By Designer

Good Girl EDP by Carolina Herrera

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Good Girl by Carolina Herrera has become a massive hit since its release in 2016. Since then, it has spawned a bunch of flanker perfumes in various decorated high heel bottles. How does it smell? When can it be worn? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Good Girl Eau de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: jasmine, coffee, bergamot, tuberose, almond, rose, tonka bean, cocoa

Click here to try: CAROLINA HERRERA Good Girl Eau de Perfume Spray, 2.7 Fl Oz

My Full Review

The initial spray Good Girl gives me a blend of citrus and white floral notes for the first few minutes. It’s somewhat of a lemon and jasmine blend with hints of almond coming through. There is a secondary layer of tuberose.

Quickly after that, the citrus really fades away on my skin. Then, the gourmand notes begin to move in. Up first is the aforementioned almond, which is joined by coffee. Later, cocoa and tonka bean will play a greater role.

This perfume does have a sweetness to it, but it isn’t sugary or candy-like. Actually, it’s very well blended and there is a certain spiciness that is persistent throughout. That, mostly comes through if I press my nose to the skin.

On my skin, I do get a greater share of almond and jasmine with some lighter coffee and tonka bean notes. However, when I have smelled this on women, it comes across as more of a mocha latte with floral highlights.

In either case, the latter stages are semi-sweet, a bit powdery, and almost exclusively jasmine (in terms of the floral notes). Coffee, tonka bean, and jasmine are what I pick up during the absolute final stage. Though, it gets more difficult to distinguish, as no one note dominates completely.

It doesn’t have a ton of development past that transition to the middle notes. Doesn’t necessarily need it, but Good Girl isn’t a very complex fragrance.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Good Girl isn’t a super heavy scent or one that is going to fill the room. However, I think that it projects itself to a greater extent than people give it credit for.

It’s not a constant bombardment of my sense of smell, but I do keep getting whiffs and impressions of it throughout the day. It’s not fading fast, rather, it can be subtle.

Longevity is also quite good, at around 8 hours. I’m not saying this Carolina Herrera fragrance is elite, but it does a solid job for most purposes.

Seasonally, this is a colder weather wear. Autumn through early spring, is when it is going to be of use. Not the most formal fragrance, but isn’t so sickly sweet or overpowering that you cannot lightly use in a variety of situations.

Casual wear to a night out to a party kind of fragrance, would all work with Good Girl. Very versatile and mass appealing.

Overall Impressions of Good Girl

Do I like this scent? Yes, I do. It’s popular for a reason. Not the most original or greatest perfume on the market, but it does everything well, with an appealing presentation. It gets copied a lot and there are more alternatives to Carolina Herrera Good Girl than ever.

I like that it doesn’t go completely gourmand or sickly sweet. The floral notes and overall balance lend themselves well to its overall appeal. I really like the coffee and almond notes, the most in the composition.

It’s one most are already probably familiar with. It performs well enough, has a nice scent, and can be worn for a good chunk of the year in a multitude of scenarios.

There have been a ton of flankers released after this initial one and it doesn’t seem as if they’re going to stop anytime soon. Some are better than this one, while others are forgettable.

Nothing groundbreaking here, just an easy to wear perfume, that is sort of a jack of all trades. Though, it certainly has some charm.

Weekend for Women by Burberry

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I never really liked the men’s version of Weekend by Burberry, as it was pretty bad all around. However, the women’s version was always much more pleasant and attractive, in my opinion. I recently grabbed a sample, with my latest batch, and wanted to finally give this one a full review. How does Weekend perform? How does it smell? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Weekend for Women Smell Like?

Notes include: nectarine, mandarin, iris, sandalwood, peach blossom, hyacinth, rose hip, musk, cyclamen

Click here to try: Burberry Weekend Eau De Parfum for Women, 1 Fl Oz

My Full Wear Review

Burberry Weekend opens up with a light, sweet nectarine and peach blossom. Right away, however, I notice that this is going to be much more of a floral fragrance than a fruity one.

The hyacinth is quite present immediately and will hang around for the duration of the wear. The composition smells very clean and has a powdery/musk blend to it, as well. I’m thinking clean, like fresh laundry, sort of smell.

Hyacinth, iris, and peach blossom are the main flower petals that I get from this. The rest of them, don’t seem very distinct to my nose, but really well-blended together in this Burberry fragrance.

As it moves on further, it is less like a soapy fresh smell, and feels like being in a flower garden. Sitting outdoors, eating nectarines, with the flowers in full bloom. I like this part of the wear, much more, as it feels closer to a natural aroma. 

Finally, what I’m left with is: nectarine, peach blossom, musk, florals, and wood. Sandalwood with a touch of cedar, give it added freshness and balance. Relaxing flower garden, with nectarine, and wood. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This projects itself moderately. I’d say, somewhere in the 4-6 feet range, around the wearer. Not a complete bomb, by any means, but decent. It does have a lighter airy kind of aroma, not a heavier imposing one.

The longevity is great, not elite, but it’ll go for a long while. I got about 9 hours, from Burberry Weekend, before it disappeared. Definitely good enough for the standard workday.

Weekend, as the name suggests, has a casual and chill vibe. It is best worn during the spring or summertime, when the weather is warm, and sun is shining. It could absolutely be a daily wear to the office, also, as it isn’t going to be one that offends. 

It is a pretty and clean fragrance, rather than, a sexy one. It’s attractive enough to get complements, though. An easy perfume to have in the rotation for the warmer months of the year, that can cover a lot of bases.

 

 

Overall Impression of Burberry Weekend for Women

Do I like this Burberry scent? I do like Weekend for Women. If it didn’t have the nectarine, it’d probably be too much of a flower garden scent for my taste, but it’s great here.

The middle act and the dry down are lovely. The peach blossom and nectarine pair well with the other notes to give this perfume a naturalistic and pleasant aroma.

The performance is very good, it has a sunny personality, and gives you a clean wear. Is it super exciting? No. Not completely original, either, but it does deliver a versatile and rather beautiful smell. 

This is a nice option for those who want a low-key daily wear, or something to put on, when just hanging out. 

Update: This does seem to be the same scent as before, but the current bottle has been changed from the original. As of now, Burberry is still selling Weekend.

Royal Rose by Juicy Couture

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Taking a break from the Tom Ford reviews for a minute, I wanted to do a write up on another Juicy Couture perfume sample that I received a while back, this one titled: Royal Rose. It was released in 2017 and with a name like that is obviously going to be centered around that famous flower. How does it perform? How do the other notes interact with the rose? Is it any good?

What does Juicy Couture Royal Rose Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, incense, suede, musk, heliotrope

My Full Review

Before we get into the review itself, let’s see what Juicy Couture has to say about this fragrance: Royal Rose evokes a mystical world of romance and enchantment. Sumptuous rose and heliotrope stir the spirit while suede and incense shroud the scent in luxury.

The opening of Royal Rose is a rather sharp blend of rose and heliotrope. The rose note comes off as sort of a bomb, in terms of how intense it is and the aroma has an oriental sort of flavor to it.

Meanwhile, there is the smoky incense, which serves to warm up the composition and clouds the floral notes, in its mist.

About 15 minutes in, I start to detect suede and more musk. This is where to rose tones down a bit and Royal Rose becomes smoother.

The strange thing about this Juicy Couture fragrance is that the rose which is in the name, gets weaker as the scent moves along, until its almost non-existent. You’ll eventually get lots on incense, musk, some heliotrope, and suede. Warm, smoky, earthy.

There really isn’t much development at all beyond that. The rose just really falls off of a cliff.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage of Royal Rose is actually quite strong. This one will only require a few sprays to be effective and can definitely take over a room. The performance is probably the best attribute of this perfume and better than many other Juicy scents.

The longevity is also really great, with at least 8-9 hours of solid wear, and some extra hours sitting closer to the skin.

Seasonally, this one should stick to the colder months of the year. It’s not going to be great to have on during the summertime or anything like that. It can be worn casually or dressed up.

If you go light, it might be office safe, but one must be easy with the sprayer. It’s not really a sexy or a scent that draws people in, so I wouldn’t call it all that versatile or crowd pleasing.

Overall Impressions of Royal Rose

Overall, do I like Royal Rose? Not really. The Juicy Couture scent just isn’t that good. It starts off powerfully and has good performance, which are its strengths.

However, it doesn’t have a really attractive scent, the rose kind of just goes away, and there’s way too much of a musky smokiness.

The thing is, that aspect isn’t even a great example of this sort of scent. It’s all kind of bland, while being in your face about it. A strange release from this brand which usually tries to go super ‘crowd pleasing’ with its perfumes.

I’m not sure where this fits in or who to recommend it to. It’s pretty niche, in its appeal. I’d say pass on it.

Update: This one has been discontinued, anyway. Unless you can find a bottle for dirt cheap, don’t bother getting a hold of Royal Rose.

Vert Boheme by Tom Ford

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Today, we have another entry from the Tom Ford Private Blend collection, Vert Boheme. This one was released back in 2016 and is probably one of the brand’s lesser known fragrances. The question is, is Very Boheme an unknown gem or a perfume that is actually quite forgettable? How does it smell? Is it worth a try?

What does Vert Boheme Smell Like?

Notes include: Sicilian mandarin, violet leaf, magnolia, honeysuckle, galbanum, wood

Click here to try: Tom Ford Private Blend Vert Boheme Eau de Parfum Spray, 50 Ml, 1.7 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Vert Boheme is very green with a floral disposition and just a hint of mandarin to give it a citrus undertone. Galbanum is heavily present with violet leaf being its less intense pairing.

This pairing could easily go overboard, but stays relatively tame due to the introduction of honeysuckle and the aforementioned Sicilian mandarin.

It’s quite interesting, how Vert Boheme, walks the line between floral perfume and that outdoorsy green smell. The latter, is what it leans toward, but there are defined elements of both in here. It never strikes me as being too much of a bouquet, rather, it is cool and has a sort of mossy feel to it.

Vert Boheme is a very clean and fresh outdoorsy scent with a watery scent lurking in the background. The whole thing is pretty linear and what you smell 20 minutes in, is pretty much what I get for the rest of the wear.

However, it does have a woodier aroma as it dries down, and you get deep into its life cycle.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage of this Tom Ford fragrance is quite moderate. It isn’t super powerful at the start and then fade away. No, it is just consistently in this moderate range during the wear.

With the longevity, I get about 6-7 hours out of this one. Not great, but a solid performer. Still, once I get into this sort of price range, I do start to expect more than this.

Seasonally, I’d call it spring to early summer. It feels as if it’d be fine in a range of temperatures, except maybe toward the higher end of the spectrum.

The green and floral aspects bring to mind a spring garden or walking along the edge of the woods, and Vert Boheme really fits that mood.

It is a feminine perfume and I don’t think that I could wear this as a unisex fragrance. It’s not super girly or anything, but is reminiscent of ladies’ scents, and there’s nothing notably masculine about Vert Boheme.

It’s a casual to office wear scent, not anything sexy or that cries out to be worn at night, more of a simple and clean everyday fragrance. I wouldn’t expect much beyond that.

Overall Impressions of Vert Boheme

Overall do I like Vert Boheme? It’s okay. Nothing about it strikes me as particularly amazing. If you are in the market for a very green, slightly aquatic, and floral perfume; then, I guess this would be a good option to consider.

For a more mass appeal? Not really. It’s pretty niche, in terms of who it would appeal to. It smells just fine and has a refreshing character, but it’s nothing that’s crazy good.

Decadence Eau So Decadent by Marc Jacobs

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Moving right along through my most recent perfume samples, I have an entry from Marc Jacobs’ line of Decadence fragrances, Eau So Decadent. This flanker to the original has been out for a while now, but how does it actually smell? Is the performance any good? Is this scent worth a try?

What does Decadence Eau So Decadent Smell Like?

Notes include: lily of the valley, raspberry, black currant, pear, amber, magnolia, ivy, jasmine

Click here to try: Marc Jacobs Decadence Eau So Decadent L 3.4 EDT SPRNEW

My Full Review

Eau So Decadent kicks off with its fruit blend of notes, along with a light touch of jasmine and magnolia, underneath. The main ingredient here, is the pear, which gives its usual light juiciness to the composition.

Raspberry and black currant aren’t heavy additions to the mix, but they do allow Eau So Decadent to have a sort of sour berry smell, for at least part of the time.

The next phase of this Marc Jacobs perfume for me, is more floral and greenish, yet still being under the control of the pear note. Ivy, magnolia, and to a lesser extent the jasmine, surround the pear note while the other fruits fade somewhat.

The biggest change comes with the lily of the valley, which amps up the floral/garden type of aroma. It comes across as being quite clean and attractive. It’s still sweet at this stage, but Eau So Decadent, is moving more away from that.

Finally, I am left with pear, lily, magnolia, and amber. The amber note really broke late, on my skin. Maybe I just couldn’t notice it underneath everything else, early on, but it really became a major player.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here, is light to moderate. It will project itself out from the skin about 4-5 feet, for a few hours, and then be more of a skin scent. This isn’t a huge or ‘fill up the room’ type of perfume, more of a light and clean, daily wear.

How long does it last? In the 6-8 hour range. The end of that range, it will be an airy skin scent. Very solid performance, but not elite, by any stretch.

This one will be a go-to in the spring and summer months. Pretty much moderate to warmer climates. It would feel out of place in the winter, but I don’t see why you couldn’t wear it, otherwise.

When should this be worn? This is a daily wear. It is safe for the office, casual, or even more formal events. It’s an attractive scent, but doesn’t have that nightlife vibe, or as a date night sort of perfume.

Overall Impression of Decadence Eau So Decadent

Do I like Decadence Eau So Decadent, overall? I do. I think this could be a good option for those who want a safe and versatile bet, for daily wear. Also, those who enjoyed the original Decadence, will like this. This is a bit sweeter and fruitier

Is it a special fragrance? Not really, it’s a good scent, though. Eau So Decadent is an affordable option for women, who want a fruity floral, with a bit of style. Maybe stay away, if you’re not into pear or lily of the valley. I enjoy this for what it is, give it a try.