Gin Fizz Lubin

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

I like not love green/aromatic fragrances, most of the ones I've tried are well green and all that comes with being green but none have been interesting enough to capture my wallet's heart. With Gin Fizz, Lubin proves that it is possible to be creative with aromatic scents.

I love juniper and before I met Gin Fizz my favourite scent with juniper would have to be Cade by L'Occitane but personally I find it a tad too masculine to wear with ease and instead use the shower gel for my Cade fix. Gin Fizz has the same gorgeous bitter juniper note but is much less woody than Cade, instead throwing in green moss, light florals, citrus, clean white musk and aquatic notes. Where Cade is dry and woody, Gin Fizz feels bright and airy, more unisex than masculine, classy and unusual. My only issue with it is that although the projection is OK the longevity could be improved, I get about two hours' wear which seems to be keeping in character with quite a number of citrus/aromatic fragrances that I've tried so far. Apart from the not so great longevity, I can't find any other fault with Gin Fizz. Summer in a bottle. 

Wisteria Hysteria Comme des Garcons & Stephen Jones

Desirability: Sample

Source: en.colette.fr

Wisteria Hysteria sounds a lot more fun than it actually smells. After the great time I had with the eponymous debut scent, I was awaiting my sample of Wisteria Hysteria with great expectations.

 It smells like a an aquatic fruity-floral that would be perfect for a hot day when you don't want the usual citrus based scents. Fresh, green, sweet and watery. The crispness of the opening slowly fades away and I pick up spicy powdery notes that were also present in Stephen Jones but the powder is much toned down here in comparison. The aromatic spices do a lot in livening up the fragrance for me, I wasn't blown away by the introduction. White musk and a light incense are present in the later part and although the drydown is warmer and deeper than its introduction, Wisteria Hysteria never becomes engaging on my skin. 

The relationship I have with Wisteria Hysteria is like that with colleagues you have worked with for many years and there is mutual goodwill but you never bother to catch up with over the weekend as there is a lack of warmth to push the relationship into the "friends" territory. Overall it is a pleasant scent but I much prefer the unique and quirky Stephen Jones. 

Embruns Keiko Mecheri

Source:  www.allaviolettaboutique.com

Embruns. Sea spray.

Probably not the most attractive description of Embruns but it smells like salted orange peels that were dipped in water in an attempt to wash off some of the salt and preservatives. Embruns has peppery opening overlaying the citrus and salt water notes, the pepper doesn't tickle the nostrils and perks up the other two notes but does not last for long, leaving the salt and citrus to be joined in the drydown by smoky woody notes.

It's unisex but not my cup of tea (which I prefer rich and thick) and I agree with those who think this aromatic aquatic composition would work better on a man, being so fresh and lightweight it feels more like a eau de cologne than an eau de parfum.

My grumble about Embruns would be that it is barely a skin scent on me even after smearing on most of my sample from Luckyscent. Another fragrance lover suggested it might project better if sprayed on as opposed to dabbing but I'll have to get another sample to test that hypothesis.