My Collection - a whole bunch of (not very brief) reviews

My Collection - a whole bunch of (not very brief) reviews

I’ve loved perfume all my life, I used to go bananas every time I visited the US at BBW, I loved Britney Fragrances, I wore Pink Sugar when I worked in Florida one summer (how my coworkers didn’t kill me, I do not know).

However this past year it’s become my hyperfixation, I have become obsessed with sampling, testing, discovering new notes. It may just be that I turned 30 and wanted to grow my collection beyond sweet girly gourmands, to add some variety to my scents, and I’ve succeeded.

My collection right now makes me very happy, I feel like even though there’s still many scents I want to try and sample, it feels complete and it feels like me! So, I’ll leave some reviews here for you all, hopefully this helps anyone who’s interested in any of these. I am not good at being brief though so brace for a long post.

Disclaimer! It will become very evident that vanilla is my absolute favorite note, so most of these are vanillas. I think they’re all fairly different to each other, as I don’t love super edible gourmands, but still. Vanilla all around.

In no particular order.

*FULL BOTTLES

Burberry, Goddess: Okay I said in no particular order, but Goddess may very well be my favorite perfume. It’s what kickstarted my obsession this year, I got it as a gift in june and was blown away by it. It has that designer DNA for sure, where notes are harder to discern, but the vanilla is so well done and elegant, it’s a no brainer and a year-round staple. When I first got it, it had a more prominent lavender, and was on the verge of being aromatherapy-like, more floral forward, with vanilla only coming through as it dried down. It also had very poor longevity. Now, a few months later, as the juice has darkened, it has become creamier, sweeter and so, so long lasting. I put it on yesterday and can still smell it on my wrist today. It’s not cloyingly sweet, not sugary or edible, but undeniably VANILLA. I adore. Sillage 8/10, Longevity (after a few months) 10/10.

Billie Eilish, Eilish: Despite Goddess being my favorite, Eilish is what I think of as the most ME. When I first got it a couple years ago (a very successful blind buy) I smelled just pure rich vanilla extrait. As I’ve become better at distinguishing notes, it’s so much more complex. It’s a berry-cocoa vanilla, with a slightly minty fresh opening. Not toothpaste like though, it just makes it a little cool. Like you’re eating frozen chocolate covered raspberries. One of my most edible scents, but for gourmand it’s quite elegant and mature. May be a little cloying in high heat, but it’s otherwise so wearable. Sillage 9/10, Longevity 9/10.

Lattafa, Eclaire: Where is it in the photo, you may ask. Hidden because I hate the bottle lmao 😅 I decanted it into a small crystal bottle from Amazon. I’ll say it’s not just because I aesthetically disliked it, but the bottle also leaked everytime I sprayed it, and this is such a strong perfume that the mess was making it so hard to manage. This one was so weird to me. First time I tried it, I hated it. This is what everyone hypes? Granted I’ve only smelled Bianco Latte once so I can’t speak too much on it as a dupe, but it smelled so synthetic, so sharp, rubbery I thought surely not. But one day I wore it on my pajamas and went to bed. Let me tell you, the cloud of milky cozy sweetness I slept in that night completely changed my mind. Yes the opening is quite sharp, it makes me sneeze. It opens with a lot of alcohol, very synthetic. As it dries, it becomes creamier, and very caramel forward scent. It never quite loses the synthetic vibe though, it doesn’t smell like realistic caramel, but like a caramel syrup milkshake that is most likely all artificial flavouring. And you have to spray very little as it’s STRONG. It’ll last forever on clothes, when I wore it to sleep it lasted until I washed my sheets. A cushion still smells like it. It’s not my favorite perfume as I do find it too sweet, but I think for the price it’s really nice.

Jean Paul Gaultier, La Belle Le Parfum: I bought this one in Paris so it smells like a Parisian afternoon to me. It’s SWEET. It’s got a prominent pear note, but the kind of overripe sticky pear that drips all over when you bite into it. It’s so sexy, so mature, and one of my favorite nighttime perfumes. It’s very rich, very feminine. I think the bottle is perfect for it, what the black to red gradient and golden necklace on a female torso evokes as an image is exactly what it smells like. It’s also one to spray lightly, as it is very very very sweet. Sillage 10/10, Longevity 9/10

Guerlain, Aqua Allegoria Bosca Vanilla Forte: For some context, I used to have Atelier Cologne’s Vanille Insensee years ago and didn’t manage to snatch another bottle before it got discontinued, which prompted a hunt for something similar. This is what I bought to replace it. Now, the first time I tried I thought, this is perfect, it’s a sweet but non-gourmand vanilla, that opens citrusy and dries woody. Exactly what I wanted. Once I had my bottle though, I realized it’s actually quite different. Vanille Insensee was dry, more acidic, and had a creamier vanilla backdrop. Bosca Vanilla is bright, summery, and most of all, marine. It’s very very marine, so if you don’t like that, beware. It smells like sitting by the ocean, salt water still on your skin drying down, and you’re drinking a lemonade, perhaps sweetened with vanilla. It’s so unique, but I flip flop between loving it and finding ita little off-putting. I can’t wear this on my perio for instance, the salt from the driftwood note is too strong. But when it agrees with me it’s the most unique experience and I don’t regret buying it. Also wow what a stunning bottle! Sillage 7/10, Longevity 6/10

Guerlain, Cuir Beluga (not pictured): I tested this in store and have never fallen head over heels for a perfume quicker. I have a little 10ml decant I’m nursing, and my full bottle is sitting unopened in its box waiting for me to open on Christmas 🥰. I used to think I didn’t like leather or powdery perfumes, I had never imagined I would love this profile so much. It’s sweet, but in a cozy, suede-like way. The heliotrope note is divine, it’s just powdery enough to not be overwhelming or too “mature”, yet it’s still so classy. I don’t understand how Guerlain did it, this is art in a bottle. When I tried it I had a full Ratatouille-style flashback moment, how can it smell exactly like happy cozy childhood memories, but also like what my daydreams of the future? It’s elegant, but I would wear everyday. It’s clean, but not soapy. It’s sweet, but not cloying. It’s just perfect. I tried Angelique Noire and Spiriteuse Double Vanille as well (the first I found too strong, the latter too faint) and I liked this so much more. And it’s very long lasting on me! Sillage 7/10 (which is a good thing), Longevity 10/10

Diptyque, Eau Duelle EDT (not pictured): Another one I’m getting for Christmas so no full bottle yet, but soon! And the most successful replacement I’ve found for Vanille Insensee. It lacks the citrusy opening, but the dry down is perfection. Eau Duelle smells like a forest fairy, she’s at a cabin, she’s made herself a skirt from vanilla flowers. The juniper is the stand out to me though. It does smell like vanilla, but so herbal, fresh and cozy it’s gorgeous. It’s a very soft and delicate scent, not super strong or long lasting, I get 6-ish hours on skin, but I enjoy that. Sometimes I don’t want to wear a beast perfume, just something light and cozy. It makes me feel so pretty. Sillage 4/10, Longevity 6/10

L’Artisan Parfumeur, Obscuratio 25: A gift from my parents after a trip to Paris. They asked the sales person for a sweet perfume with vanilla and this is what they recommended. I don’t know if I’d describe it as such though. To me, this is a perfect fall perfume, but it’s Patchouli with a capital P. Now, I personally do love patchouli, and it’s very well done here, but it’s not for everyone. I find this so unique because it’s patchouli, which is usually sweet, dark and earthy, with vanilla and ylang ylang. I’d never think to combine those notes. The ylang gives it a brightness that makes it unlike any patchouli scents I’ve tried. It smells like a happier sister to Lush’s Lord of Misrule. It’s very beautiful and my go-to around Halloween Time. Sillage 6/10, Longevity 8/10

Viktor & Rolf, Flowerbomb: I’ve had my bottle for over 6 years, and it has evolved so much. At first, it was a sweet BOMB. Very apt name. Of course it’s floral, but it was also sugary sweet, very youthful, very feminine. And a little cloying, even if I did love a sweet sugary perfume. However, with time it has evolved into a dark and earthy tea scent. It’s like it went from a flower bouquet on a cake, to dried flowers in a garden. The juice is quite dark now, and as the sweetness has gone down, the patchouli and tea notes have come to the surface. It went from a spring and summer staple to a fall and winter one. Sillage 9/10, Longevity 7/10

LOEWE, Paula’s Ibiza Cosmic: This is so underrated I want to scream it from the rooftops! I was on the hunt for a summer tropical scent and I fell in love with this and the next one and had to get them both. It’s creamy from the sandalwood and coconut, but not lactonic. It’s sweet and fruity, but not juvenile or too feminine. It’s comforting and woody so it’s nice in cool weather, but also tropical and the fruitiness shines in warm weather. And I can’t sing its praises enough in sillage and longevity, it lasts all day on skin, days on clothes, and I can smell it on myself all day. It’s so, so lovely, my favorite discovery of the year. Sillage 9/10, Longevity 10/10

Maison Margiela Replica, Beach Walk: What can I say other than it’s very well done. It’s as realistic as you can get when it comes to a beach sunscreen scent. And I love it, I understand why some dislike this profile but I want to smell like I’m covered in sunscreen and chilling by a pool at all times. It’s not super long lasting but I think that works in its favor, like I’d actually wear this to the beach and not mind it being gone in a couple hours, I’m taking a dip in the ocean anyway. Sillage 6/10, Longevity 3/10

Al Haramain, Amber Oud Gold: Good, STRONG, sharp fruity shampoo. I have never smelled Erba Pura, which this is a dupe of, and I actually tested and loved Orientica Royal Amber first. But the Orientica and this are identical, and this was cheaper and easier to find. I love fruity scents, they make me feel fresh out of the shower. This is a spring and summer daytime jolly rancher bomb, but the muskiness in the drydown is what makes it special to me. It really does smell like you just used a fruity shampoo that lingered on wet skin. Now I’ll say this is not for the faint of heart, and it’s not inoffensive. I wouldn’t be surprised at someone finding it entirely too much. Sillage 100/10, Longevity 10/0

Paris Corner, Rifaqaat: 95% spot on dupe for Babycat! I sampled Babycat a few months back and while I did think it’s a masterpiece, it also wasn’t a profile I’d spend that kind of money on (unlike Cuir Beluga which I would wear everyday and bathe in). It’s a spicy dark vanilla, very unisex, divine for special occasions. It’s a gala, floor length black dress. It’s Catwoman. But how many of us need a Catwoman scent everyday? So I found Rifaqaat and for $30 I thought it was perfect. It’s very peppery in the opening, more than Babycat, and it’s spicy throughout. I haven’t seen this comparison much, but the dry down reminds me a lot of Eclaire/Bianco Latte. If Eclaire is cozy in a cashmere blanket beige couch sort of way, Rifaqaat/Babycat is lounging on a velvet burgundy couch with a whiskey and low lighting. They’re sisters to me, in a white swan dark swan sort of way. Sillage 9/10, Longevity 8/10

Ariana Grande, Thank U Next: This was an impulse buy at a duty free years ago, and honestly I might declutter it soon. It’s a girly coconut scent, with a slightly off-putting sharpness in the opening. Some say it smells like pickles, and while I personally don’t get that vibe, it does smell like pickled fruit maybe. Like a pickled berry jam, coconut cream and musk. It’s not bad but I never reach for it, and I feel like a younger girl would enjoy it more. I much prefer other Ariana perfumes, I’ll speak about Mod Vanilla further down and have also enjoyed Cloud and REM. Sillage 7/10, Longevity 5/10

Zara I have quite a few, they are:

Shamanilla: This is what I wanted from Thank U Next. It’s a creamy coconut milk sandalwood, sweetened by cotton candy, but in a way that makes it light and fluffy. It’s such a unique coconut scent too because it’s not giving tropical or sunscreen, it’s just creamy. Not sure why this is marketed as a men’s perfume, as I find it quite feminine, but it’s like a more mature version of candy-sweet celebrity perfumes. It also sits quite close to the skin, which helps it not be too cloying. Sillage 4/10, Longevity 6/10

Wonder Rose: Got it as a gift with a purchase years ago, and while it’s not something too special I would buy, I definitely use it and will finish it. Fruity shampoo, but more feminine than Amber Oud Gold. A lot lighter, and fleeting. I wear it to bed or to the gym when I want my perfume to fade fast. Sillage 5/10, Longevity 3/10

Red Temptation & Vanille: I’m not a big fan of the Red Temptation collection, I’m also not a fan of BR540, or its dupes, which I’ve tried a few of. They go very metallic and medical on me, a lot of saffron perfumes do. But this one is nice! It’s quite strong and long lasting, it’s a winter-only perfume. It’s got that slight metallic vibe, but very faint, and goes more creamy than other RT flankers. It’s sweet, ambery, great for the price. One of the best performing perfumes for Zara. Personally though, I kind of wish I hadn’t blind bought it because it leans similar to Eclaire/Bianco Latte and Rifaqaat/Babycat. How did I end up with 3 perfumes in a profile I didn’t think I loved that much? If I could have a do-over, I’d get Red Temptation & Sandalwood instead, that one is fantastic and very different, creamy woody goodness. Sillage 9/10, Longevity 10/10

Hypnotic Vanilla: I have never tried Hypnotic Poison, but this smells like sweet play-doh. I mean that as a positive, it’s so nostalgic and nice. I wouldn’t pay more than what this costs for that profile, but it’s definitely a good one, and my favorite of the Zara Vanillas. They just released a new flanker called Hypnotic Vanilla Cloud that has marshmallow and I’m dying to try it lol. Sillage 7/10, Longevity 6/10

Amalfi Sunray: This was an impulsive purchase I regret a little. I smelled Tom Ford Neroli portofino and found it delightful, but not for the price. I saw this was a dupe, and got it on the spot. Then I realized: I don’t enjoy wearing citrusy cologne scents. I like how they smell, I love them on fabrics, as room sprays, but not on me. I use it as a room spray, or wear it layered with sweeter perfumes. But hey, for what it’s worth it’s a fantastic dupe of NP. It’s fresh, bright, clean and summery. Sillage 6/10, Longevity 3/10

Sultry Pear: One of my favorites from Zara! This is a dupe for JPG La Belle, and it’s spot on. I own the Le Parfum, which is darker, sweeter and deeper than the original La Belle, which makes it hard to wear for daytime or during the high heat summer days. So I wear this instead. I love to wear this during the day and then La Belle Le Parfum at night. It’s a fresher, greener pear, with a soft musky vanilla dry down. Amazing for the price, and the dry down lasts a very long time. Sillage 6/10, Longevity 7/10

Juicy Infusion: Does anyone remember Pear Glacé by Victoria’s Secret, the 90s version? My grandma would wear that all the time and I have such a strong scent memory of it. Well, this is exactly that. Unbelievably close even if the notes are different. It’s fruity, fresh, aquatic, smells like aloe vera. Sillage 5/10, Longevity 4/10

Marshmallow Addiction: Now, who picked this name Zara, I need to have chat with them. In what world is this marshmallow? This is a sweet fruity bomb. In high school I used to layer BBW Georgia Peach body lotion with Victoria’s Secret Deep Berry mist and this smells exactly like that combo. Fruit salad, as opposed to fruit shampoo. Very edible, youthful, cheap-smelling to be honest, but in a nostalgic way. I still love my old cheapies! Sillage 5/10, Longevity 4/10

Hibiscus: Have any of you tried agua de Jamaica? It’s very common in mexico, a sort of hibiscus iced tea. Very fresh and sweet. This is agua de jamaica with a little orange zest. It’s very refreshing, tart and fruity floral. Not my favorite by any means but still smells really good. Sillage 5/10, Longevity 4/10

*TRAVEL SIZES / DECANTS

Atelier Cologne, Vanille Insensee: My white whale, my love, why did they discontinue this?! I’ve searched high and low for a dupe and while some perfumes have given me a similar experience none are the same. I finished a bottle ages ago, and now I have a 10ml decant for memory’s sake. It’s a citrusy woody vanilla, which I usually don’t go for citrus vanillas (unpopular opinion but I can’t do Xerjoff’s Lira or D&G Devotion, the lemon is too strong on both). This, however, has a dry lime rather than a juicy lemon. And that to me makes all the difference. Maybe it’s because I’m mexican and we put lime on everything but it’s a much more comforting cozy smell to me than lemon. And because it’s less juicy, it perfects perfectly with the dry vanilla, the vetiver, the oak. This is so sophisticated, but cool and artsy. It’s like what your coolest art teacher would smell like, maybe she’s a witch in her spare time, who knows? I miss it so much. Sillage 6/10, Longevity 7/10

Jovoy, Fire at Will: This is so, so lovely. A bright and airy vanilla extract. It’s sugary and very sweet, but never goes dark or burnt sugar. In my opinion the mimosa note is what makes this special. Imagine Diptyque’s L’eau Papier’s slightly fizzy musky mimosa, but with vanilla and sugar. I don’t know if I’d get a full bottle of this, as I do find it fairly linear, and it’s such a pure vanilla, that I don’t reach for it as often, as most of my perfumes have vanilla+woods, or vanilla+fruit, vanilla+cacao, etc. But it’s definitely one that I will love every drop of my decant and that I highly HIGHLY recommend for vanilla lovers. I’d also say it’s a safe (if expensive!) blind buy for that vanilla lover in your life, if that’s yourself then well, this is a good one! Sillage 8/10, Longevity 8/10

Zoologist, Harvest Mouse: I sampled a bunch of Zoologist perfumes from curiosity alone, not expecting to like any of them. I mean, vanilla and hay, and chamomile is unique enough but the beer note? This had me scared, I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with it. But it’s SO good. It smells just like sweetened chamomile tea on me! Like those hair lightening chamomile shampoos. But the hey and even the beer give this a soft earthy herbal-ness that is incredibly cozy. This is not a vanilla forward fragrance, it’s very herbal, and tea-like, but the vanilla provides a sweet bed for everything else to rest on. This Harvest Mouse would feel right at home in a Pooh Bear book, and probably hangs out with Frog & Toad. I love him so much. Sillage 7/10, Longevity 8/10

Ariana Grande, Mod Vanilla: Ariana’s perfumes can be very hit or miss, they all smell nice but some are just too sweet or too young for me, at 30 I wouldn’t wear Ari or Sweet Like Candy or even Cloud. So I was prepared to be “above” this scent so to speak. Well, I stand corrected! This is the coziest, fluffiest, vanilla cloud. It’s cloudier than Cloud actually. We throw around blanket, cashmere sweater, cotton balls quite a lot but this truly evokes that imagery. It’s sweet but not gourmand, slightly powdery but in a baby-powder kind of way and I mean that as a good thing. It makes me feel so clean, so feminine, so soft. And I genuinely think people of all ages could enjoy this. It’s also, at least to me, not as synthetic smelling as some of her others. Will I buy a full bottle? Maybe if I find a great deal, or at a duty free someday, but I’m halfway through my 10ml and will be ordering another. Sillage 7/10, Longevity 7/10

Commodity, Gold: This one I tested in my search for Vanille Insensee dupe, and it didn’t deliver in that regard. It’s a strange one! Some people describe it as a green vanilla, I’d say it’s a woody amber. I get no vanilla from it, the sweetness comes from the amber entirely. And amber as a note is very hit or miss for me. Sometimes it’s sooo sweet it gives me a headache. Sometimes I’m anosmic to it. It’s strange! So this scent is like playing russian roulette when I wear it, will it be too strong and I’ll have to scrub it off to be able to function? Or will I waste some sprays and not be able to smell it all day? It confuses me. I’ll finish the travel spray but won’t repurchase. Sillage 3/10 sometimes 15/10 other times so ?????, Longevity 7/10

Arquiste, The Architects Club: The only reason I’m not rushing to get this is I liked Eau Duelle a bit more, and it would be redundant to own both. This is gorgeous. It’s a boozier and more unisex green woody vanilla. I like to say Eau Duelle smells like sitting at the porch of a cabin in the woods, it’s sunrise and the grass is damp, you get wafts of fresh herbs and cool air. Architects is that same cabin, but sitting inside at the bar, drinking gin. The window’s open and you get that same fresh air, but it’s also warmer inside the cabin. Maybe there’s a fireplace burning somewhere. All in all, a fantastic woody vanilla that I’d recommend anyone try. Sillage 6/10, Longevity 7/10

Kayali, Vanilla 28: Thankful that I only bought a travel size of this cause I have something unpopular to say: it’s overhyped. It’s not bad, but it’s not the pure rich vanilla I was promised. This is a brown sugar patchouli! Which I do enjoy those notes, but it’s darker, and earthier than I expected. And the vanilla I do get is kind of synthetic. This is still my favorite Kayali, which speaks to my overall thoughts on the brand, but I would not call this a safe blind buy, the way I would Fire at Will or Eilish. I will say, as a lot of people have stated, this is a good layering perfume to make something sweeter and richer. But on its own, I just never find myself wanting to wear it. Sillage 7/10, Longevity 5/10

*BODY MISTS, OILS, ETC.

Sol de Janeiro, Cheirosa 62: Now this is a hyped popular mist I can fully get behind. It’s so pretty to me, it’s sweet and edible, but perfect for summer. It smells like eating dessert in the summertime. I don’t know how they managed to make such an extremely sweet fragrance work well in hot weather but it does (for instance, Cheirosa 71 in the heat would kill me probably). So yes, it’s popular, everyone and their mother has it, but for good reason. Creamy pistachio, caramel, and almond are what I get most. My mother hates sweet perfumes, she gags at pretty much anything else in my collection, she has said to me verbatim: “Ew this is gross, you’ll love it” 😂 She enjoys freshies, light florals and musky scents only. But she loved 62. So much so she asked me to get it for her for Christmas. Do with that info what you will! And honestly, for a mist, it lasts forever on clothes and especially hair. I will spray it in my hair all summer regardless of what perfume I’m wearing, and it always hits. Sillage 8/10, Longevity 8/10

Nemat, Vanilla Musk: Now this, this is a staple to have if you love vanilla! So worth the hype. Incredible to layer with, it’s an airy vanilla that never gets too cloying. It’s very very sweet, but faint enough to be inoffensive. And it’s BEYOND long lasting on me. I’ll layer it with almost anything else from my collection: when I want Eilish to be less berry-cocoa, when I want Bosca Vanilla to be sweeter and less salty, when I want Eau Duelle to be deeper, when I want to bring forward the vanilla in Harvest Mouse. It’s a no brainer, it pairs excellently with everything I own. And contrary to what I’ve read in other reviews, I feel like I can smell it on myself without putting my wrist to my nose. It projects enough for me to smell it all day but not enough to offend anyone else. For the price? Perfection. Sillage 5/10, Longevity 10/10

Yves Rocher, Vanille Bourbon: I use this and the body lotion also to layer with, I’ll use this mainly in my hair during the fall/winter. It’s got that fake, plasticky, play-doh vibe a lot of vanilla cheapies have though. Still, if you like vanilla body sprays, this is nice. Wouldn’t run to buy it but it doesn’t hurt to have it. Sillage 4/10, Longevity 5/10

And that’s it!! Hope these reviews are helpful to someone, and that my descriptions weren’t too confusing or vague. If anyone wants to know more about any of these please ask, I’d love chatting about them. I’d also love to hear your own thoughts on any of these, do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? Does anyone have a wildly different experience with any of these?

Down the line I want to make a similar review post for all the ones I’ve sampled but those are SO many more it will take a while.