Celebrity Scents Roundup Rodeo

Jennifer Lopez Still 

I used up my bottle of Still fairly quickly, even though it was only a like and not a love for me. It's a peppery tea scent and I found it to be a great base layer for aquatic florals. (I love to layer!) I remember seeing the ad for this years ago, Jennifer Lopez looks very "old Hollywood glamourous" in it. There is a lot of freesia in Still, creating a sharp grassy and yet sweet soap scent. It did remind me slightly of Perry Ellis Reserve or Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. This is super affordable so if light, refreshing tea scents are your thing, scoop up a bottle of J. Lo Still and feel like you are drinking a cup of jasmine tea in a garden.


Jessica Simpson Signature

I blind bought this one due to a pretty bottle and a good price. Now I am not the biggest gourmand fan, I usually find them all so similar. But this one is nice and comforting! I keep picking up the bottle to smell it. I think when it runs out I will buy a bigger size. It's a light, refreshing vanilla, not heavy or cloying in any way, just creamy, with undertones of fruit. Very yummy and cozy, snuggle worthy. Like a warm blanket and a mug of hot white chocolate. However, it would not be out of place in the summer either.


Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia

Must love white florals to love this. A very sweet and very green rendition of a gardenia. The smell of leaves after a rain. There is a note that I pick up that reminds me of fuzzy peach skin and it stays for the duration of wear. Some reviewers perceive this as melon, but either way, there is a sweet fruit note lying below the white florals. Also, it may be called Gardenia but there are a lot of other florals going on here as well, specifically I smell lily of the valley and carnation in supporting roles. Reminds me a lot of In Bloom by Reese Witherspoon, another celebrity scent. Both nice muskyflorals that bring up the image of sipping sweet iced tea on a porch, enjoying a lazy sunny afternoon. 


Sofia Vergara Sofia

I know that patchouli is not listed in the note pyramid here... but are we sure? Especially when first applied, I smell patchouli quite prominently. Or if not patchouli, something bitter and leafy. The cassis maybe? I like it though, because the bitter woodsy accord balances out the sweet blackberry and plum accords. Reminds me slightly of Love Notes by Ellen Tracy but not an exact dupe. I am actually not familiar with the actress Sofia Vergara, but tried this because it kept being recommended around Fragrantica as a budget berry scent that was not overly sweet. Very warm, dark and flirty. So far I am pleased.


Ariana Grande Ari

Ari is pop singer Ariana Grande's first fragrance, launched in 2015. She's been pumping out a new scent once a year since then. $$$$ This is the only one I have tried so far. This fragrance is all about the sweetness. Raspberry and marshmallows, like you fell into a bowl of kid's cereal or maybe their juice box. This is the type of scent most people think of when they hear "celebrity scent". I mean, she understands her target market I guess. Consumers who buy Ariana Grande perfume are generally looking for something sugary and linear. They don't want chypres or oakmoss or anything that makes you think too hard. That said, I don't hate this, I'm just not the proper demographic for Ari. I would be more likely to use this as a layering piece rather than a stand alone perfume. (Similar to Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works sprays... linear and better for layering than anything else IMHO) I'll end on a positive note by saying that the bottle is completely adorable.



Rihanna Rebelle

Rebelle was a very pleasant surprise for me. I went in with low expectations because it was a celebrity scent that I found cheap as chips at a discounter. It ended up being one of my nicest buys this year. I don't get much strawberry note at all, maybe just a tiny bit to sweeten the deal, and not a realistic strawberry, more of a strawberry lip balm scent. What Rebelle is for me is a chocolate and coffee perfume. It's warm and rich and cozy. I ended up buying the shower gel too. This meshes very well with warm skin, creating a sweater of fragrance. I could see this being a good purchase for a young lady on a budget who likes the sweet perfume trend but finds things like Pink Sugar too saccharine and La Vie Est Belle too heady. Rebelle is sweet but it's got just enough of a bitter edge from the coffee to say "Hey I'm sugar AND spice. Don't forget the spice part!" This makes me feel kinda sassy and coy. A perfect cold weather weekend type fragrance. Mmmm makes me want some Starbucks.

A Rose By Many Other Names, Volume 4

 A fourth installment of rose-centric fragrance reviews. Why do I love rose scents so much and review them every year? Because I believe roses to be magical, the stuff of fairytales. The ultimate in feminine beauty. I associate roses with being loved. Whether it be a fresh sweet innocent pink rose or a dark thorny scarlet rose, I love them all. Throughout history, roses have been prized and considered sacred. I never get tired of them, I really don't. I live in a city apartment with no outdoor space in which to grow my own rose bushes, so wearing rose perfumes gets me that wonderful scent fix I crave. I realize I have been extremely lax once again in updating this blog (thanks depression!) so in the interest of getting this published sooner rather than later, I will keep the reviews short and sweet. Here are 8 rose perfumes I wore this summer: 

Rossy de Palma Eau de Protection by ETAT LIBRE D'ORANGE

Very fresh, I can smell a lot of geranium here. If you're looking for a realistic geranium scent you should definitely check this one. By the way, I loved actress Rossy de Palma in the Almodovar film "Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". She has an incredibly unique look. I don't smell the supposed "blood accord" in this which is fine by me... I think it's possibly one of those marketing gimmicks. It does have a similar feeling to Gres Cabaret. 

Rose Noir by BYREDO 

Musky and dusty rose, starts with a burst of astringent grapefruit which disappears quickly. Becomes very dry and moody, almost vintage feeling. I don't find anything particulary "noir" about it however, it's lacking the heavy spices I associate with "noir" scents. 

Red Aoud by MONTALE

This smells so good I want to drink it! Makes my mouth water. Lots of agarwood, lots of saffron and other delicious spices. Like a campfire made up of dried roses and exotic woods. Mmmm this is sexy! The staying power is incredible, 12 + hours on my skin and probably would go longer but I showered. 

White Aoud by MONTALE  

One of the intense Sharpie marker/ gasoline smelling ouds to my nose. That medicine and Band Aid smell that I associate with oud perfumes. The rose definitely plays backup singer to the oud, rather than taking the lead. Reminds me somewhat of Midnight Oud by Juliette Has a Gun. This is only for the brave, the shy should not apply. Sillage on this carries two rooms over, in typical Montale fashion. 

Rose Oud by NICOLAI PARFUMEUR

This is such a weird scent, I'm still not sure what to make of it. I don't hate it but I'm not sure that I want my actual body to smell this way. I barely detect the agarwood but smell the animalic "beaver butt" note quite clearly. Something about it reminds me of stick deodorant... maybe the type of amber accord used? However, your mileage may vary. The raspberry and osmanthus notes sweeten it up in a manner that also recalls a plastic toy from my childhood. 

Rose Pivoine by NICOLAI PARFUMEUR  

Super sweet, almost like candy or juice. I honestly wouldn't know this was a rose scent if I hadn't been told. I smell mostly berries but never the less, it is well blended and complex. Smells expensive, just like everything from this house. I think this would be a nice alternative to the sickly sweet department store berry scents that are so popular right now.


Isabel by TOCCA  

What a delectable juicy, fruity rose! I love it. The sangria accord is noticeable but it's not boozy, just fruity. Because it's a Tocca, it's not heavy or cloying, but sheer like watercolor paints. Also, Tocca make the most beautiful bottles of heavy glass with a filigreed brass cap. One of my favorite Toccas that I have tried, along with Liliana and Colette. I wish this came in a scented candle so my whole house could smell of it.


Vaara by PENHALIGONS 

A sweet fresh watery rose for people who think they don't like rose. Notes of yuzu, peony, magnolia and freesia lift it up and make it youthful, slightly soapy but definitely a summery feel. Something vegetal in there brings to mind a summer garden in full glory. I can almost see the bees hovering between the blossoms. It does remind me of a gentler, smoother version of Lancome Miracle. 

Keep It Simple, Stupid

Dear readers, I have not touched this blog in nearly a year. Blame writers block, not knowing what to write about. The longer you go without writing the worse the block becomes. You begin to feel as if you must return with something epic or else continue to not write at all. Today is a snowy day without much to keep me occupied. I told myself that in order to break through this block, I should write anything at all, even if it's stupid. So in the interest of keeping it simple, I will write about my favorite soliflores.What could be more simple than those?

A soliflore is a perfume that is designed to smell like a single flower. These often have several other notes backing them up but the attention is on that main flower. So I'm going to attempt to pick one soliflore scent for each of my favorite flowers.

ROSE: Ok, you all know by now that I review a handful of rose scents every year. In fact, I am currently right in the middle of Rose-a-palooza 2019, wearing a different rose scent nearly every day in February. But there is one rose perfume that I always come back to again and again and that is STELLA by STELLA MCCARTNEY. A luxurious yet clean rose, supported by simple accords of peony, amber and tangerine. There is nothing soapy or fatty about Stella. It almost smells like a rose that is dried, pressed into the pages of a book but still retaining it's rich scent.

LILY OF THE VALLEY: I'm going to choose a perfume I just discovered last year that completely won me over and that is WALK ON AIR by KATE SPADE. Sometimes lotv fragrances can come off as screechy or sharp but not this one. Supported with notes of violet leaf, linden blossom, fern and magnolia but it's first and foremost a lily of the valley scent. Beautiful, fresh and green. Smells like a garden after a spring rainstorm.

DAFFODIL: Also known as narcissus. Not often found as a soliflore but I randomly stumbled upon a sample of AU DELA NARCISSE by niche house BRUNO FAZZOLARI and it was immediate love. Green, waxy and herbal. Extremely classy with a touch of old school oakmoss.

IRIS: Iris can be a tricky note because sometimes it's straight up talcum powder and other times it can go rubbery or carrot like. So far the best iris soliflore I've found is INFUSION D'IRIS by PRADA. It has incense, cedar and vetiver giving it a little backbone, preventing that rubbery quality from popping up. It's powdery but in the best way, like a fluffy robe pulled from the dryer. Quiet, clean, classic iris.

EASTER LILY: I'm not sure if this is the actual name, but it's what I have always called the big white trumpet shaped lilies laden with pollen that decorate everything at Easter. The best in the bunch I've found is GLAMOUROUS by RALPH LAUREN. Unfortunately, I believe it's been discontinued so if you ever spy a bottle on Ebay, snatch it up. This smells soapy clean in the best way, smells the way an all white outfit looks. Very elegant and feminine.

CARNATION: Full disclosure, carnation is not always my favorite note. It can be a little old fashioned and peppery to my senses. But as far as carnation soliflores go, you can't beat L'AIR DU TEMPS by NINA RICCI. It is chock full of notes but still comes off as a soliflore to my nose. People raised on fruity candy scents will absolutely not appreciate L'air du Temps, they might even call it the dreaded 'old lady' slur. But for those with a love of vintage, this is a watercolor painting of a summer breeze through sheets hanging on the line.

YLANG YLANG: Okay, so maybe you don't think of YSATIS by GIVENCHY as a soliflore but I sure do... it's so much sweet honeyed ylang ylang to my sniffer. I have some ylang ylang essential oil and I think it smells just like my mini of Ysatis. And it's one of the only ylang heavy perfumes that doesn't remind me of bananas.

GARDENIA: Is there any doubt what I am picking? It's ISLAND GARDENIA by JOVAN, always, no contest, don't knock it til you try it. I know you're thinking isn't that a cheap drugstore perfume? Yes, it is and it is fantastic. I've never met another gardenia soliflore that's quite so buttery, warm and sensuous.

VIOLET: It's easy for violet soliflores to veer in the direction of sugared candy or powder puff but there is one that gets it perfectly on point and that is BALENCIAGA PARIS. Smooth, slightly spicy, aromatic with a woody drydown. This is like a fistful of violets plucked from a shady corner in the woods. I really need a bottle of this one it's heaven on earth.

JASMINE: This is a tough one because there are so very many great jasmine soliflores and it truly depends on what nuances float your boat. For now though, I'm going with BEAUTY by CALVIN KLEIN. A simple sweet jasmine backed up with the warmth of ambrette seed. There is no occasion where this would be inappropriate for wear.

ORANGE BLOSSOM: No contest, it's ELIE SAAB. Sweet, rich, beautiful honeyed orange blossom. Change my mind, I dare you. This is a silk dress in a bottle.

LILAC: Can't do much better than FRENCH LILAC by PACIFICA. It's a total bargain and smells as though you have stuck your head deep into a white lilac bush on a warm May day. An underpinning of heliotrope lends it a creamy vanilla finish.


I suppose I could go on and on and on but this is a good start towards breaking my writers block. What flowers did I miss? What are your favorites? Do you know any perfume beauties I haven't mentioned here? I would love to hear your thoughts, darling flower children.