Tolu Ormonde Jayne

Desirability: Full Bottle

Source: pinterest.com

Full-bodied. Smooth. Comforting. Regal.

A gorgeous medley of citrus and light florals on a warm and sweet vanilla-amber base,that casts a rich glowing caramel colour and shares DNA with Queen Shalimar. 

Smoothly blended with no rough edges to jar the senses but brimming with ingredients to the point it feels dense and inviting as compared to, let's say Amber Mystique by Estée Lauder which was a super expensive mistake on my part ( I got carried away by the deep red of the bottle only to be disappointed by the pastel contents, kudos to those who found it matched their expectations).

It's not unique nor is it particularly interesting and therefore in view of my limited perfume-designated funds I won't be hankering after a bottle (of course if gifted a bottle I certainly won't turn it down). However with its richness and superb quality, I still think it's full bottle worthy. Sillage is good and longevity is excellent, I went to bed with Tolu and woke up to this resinous beauty wafting smokily from my clothes. 

L'Aimant Coty

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Amazon.com

Suffering withdrawal symptoms from my month long holiday, one thing that revived me was the many parcels I accumulated while away. All of them were swaps with other fragrance lovers and many of them were blind swaps, including L'Aimant (the version I have is pictured above). 

A generous yet smooth and gentle dose of aldehydes, fuzzy peaches, dusty florals drying down to baby powder if it is possible to find baby powder smelling of musk and sandalwood. Elegant, warm and so lovely from beginning to end, L'Aimant would appeal to lovers of scents with a vintage flair. L'Aimant doesn't feel like the pink colour it is boxed in but more of a hazy peachy colour, like being enveloped in a loving hug. 

L'Aimant has been compared and contrasted to Chanel No. 5 but personally I won't recommend it as a dupe or a replacement. L'Aimant is easier on the senses than No. 5, with a milder character than the demanding "look at me, look at me" personality of No. 5. I've always felt that No. 5 is a moody if glamorous scent with dark secrets ( well the No. 5 of my childhood that I smelt on my mother who wore the same scent over the years and reluctantly moved on to something else due in part to the reformulations of No. 5) as compared to L'Aimant which comes across bright and joyful. I can't say that this would ever be a favourite as it is more mellow than I like my fragrances to be, but it is a nice relief from the many over the top/sugary sweet perfumes we are overloaded with today.  

A scent that you can wear anytime and to any place in any weather, with decent sillage and OK longevity=Blind swap success! I hate to make negative remarks but L'Aimant as a cologne spray lasted longer than my No. 5 parfum which I bought in 2013 from a Chanel counter (just in case Chanel loyalists accuse me of buying off the grey market). Last but not least let's not forget how very affordable L'Aimant is! Highly recommend!

24 Faubourg Hermès

Source: pinterest.com

I received my first perfume based insult when the one I was dating at that time told me I smelt like a stable while wearing 24 Faubourg. Of course that wasn't the kiss of death for our relationship but it might have had something to do with it. Love me, love my perfume. 

It starts off very fresh and brisk thanks to the icy steel-like hyacinths that make me think of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. After acclimatizing to the bracing green-ness, I smell florals but can't pick them out individually. The florals have a classic vibe, elegant like a crisp white shirt, glowing in its tailored luminosity. As it dries, it becomes a sweet and powdery woodsy smell with a tinge of citrus to tickle the nostrils. When first applied, it seems very potent and a little lofty thanks to the hyacinths but the scent becomes more mellow with time, although lasting quite a number of hours, I typically get about 6-8 hours worth each wear. 

It's just me but I tend to save 24 Faubourg for days when I'm feeling more practical and less romantic, i.e Mondays. There's something about her that makes me sit up straight and maintain perfect posture and decorum whilst carrying out my tasks in a brisk and efficient manner. Not a perfume I'll imagine to romp in the fields or chill out on the sofa with. 

Source: huffingtonpost.com

  

Eau Eternelle S Poncet

I received a sample of this from a fragrant friend recently, thank you! S Poncet is owned by Sabine Poncet Hernandez, a perfumer from France who after having spent a decade working for other perfume houses, decided to showcase her own work.

Eau Eternelle is described as follows on S Poncet's Etsy store: 

The garden of Claude Monet in a stunning crystal bottle.

To transcribe Monet's Japanese garden, I picked the most exquisite pink lotus absolute, and grapefruit oil.

To share his Clos Normand, I choose lavender, rosemary, clove, jasmin, carnation, mandarin, and lemon oils.

The fragrance is completed with an exquisite wood base of guaiacwood, sandalwood, patchouli, and moss.

Eau Eternelle feels and smells like a lady of good breeding, young or old, who behaves with the proper decorum in every situation. She's like Scarlett O'Hara's mother after her marriage. There is nothing loud or brash here, nothing that calls for attention. 

The scent opens as a burst of bright citrus notes, I can clearly pick out the grapefruit here. To be honest I wasn't too keen on the opening, there was something about it that made me think of dryer sheets.

Eau Eternelle smells like a perfectly manicured garden, of aromatic shrubbery and subtly sweet flowers. There's a warm spiciness from the cloves and carnations, my introduction to carnation was a vintage sample of Caron's Bellodgia and I enjoy its spicy floral accent which lends a certain gravitas. I smell a white tea similar to jasmine tea and just the barest hint of a powdery musk underneath. The sillage is as pleasantly inoffensive as the dry down and the scent lasts a long time. 

There's no doubt that it's a nice scent for a lady of any age but I am otherwise unmoved by it. It's pleasant but unremarkable and I much rather be Scarlett.