Perfume Reviews

Mod Blush EDP by Ariana Grande

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Mod Blush is one of the two new releases from Ariana Grande, under the Mod banner. I bought travel size sprayers of both this and Mod Vanilla to test out for review. What’s this one like? Does it last long? Is this perfume worth trying?

What does Mod Blush Smell Like?

Notes include: bergamot, passionfruit, raspberry, pink pepper, dewy magnolia, rose, juicy pear, ambrox, dreamwood, musk

Click here to try: Mod Blush

My Full Review

Mod Blush opens up sharp, with a tropical fruit skew. But, there’s also a powdery aroma sitting underneath. It sort of reminds me of a cheaper, less milky, Cruz del Sur II. Not the same, but similar style at the start.

Passionfruit, bergamot, and raspberry are all big up top. The passionfruit is the leader, but the blend feels too sharp and tart with a further spice provided by pink pepper.

You can already tell that this one is going to have a rosy scent to it. A bit greenish with an additional light magnolia note.

Eventually, the tropical influence of the passionfruit will wane, and the bergamot will fade as well. Pear, rose, musk, and the woody base all start to play more of a role in the composition.

However, the transition to the end still isn’t all that great to me. The raspberry and passionfruit are slowly changing places in strength and that pink pepper and rose come off a bit strange in that environment.

It gets sweeter, the sparkling pear becomes more apparent sort of sitting under the raspberry. Rose, musk, ambroxan, and wood round things out. It has more balance and smells like a standard issue Ariana Grande perfume.

The ambroxan is very noticeable in the final few hours of the wear.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This isn’t a perfume which projects itself too far. That opening half hour, does do a pretty good job of grabbing attention with it’s fruity note. But, it settles into a lighter to moderate fragrance.

On my skin, this ends up lasting maybe 5.5-6 hours in total. Those last few are pretty much skin scent level, so you’re not getting great performance out of Blush.

Seasonally, this is best in the spring and summer months. The fruitiness and ultimate sweetness do well when it’s a bit warmer out, especially since it’s not a heavy or baked goods kind of sweet sugary aroma.

Mod Blush does have more of a youthful or girlish vibe. Sort of playful, more casual, and less serious or dressed up. A pretty daytime wear, rather than business or something sexy for the night.

Overall Impressions of Mod Blush

Overall, do I like Mod Blush? It’s not great. I don’t hate it, but it’s really nothing special, and kind of covers ground that other of her releases have already…it just doesn’t do as good of a job.

I don’t think this is going to be Ariana Grande’s most popular perfume, she’s come out with.

Mainly, the opening hour is the worst part of this one. It’s not awful, just kind of mediocre. The dry down is a nice, fun, and sweet aroma. Still, nothing special, but I don’t mind it.

The performance is also pretty light and it’s not super long-lasting. I’m not a massive fan of Mod Vanilla either, just that one is better than this, I think. Though, neither of these perfumes are a great release.

It’s worth trying to see if you like it, I suppose. I might consider waiting for discounts, before committing to a full bottle.

Chloe Eau de Parfum Naturelle

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Naturelle is a somewhat newer Chloe flanker that was released in 2021. I got a sample of this as a part of the larger lot of Chloe perfumes that I picked up a while back. I didn’t know anything about this one coming into testing, so, I got to experience it with a blank slate impression. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Chloe Naturelle Smell Like?

Notes include: blackcurrant, citron, rose, mimosa, neroli, cedar

Click here to try: Chloe EDP Naturelle

chloe naturelle review

My Full Review

Naturelle opens up with a very strong citron and neroli mix, on my skin. Along with that blackcurrant note, and the underlying cedar freshness, it can pack a rather large punch. Sour and sharp. Plus, it has an greenish smell at the beginning.

It all feels sort of strange. The Chloe rose note is present of course, but it also introduces a mimosa that brings a bit of powder at times, but really enhances the ‘greenish yellow’ aroma that this perfume has early on.

Once some of the neroli and the fruit notes burn off, Chloe Naturelle is much more wearable for me. I have to say the opening, is pretty tough for me to get through, and I really don’t care for it.

However, things do get somewhat better. It’s clean, outdoorsy fresh, and does have a naturalistic kind of aroma. It reminds me of the Hermes Jardin fragrances. A rose, mimosa, and cedar led perfume. Still some citron and neroli coming through, but thankfully, toned way down.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Chloe Naturelle starts off with a sharper aroma, but still moderate sillage. It’s not going to leave a massive trail, nor create a giant cloud around the wearer. The second half of the wear, is quite intimate.

Which is a shame, since that’s when it smells best.

This one actually does stick around for a decent amount of time. Now, it’s not strong for much of the wear, but I can still detect it on skin. I think that it finally fades for good, at around 7 hours.

Great? No, but passable.

Seasonally, this screams springtime with the imagery it evokes. Which, means it’s also good for the summer months, also. The citron, greenish notes, makes Naturelle a nice choice for warmer weather.

This one is very versatile. It can be worn casually, is well put together enough to be a daily wear. Outside, in the warmer temperatures, is a great use of Naturelle. Not going to be a nightlife or romantic wear perfume, though.

Overall Impressions of Naturelle

Overall, do I like Chloe Naturelle? Not particularly. As I wrote, the back half is better and not so bad, but I really don’t like the front end.

It’s not like any of these notes are ones that I don’t enjoy. Citron, blackcurrant, etc. are all fine to me. Just something about this mix that is just off.

The naturalistic garden or floral sort of scents can be good and there’s better examples out there. Namely, Hermes’ Le Jardin fragrances, as mentioned. This one isn’t on that level and the regular Chloe perfumes are all (if not, most all) better than what you get here.

Naturelle is ok. But, like across the board just pretty middle of the road and forgettable. If you’re into this kind of scent and you can get a substantial discount, it might be worth a try. At full price, pass.

Invite Only Amber | 23 by Kayali

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Invite Only Amber 23 is one of the fragrances that is featured in the Kayali sample set that I bought some time back. Based on the name alone, this was one that I thought would be my favorite of the bunch. Is that the case? How does Invite Only smell? Is it really worth a try?

What does Invite Only Amber Smell Like?

Notes include: black cherry, honey de Provence, tobacco leaf, amber resin, vanilla Madagascar

Click here to try: Invite Only Amber

My Full Review

Invite Only opens up with a mix of the black cherry note and a greenish sort of tobacco note. It doesn’t smell like other fragrances which tend to go with a cured tobacco aroma.

The cherry note has an initial run at the top, but quickly gets overtaken by other ingredients in the mix. The Honey de Provence and the amber resin here get stronger. Invite Only Amber stays sweet, but has a warm resinous aroma throughout.

The honey, amber, and vanilla create a thicker scent. There seems to be some spice here at least, almost creating a boozy effect. But really, I still get the honey, amber, and that tobacco note. 

This gets compared to Angels’ Share. Eh, not really. Sure, a similar style, but they are not the same scent by any stretch. The Kilian is much better. Actually, this reminds me a female version of Pure Havane, done in the style of Angels’ Share.

The final dry down is a sweetish amber with the remaining tobacco and vanilla. Some of that initial spice, but very faint. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The opening act of Invite Only does have a pop to it. A fairly strong sillage with a radius of maybe 5-6 feet from where you spray. That comes in closer and closer, probably 2-3 feet, for much of the wear.

The longevity here is in the 5.5-6 hour range on my skin. Those last few hours are pretty light, but it does hang around, mostly as a skin scent. Not great. Then again, none of this line’s perfumes seem to be beast mode. 

Seasonally, Invite Only Amber is an autumn and winter scent. It’s really sweet, has sort of a heaviness, and would be a bit much as the temperatures rise.

This is a cozy scent that could pull double duty day or night during the colder weather. I don’t find it particularly sexy, but some might. Not really a formal scent, though, it can be light enough to wear on a daily basis for a select number of people.

 

 

Overall Impressions of Invite Only Amber

Overall, do I like it? Somewhat. I actually thought that I’d love this one going in and how it gets compared to Angels’ Share and Oajan, two of my favorites. Ultimately, it really falls short for me.

Maybe it’s better as a layering perfume option. Less so on its own.

It’s not a bad perfume, but there’s something about it that I find somewhat off-putting while wearing it for long stretches. It has depth, warmth, and the notes are better than some of the others from this brand. But, the mix itself…isn’t completely working for me.  

The tobacco note might be the one that’s doing it. That with a strong amber, gets a bit too thick and somewhat annoying over time. I probably would’ve like a bigger cherry note and some booziness instead.

Apparently some people get a lot longer lasting cherry than I did. On the whole, this scent just doesn’t have the right balance to my nose. It’s fine, just not great like I thought it could be. 

I’d say give it a try first, to see where you fall on this, as it can bit somewhat pricey for a blind buy.

Lady Million Fabulous by Paco Rabanne

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Fabulous is the 2021 Lady Million release from Paco Rabanne. This one was thrown in along with another order that I had placed, which is fine since I’ve been reviewing the Lady Million lineup pretty much completely thus far. How does Fabulous smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Lady Million Fabulous Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, solar notes, pink pepper, ylang-ylang, tuberose, vanilla, jasmine, tonka bean, moss

My Full Review

The solar notes here, are the star early on, much like in 1 Million Parfum. These two are quite similar, but this is much more feminine, and I actually think I prefer it overall versus the men’s version.

It’s a bright, sweet, aldehyde blend that is met with a light mandarin and very scant pink pepper note. It does have a slight resemblance to Guess Seductive Homme, but again, this is distinctly feminine.

Aside from that, you immediately get a sweet tuberose and that familiar yellow floral aroma of ylang-ylang. This sort of has a beachy vibe, not really tropical , but the creaminess and citrus lend it that feeling.

The mandarin and pink pepper are pretty much gone, by a certain point. The solar note comes more into balance with the rest of the wear and vanilla and jasmine come into play more.

Tuberose, rich vanilla, with a mix a ylang-ylang and jasmine. It’s very pretty with a really attractive sweetness. None of it feels heavy, though. The vanilla is nice, doesn’t overwhelm or drown out the other notes.

Really, the final dry down will be less of the solar aldehydes, and a slight emergence of moss. Less bright and creamy. Still sweet, but with a bit of a powdery finish.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage has a fairly strong start, it projects in the 7 foot or so range, when I spray it and that lasts for maybe an hour before receding. Yet, it doesn’t go full skin scent until like hour six, on me.

It’s sort of a slow burn towards its faintness.

This one has pretty good staying power on skin. It goes for over 7 hours and can hit 8 hours, every third wear it seems. I wouldn’t expect much beyond that, but Fabulous is at least above average with how long it lasts.

Seasonally, keep this mostly to autumn and winter. It’s best as a colder weather fragrance, that can work in more temperate climates.

Don’t expect formality here, but Fabulous also isn’t completely immature. It’s attractive and has a sensual aroma. Good for parties, nightlife, and just general casual wear. It could be a daily wear for some, depending on where you work or go to school.

Overall Impressions of Lady Million Fabulous

Overall, do I like this perfume? I really do. It’s sweet, fairly gourmand, but doesn’t seem to ever overdo anything. I think it’s really attractive. Not super complicated, but gives you something different from the other perfumes in the Lady Million series. It’s also one of the best of them.

Vanilla, the solar notes, and that tuberose all work well enough here. The moss in the base, helps with the balancing act and keeping this from completely turning into a sweet mess.

Performance is solid, no complaints there. It’s very enjoyable and has that bolder and almost gaudy style that the Million series from Paco Rabanne is known for.

This is worth a try. It probably won’t top everyone’s list, but for the right price, this could find its way into your rotation. It’s fun and smells nice. Not blown away, but I really like it.

It does seem like this one has already pretty much left the market from most retailers. You’ll probably have to find it at the discounters nowadays.

Fleur de Parfum by Chloe

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Chloe Fleur de Parfum is one of the various fragrances from the brand that I ordered samples of a few months ago. I’ve been working my way through the list, in order to have full reviews of each on the site. This one was released in 2016 as a flanker to the main Chloe perfume. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Chloe Fleur de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, grapefruit, lemon verbena, cherry blossom, musk, rice, cedar, blackcurrant

Click here to try: Chloe Fleur de Parfum

My Full Review

Fleur kicks things off with a very citrus heavy aroma. Both lemon and lemon verbena come through, with the latter bring a bit of a greenish spicy scent to the mix, which also includes grapefruit.

So, obviously this one comes across as super bright and upbeat. But, it doesn’t just stop there. After some of the citrus calms down, post-initial spray, you will get be able to distinguish some of the sharpness to a quickly fading blackcurrant note and a touch of peach.

Actually, 20 minutes in the is light a citrus peach floral blend, that will gradually morph into a citrus and rose perfume. The remaining citrus is mostly the verbena, which allows this one to have more of a distinct smell versus some others, and the other fruits are essentially just a mass impression of fruit.

The transition will come towards being more floral, about and hour or two into the wear. Cherry blossom is present, but the rose is what is the real focus, like the vast majority of Chloe fragrances. It still holds on to a feeling of coldness that’s present in that bright beginning.

Final dry down very rosy and the background verbena and citrus keeps that brightness going. All of this is surrounded by a light mist of musk and maybe some cedar freshness.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This sillage here is pretty light to moderate. The first hour or so is a bit above average with how it projects and any scent trail it leaves behind. That citrus does a good job at helping this one pop off of the skin.

After that, it’s going to be a lighter and more intimate kind of perfume.

On my skin, Fleur seems to stay in the 5-6 hour range, with that last hour being particularly light and pretty faint. However, it still is there.

Seasonally, this one pretty obviously fits in to the warm sunny days of spring and summer. The citrus, the florals, it all works for that climate.

It’s also got plenty of versatility within that timeframe. It’s super safe, works for all age groups, and has a nice mass appeal. I’d probably want to go with something else for dating and nightlife during spring and summer. Outside of that, this should pretty much be fine.

Overall Impressions of Chloe Fleur

Overall, do I like Chloe Fleur de Parfum? I do. While the performance is mid-range, the smell itself is actually quite good.

Very close to the original Chloe, but softer and with a twist. I like the peach, citrus, and cherry blossom aspects of this perfume. The verbena is a nice use of that note and I like that the blackcurrant takes a step back rather quickly.

The back half with the rose, musk, and cedar is much of what you get with the rest of this series. Though, the citrus helps this one maintain a distinct aroma, that’s very pleasant.

Fleur de Parfum is worth a try. It’s pretty simple, has a delightful aroma, and a softness that may be appealing to some. Probably not a must have for most people, but I think most would enjoy this one.