Perfume Reviews

Dylan Turquoise Pour Femme by Versace

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Dylan Turquoise is the follow up to the original Dylan Blue Pour Femme, I guess. It was released in 2020 by Versace, but I’m just now getting around to testing it out. I really didn’t know much of anything about it coming in, so, I got to experience it without any real preconceptions. How does it smell? Does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Dylan Turquoise Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin essence, lemon, pink pepper, blackcurrant, jasmine, freesia, guava, cedar, vibrant woods, and musk

Click here to try: Dylan Turquoise by Versace

My Full Review

Here’s how Versace describes it: Sensual, young and fresh, the new Dylan Turquoise fragrance balances the effervescent exuberance of zesty mandarin and primofiore lemon with hints of wood and musk. The vibrant notes are complemented with fruity accents of blackcurrant and guava, as well as jasmine and freesia floral tones.

So, right off the bat, Dylan Turquoise comes on with some sharpness. It’s very clean and has a strong burst of citrus and black currant coming through. Add to that, pink pepper and cedar and you’ve got a super fresh and clean type of perfume.

Though, the cedar will really come in later. Less so in the opening.

For some, that’ll be off-putting. For others, it might just be what they’re looking for. It has that summertime appeal with a slightly aquatic kind of vibe. Not entirely oceanic, but Turquoise gives that impression. Watery is probably the best way of describing it.

There is a guava note here which helps with that tropical island/aquatic feeling. The guava is almost as equally present early on as the citrus, but the lemon will fully take over and that note will fade completely.

So, there is a nice little tropical wave that comes on towards the start. Not for long, however. Lemon, orange, and black currant will overpower it.

As it moves forward, I get a fresh and musky aroma with a good deal of freesia (maybe a hint of jasmine). The woods and the lemon note will sit on top of this.

The latter stages aren’t as sharp, with much of the citrus evaporating away. It actually has more of a general fruity sweetness with woods and musk. Not all that complicated of a fragrance and it doesn’t need to be.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, it’s a lighter moderate fragrance. The first hour, will give you a decent scent trail, but it’s pretty light thereafter. Wasn’t a total skin scent, however. I could still detect it, but the bubble it creates is going to stay closer to you.

The longevity is kind of meh. 5-6 hours, maybe, on my skin. You’ll probably need to go heavy with the sprays to truly get performance out of this Versace.

Seasonally, this is spring and summer, all the way. Leaning more towards summer. It’s a clean casual or daily wear type of perfume.

This isn’t one that’s going to be formal or even dominate the nightlife. It’s a fresh and chill perfume, without being overtly sexy.

Overall Impressions of Dylan Turquoise

Overall, do I like Dylan Turquoise? I do kind of like it. I wasn’t amazed or anything, but the scent itself is nice, if you’re into this type of perfume.

It’s not for everyone, though.

That opening is sharp, but once it settles a bit, there are some really nice facets here. I like the guava and its time to shine. It’s got a warm, spicy, and musky undertone to it. Even, a touch of powder, it seems.

The floral notes are light, most of it is going to be freesia.

The freshness is the main event. The woods and the citrus, which just becomes a general sweet fruit smell to me, makes this an easy to wear perfume for the summer months.

The downsides with Dylan Turquoise are basically the performance. The perfume doesn’t last super long, but it didn’t completely quit on my skin either. But, those last few hours are pretty weak.

Dylan Turquoise isn’t going to be universally loved. So, it’s probably best that you test it out, before committing to buying a full bottle.

Flora Gorgeous Gardenia by Gucci

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Gucci Flora is one of its more popular fragrances. So, naturally they brought out a flanker to it, Gorgeous Gardenia. I initially tried this one out, when it was first released, but have come back to it in order to post a full review. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is Gorgeous Gardenia worth a try?

What does Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Smell Like?

Notes include: gardenia, brown sugar, mandarin, red berries, jasmine, frangipani, patchouli, pear blossom

Click here to try: Flora Gorgeous Gardenia by Gucci

My Full Review

Gorgeous Gardenia opens up with a mix of its fruit notes and the brown sugar accord on full display. The pear blossom leads the way, but it is joined by red berries and a bit of orange.

The heart of the fragrance is obviously the namesake gardenia note. Early on however, it will be geared to the sweet freshness of the fruits, and the scent is delightful.

The pear blossom gives this a nice sparkle and with the frangipani and the emergence of the other floral notes, it can even give off a tropical vibe at certain points. The gardenia will take over for the frangipani, but the latter is the floral note I get most earlier in the wear.

The fruitiness will start to burn off, but the scent remains smelling edible with the patchouli and brown sugar notes. Yet, this is when the white floral accord really begins to take over more.

Flora Gorgeous Gardenia remains clean and light, never becoming a heavier gourmand kind of perfume.

The dry down gives me gardenia, a light jasmine, patchouli, and the remains of the brown sugar/pear. The frangipani is gone and the sweetness of everything is more of an impression, than distinct and separate notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is initially pretty good. There is definitely a scent trail to it and it will project itself nicely off of the skin. Not an absolute monster, but you can tell that it is there and others will notice.

After that initial blast, it does move quickly closer to the skin. Not entirely a ‘skin scent’ for the whole wear, but it’s light. At it’s peak, Gorgeous Gardenia is above average in strength.

The longevity seems to be in the 5-6 hour range. During testing, it was closer to the five hour mark, but it did hit six once. So, it for sure isn’t a massive performer, but also wasn’t a complete let down.

Seasonally, it’s probably at its best in the spring and summer months. Enjoyable to wear when it is warm out, but even in cooler temperatures it still had its charm. Maybe not wear it on bitterly cold days, though.

This Gucci can also work well for any age group. Yes, it has fruits and sugar, but it doesn’t come across as being immature. I think that since it never becomes too thick and cloying, it will have a greater appeal across ages.

Gorgeous Gardenia is a pretty fragrance. Office safe. Good for casual daytime wear. Pretty enough for romantic encounters, but not overtly sexy and begging for attention.

Overall Impressions of Gorgeous Gardenia

Overall, do I like Flora Gorgeous Gardenia? The fragrance itself is really very nice. I love that initial sweetness and the brown sugar plays well off of it all.

It never leans too much to the floral side of things, doesn’t have any stem greenness in it. The fresh white floral fragrance is easy to wear and I even like the gardenia note a lot here, even if it’s not my favorite note.

Really, the main issue is performance. It’s okay, on me at least. However, it certainly would do better with some more power in the equation.

I do think that it is still worthwhile to at least try out. For some, you’d probably still want to buy a bottle because it does smell great. Extremely easy to wear and has such a clean attractiveness.

I Want Choo EDP by Jimmy Choo

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I Want Choo is a popular release from Jimmy Choo, which came out a few years ago. I’ve been familiar with it for a while, but got a full sample with an order a while back, so I’ve been testing it to do a full review for the site. How does it smell? Is it worth a buy?

What does I Want Choo Smell Like?

Notes include: peach, mandarin, jasmine, red lily, vanilla, benzoin, resin

Click here to try: I Want Choo

top choo fragrance

My Full Review

I Want Choo opens up with its fruity notes out, the peach is the stronger of the two, but you will get a dash of the mandarin juice.

But, the fruits up top aren’t really allowed to truly express their full juiciness, as the middle floral notes and the resinous vanilla qualities from the base are there early too. It’s got a sparkling fruitiness to it instead.

The red lily and jasmine sambac are going to increase in strength from that peachy start. The jasmine is the stronger of the two floral notes, to my nose, but Choo says that the perfume is built around the lily.

It’s sweet, somewhat soapy, with a nice mix of the vanilla and benzoin note. I’m glad they included benzoin and resin in the mix, because I think that really helps to give I Want Choo a bit more of a distinct character.

The fruit notes will really drop off and basically become a sweetish impression sitting underneath the floral notes, with the jasmine still having the lead.

The final dry down is basically jasmine, vanilla, and the benzoin note. The rest of the notes are vaguely there, but this Jimmy Choo is dominated by those three.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, I Want Choo will start out on the upper end of what could be considered moderate, but it will quickly move into a lighter territory. Though, this isn’t a skin scent until the the latter stages.

It has a nice amount of projection off of my skin and I never really felt that it was weak, when I had it on.

The longevity is right about seven hours on skin. On clothes, it’ll keep going like most other perfumes. It’s a pretty good performer, but nothing that would be considered elite.

Seasonally, I Want Choo is nice enough year round. It’s not really a summer scent, but it won’t completely melt away either. I might avoid the absolute hottest and most humid days, but it is fine almost any other time.

Probably best in the more moderate temperatures of spring and autumn or even cooler weather of winter.

This can be worn by all age ranges, but it’s not going to be a formal wear type of perfume. It’s fine for most daytime use, casual wear, or even a night out. It’s sweetness is pretty, cozy, and has a certain appeal to it. I don’t know if I’d call it sexy, though.

Overall Impressions of I Want Choo

Overall, do I like I Want Choo? Yes, it’s nice enough. I like the resinous base, the peach, and the vanilla with the jasmine. I do think that it’s been one of the better recent Jimmy Choo releases.

It’s nothing that’s super exciting or all that original, but it is sweet and attractive. It’s an easy to wear perfume with plenty of versatility and pretty good performance.

If you like a fragrance like Good Girl or Coach Dreams Sunset, this is similar to both. Not an exact match, but definitely in the same ballpark. The dry down is fairly close to what you get with Good Girl and the opening is related to Dreams Sunset, just switching a few notes.

The lily and the jasmine make for a nice pair to go along with the vanilla. If you don’t want a sweet vanilla based floral perfume, look elsewhere, because that’s what you get with this one. But, it’s an attractive example, that can be had for a fairly reasonable price.

Beyond Romance by Ralph Lauren

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Beyond Romance is a follow up scent in the Romance line from Ralph Lauren. I got a hold of a sample of this release as a part of a larger lot of perfume samples. I didn’t really know anything about it coming in and wasn’t sure of what to expect. Is it a good perfume? How does it smell? Is it even worth a try?

What does Beyond Romance Smell Like?

Notes include: raspberry, mandarin, bergamot, rose centifolia, jasmine, lily of the valley, black vanilla, ambroxan, cashmeran

Click here to try: Beyond Romance from Ralph Lauren

My Full Review

Tried Beyond Romance? Leave your own review and rating in the comments!

Let’s see how Ralph Lauren describes it: A new adventure in Romance. Discover the mysterious, daring, and wild fragrance that goes beyond with a seductive blend of fresh rose centifolia and luscious black vanilla.

Beyond Romance starts off with its fruit trio of raspberry, mandarin, and bergamot. The raspberry is going the be the strongest of the three for the duration of the wear, but early on there is a bit more of an even split with the citrus notes.

It’s a sweet start with the sugary aspects of this fragrance becoming apparent from the start. The black vanilla note will be noticeable and it kind of smells like there is a marshmallow note in the mix as well.

Probably the vanilla mixing with the cashmeran, giving it a light powdery aroma for some of the wear. Well, along with the floral notes. Really, only the rose truly sticks out for any length of time, the rest of the way it seems like a generic floral aroma sitting underneath.

At some point, the citrus notes burn off and it becomes the raspberry and vanilla show. The floral notes under that with an air of musk and the cashmere.

That’s essentially it. For stretches, it will smell more sugary. That brief powdery stint. Then, more of a musky cashmere finish down the home stretch.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage is actually quite good during the first couple of hours. Yes, after that it is a lighter moderate perfume, but Beyond Romance does have some power. Spraying it on some clothes, I can pick it up in the 6-8 feet range.

The longevity is decent, not great. I’d say about 6-7 hours, is what to expect. The last 1-2 hours being pretty close to the skin.

Seasonally, I’d really just avoid the high heat with this. Outside of the sweltering days of summer, this Ralph Lauren should be fine.

It’s sugary sweetness does make it seem like it’d be mostly a teenager’s scent, but really it’s not. It’s well blended and not screeching with sharp top notes. The cashmeran really helps to temper things and this could appeal to a wider age range than you’d think.

It’s a pretty and deliciously attractive perfume. Not formal, but okay for daily wear and even romantic wear into the evening…as the name implies.

Overall Impressions of Beyond Romance

Overall, do I like Beyond Romance? I really do. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, right after the first spray. I generally like the fruity and sugary perfumes, but sometimes they go overboard. This one, has a nice balance.

Raspberry and vanilla are going to be the main attractions here. So, if you’re not a fan, forget it. But, if it sounds up your alley, the citrus notes with the florals and musk create a wonderful dynamic.

The performance is decent, just not a complete marathon runner with how long it goes. Though, I can’t say that I was particularly disappointed with Beyond either.

While it’s not a complete match for scents on the Ariana Grande line or Burberry Her, it is definitely in that same category. If you’re familiar with any of those, it’s around what you should expect with Beyond Romance.

I recommend giving it a try, if you’re in the market for a sugary sweet perfume that isn’t completely immature. Solid value at Ralph Lauren prices too.

Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian

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Good Girl Gone Bad is a Kilian fragrance which I was already familiar with. But, I got sent a sample of it with another purchase a while back, and realized that I should finally put a full review on the site. Voila! How does this one smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a buy?

What does Good Girl Gone Bad Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, osmanthus, orange blossom, apricot, narcissus, tuberose, jasmine, cedar, amber

kilian good girl review

My Full Review

Tried this one? Leave your own rating and review in the comments!

How Kilian describes it: The uninhibited Good girl gone Bad finds herself in a luscious floral whirlwind in the garden of good and evil.

The opening of Good Girl Gone Bad is a mix of sweetish fruit, green notes, and some rose. The osmanthus and a bit of tuberose seems to give this one a greenish quality early on. However, much of the composition is dominated by the apricot aroma.

To me, this is a floral-fruity fragrance, that starts off leaning more towards the latter. Along with the apricot and osmanthus, is a slight May Rose which never fully takes over. The scent is fresh that will have a light creaminess that will come on more so after the opening act.

It shifts to being tuberose and orange blossom rather than the rose and osmanthus. Going from green-ish to more of a standard white floral fragrance. Very clean and not an overpowering mess.

For much of the middle, tuberose will be in the drivers seat, before this shifts once again.

Finally, the rest of the way will be jasmine led. That, apricot, general white floral notes, and some amber slipped in. Good Girl Gone Bad isn’t a super complicated perfume. It has a soapier quality in the dry down, leaning a lot more towards the floral end of the spectrum.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one is a lighter moderate. The opening does have a bit of power, it’s noticeable for much of the wear, but it’s going to be more of a scent bubble than an overwhelming powerhouse.

The longevity seems to go for about 7-ish hours on me. You might be able to squeeze a few more hours than that out of it, but it doesn’t have that elite gear. Pretty good.

Seasonally, this one is fine from spring through the early autumn. Much prefer it in the warmer weather than even just a mild day.

This is a nice candidate for a daily wear fragrance, if you happen to like the blend. Produces a non-offensive and fresh out of the bath effect. Unlike what the name might suggest, this is much more of the daytime good girl, than getting up to trouble in the evening hours.

To me, this is one that can be used by younger women, as well as older ones. Not too complicated, easy to wear, and won’t feel out of place in a classroom or an office.

Overall Impressions of Good Girl Gone Bad

Overall, do I like Good Girl Gone Bad? I do. Personally, it’s one of their better ladies’ fragrances. Some of which are a lot more mediocre than Good Girl Gone Bad. This is not amazing to me, but an attractive floral fragrance nonetheless.

Tuberose isn’t one of my favorite notes, at all. But, within this perfume, I really don’t mind it. Plus, it will get subdued into a more generic white floral aroma.

The apricot sweetness for the duration of this scent is really what sells it to me. I like how it pairs with the jasmine note in the dry down. Yes, it gives off a soap-like smell, but sometimes that’s what you want to go with.

This is a safe fragrance, that will skew towards regular use versus special occasion. The performance isn’t top notch, but  it is pretty solid. Is that enough for the price tag? I guess that depends on you.

I think that the name is pretty misleading. The good girl part fits, I suppose. But, this never gets ‘bad’ or super interesting. Likeable, sure. But there’s no real seductive or bold charm to this scent.

Just understand that despite its popularity, it might not be what you’re looking for.