Dylan Blue Pour Femme by Versace

by

Dylan Blue Pour Femme is one that I’m just getting around to reviewing. I did the review of the men’s version from Versace when it came out, but pretty much ignored doing a full page on the ladies’ options. Since I’ve already done Turquoise, I figured I should also get Blue done. How does this one smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Dylan Blue Pour Femme Smell Like?

Notes include: blackcurrant, apple sorbet, styrax, wild blooms, musk, white woods, patchouli

Click here to try: Dylan Blue Pour Femme

My Full Review

Here’s how Versace, describes the scent: A strong and sensual fragrance, Dylan Blue represents an alchemy of alluring notes including the fresh blackcurrant and apple sorbet, fused with a bouquet of wild blooms. The perfume boasts woody base notes featuring patchouli coeur, styrax and white woods that add vibrance to this feminine scent. 

Dylan Blue Pour Femme starts out with a sharp and fruity blend, consisting mainly of black currant and apple. There may also be a touch of peach in there, but the others are the main focus.

Between them it’s blackcurrant, which has the upper hand. It is tart, crisp, and a bit sweet when paired with the apple note. The other notes coming up from the base, really give Blue a shampoo or body wash sort of vibe.

The next real phase of the fragrance, is where you’ll get to experience the ‘wild blooms’. The floral notes here are forget me not, jasmine, clover, and rose.

At this point, it’s not as sharp to me, and actually has more of a sweeter scent. But, it’s also greened up by the presence of styrax. Now, the perfume is still very much a fruity scent versus being a floral, but there is some more balance there.

Forget me not and jasmine seem to be the stand out notes among that set.

Dylan Blue has a musky presence throughout and along with the white woods, adds to that shampoo-like cleanliness that you experience. Freshness of apple and wood. Plus, the soapy sort of aroma of musk and floral notes like jasmine.

That’s mostly what the dry down is. Lingering fruits, lighter floral notes, all sitting on top of musky woods. Pretty simple and not super deep, but effective for what it is.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, Dylan Blue does have a pretty nice start. It’s not overpowering or going to leave a huge scent trial. Though, it can really project for that first 30 minutes to an hour if you spray to much.

But, it’s ultimately a lighter moderate perfume that isn’t going to jump off of the skin for much of the wear. It has a decently high peak, but settles rather quickly.

The longevity with this one is okay. It’s not by any means the worst that I’ve come across, but it could be better. On skin, this will last about 5-6 hours before it fades completely.

Pretty darn average across the board with how it performs and probably the weakest aspect of Dylan Blue.

Seasonally, spring and summer mostly. Really, wouldn’t be too bad in parts of autumn. However, with its freshness and energy, it probably doesn’t fit too well in the wintertime.

It is pretty versatile as a daily wear. It’s clean and has a prettiness to it. Safe for most work environments, school, or just other casual activities.

It’s not a formal fragrance, nightlife, or romantic wear. It’s easy to wear and probably not going to be offensive, but doesn’t necessarily cover all of one’s bases in terms of use.

Overall Impressions of Dylan Blue Femme

Overall, do I like Dylan Blue Pour Femme? I like it well enough. It’s not a love for me, but I also get its appeal.

The opening is a weaker spot to me. The blackcurrant and apple come across too strong, in my opinion. However, I like Dylan Blue more so as it dries down, and you get some more of the floral influence.

The dry down is bright and does indeed have a vibrant energy to it. The musk and the woods aren’t domineering, but you definitely get their presence in the mix throughout. I personally like them in this composition.

The performance is passable, just not great. Some might be able to squeeze a full work day out of it, but most probably won’t. Again, it’s decent.

I think that it’s one to check out, if this sounds like your style of perfume. It isn’t going to blow most people away with the way it smells, but this Versace is pretty good for what it is, and that can have its place in a fragrance collection.

7 Best Smelling Hollister Perfumes for Her

by

Hollister has been a staple brand for the younger set for quite a while now. I’ve already covered the best men’s fragrances by this brand, but wanted to create a short list for the women’s side as well. So, I’ve narrowed it down to seven scents that could be considered the best smelling Hollister perfumes, but also still have availability on the market as of now.

What are the Top Smelling Hollister Perfumes for Ladies?

Best Overall Perfume

Hollister MALAIA For Women 2.0 oz Eau de Parfum Spray– Another summery fragrance but this one has cool breezy sort of vibe to it. Malaia is probably the best smelling and also a very popular scent from Hollister.

It’s calming influence must be the work of the lavender and vanilla combo that sit on top a bed of florals.

Basil, however, is the main attraction and is what gives Malaia its unique aroma. It’s not what one would usually associate, with a beach lifestyle brand, but this one continues to be a best seller for Hollister.

Best New Hollister Perfume

Canyon Escape– This is a perfume that Hollister released last year and is already one of the best that they’ve ever done. However, it’s also already seemed to disappear from their website. Though, can be found at discounters.

Canyon Escape for Her opens with a citrus mix of lemon and bergamot, blended with the added warmth of a pink pepper note. Very bright for the summertime, with a light floral blend of magnolia and water lily, all held together by some bamboo wood in the base.

Clean, fresh, citrus/floral blend that presents a nice value opportunity, as is very well put together for the price.

Tropical Summer Scent

Pure Cali FOR WOMEN by Hollister – 1.7 oz EDP Spray– Pure Cali isn’t as well known as some of the other scents on this list. However, that doesn’t mean that this perfume is lacking in charm.

The main note here is pineapple and Pure Cali delivers its own sweet and juicy take on the tropical fruit. Youthful and good for casual wear. Pure Cali is simple, but for sure puts out that summertime vibe, and is very enjoyable.

Other than the pineapple, there is some cedar freshness, and a touch of a floral accord. This is a sweet, flirty, fun daytime wear for the warmer months of the year.

Best Sweet Smelling Fragrance

Hollister Wave 2, Eau de Parfum Spray, WoMen, 3.4 Ounce– The sequel, so to speak, of the original Wave (which is also found on this list). Wave 2 is a lovely little summer fragrance, with that familiar coconut note, making up its heart. It has a sandy warmth with white tropical flowers. Wave 2 is balanced is performs well.

Wave 2 can be pretty darn sweet, especially at first, so it might not be the best option for everybody. However, it does calm down into a delightful island-like fragrance.

Creamy Sweet Nights

Festival Nite for Her– This is another sweet perfume that gives you a bit of a different aroma from Wave 2.

Festival Nite has notes of apple blossom, vanilla, coconut, marshmallow, black currant, and orange. So, yes, plenty of fruitiness and sweetness is present in this one.

It starts off with a juicy orange and plenty of the black currant note. Light floral notes including freesia, dot the composition, but aren’t too heavily involved. It’s instead got a light summer creaminess with the coconut, vanilla, and fluffy marshmallow.

Fairly sharp and sweet up top. Then, sweet and creamy.  Finally, a mix of creamy and almost a syrupy quality to Nite. but, strangely it doesn’t feel too heavy and can work in the summer (nights, at least).

Most Popular Hollister Scent

Hollister Wave Women Eau De Parfum, 3.3 Ounce– A really bright and hot sort of scent. It’s quite neat how they captured that sunny day beach essence and bottled it.

It’s an airy shoreline breeze with fruit notes like a watery start fruit and floral notes like orchid and hibiscus. A very good everyday wear choice for younger ladies.

Wave is super fresh, has more floral notes than the others, while still staying true with what you would associate with the brand. It’s right up there with Malaia, in terms of Hollister’s best women’s scents.

Most Underrated Perfume

CALI VIBES * Hollister 1.7 oz / 50 ml Eau de Parfum Women Perfume Spray– This one is more of a change of pace from the usual beach vibe of Hollister’s brand. It’s a floral with green elements.

It is mainly headed by lilac, which is fresh and performs well, with the rose/musk notes flanking it.

Cali Vibes is more of a traditional floral fragrance. Nonetheless, that’s sometimes exactly what you want to go for. It’s still a nice inexpensive option for those days, you don’t want to go the beachy route.

6 Best Smelling Hollister Colognes

by

I’ve never owned any clothing from Hollister. Even when it was extremely popular, I just never saw the appeal of their apparel. However, the line of fragrances, do actually smell very nice for the most part and are probably the best products in the store. In this post, I want to go over what I feel are the best options from the clothing brand, in terms of its colognes and provide some info as to what separates each of them.

What are the Top Hollister Colognes for Men?

Most Popular Hollister Scent

Hollister Socal Cologne Spray for Men, 2.5 Fluid Ounce– If you’ve ever walked into or even by a Hollister store, you’ve almost undoubtedly smelled Socal wafting through the air.

The stores themselves, tend to overspray the stuff, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that it actually does smell good when applied in normal amounts.

It is clean, sweet, with a beachy wood vibe. It is warm and vibrant with a slight air of coconut for good measure. Plus, those hints of herbal/earthy ingredients. Very youthful, not super complex, but has a depth and versatility that is actually impressive for what it is.

Best Overall Cologne

Hollister Wave Men Eau De Toilette, 3.4 Ounce– A very upbeat aquatic type of cologne and one of the more recent additions to the lineup for Hollister.

Wave features a citrus accord led by yuzu then it is ‘greened’ up by bamboo leaf and some driftwood. The familiar aroma of lavender also lends a smoothness to Wave. Clean and has a nice sweetness to it.

The citrus and bamboo mix is fantastic and really separates Wave, as a unique, and very enjoyable cologne to wear. I think that this is the most interesting and has the aroma that I like the most from their fragrances.

Wave is fresh with some woody and aquatic notes to give it a familiar summertime feeling.

Another Top Bet

JAKE (BLUE EDITION) * Hollister 1.7 oz / 50 ml EDC Men Cologne Spray– Jake is the other best seller from Hollister besides Socal. This one is much more straightforward in my opinion, but it has a really great aroma within its simplicity.

It has a citrus top that features a slight floral kind of sweetness over top of a wood/sea water base. Fresh summer shore vibe, that is pleasant all around.

As it dries down, it gets woodier in its smell, but never fully loses that citrus zest. The performance on this one is actually pretty good for one of these types of scents, also.

A Similar Profile to a Popular Cologne

Coastline by Hollister–  I’m putting Coastline on the list, because it does smell really good. However, it’s pretty much a similar aroma of the original Fierce from Abercrombie. Though, slightly different, and without as much power as that popular fragrance once had.

Coastline is lighter with its sillage and has much more of a citrus feeling up top versus Fierce. I also don’t think that it has the same spicy qualities as that one, at least to the same degree.

Nevertheless, I’ve seen this one on sale for pretty cheap, and it could be a good pickup for those who want a Fierce-like scent.

 

 

Sunset Fruits

SoCal Sunset by Hollister–  This is a flanker fragrance of SoCal, so, it’s going to have plenty of similarities with the original. Yet, this one does kind of stand out on its own in many ways.

It’s got a smoother and creamier aroma to it, with more fruits. It’s led by its citrus notes, probably a blend of lemon and bergamot. But, there also seems to be a tropical influence in there as well.

I think this one is more pineapple versus the coconut of the original SoCal.

It’s not heavy but has a lighter sillage and stays fresh for the summer months. Woods and a hint of vanilla. Nice and enjoyable wear.

Summer Nighttime Wear

Festival Nite for Him– Okay, so you can also wear this during the daytime, but this is a nice change of pace fragrance from the others.

You get plenty of citrus here, that is paired with a nice sweet apple. It’s more candy-like than naturalistic. Yet, this all swims in a sea of ambroxan with a few lightly spiced notes arising throughout.

Not too heavy, but as a clean and smooth base that really comes through, after an hour or so. Longevity is pretty good for this sort of scent and the aroma is attractive.

4 Best Smelling Taylor Swift Perfumes

by

Taylor Swift is a massive star in the world of music and has begun to expand outside of that realm and lend her name to certain products including fragrances. She has released several perfumes at a very inexpensive pricing point that are geared towards younger women and teenagers. For this list, I will present four of the best choices that are available thus far by Taylor Swift.

What are the Best Taylor Swift Perfumes?

Best Overall T. Swift Fragrance

Taylor by Taylor Swift – Made of Starlight Musical Jewlery Box w/ 3.4 FL. OZ. Taylor Perfume- Soft floral notes meet with apricot and peach to create a subtle, pretty, and youthful fragrance. Made of Starlight does lean much more towards the fruity side of things, with a nice sweetness, highlighted by the aforementioned notes and some passion fruit.

This is a flanker fragrance to the original ‘Taylor’ by Taylor Swift. However, the sequel is definitely an improvement over that initial release. The juiciness of the fruits, along with orange blossom, make this one a definite wear for the warmer months of the year.

Overall, I think that this is the best fragrance from Taylor. It’s not head and shoulders above the rest, but it has enough strong points, to give Made of Starlight the edge. Not super heavy, but has pretty good longevity.

Most Popular/Best Seller

Taylor Swift Women’s Wonderstruck Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Fluid Ounce–The original Taylor Swift perfume. Wonderstruck is a fruity sweet gourmand fragrance that is warmed by notes of vanilla, amber, and musk. Smooth, light, and fresh.

Wonderstruck keeps the sweet theme of Taylor Swift fragrances going. It opts for the berry route. Blackberry and raspberry highlight the opening act, with a somewhat cold and less juicy aroma, than the other options on the list.

The drydown becomes much more of the usual amber and vanilla affair, found in so many fragrances. However, the tea note, really helps to give it a slightly unique edge. This is an easy and enjoyable wear, that gives you plenty of value for a low price.

Most Unique Scent

Taylor Swift Incredible Things Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.7 Ounce-  Vanilla, woodsy notes, and musk. A sweet but not too sweet offering with earthy undertones. Incredible Things goes against the fruitiness of the other perfumes here, but does have some tropical hints, at times.

What is interesting, is the inclusion of a suede note. When blended with vanilla and musk, it becomes very smooth, with a powdery finish. Those notes really come into their own, later on. At first, the passion flower is pretty noticeable, but never stands out as the most powerful note.

Incredible Things is very balanced with a great musky/suede finish in the latter stages. Nice performance, but not a complete bomb.

Best Winter Perfume

Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Ounce- A sweeter and more fruity version of Wonderstruck with notes of berries and sugar to go along with the floral and vanilla notes. More towards the floral/berry side of the spectrum than the original.

It opens up with passion fruit and that blend of berry notes. The latter smell really fantastic and the opening is a sweet and juicy affair, with the floral notes initially taking a back seat. Peony and poppy flower, do start to seep into the composition more and more, as time moves on.

Later, the vanilla and some musk becomes a part of the draw. Mostly, Wonderstruck Enchanted is a fruity floral perfume with enough vanilla, to keep it from being a summertime scent. The longevity and overall performance of this perfume is very good for the price point. Wonderstruck Enchanted Full Review

Solarissimo Marettimo by Azzaro

by

Still making my way through the box of samples I have sitting in my closet, which includes a few more Azzaro fragrances, that I’ve never gotten to use before. Today’s entry is from the Solarissimo lineup and is entitled, Marettimo.

The card describes it as, “an invigorating and sunny getaway. This woody Eau de Toilette with marine notes encapsulates all of the Mediterranean’s natural freshness.” Does it deliver? Continue reading below for my full take on Solarissimo Marettimo.

What does Solarissimo Marettimo Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, calypsone, and cedar

Click here to try: Azzaro Solarissimo Marettimo Cologne For Men 2.5 oz Eau De Toilette Spray

My Full Wear Review

I had never heard of this scent by Azzaro before getting a hold of the sample vial and so had no preconceptions about what it is.

After spraying this on my skin, the opening was so very familiar, and I haven’t been able to match what Solarissimo Marettimo smells like…but it is a dead ringer for another cologne, that I’ve reviewed.

Maybe, I’m conflating multiple scents?

Anyway, the fragrance opens with a lemon note which floats on top of the sea water, which adds that usual slight saltiness to the composition. There is of course the cedar note which provides a woody base, think of a piece of driftwood, floating on the ocean’s surface.

Other than that, there is also a bit of a spice within the cologne, I think it might be musk but I’m not 100% on that. Maybe it’s a part of the calypsone note, which is the sea water aroma. Not sure which.

This Azzaro scent is very linear and within a few minutes, what you smell is what you get from there on out.

The only real change is the citrus fades some more and the marine notes, with the cedar base, take over. That’s what I got from it. Simple. Though, I do like how it smells.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s fairly weak. Like, the sillage is that of a skin scent, even when I sprayed three times in the same spot. Weakness.

When I sprayed even more, it’s basically a fragrance that is going to sit within about 3 feet of where you sprayed. This stuff is light and not going to leave a huge scent trail.

The longevity isn’t good either, I can detect it for about 4 hours on my skin before it evaporates completely. That’s what I expected once I realized how light of a cologne it was going to be.

Kind of sucks, as Marrettimo really had a lot of potential as a summertime sleeper, if it could muster any type of performance.

In terms of it’s versatility, I would chalk it up as a warm weather casual cologne. I suppose you could wear it in a more dressy situation, but you probably won’t be able to smell it, due to the poor performance…so not like it matters.

To be fair, maybe that’s just how it lasts on my skin. If you can get better performance, it would be a pretty good scent to wear for the summertime. Also, could fit with any age group.

Overall Impressions of Solarissimo Marettimo

Overall, do I recommend Solarissimo Marettimo? I can’t. It smells nice and I wish I could tell you what other better performing cologne it reminds me of, but I really can’t place it. It’s kind of in the same vein as something like the Light Blue series by D&G, but doesn’t smell the same.

This is a fairly generic oceanic citrus fragrance, without much longevity or personality. It’s pleasant but that’s about it. I do like the oceanic note here, with the citron or lemon note, it does come across nicely.

Azzaro can really be hit or miss with their fragrances. They seem to have a lot of random scents that are entirely forgettable. Then, they will release something that becomes extremely popular. This cologne is one of the former.

It wouldn’t be a bad pickup if you needed something for the summer months and found this one at a steep discount. I don’t dislike it, just never wows me, or develops into something all that interesting.