Perfume Reviews

Le Lion de Chanel EDP by Chanel

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I’ve had a few samples of Le Lion de Chanel that I’ve been coming back to over the span of many months. As I wasn’t exactly sure how to feel at first about this entry from the Les Exclusifs line from the French brand.

But, I’ve at least completed my initial evaluation to the point where I can share my thoughts on the site. How does it smell? Is Le Lion worth a try?

What does Le Lion de Chanel Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, bergamot, patchouli, sandalwood, amber, musk, labdanum

Click here to try: Le Lion de Chanel at Chanel


My Full Review

Tried Le Lion? Leave your rating and review in the comments!

Here’s how Chanel describes it: Gabrielle Chanel was born on August 19, 1883, under the sign of Leo. Proud and passionate, instinctive and daring, Mademoiselle fully embodied her zodiac symbol. Majestic, indomitable and wild, the lion became a personal emblem, serving as the inspiration for this powerful fragrance.

It is interesting with Le Lion de Chanel that I actually get a burst of the amber and labdanum before, the citrus is fully revealed on my skin. Like, those notes burst onto the scene with a smokiness, warmth, and spice…then fade a bit to let the bergamot and lemon come through.

It’s a captivating moment, when I do get to the citrus notes, however. Very juicy and bright, but they are surrounded by the pronounced dryness that is found with this mix. The labdanum remains the strongest note, beneath the citrus, and will grow in strength after the fruits move out.

With that labdanum, there is the patchouli lending its earthiness to the smokiness and resinous aroma of labdanum. Earlier, it has more of the balsamic aroma, before settling into something earthier and musky.

Man, this stuff really packs a punch for the initial stages of the wear. The labdanum or amber accord has a dry and sort of a leathery aroma at times. Then, when it dries down, we get a light muskiness and a nice sandalwood.

I do like that smokiness, leathery moments, and that opening citrus. Sure, it can be a lot and take some time getting used to, but I’ve come to enjoy it with repeat wears.

The patchouli will come in stronger, with a step back by the labdanum. It’s more of a straightforward amber here towards the end, with the vanilla and patchouli doing their thing, also.

Le Lion isn’t super complicated. To me, the latter stages are less smoky, still dry (kind of a powdery scent), none of the citrus. Just a woody/earthy/musk with the remaining resinous qualities. There does seem to be a light sweetness involved here throughout (vanilla).

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is pretty massive. Not the strongest that I’ve come across, but it’ll out do many perfumes on the market. A nice long scent trail for sure and great projection off of the skin.

Just using the sample size, with 4-5 spritzes and this will be emanating off of my skin like a beast. Easily picked up by those around you.

It’ll also last in the 9-11 hour range, on my skin. It’s an all-day experience it seems, without issue. Le Lion will not be confused as being a weak fragrance. Even at the high end price, you do still get plenty of value.

Seasonally, this is a fragrance for the autumn and winter months. It’d be way too much for the heat.

It is a unisex perfume. Leans more towards the traditionally feminine fragrances in this style, but it never strikes me as being ‘girly’. It’s probably suitable for mid-20s and up because it does have a level of maturity to it.

It’s versatility isn’t the strong suit. It is confident and bold and probably not best served for use at work. Not entirely formal, but isn’t something all that casual either.

Probably better for nightlife or social functions versus being a daily wear. It’s not so overwhelming that it’ll be off-putting to most people, but Le Lion can skirt that line.

Overall Impressions of Le Lion

Overall, do I like Le Lion de Chanel? I do. I’ve liked it more, the more time that I’ve spent with it. Though, it’s not one that I’m personally clamoring to wear all the time, since I’m not a big fan of the oriental style perfumes.

But, there is plenty to like with this Chanel. It’s high quality, matching the price point. Those citrus notes sitting under the resinous smoky aroma of the amber accord is really attractive. I kept pressing my nose against my arm to pick up that bergamot and lemon.

The opening is attention grabbing, deep, and somewhat rough. But, the perfume never strays too far and remain luxurious and rich. I do like that in addition to the smoke, it has an earthy/dirty scent that will rise up and break the potential monotony of amber and vanilla.

The dryness and the leather-like finish with hints of sandalwood is very nice to catch whiffs of during the latter stages.

The performance here is great. Le Lion is powerful and will stick around for a long while.

But, this isn’t going to be a perfume for everyone. It’s pretty different from many other Chanel’s. Not a floral aldehyde soaked perfume. Yet, you can still pick out that classic Chanel style, if you’re familiar.

Le Lion isn’t entirely a niche fragrance, but it’ll be one to test out to see if you’d actually want to go with it. It for sure doesn’t have the same mass appeal, as something like Coco Mademoiselle.

R.E.M. by Ariana Grande

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R.E.M. by Ariana Grande is a review that I forgot to do last year, after testing it out. Luckily, I had another sample tucked away in a box, so I recently tried it once again in order to do a full write up of the perfume. This one was released back in 2020. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it actually worth a try?

What does REM Perfume Smell Like?

Notes include: fig, caramel, lavender, zefir, quince, pear blossom, salt, sandalwood, musk, tonka bean

Click here to try: R.E.M by Ariana Grande

My Full Review

Here’s how REM is described: An intergalactic dream of femininity and power, R.E.M. draws you in with a cosmic blend of Juicy Fig and Warm Salted Caramel. Lavender essence takes you to dreamy new heights, while sparkling Pear Blossom explodes like a supernova in the night sky. Intoxicating Musk wrapped with Sandalwood creates the perfect ending to your unforgettable journey.

R.E.M. opens up sweet, creamy, a bit juicy (sparkling), and familiar. It certainly has overlap with the styles and some notes of the other perfumes in the Ariana lineup. However, the aroma itself would be closest to Cloud, while still being a lot different with how it smells.

Here, the fig is the star early on. It is rich and sweet, while not being overpowering. It is joined by a light quince, that quickly disappears, and the creaminess of zefir. That note adds an additional sweetness also.

REM feels more substantial than Cloud, not overbearing, but thicker and bringing a definite warmth to the mix. Salted caramel thickens things up creating a further gourmand like sensibility.

As things progress, the opening creaminess will start to take a back seat. This one becomes more lavender dominant and has a powdery finish to it. That caramel note, is one that really burns off, mostly sticking around as a generic sweetness. Much less salty.

Lavender and musk have their moment in the spotlight together. The musk actually sticks around to the end, but in a weaker state. The lavender doesn’t weaken. It’s interesting how this becomes powdery, since the tonka bean/zefir have more of a creamy quality.

To me, it’s like a 65/35 split between powdery and creamy towards the back half of the wear.

Finally, the dry down is lavender with a sweet finish. Musky and some sandalwood, if you pay really close attention. Not super complicated at the end.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, I think this one is on the upper bounds of moderate. It’s not massive, but with a good amount of sprays, the scent trail lasts a while. Plus, the projection is solid for more than a few hours.

It’s not massive, but I can spray REM on a shirt and pick it up across the bedroom with ease. It does lighten up and dry down more to the skin. Still, I don’t find this to be one of the weaker Ariana perfumes.

On my skin, this one will go for 7-7.5 hours. Again, most of these perfumes don’t have great longevity. But, this one is pretty decent. Those last hours are skin scent level, but it is indeed still present.

REM is best worn from autumn through springtime. Much better in weather that’s somewhat chilly. Though, it gives you enough versatility to go day or night with it.

It’s not a formal fragrance. It’s good for casual, school, maybe some workplaces, or just going out on the town.

It’s not so much ‘sexy’ as it is pleasing and attractive to smell. This gets called a unisex fragrance due to the presence of the lavender note. To me, nope. This is feminine, there are plenty of lavender colognes for men, and they’re much more forceful than R.E.M. is.

Nevertheless, if you’re not a fan of the lavender note on yourself, you might want to skip this one.

Overall Impressions of REM

Overall, do I like R.E.M.? I do. It’s not the most amazing fragrance that I’ve ever come across, but it’s in the top half of the Ariana Grande releases, thus far.

I’m not usually a big fan of scents that use lavender heavily. Yet, this is one that I find enjoyable, in ways that I don’t with Cloud. In my opinion, it’s just better, even while that one gets all of the attention due to its overdone BR 540 comparisons.

I am, though, a big fan of using fig in fragrance. The one here doesn’t get all that much shine, but it’s nice while it lasts. I like the opening with the caramel, the sweetness, and that later back and forth between the creamy and the powdery.

Performance for me is decent. Not crazy good, but it seems to work on me better than what some people have reported.

R.E.M. is worth trying out. It’s not going to be everyone’s favorite, but there are a portion of people for whom this will be the best Ariana perfume.

Cruz del Sur II by Xerjoff

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Cruz del Sur II is a tropical based fragrance by the high end designer, Xerjoff. This is a scent I was wanting to try for a while now, so I tested it out and have collected my thoughts on it. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is this perfume actually worth a try?

What does Cruz del Sur II Smell Like?

Notes include: mango, pineapple, apple blossom, musk, vetiver, cedar, floral notes, milk, violet leaf, and more

Click here to try: Cruz del Sur II

My Full Review

Here’s how Xerjoff describes this scent: a luxuriant journey into the tropical rainforests of South America. Characterised by the fresh and fruity top notes of mango, pineapple and apple blossom, this exotic scent opens into a blossoming heart of green leaves and floral bouquet.

Cruz del Sur II is a fragrance that I have wanted to test out for quite a while. I was hoping to find another good tropical and unisex perfume to use during the summer months and Xerjoff seemed like a brand to have a good one.

I will say, this wasn’t as unisex as I’d hoped. Definitely more of a traditionally women’s fragrance. Leans way more towards that end.

I also purchased a 10mL sprayer of Desire II by Dua, which is their inspired by scent of Cruz del Sur. Yes, it’s like 95% the same, so get that one for a cheaper price.

Anyway, on to how it smells. Cruz del Sur II opens with it’s tropical fruits on full display. Mango is going to be the strongest here, so, know that before you decide to buy.

But, the other fruits sort of combine into more of a amalgamation of aromas. What this smells like to me is a glass of orange juice infused with mango juice. Kind of sharp, but nice enough.

However, that fruit juice cocktail is then spiked with milk. Coming into testing, I was thinking that this would just be a creamy finish, much like Sunset Fantasy by Britney Spears. Just a unisex and more tropical fruit version. That Britney note is ‘frothed milk’.

Nope, it’s actually the smell of milk. Not terrible, put kind of weird, and I’m not too enthralled by Cruz II in its early stages.

But, this does begin to shift into something that is less milky and almost a vanilla/powdery undertone to it. Maybe more like a milkshake and less like a glass of milk, is a way to put it.

The orange juice like smell kind of fades. The mango comes into its own. You have some musk and non-distinct floral notes that probably give this that slight bit of powder, that I am picking up on.

Outside of that, there is really only a little bit of wood popping through. Mango, the fruits toned down, the milky/vanilla/powder, and some musk.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, you do get a bold start here, nice scent trail, and a projection that emanates from the skin. This will diminish over the span of between 1-2 hours. Yet, for most of the wear this is solidly above average and not just an intimate scent bubble. 

The longevity is pretty good here. It goes over 8 hours on my skin, maybe up to 9 hours at its best. It’s solid and it doesn’t just fall off quickly. 

Seasonally, this is mostly a summer scent, and the tail end of springtime. A mango infused milky aroma, doesn’t really do much for you in the dead of winter.

This is more of a fun and casual wear. It’s not formal, not really sexy, just playful and can be pleasant to be around. A well put together fruity aroma, that has energy and a delicious kind of quality to it.

Not the most versatile perfume out there, but still has its uses.

 

 

Overall Impressions of Cruz del Sur II

Overall, do I like Cruz del Sur II? I like the dry down aspect of it. The opening isn’t terrible, it just feels kind of off. The mango is nice, the mix of the guava and other notes, less so. That milk? Not for me.

The performance is good and this is a scent that has plenty of fans who love that tropical vibe. I myself, enjoy tropical scents quite a lot. I’m disappointed that this wasn’t really all that unisex and am not enthralled with the fragrance itself. It still has its charms, though.

Is it blind buy worthy? No. Actually, as I said the comparable ‘Desire II’ by Dua smells nearly identical to Cruz del Sur II. As such, it makes way more sense to save your money and get that instead, if you really want to try out this type of mango mix. Performance on that, is actually better too.

Narciso Rodriguez for Her EDT

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Narciso Rodriguez is a designer that seems to gather more and more fans, as time marches on. I recently grabbed a sample of the eau de toilette version of the brand’s namesake fragrance, in order to revisit and finally post a full review for the site. I always mix this one and the EDP up, since they are similar, but I’ve worked it out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it actually worth a buy?

What does Narciso Rodriguez EDT Smell Like?

Notes include: orange flower, bergamot, honey, musk, osmanthus, patchouli, vanilla, vetiver, amber

Click here to try: Narciso Rodriguez For Her by 1.7oz EDT Spray, 

My Full Review

Narciso Rodriguez for Her starts off with a fresh top led by a bit of citrus bergamot. This brief foray into the fruity realm is offset by floral notes of osmanthus and orange flower.

It’s a very nice beginning to the fragrance, that obviously shifts to a greater use of that musk note. But, the osmanthus is very nice here, reminds me of Flowerbomb to an extent.

That shift comes fairly quickly after the opening. The middle act will unveil the musk note, along with vanilla. It’s still got some sweetness from the vanilla and a honeyed aroma. However, the musk allows this warmth to have a clean and fresh quality.

Orange blossom is the strongest floral note here. It is interesting, that the further you get into the middle to more of a powdery finish becomes apparent with this Narciso perfume.

The musk will be dominant from this point on. There is an amber note providing some extra smoothness and the warmth. The dry down is a clean musk and orange blossom with touches of the vanilla that is leftover.

The EDT version doesn’t seem to have very much patchouli, as you would get with the EDP, but I do get a tad here.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is light, but above average with how it projects early on. It will settle closer to the skin, while providing the wearer a nice intimate scent bubble. You’re just not going to blow out the room with Narciso EDT.

The longevity is solid. I routinely got 7 hours out of it and this perfume is capable of getting just over 8 hours from time to time. That high end, isn’t consistent, but the 7 hours was pretty much clockwork.

The versatility here is pretty great. You can basically wear Narciso EDT, anytime and anyplace. I’d certainly have others to go for, during nights out and maybe some more formal scents. But this, just kind of fits in and never feels too out of place.

I don’t find it to be particularly sexy and it does have a more mature feeling. So, some can feel that a fragrance like this strays more ‘old lady’, but I don’t think that it does at all. It’s just one you might want to skip if you’re younger.

It might not be the biggest attention grabber, though it works well. The spring and more moderate days of the summer are a good time to wear this. Autumn and winter too, if it isn’t all that cold outside.

Overall Impressions of Narciso for Her

Overall, do I like Narciso for Her EDT? I do. It’s a very feminine, versatile, and clean-ish sort of perfume. I’m not completely amazed by it, but I do think that it is a very good example of this type of scent.

However, do keep in mind, not everyone enjoys musky fragrances, that present as clean soap or even detergent-like  aromas. To me, this isn’t too harsh or synthetic, especially once you settle into the middle of the wear.

It’s not a super heavy perfume, but it does have pretty great staying power, especially considering that it is an EDT.

This is a super safe scent to buy. Again, if it doesn’t sound like your type of thing, I’d go in another direction. It’s fairly straightforward with what you should expect from this fragrance. No major surprises, just an all around good perfume that does what it was designed to.

Guilty EDP Pour Femme by Gucci

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Closing out my reviews of the Guilty Pour Femme fragrances from Gucci, we have today’s entry, Guilty Eau de Parfum. This is an updated 2019 release, of what I’m pretty sure is a previous edition from the lineup. Anyway, I put this one through testing and wearing it around for a while. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Guilty Eau de Parfum Pour Femme Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, bergamot, pink pepper, lilac, violet, geranium, rose, amber, and patchouli

My Full Review

Guilty EDP opens up with a fresh spice, citrus touches, and a greenish aroma with violet. The pink pepper and violet are very noticeable to me, up top. The lilac will have more of a role later, but it is somewhat present early.

The mandarin orange is the strongest of the citrus notes, but even upon first spraying, they never get top billing.

Guilty EDP starts to feel pretty cold early, with the powdery dose coming from the lilac. The cold freshness is part of the geranium, which seems pretty steady throughout the wear.

The pink pepper will subside, as will whatever citrus there may have been. The violet will lose its top spot, in favor of the lilac, that dominates the rest of the way. This becomes a soapier, less spicy aroma. Touches of rose and patchouli, but the violet and lilac are the main focus.

Less green, as it moves along. Still clean, blend of soapy/powdery, with a soft and pretty sweetness lying underneath.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is a bit better than that of the EDT. Though, it isn’t a great deal stronger. Both are slightly above average with how they project and how long they’ll leave a scent trail. Just neither is a massive perfume.

The EDT is about a 3-5 foot scent bubble for much of its wear. This one, is probably 4-6 or 7 feet at its peak. Nothing crazy, but it’s fine.

The longevity is also improved with the eau de parfum version of Guilty Femme. This Gucci can go up to 8 hours on my skin. Though, it’s more in the 6-7 hour range, most of the time. I did get a wear that seemed to stick around longer for whatever reason.

Seasonally, this one really shows its versatility. Like EDT, Guilty EDP is probably best in the springtime or in the autumn. It can, however, easily venture into summer and can even be a cold weather wear. Just not the bitter cold ones.

This is safe for the office, can go casual, or even more formal. Not the most refined scent, but it doesn’t feel out of place almost anywhere. Daytime, mostly.

But, there is something that is inherently attractive with this one. As such it can be worn on some evenings. Not necessarily the sexiest, but it’s got some beautiful facets.

Overall Impressions of Guilty EDP

Overall, do I like Guilty EDP? I do. It’s probably the fourth best in this line. I do prefer EDT slightly more than this in terms of how each smells. But, you get better performance with this higher concentration.

Absolute and Intense are my favorites on the women’s side of Guilty.

I’m not a huge fan of the greenish qualities early on. Violet is not a floral note, that I personally enjoy very much. I do, however, like the geranium and lilac in this one a whole lot. Sure, it’s what you get elsewhere in this line of scents, but it still manages to get my attention.

Even if it’s not my favorite from this line, EDP is still well worth checking out. If you happen to vibe more with this mix, you get the added performance bonus versus the EDT.

It’s pretty safe to blind buy, as I don’t think most people would hate this. But, I’d probably insist on getting a nice discount for a full bottle purchase.