Fragrances I Love...At The Moment...

My body's chemistry is...weird...Especially when it comes to green/citrus/ozone scents (Get To Know Perfume Families here).

Most of these green/citrus/ozone fragrances turn me into a walking bottle of lime/lemon-scented dish-washing liquid T_T Oh, sure they smell awesome on strips of paper, but upon contact with my skin, I whip out my hand sanitiser within 30 minutes to scrub them off...Yup - Issey Miyake L'Eau D'Issey, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Burberry Sport, etc. Blleerrghh...

Which is why, if you care to scrutinise the notes of my current favourite fragrances, when citrus notes are present, they will always be somehow combined with sweet, fruity and/or gourmand notes - to tone down the sharp citrus notes, so to speak.

So, look up reviews for these fragrances in MUA, the ratings might be pretty darn low...Oh well...Whatever works, works... ^_~

And whenever possible, I'll purchase 30 mls flacons. Kudos to those who could actually finish a flacon, not to mention 3-4!

Note: I didn't mention anything about sillage because I don't find that important. As long as it stays on ME, I'm happy. I'm not a snail that needs to leave a trail behind nor do I want to "mark" my territory ^_^

HERMES "UN JARDIN SUR LE NIL"
- Top Notes: Green Mango, Grapefruit
- Middle Notes: Calamus, Lotus
- Base Notes: Sycamore, Frankincense
This is one helluva complex scent.
It's fresh, but not in a green/citrusy/ozone kinda way.
It's ever so slightly sweet, but not in a fruity kinda way.
It's faintly incense-y from the frankincense, but NOT like I just spent the day in a Chinese temple.

So I'll just reiterate some key phrases which spoke to me from JRWRITER's review.
- The initial spritz is a very tart, sharp, authentic citrus scent of unripe mangoes.
- Then it evolves to a kind of a green scent - like a plant? :P No idea what it is, but it's very pleasant and refreshing. What I would imagine in a spa retreat.
- The dry-down is fresh, sweet AND incense-y! (Amazing, no!?!?)

If I need to be tagged to a fragrance (my Signature Scent, so to speak), THIS would be it. Definitely not run-of-the-mill and anybody who gets a whiff, would recognise it instantly.
However, due to its lightness, I have to spritz on a fair bit, not to mention its lasting power isn't spectacular. I run through this VERY quickly T_T I find it very calming, too for some reason.
My Signature Fragrance? YES (I actually purchased a 100 ml flacon since I'm approaching the halfway point of this 50 mls, if that says anything ^_^)
I just smell...sophisticated...zen-like...and different from the half the world who took a bath in Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue HA!

Work? AYE AYE AYE!

Casual? AYE AYE

ELIZABETH ARDEN "GREEN TEA"
- Top Notes: Lemon, Orange, Rhubarb, Bergamort, Peppermint
- Middle Notes: Green Tea, Jasmine, Celery Seed, Carnation
- Base Notes: Oakmoss, Musk, White Amber, Caraway, Fennel
The ONLY green scent that does NOT turn on me. Hallelujah!
Elizabeth Arden : very blah and school-marmish, I know I know, but when in doubt if I could pull off a scent at certain work/formal settings, this (if the above-mentioned Hermes is not at hand) is what I (and half the women on Earth) reach for.

I love this because the "green" notes are not at all sharp and "tacky" like a room spray; they seem to be rounded off with I-don't-know-what, making this scent extremely easy to pull-off. Crisp and clean.

Definitely a safe, go-to scent for work
Caveat: Lasts only 45 mins, if that, on me T_T

Work? AYE AYE AYE

Casual? AYE

KIEHL'S "GRAPEFRUIT ESSENCE OIL"
- eerrmm...Grapefruit? :P
This cheapie but goody has the honour of being the ONLY fragrance which stays put on me the whole day. At 5 pm, it'd mellowed down some, but it's definitely still lingering around.

I believe it contains only grapefruit and doesn't go through the whole top-middle-bottom note evolution, but at least I smell clean & fresh - an authentic walking grapefruit ^_^
Very invigorating too! Wake-up call in a tiny roll-on vial.Fool-proof! What you smell is what you get.

Work? AYE AYE

Casual? AYE AYE

KENNETH COLE "REACTION FOR MEN" (Yes, "FOR MEN"!)
- Top Notes: Water Melon, Green Apple
- Middle Notes: Patchouli
- Base Notes: Sandalwood, Musk
"For Men"? Fer real? I canNOT imagine this on The Hubs. On me, it's awesome. I adore how it smells fresh, with just the right amount of sweetness. The only caveat is, it barely last an hour (if that!) on me. I have to reapply and reapply and reapply...
Maybe that's why I can't detect any sandalwood (possibly a hint of musk, or it's just all in my head :P)! It doesn't have the time to dry down HAHAHABut seriously, if this came in an "eau de parfum" (mine is an "eau de toilette"), I'd grab it in a heartbeat. Still, I love it enough to keep reapplying :P

Like the Kiehl's, it's also invigorating, but the hint of watermelon sweetness cheers me up too ^_^
Caveat: Lasts only 45 mins, if that, on me T_T Tragic, I know. I. LOVE.THIS <3>

Work? AYE

Casual? AYE AYE AYE

D&G "L'IMPERATRICE 3"
- Top Notes: Rhubarb, Kiwi Accord, Red Currant
- Middle Notes: Pink Cyclamen, Watermelon, Jasmine
- Base Notes: Musk, Sandalwood, Grapefruit
You can tell how much I love this because this is the first fragrance I purchased in a 100 mls flacon. I believe this series of D&G fragrances are unisex? Well, #3 is definitely too sweet for The Hubs, or any guy for that matter!

This does not last long on me as well, but compared to Reaction's barely-an-hour, this would probably linger around for almost 2 hours.
The notes seem disgustingly sweet, no? However, it is quite a light scent. Another fragrance I don't mind reapplying - sweet, fruity goodness.

Since this has more "warmth" (the musk comes through more, probably) and sweetness to it than Reaction, I find this comforting when I'm stressed at work ^_^

Work? AYE

Casual? AYE AYE AYE

THE BODY SHOP "OCEANUS"
- Top Notes: Waterlily, Ozonic
- Middle Notes: Violet, Rose, Geranium, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley
- Base Notes: Musk, Berries, Sandalwood
My very 1st fragrance purchase - you can tell from the packaging it's quite ancient. With a name like "Oceanus", I really didn't expect it to smell this sweet. Don't get me wrong - it's a pleasant sweet scent, but nothing to conjure up an image of strolling along the beach, the fresh brine-y air...Ahhh...Like the Kiehls, it's a perfume oil, so it lasts pretty long.
Nothing outstanding, not complex. Definitely not of signature-scent potential.

Still here - it's the sentimentality in me :P

Work? AYE

Casual? AYE AYE

GIORGIO ARMANI "ACQUA DI GIOIA"
- Top Notes: Mint, Limone Primo Fiore Femminello
- Middle Notes: Aquatic Green Accord, Pink Pepper, Jasmine Sambac, Peony
- Base Notes: Cedar, Labdanum, Brown Sugar Accord
The 1st, the one & only "eau de parfum" I own. Obviously, I adore the scent since I purchased it in my September Loot! I just need to control the amount I apply because it can be headache-inducing. Literally, A SINGLE DAB goes a lonnnggg way...For an Oceanic scent, IMO it smells too sweet (I have Acqua di Gio and it smells like horse piss on me :() Being a very concentrated "eau de parfum" (and my 1st "eau de parfum" at that) doesn't help. And it stays, like, forever and a half- even after a bath.

After owning this for several weeks, I still can't detect the mint. A pity, since it was the mint that attracted me in the first place.
**I WILL learn to appreciate this, come hell or high water!**

Work? MAYBE - very light dabs on strategic pulse points

Casual? AYE AYE

Date Night? AYE AYE

HUGO BOSS "BOSS ORANGE"
- Top Notes: Apple, Bergamot, Cinnamon
- Middle Notes: White Peach, Plum, Orange Flower
- Base Notes: Olivewood, Sandalwood, Vanilla
When I first heard about the release of this scent, I got all-hyped up *ORANGE PEACH* (...cucumber, grapefruit, pomegranate, apricot...they have the same effect on me too ^_^) Alas, it was not love at first whiff :( It fact, I was like, "OK, where is the orange? Come out already!" I trawled the mall for over an hour, sniffing at my wrist obsessively like a junkie, and all I got was vanilla.
Until this very day, I'm still baffled since citrus notes thrive on my skin. Orange, my arse!Why do I own it then? HAHAHA...I finally succumbed because the vanilla is super relaxing; sweet, warm and comforting. This is comfort-food/dessert in a bottle LOL
Scented candles be damned - some of this before bed is heavenly :D Not to mention I got it at a huge discount *muahahaha*

Work? NAY

Casual? AYE AYE

A Scent Before Sleep? AYE AYE AYE

MARC JACOBS "CUCUMBER"
- Top Notes: Watery cucumber accord, lotus leaf flower, cactus flower
- Middle Notes: linden blossom, blue tiger lillies, and Dutch freesia
- Base Notes: frosted musk & blonde woods

{{ Finally scored this on Evil-Bay - waiting for touch down! YESHHH! }}


KIEHL'S "CUCUMBER ESSENCE OIL"

{{ Lemming! For some reason, Kiehl's Malaysia does not carry Cucumber :( }}

FTC Disclaimer: These fragrances were self-purchased. I was NOT paid to write this post, I am not affiliated in any way with the company, my opinions are my own and always honest.