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. 

Vent de Folie Annick Goutal

Vent de Folie. Wave of madness. Do they mean impulsive? I don't find Vent de Folie either mad nor impulsive but she is a sunny character.

Most of the Annick Goutal scents that I've tried are on the lighter side of life, apart from standouts like the seductive Ce Soir Ou Jamais and the voluptuous Grand Amour, which are two of my favourites from this house. 

Vent de Folie is a carefree sprite, a fresh and pretty fruity-floral on a background of clean musk, with a soft scent trail but a very good longevity, I got over 12 hours but only on clothes, on skin it disappeared after about two hours wear.

Anyway back to what it smells like, which is very appealing especially if you are into sheer, joyful beauties. I smell a basket of freshly picked, sweet and tart berries with a bunch of long stemmed pink roses on the bed of berries. It stays this way for a while, a happy-go-lucky scent before the berries and rosiness are joined by notes of white musk and powder, giving the impression of fluffy white clouds in a clear blue sky above a huge rambling garden bursting with blooms. I wore Vent de Folie to sleep and woke up to a lovely rose and woody musk, the fruit having vanished in the night.

An enjoyable experience, Vent de Folie is all joie de vivre and cannot fail to rub some happy dust on her wearer.