more to the masculine side of things. The dry woods being balanced out by boozy fruit, makes this one a solid spring/early summer wear, in my mind.

Still, women can easily wear this one too. It’d be a nice change of pace from the usual fruity and floral fare.

Very casual scent not one that would feel particularly sexy or engaging. Just pleasant. Dry and then fizzy, with a nice crisp feeling. You could wear this at night or around town during the day. I don’t know that you’d want to smell like gin at work, so I’d probably skip wearing it as a daily.

Overall Impressions of Brooklyn

Overall, would I recommend Brooklyn? I think the fragrance is decent. I just wish that it would last longer on my skin. I’m definitely not blown away by the scent, in the slightest. Though, I do appreciate what they were going for and its certain level of uniqueness.

Update: Coming back to this one after a few years, this does have a lot of the same style as Vodka on the Rocks by Kilian. Obviously, Brooklyn came out in 2008, so it is more original. However, I was really reminded of that newer fizzy boozy perfume. This one has the leathery accord and that cypress sticks out. 

I like the gin, cypress, and leather notes. It’s not my favorite alcoholic aroma (prefer rum or cognac scent), but it’s nice enough overall.

The problem of course, is its pricing. If the cost doesn’t bother you, I’d say try it out, if it appears intriguing. If it’s a stretch for you to afford, I’d skip this one.

It’s going to appeal to a certain niche segment of fragrance wearers. For most, Brooklyn is completely not necessary. It’s fresh and interesting, just not amazing, in any way.