Fraaagola Saalaaata Hilde Soliani

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

The listed notes mention salt and strawberries and I smell a candied version of strawberries (sweet but not agonisingly so, still it might appeal more to gourmand lovers) but salt...not quite a sprinkling of table salt however I am reminded of Garrett's Mix popcorn with the combination of Garrett's Savoury CheeseCorn and CaramelCrisp...so what I do get from Fraaagola Saalaaata is buttery salty sweetness. 

Projection is massive, so do be extremely careful when applying this, I accidentally sprayed one time too many and shortly after my family could smell it two floors below. It lasts and lasts and lasts...until you give your clothes a good washing. I slept in the same teeshirt and the scent carried over on to my bedsheets which meant I had lovely buttered strawberry smelling dreams for a few nights. 

Miss Dior Cherie Christian Dior

I have been curious about the pre-reformulation i.e before 2011 Miss Dior Cherie and when someone leaked out a legit source for a 50 ml at a decent price I jumped on it. I will probably get lynched by the MDC pre-reformulation fans but I seriously don't see the big deal about this which is a huge relief as I was afraid I'll fall for something that is near impossible to find what with fakes galore and ever escalating prices online.

Tartly green, sweet juicy fruits with dominant strawberry and orange notes, minimal squeaky clean floral tinged musk and someone stole my caramel popcorn! And...patchouli? Where? It's undoubtedly a sunny and light scent that is nice and suitable for young tender moments and would be safe as a gift but for me it has no depth, no soul, no story. Average longevity but the projection seems to be minimal on me.

It really does smell like Montale's Roses Elixir except the Montale seems sweeter so if you are missing your MDC you might want to try the Montale, or I might consider selling/swapping mine away. For a mainstream "pretty" patchouli, I'll stick with Chanel Coco Mademoiselle thank you. 

SJP NYC Sarah Jessica Parker

Source: www.childmode.com

I might get stoned by the niche crowd for this but I actually prefer SJP NYC for my strawberry fix than Montale Roses Elixir as lovely as it is. The strawberry leaf in Roses Elixir gives it a green tartness that is refreshing but when I am in the mood for strawberries and cream, it's SJP NYC that answers my call. Sure there is citrus in SJP NYC but the dominant notes for me are the strawberry fruit and sweet vanilla, drying down to a light and soapy fruity musk that lingers for a few hours. 

Despite the over the top bottle decoration that actually is quite "Carrie Bradshaw" the scent itself isn't loud and despite being a celebrity fruity floral which I try to avoid having been burnt too many times in the past with synthetic messes, it's quite nice. Well I definitely think it's nice, considering I traded a decant of Le Labo Lys 41 for a bottle of SJP NYC to the giddy astonishment of my swap partner. Don't expect too much and you might even be pleasantly surprised by this affordable bargain. Linear and simple, it's a great companion for casual sunny afternoons for females of any age. 

Sådanne Slumberhouse

Source: Luckyscent

My boss just told me I smell like a Yankee candle and that he won't mind smelling like one too. It does smell like an upmarket candle, one that has forest fruits in its name and comes either purple or red usually. Considering I applied a little from a Luckyscent dab sample to my right forearm, I would say the projection is pretty damn good. 

I have mentally placed Sådanne in the same broad catergory as Tauer's 10 Une Rose Vermeille and Parfumerie Generale's PG13 Brulure de Rose. Fruity roses that smell like real roses and real fruit. As opposed to car air-fresheners posing as perfumes. 

Like the Tauer and PG, Sådanne is more than just a fruity rose. Syrupy sweet fruit-bushels of ripe blackberries, strawberries, raspberries some more berries, possibly a fuzzy peach or two and of course bunches of roses. The general effect is similar to drinking a thick dessert wine like Inniskillin or another ice wine. In stark contrast to the nectar, there is a heavy leather that combats the dessert for attention. As if watching the swordplay in saber fencing, the leather and sweet notes perform a repertoire of lunges and parrys so fluid it is more a dance than merely tactical maneuvering. Weaving everything together are warm resins and dark woody notes and there you have Sådanne. 

Sådanne could also have been named Rose Rebelle or Whips and Roses or Good Girl Gone Bad, yes I know these names have already been taken but just to give a clearer picture of what Sådanne is like. 

Roses Elixir Montale

I am grateful that I never tried Dior's Miss Dior Cherie (yes the super famous one with strawberries and popcorn notes that sounds utterly delectable) and am therefore not suffering withdrawal symptoms nor handing over my kidneys in exchange for a bottle on Ebay.

So when trawling the perfume forums one day and noticing many people were swearing that Montale's Roses Elixir is a dead ringer for MDC, of course my curiosity was piqued and since there hasn't been any news of a discontinuation, it was safe to indulge my curiousity. Must I add that the girly girl in me was dying to get my hands on that Barbie pink bottle? I sensibly settled for a split on the same perfume forum. 

First spray...orange peel!! Freshly grated and still spitting zest all over you.

Then comes the romance. Roses and strawberries and tart strawberry leaves and roses and strawberries and...you get my drift? Real strawberries too, none of that migraine inducing pink industrial waste pretending to be the fruit. This is like a Valentine's Day in a bottle. Guys save on the flowers and get a bottle of this instead, it's probably cheaper than roses on V-day. 

I like that the sharp citric acid and green tartness of the strawberry leaf keeps this from falling into a syrupy sweet mess. The musk is evident but it smells clean and slightly soapy here and as time goes on, an amber base shows up and keeps the opening notes company by throwing in some cozy warmth into the mixture. Roses Elixir leaves a prettily pink scented trail wafting behind you and stays as a blushing scent cloud for hours on end without wavering.

Ahh L'amour...nothing beats Blane and Andie.

Roses Elixir is living proof that Montale does do other things than oud/rose combinations.

I leave you with my favorite song from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. I adore John Hughes' movies!