By Designer

Yellow Diamond Intense by Versace

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Today, I’m going to review another women’s perfume by Versace, Yellow Diamond Intense. I’ve had this sample for a while and have been giving it consideration today. Intense came out in 2014, as a flanker to the popular original. In this review, I will cover what’s in it, how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, and if it is worth a purchase or not.

What does Yellow Diamond Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: pear, citron, neroli, bergamot, freesia, orange blossom, jasmine, bezoin, musk, amber wood

Click here to try: VERSACE Yellow Diamond Intense Eau De Parfum, 3 Fluid Ounce

My Full Wear Review

OK, so I reviewed the original Yellow Diamond perfume on the site a few days back, but I also have a sample vial of the Intense version so I thought that I should review it next.

The notes are the same, so how different could the fragrance actually be? Was it just going to be a ‘stronger’ version of the original?

Upon smelling the opening for the first time, I knew that it wouldn’t be the same. Versace definitely reformulated the potency of each note, as well as making it more intense.

Yellow Diamond Intense starts out with a bold presentation of the citrus notes, while the floral notes take a much more subservient role than they did in the original. I have to say, that I enjoy the opening of the Intense version much more than the original.

After about 5-10 minutes the pear note began to take hold and the citrus quieted down somewhat. The second phase is a citrus/pear/white floral combination that is quite cheery and upbeat.

Later on there are some woodsy notes but I don’t feel that this version gets ‘green’ or too plant-like as the original does with its mostly floral/wood disposition. This is a very clean scent and almost has a soapy vibe to it at times.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Yellow Diamond Intense actually lives up to its name. It does deliver some intensity after the soft-spoken original fragrance. It projects quite well and never felt weak to me. I sprayed it on an old t-shirt days ago and it seems to still be going strong on the fabric.

Is it going to fill up a room? Probably not, unless you go big with the sprays. It’ll be noticed and create a nice scent bubble around you for the day.

Longevity is also better than the original. On my skin, it lasted right around 8 hours, and I only used one spray on my wrist. That’s a great sign.

Update: With some more testing, it seems that 8 hours is about what to expect. Maybe an extra hour or so, on occasion. I did get about nine and a half hours once.

Yellow Diamond Intense is of course a spring/summer scent. It really has a naturalistic feeling of fruit and flowers that takes your mind to walking through a grove or garden. It seems like a versatile fragrance, as well, it would be fine for the office or casual situations.

Not really a club scent, but possible for dating. I do find it to be sexier than the original, but still wouldn’t classify it as a ‘sexy’ or ‘seductive’ perfume. Mostly a good daily wear for the warmer months of the year.

Overall Impressions of Yellow Diamond Intense

Overall, do I recommend Intense? I liked the original, but I like this one better. It’s bolder and I think the composition is more refined. Add to the fact that it has a higher level of performance and it’s a winner.

I really like the bright and upbeat citrus notes here, particularly in the opening few minutes. The jasmine and orange blossom, do a great job at supporting the citrus fruit. I’m not a huge fan of pear as a fragrance note, but it does a nice job in this perfume.

I’m not totally blown away by Yellow Diamond Intense, but I find no real faults with it either. This Versace is quite solid all around. It’s a very good choice and if you happen to like the notes as shown, you could do a lot worse than picking up a bottle of this stuff.

Black Opium vs Poison Girl Perfume Comparison

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For this fragrance comparison, we are going to take a closer look at to women’s eau de parfums, Black Opium by YSL vs. Poison Girl by Christian Dior. Which of these perfumes smells the best? They share a lot of similarities, have lots of sweetness, are gourmand, but which one is a better buy? As usual, I’m going to break down each by different metrics, and then declare a winner. I’ve also linked my original reviews of each scent below.

Tale of the Tape: Black Opium vs. Poison Girl

Black Opium

black opium perfume review

Notes include: coffee, vanilla, patchouli, pink pepper, orange blossom, cedar

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, Black Opium, 3 Ounce

Read my original review: Black Opium

Poison Girl

Notes include: Damascus rose, tonka bean, bitter orange, vanilla, almond, sandalwood

Click here to try: Christian Dior Poison Girl Women’s Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce

Read my original review: Poison Girl

Opening

I’m not too much of a fan with the way that Black Opium opens up. The first ten minutes or so are pretty jumbled, and honestly not that great, but it gets better. It’s a lot of orange blossom, cedar, and vanilla at the top. It’s loud and not very cohesive yet.

It’s strange, because I do really love orange blossom and vanilla. But for some reason, it just doesn’t click in the beginning.

Poison Girl, hits first with the Damascus rose note, tonka bean, and bitter orange. It’s creamy and smooth and actually feels quite close to how Black Opium ultimately smells.

At the start, the Dior fragrance, takes the edge.

Edge: Poison Girl 

Projection

Ok, Black Opium is a bold fragrance. The sillage is quite loud and it has the ability to project far and wide. Really, that’s one of the perfume’s major strengths. As such, Poison Girl is going to have to match that at least, does it? It doesn’t.

The Dior starts off strong but never reaches the same level as does the YSL. Later, it fades more into a moderate perfume while Black Opium keeps going strong. Poison Girl isn’t bad at all, it just doesn’t meet the pure power that Black Opium displays.

Edge: Black Opium

Longevity

Actually, this category might be a tie. Black Opium goes on and on, but I also got double digit hours out of Poison Girl. I mean, if you want to keep going into the deep hours, maybe there is a clear winner but not in normal situations.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Two cold weather fragrances. Poison Girl can be worn at the office, casually, or out on a date. Black Opium can do the same, although, in confined spaces its best to go lighter.

I’d say Poison Girl is a tad bit sexier to my nose and is subtle enough to wear anywhere. So, I’ll give the Dior the slight edge here.

Edge: Poison Girl

Overall Scent

So, these two perfumes are very close in how they stack up against one another. They share many elements and this close competition is to be expected.

Black Opium EDP turns into a vanilla and coffee mix as it moves along to go with an orange blossom note playing the support role. It’s very warm and super sweet. The pink pepper note and the patchouli, give it a cozy spice to sit underneath the sweetness, and create that enveloping feel.

Poison Girl is also quite sweet but has a creamier aroma, thanks to tonka bean and the almond note. The rose, vanilla, and tonka bean notes make for a formidable trio that lead the way. The bitter orange note supplies the citrus and sort of gives a similar vibe to Black Opium.

Ultimately, though, I think that I prefer Poison Girl. It’s smoother. Almond, sandalwood, and tonka make sure of that. It’s sweet, creamy, and smooth. It’s not as bold as Black Opium, but performs just as well. It’s difficult to pick a winner in this contest, but Poison Girl just strikes me as a tad more interesting.

Winner: Poison Girl

The Scent of Peace by Bond No. 9

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I recently got a hold of about 10 Bond No. 9 fragrance samples, so, now I will be posting proper reviews on each over the next little while. The first up to bat is a highly popular fragrance for ladies, The Scent of Peace.

In this post, I’m going to explore what’s in it, how it smells, how it performs, and whether or not it is worth a buy.

What does The Scent of Peace Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, black currant, cedar, lily of the valley, hedione, musk

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 The Scent Of Peace Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.3 Fluid Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The Scent of Peace gets a lot of comparisons to Light Blue by D&G. With Light Blue, you get: apple, lemon, and musk. While with this Bond No. 9 fragrance, you get: grapefruit, black currant, and musk. So, while they share the musk note, the juicy fruits within the composition are different but create a similar effect.

Which one is better? I think that The Scent of Peace gets it right. The grapefruit note with the delicious smelling back currant is a much more enjoyable aroma than the already nicely scented Light Blue.

Anyways, the opening of this fragrance, is all about those vibrant and juicy fruits. It is a very fresh and bright aroma that has me smelling the spot on my arms I sprayed, again and again. Just catching a waft of this stuff is quite and enjoyable experience.

The black currant is the leader of the pack, without question. Obviously, pairing this note with further citrus, can make the beginning of the scent quite sharp. Some might find it to be too much, though for me, it’s not bad at all and actually enjoyable. 

As it moves along, the floral notes begin to emerge, but never really seem to take over the scent. At this point, I am fully getting the summer’s day vibe from The Scent of Peace. Lily of the valley is the floral note of choice, but it really remains light, and flanked by the musky ingredient. 

With the underlying cedar note, the lily of the valley, creates a ‘green’ outdoorsy aroma that is undeniably beautiful when blended with the fruit. It’s fresh, clean, bright, with a bit of a biting sharpness. 

The whole wear isn’t all that complicated. It’s an easy to put on scent, with minimal development, but an attractive and refreshing smell. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this one is pretty light to moderate, which I think is a good thing in this case. This perfume doesn’t need to be an absolute bomb and would take away from how good it already is.

It is light, yet noticeable, before turning into a skin scent that sneaks up on you, lest you have forgotten that you were wearing it.

Longevity, is good, however. Around 7 hours of solid wear and maybe a few more, where it is still detectable on my skin. It could probably go longer, in the right circumstances. It does its job for a daily wear or casual type of scent. It could be a bit better, but it’s certainly solid. 

I would say this is an ideal spring/summer fragrance. As a casual daytime wear or one that is worn to work or school. It has an upbeat but not overly youthful vibe, it doesn’t have that ‘teenager’ super sweetness, but seems right for women in their 20s and up. Think beautiful but not necessarily sexy.

It’s a really nice and refreshing sort of wear, that will sit beautifully in the temperate or warmer climates. Once the black currant settles in a bit, things still feel a bit crisp, but The Scent of Peace is an altogether smoother experience. 

Overall Impression of The Scent of Peace for Her

Overall, would I recommend The Scent of Peace? Yes, this is one of my favorite Bond No. 9 fragrances for women. It is delicious and oh so pretty.  It is great for those who are looking for a casual scent that will garner complements, be enjoyable to wear, and won’t overpower a room.

Obviously, the Bond No. 9 lineup can be pricey. However, this is one that I think is worth the purchase. Not everyone will be enamored with it, it will mostly boil down to the grapefruit and black currant combo. Though, I think that most, will find this to be a very nice perfume to spray on during the spring and summertime. 

Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford

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I still have about a dozen more Tom Ford fragrance reviews to post from my current batch of samples. I’m going to start making a dent in that number today, by reviewing 2016’s release Soleil Blanc. This perfumes has gotten fairly popular over the past few years, but is it actually worth it? How does it smell? What’s the performance like? When should it be worn?

What does Soleil Blanc Smell Like?

Notes include: coconut, bergamot, pink pepper, ylang ylang, cardamom, pistachio, jasmine, tonka bean, amber, benzoin, tuberose

Click here to try: Tom Ford Private Blend Soleil Blanc Eau De Parfum Spray for Unisex 3.4 Oz / 100ml

My Full Review

Soleil Blanc opens with coconut infused with bergamot juice and flanked by floral notes, though, mainly tuberose at this stage. It feels quite tropical and I particularly like the beginning, when the bergamot is in full swing, before it fades from the picture.

Beyond the initial offering, I start to get a bit of cardamom (with a slight hint of pink pepper), and the jasmine begins to emerge more on my skin. It’s sweet with a fresh spice, in there, but the fragrance as a whole takes on a suntan oil or lotion fragrance.

Yes, it gets compared to Virgin Island Water a lot, but Soleil Blanc is more feminine and pleasing to my nose. I honestly don’t think that they are as similar as folks want to make them out to be.

The further along I get, the more the floral notes emerge, and create a smooth and creamy effect on the composition. Lots of ylang-ylang, tuberose, and jasmine with the sweet coconut still sitting in the heart of things.

It’s wrapped up in a slight amber warmth and a benzoin, that reminds me of men’s fragrance, Kouros Body. Soleil Blanc is pretty simple from there on out.

I put some on a t-shirt also, and the next day, it had dried down into a semi-sweet floral with cardamom being the other main note.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage is solid, but not super heavy by any means. It is exactly what it needs to be, noticeable, but not room suffocating. It is also pretty consistent in intensity throughout the wear.

The longevity is great and Soleil Blanc lasts for over 10 hours on my skin. So, no worries about it quitting in the middle of the day. For a summertime fragrance, that’s actually really could compared to most others.

Seasonally, this bright fragrance begs to be worn in the warmer weather. Spring is just fine, but really summer is where it’s at.  I find it to be quite an attractive fragrance, but yes, it does have that suntan lotion element.

As such, maybe it isn’t a ‘sexy’ perfume, but is pretty and upbeat. It can be worn casually, semi-formal, or at the office.

Soleil isn’t really going to offend anybody, so it is safe for close quarters. Sweet, creamy, floral, with some underlying spice.

Overall Impressions of Soleil Blanc

Overall, do I like Soleil Blanc? Yes, I think that it is a great addition to the Tom Ford line of women’s fragrances. It’s really among the best of the bunch that have been released over the years.

The coconut is great and blends very well with the floral notes. It’s all creamy and smooth, with some nice warm and spicy notes thrown in.

It does have somewhat of a summertime beachy vibe, but not the same kind of saltiness that other scents in this category have. In the end, it smells nice and lasts all day, and is an awesome option for women.

Bleecker Street by Bond No. 9

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This is a review that I’ve been meaning to get around to doing for a long while. In fact, I grabbed another sample vial just for this very purpose, and promptly forgot about it for months. But, Bleecker Street, is a scent that needed a write up on this site and I wasn’t going to let the sample Bond No. 9 perfume, lie unused for too long.

So, in this post, I am going to cover the usual ingredients, how it smells, develops, performs, when it should be worn, and if it’s actually worth a purchase.

What does Bleecker Street Smell Like?

Notes include: violet leaf, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, jasmine, cassis, patchouli, oakmoss

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

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Bond No. 9 describes, Bleecker Street: Art, fashion, seduction, and dessert in liquid form. A warm and sensual aphrodisiac that glides from day into evening. 

The opening of Bleecker Street gives you that initial blast of violet leaf. Violet leaf always reminds me of Fahrenheit by Christian Dior, and yep, that’s a what I experience with this Bond No. 9 fragrance. That outdoorsy almost gasoline kind of aroma, just toned way down, in Bleecker Street and not nearly as aggressive as the Dior.

Nonetheless, it quickly moves off of that beginning and is joined by other notes like cinnamon, patchouli, and oakmoss. It’s a green ‘natural’ kind of scent, sort of sporty, but always clean and fresh.

Looking at the notes, which include vanilla and caramel, I would expect this to be sweeter than it actually is.

However, Bleecker Street never reaches that expected sweetness, as it is controlled by the stronger notes like cassis, which while derived from black currant doesn’t have that sugary quality. It is the same type of thing you find in Aventus.

So, it’s not sugary and the fruit isn’t ‘juicy’, as it is surrounded by dry ingredients.

The whole profile and experience of wearing Bleecker Street brings me to the outdoors, out in the wilderness, and taking in the landscape. At times, it’s completely woody with the overlying natural sharpness of the cassis. Then, a layer of faint sweetness of caramel.

The violet leaf is always present and a bit of warm spice from the cinnamon and patchouli. To my nose, it gets sweeter as it dries down, and moves away from the woodiness.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, its of pretty moderate sillage. People will notice it, but there’s no need to go heavy on the sprays, nor is it going to be crazy intense with a normal application. There’s really no need to coat yourself in it, though.

The performance with Bleecker Street’s longevity is very good and while around 8 hours is the norm, it can hit double digits on occasion. It’s not one to die out in the middle of the day and will be just right for almost any time one wears it.

Now, this is listed as a unisex fragrance by Bond No. 9 and I tend to agree. Though, it does lean more towards the masculine side of things.

I’ve said that it has elements of both Fahrenheit and Aventus for men, but this Bond scent, never has that same intensity or overt masculinity.

So, yes, it is safe for women but it does have more of what would usually be considered masculine elements.

Seasonally, I would like to wear this best in the autumn or spring. It just feels right with more moderate temperatures and there’s all of the usual changes in nature taking place. Just the whole clean outdoorsy profile fits these time periods to a tee.

Bleecker is a versatile scent, it can be worn casually, as well as on more formal occasions. It smells really good, but isn’t what I’d call sexy, and isn’t a nightclub beast.

Overall Impressions of Bleecker Street

Overall, do I like Bleecker Street? Yes, this is one of the better fragrances by Bond No. 9. It’s got a pretty unique style and aroma. It is interesting throughout and the notes aren’t what you’d find in a lot of the more common fragrances on the market.

The performance is also great. Is this a fragrance for everybody? Almost certainly not. Some women will find it too masculine and some guys won’t find it bold enough. Though, it is a quality perfume, and one which has found a niche in a lot of people’s rotations.

It’s definitely one of my favorite fragrances from this expensive brand, which can honestly be pretty hit or miss. This one is among the best that they’ve ever put out.