Hypnotic Poison - Dior (oriental vanilla)

It's very strange but it's impossible to find Hypnotic poison anywhere in Ukraine. All other Dior's poisons are exposed - Pure poison, Midnight poison, Poison Tenre and even the very first Poison. After reading contradictory comments and the fact it was Madonna's favourite perfume I wanted to try it even more.
One girl of city forum proposed to share her bottle and I bought 5 ml of it (30.07.09) to try.








Hypnotic Poison by Dior is a oriental vanilla fragrance for women. Hypnotic Poison was launched in 1998. The nose behind this fragrance is Annick Menardo. Top notes are allspice, apricot, plum and coconut; middle notes are tuberose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, rose and brazilian rosewood; base notes are sandalwood, almond and vanilla.

My first impression of this fragrance was how warm it is!! It almost burns you! Usually I don't divide fragrances in summer and winter ones, but as for me this one is totally appropriate for winter. I can mostly smell almond and vanilla, sometimes plum. Many people claim it's too sweet or sugary. On my skin it's not because the almond dominates. Hypnotic poison doesn't develop much on the skin, it stays almost the same like just sprayed. As for EDT the lasting power is good.
Some people say to smell there pharmacy or bandage scent. I couldn't smell this as much as I tried. I don't agree it's highly sexual like the ad suggests, but it's provocative.
These are my impressions after wearing it for one time, I'll come back after.

My definition: almond warmth

Flowerbomb - Victor and Rolf (oriental)

It's very hard to test this fragrance in the stores. Although I'm suspicious about the marks I don't know, I became interested.
So when one girl proposed to share her bottle I decicded to try Flowerbomb and ordered 5 ml of it. It's a very lovely, well-made, modern perfume.





An explosive bouquet of fresh and sweet notes arrives with the perfume Flowerbomb, designed by Olivier Polge, Carlos Benaim and Domitille Berthier. It was introduced in 2005, as an oriental perfume. The top notes tingle with fresh and sweet accords of bergamot and green tea. The heart is floral and opulent with intensive, sweet and pure jasmine, seductive rose, freesia and orchid. Sandalwood in the base wraps us with an oriental scent while its milky and powdery notes gently fondle with our skin. The bottle was designed by Fabien Baron, in shape of diamond-granate, alluding at the fragrance itself, since it is so explosive, sophisticated and glamorous. It was introduced at the 10th anniversary of Viktor&Rolf house’s work.

Before I bought it I read that some people found this fragrance too sweet, even sickly and had a headache. So when I got it I made only one sptitz, but soon made one more. It didn't kill me, I'm still alive and I could stand it very well. On my skin it's not too sweet. The first component I'm able to distinguish is tea and bergamot. The flower composition is complexe according to the description and I must confess I'm unable to distinguish all flowers except orchid and rose. The base is sweet and reminds me cotton candy. The base is a bit powdery but not much.

All components are very organic and harmonious.
I went to walk in the street and I was enjoying so much the alternance: fresh tea with bergamot and sweet flowers. Great!
One remark: it reminded me Cinema by YSL in some points. It's because of tea, I guess. Flowerbomb is feminine and fervent, provoking at the same time. The one thing I didn't like it seems Flowerbomb doesn't last much. I will watch over.

My definition: modern intensity

Juliette has a gun

Lady Vengeance (chypre floral)

The fragrances by Nina Ricci's great-grandson Romano Ricci appeared in the end of 2008 in major stores and according to their statictics became very popular. I always have doubts about the unknown trademarks and hesitated to try them. I knew that these fragrances were created by the perfumer I respect a lot - Francis Kurkdjian. I admire his fragrances for Narciso Roriguez and Jean Paul Gaultier. Yesterday I finally tried two perfumes 28.07.09 and they produced a very good impression to me. I liked!





As said in ads, in this collection 'Rock meets romance'. The collection is inspired by modernized version of Shakespeare. The creator of Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance is Romano Ricci of A&R Parfums, the great grandson of legendary couture designer Nina Ricci. For this enterprise he engaged a renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian.

The fragrance features Italian rose, vanilla and patchouli. It is captured in a bottle designed by Sylvie de France. It was created in 2006.

Lady Vengeance is a seductuve and agressive fragrance. The rose is very sharp in combination with patchouli. It suggests a picture of lady-vamp or femme fatale - a woman who is hunting men. She is rapacious with sharp long nails and red lipstick.
I don't know if I buy it some day, it's too agresseve on my skin. And then it becomes powdery and soapy reminding to some people Agent Provocateur or Narciso Rodriguez - For her. I don't see anything in common with For her, with Agent Provocateur - neither. The strange thing is that yesterday I had Boudoir on one wrist and Lady Vengeance on another, and in the end they were similar.
The fragrance is worth attention, with its own carachter.

My definition: rapacious agressivity

Miss Charming (floral fruity)

I tried it only to compare with Lady Vengeance which seemed to correspond better to my style. It is a miracle because I liked Miss Charming even more.



As said in ads, in this collection 'Rock meets romance'. The collection is inspired by modernized version of Shakespeare. The creator of Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance is Romano Ricci of A&R Parfums, the great grandson of legendary couture designer Nina Ricci. For this enterprise he engaged a renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian.

Miss Charming brings notes of Moroccan rose, strawberry and litchi. The bottle was designed by Sylvie de France. The fragrance was created in 2006.

The rose in this fragrance is very different from Lady Vengeance's one. Here it's beautiful, not very tender, but not agressive. The strawberry is also good. I associate the scent with white colour and have a picture of romantic but very clever and wise woman who enjoies playing with men. She uses her naivety and infantility to seduce and attract. It's a kind of wolf in sheep's clothing.
I want to have a small bottle of it. I bought 9 ml of it 30.07.09.

My definition: naive seduction

Citizen Queen (floral woody musk, chypre)

Since I liked two previous fragrances by Juliette has a gun, I was very impatiend to test this one too. I did it 30.07.09 while I was waiting a girl who sold me 9 ml of Miss Charming.



The third fragrance of the collection is introduced in April 2008. It is composed as chypre aldehyde with animalic dose. The design continues the modern romantic saga on Shakespeare’s rebel, and the bottle is colored milky-white and with silver top. The motif of roses is unavoidable decoration on the bottle. This time the outer box is black with black bow on the top.

I liked this one less than two others. First of all because of something metallic that I could smell. I guess these are aldehydes. The rose is beautiful but this acidic or metallic notes worsens all composition in my opinion. Like the creator wanted to introduce a smell of real gun in the fragrance in order this Juliette will
be armed.

Then Citizen Queen softens and animalic (musky?) notes appear, they are calm and quiet. I can also smell amber that mkes the fragrance warm. But metallic notes don't go away. It's a pitty...

My definition: metallic musk

Boudoir - Vivienne Westwood (chypre floral)

I was attracted by this fragrance since I saw its name. It seemed very intriguing, promising, appealing... Boudoir like a woman's secret place...The comments about this fragrance are very contradictory: from admiration to deepest hate. It's impossible to find it in a store, even in internet-shop. I saw one in internet-shop in Kiev so I decided to take a risk and buy it without test. The risk was big because they had only a bottle of 75 ml. I got it today - 28.07.09.







Boudoir


Boudoir, a chypre-floral fragrance for women, is present since 1998. It is dedicated to a feminine and strong woman, with accentuated sexuality. Just like a boudoir, the fragrance defines a private and intimate space, charming and seductive, while touching the woman's skin, neck and decollete.

It was designed by Martin Gras with an intention to create a fragrance that will make all men turn their heads after the woman that wears it when the smell wafts past them. The top notes are aldehydes, sweetly-fresh bergamot, hyacinth, and orange blossom.

The heart is sweet and opulent with jasmine, luscious rose, narcissus, carnation, orris root, cardamom and coriander. The base brings patchouli, warm and milky sandal wood, tobacco leaves, cinnamon and powdery soft vanilla.

The bottle was designed by Fabrice Legros. The top is made as a globe encircled by a ring, which symbolize the power of femininity.

This is a very strange, rich and unusual fragrance as I could constant after applying it on my wrist (I decided to examine it first on my hand). We can see from the description Boudoir contains a lot of components. At first sniff the composition seemed lovely but a little bit heavy and strange to me: I was able to distinguish languishing, seductive sweet flowers, spice combined with a very uncommon base. Sure maybe the base was common and the whole gave me such impression.

I couldn't take the wrist away from my nose trying to understand wether I like it or not... I thought this heavy base was chypra and found something common with Agent provocateur. Then I realized it wasn't chypra but aldehydes and now I found similarities with Chanel N 5. In this phase these notes produce an effect of so called "dusty curtains" or "grandma's trunk". Some people claim to smell unwashed body. Thanks to God, I didn't manage.

The combination was lovely but this base disturbed me and didn't permit to enjoy the whole. Finally the aldehydes went away in 1'5-2 hours and Boudoir transformed into the greatest pleasure for me!! Absolutely fabulous! Erotic, sexy, bestial (sure all these adjectives can be used to describe it from the beginning but I had desire to say them only when these disturbing notes desappeared). The fragrance became not so loud, very intimate. I'm not original: I see a woman in sexy lingerie waiting for her man lying on silk sheets. I like the sweetness and the warmth of the scent - it seems to burn you in a good way. Maybe sex as a process smells like this. I'm very satisfied with this purchase!

My definition: bestial passion

Calvin Klein

Contradiction (floral woody musk)

I became interested in this fragrance after reading comments. I thought it might me an ideal present for a woman whose tastes you don't know well. It's quiet impossible to find it in major shops only in internet-shops. And I'm afraid to buy without try. I was so surprised to see Contradiction in one big shop. I didn't hesitate a minute to test it.

Calvin Klein feels the time and creates fragrances which are in the full harmony with certain times and generations and more over they set trends.
Contradiction is a fragrance for an active urban woman, "she is always and never the same". Intensive floriental with a pronounced metal nuance was very actual in later 1990-ties.

The composition opens with the floral notes of rose, peony, jasmine and lily-of-the-valley. The new and modern note of eucaliptus in the middle is refreshing the classic floral buquet. The heart blends with eucaliptus, pear blossom, orchid and syringa. Oriental base includes sandal and Tonka bean.
The perfume was designed by Ann Gottlieb 1998.

Contradiction desappointed me from the very beginning. First it was too metallic. According to creator's conception it's supposed to be one of carachteristics of urban life. I don't like metallic smells at all.

The second thing I didn't appreciate is the rose that became too soapy. Thanks to God this scent didn't last very long on my wrist. It's one more example how dangerous the buying withoyt trying is. And I didn't get at all what of contradictory is in this smell.

My definition: metallic soap

Secret Obsession (oriental floral)

Since this fragrance was released in 2008 I heard and read only bad comments about it - almost everybody said it was stinking. I had the opportunity to try it only today (08.08.09). I can't say it's too bad, but too easy and really doesn't worth attention.

Secret Obsession by Calvin Klein is oriental floral fragrance for women. The noses behind this fragrance are Givaudan and Ann Gottlieb. Top notes are exotic plum, nutmeg (mace) and rose de damasc; middle notes are Egyptian jasmine, French orange blossom and seductive tuberose; base notes are cashmere woods, Madagascar vanilla, burnt amber and Australian sandalwood.

Launching of Secret Obsession fragrance is announced for September 2008. including Eva Mendes in new provocative campaign.

The campaign for the fragrance Secret Obsession has already caused a lot of fuzz. Commercial showing Eva with impure thoughts emphasizes provocation with Eva's sexy voice which tells all her sexual secrets. TV networks and advertisers did not like the commercial, precisely because of too accentuated sexual implementations.

Print campaign was created in black and white version with Eva in passionate rapture on the photographs. It is mentioned by the house CK that the video commercial tells the whole story, while print form of photographs can capture just one moment of passion. Fashion and lifestyle magazines will publish the commercial from September 2008.

And what did Eva Mendes say about the perfume when she tried it? 'When I first tried Secret Obsession, I was completely taken over by it. When you first try some kind of food and you instantly have a craving for another bite – that is exactly how I felt when I tried the perfume Secret Obsession.

Unfortunately I haven't tested previous Obsessions by CK, the comparations are inevitable in this case. As for me, the sensual video (by the way, very similar to Shalimar ad) is in total disaccordance with the fragrance which is not sexy at all.

I can smell mainly plum in sweet combination of vanilla and amber that creates impression of plum jam. I think the main mistake of creators of this perfume was to apply to its sexuality and to set it up for women. As far as I can see, if Secret obsession was aimed to younger "girly" auditory (like Nina New), it would have found much more fans (like Nina did).

As soon as plum desappears, the scent becomes very unclear and indiscriminate. I can't feel it anymore. The lasting power is poor, about 2-3 hours.

My definition: plum jam

Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur (floral woody musk)

This is supposed to be a provocative, sexy, appealing fragrance but when I tried it first time on blotter, I had desire to vomit. Any fragrance gave me such effect.

Agent Provocateur is the signature fragrance of the house. Its sharp very intensive animalistic and very provocative juice has become a modern classic combining Indian saffron, coriander from Russia, Egyptian Jasmine and Vetivert from Haiti among other exotic elements.

The fragrance is in a wonderfully tactile precious porcelain bottle with the shape of an egg (or a bomb?). It is so rosy and innocent, contrasting with its wild and shameless erotic scent.

The composition starts strong and sharp with a spicy note of saffron. Warm floral notes of magnolia, Indian jasmine and gardenia blend together with strong woodsy-chypre scent. There is very animalistic amber and musk notes in the base.
The perfume was created 2000 by Christian Provenzano.

26.07.09 I dared to test Agent Provocateur on my wrist, and I was pleasantly surprised. On blotter it was stinking like something undesrcibable, I had impression to smell unwashed body or sweat. During the second try the weather was humid and rainy. Maybe it influenced the rather good result: the scent was quiet and calm, a bit spicy. I thought the fragrance intimate (during the test on blotter is was screming like a siren), close to skin, and I even imagined a woman in sexy lingerie (of the same mark haha) wearing this perfume.

I was able to smell wood, the scent isn't sweet. I do not assiciate Agent Provocateur with sexiness, in my opinion it has light sexiness because of musk but not appealing, seductive. I guess this is a very capricious fragrance: it may develop in a very different way each time applied even by the same person. Of course on different type of skin the effect will be totally different. This is an advantage or disadvantage of musky perfumes. On some people's skin it may be perfect, on somebody's awful.

I don't agree with comments Agent Provocateur smells like an old lady. And I can't agree neither with the classification floral woody musk, I would call it chypra musk or simply chypra. In some notes it was similar to Perles de Lalique, but this last one is spicier. In general chypra fragrances don't like me and I don't like them.
I'm still surprised with this perfume, not that I want to buy it immediately but it's worth another try fore sure.
My definition will be given later.

Maîtresse (floral aldehyde)

Instead of the first fragrance Agent Provocateur I tried today (08.08.09) Maîtresse. All perfumes by Agent Provocateur have sexy aims, this one isn't exception. I think the name matches perfectly to the liquid in the bottle.





Maitresse is the newest fragrance of Agent Provocateur. This is an irresistible secret weapon, a sweet and sexy fragrance, which is not so emphatic and shameless as the first AP scent, but seductive as well.
The composition is based on aldehydes. The passionate opening of White Lotus Petals and delicate nuances of white Ylang Ylang and Violet leaves leads to the floral heart of Osmanthus, Jasmin and Rose. The final note is woodsy powdery with Iris, Amber, Patchouly and White Suede.
The egg-shaped (bomb-shaped) bottle is provocative as the pervious ones. The perfume was created by Azzi Glasser 2006. Agent Provocateur Maitresse was launched in 2006.

The poster is also ideal for this fragrance showing a real maîtresse every man has to obey to. I have a picture of woman in leather lingerie and a lash in her hand. One of her secret arms is a perfume.

I don't like aldehydes anywhere, so it's hard for me to imagine me wearing this fragrance. But people who do like them, sure will appreciate it. I must confess that this aldehyde base is very appropriate here, it gives the perfume the strenth and power. The flowers I can smell through aldehydes are not agressive at all (it would be too much if it was so haha). I would use it only in sex games :-))

My definition: sado-maso plays

Valentino

V (floral woody musk)

I wanted to try it long time ago and always postponed. Finally 25.07.09 I saw in the shop both versions and didn't hesitate a minute.







Fashion designer Valentino and couturier, who dresses the most beautiful women in the world, dreamed of a passionate juice for ‘chameleon women’;‘I felt the need for a new women’s perfume that would reflect and celebrate today’s woman – her power, her femininity, her complexity.’-said Valentino. The ad campaign features model Eugenia Volodino wearing a red mask, behind it, there is a mysterious and complex woman, an inspiritaon to Valentino.Red is Valentino’s favorite color. Firmenich and Procter & Gamble Beauty are to companies that worked on this creation. V is feminine and passionate, a sparkling blend of woody, floral and Oriental notes. There is the warmth of heliotrope, the classic scents of rose and orange blossom, and the zesty notes of pink grapefruit and green fig over a sensual trail of amber and Oriental woods. Top notes include tangerine, pink grapefruit, green fig and freesia. Rose, orange blossom and heliotrope at the heart are harmonized with the base notes of Mysore sandalwood, Atlas cedar, amber and musk. The perfume was created in 2005. The nose behind this fragrance is Alberto Morillas.

I liked it very much. It's a delicate, light fragrance. As for its mood it reminds me Allure, Gucci Eau de parfum II, For her by Narciso Rodriguez. Sure all these scents are very different, the common is that all they are intimate, people can smell them during the close contact, they don't speak "loud".

V is a lovely combination of fruity and citrus notes and woody-musky base. It contains vanilla and sweetness is among its carachteristics, but all is very well balanced. The fragrance is harmonious, warm. One of its specialities - V contains rice that appears in the base.

It's quiet neutral scent, ideal for work and appropriate for evening. Since in the evening I prefer something heavier, I wouldn't mind to have V in my collection to wear to work. The lasting power is remarkable. It's not a masterpiece but a very decent perfume.

My definition: gentle softness

V Absolu (floral woody musk)

This perfume was released the same year that V - 2005. I would say this is its girlier version.



A new limited edition, V Absolu, features in Valentino’s favorite color, red. The scent is warm leaving a comfortable trail. Slightly fresh in the beginning it revolves into a rich composition that perfectly blends the notes of citruses and sweet flowers. Orange blossom sings at perfume’s heart together with the notes of frangipani and heliotrope. The base is composed of warm woods and comforting vanilla; cedarwood, sandalwood, amber, musk, Burbon vanilla. It was created in 2005.

It's more floral and fruity that V that makes V absolu more cheerful and joyful. It's bright, sophisticated. As for me it's suitable for casual style and evening dress both. I would wear it in daytime. I can smell cherry, grapefruit, apple.

If I had to chose one V version for me, it would be V altough V Absolu isn't bad too.

My definition: girly brightness