Perfume Reviews by lovethosebudgies

Florence by Tocca

With the first spray the fruit made a bright appearance. I can't tolerate both the pear and apple notes, two of my least favorite. And wouldn't you know those notes were most prominent. I can certainly look past that though. The sunny florals seemed pleasant enough. This is an inoffensive scent but it's also very ordinary. I would say go easy on the application. I found it surprisingly strong. I have to give a neutral because I couldn't follow through with its development. I had to wash it off because of the pear and apple. Nothing interesting but others may enjoy it.

Sugarful by Michel Germain

A diabetic's delight! I've often said they haven't made anything that's too sweet for me, but I must say this is SWEET. The strawberry makes for a very pleasant first blast, then the peony peeks through the giant cloud of cotton candy. Definitely a young girl's fragrance. I bought it for myself as an adult because it's fun, nothing more. I wouldn't wear this out, but why not spray this on your linens or at bedtime? Be forewarned to be sure you like the scent of cotton candy though! It's better than a Calgon body mist and doesn't have that off putting note that Pink Sugar has. A thumbs up for what it is. A guilty pleasure.

Panthère de Cartier by Cartier

Absolutely vile. Pencil shavings & ashes mixed with rotting greens. I guess you could say it doesn't agree with me.

Truly Pink by Vera Wang

First I'll say I own many Vera Wang fragrances. They're my cup of tea. At first spray I get a very strong grapefruit note plus the freesia and peony continuing on. I don't get the rose. This is a refreshing, light, pretty floral, safe for any occasion. This is a feel-good fragrance for me. Definitely a thumbs-up.
A thought about the bottles used that are like a wedding dress. For me they're very awkward to hold and I really dislike them.

Lovestruck by Vera Wang

I'm a sucker for Vera Wang fragrances and have a number of them. Princess is my signature scent. Lovestruck has let me down. I can barely smell it. I do catch the faint whiff of guava and mandarin, but only if I sniff my skin up close. I'm sure I'd like the rest of the composition if I could smell it. Talk about having to reapply often. Vera Wang, you can do better than this. I have to reluctantly give a neutral for the very poor sillage and longevity.

Joy by Jean Patou

Ah that tuberose...beautiful. And some of my favorite florals- lily of the valley & rose. I'm a huge fan of aldehydes so bring it on! What a classic. I had the 80s vintage in the black bottle, but a friend accidentally knocked it over and it all spilled out. I've been missing Joy so I recently bought the new eau de parfum. I was very skeptical. I have to say they've done a decent job with the newer formulation. I notice very little difference compared to the vintage. The vintage may seem richer and more syrupy so to speak, but I'm really pleased with my new bottle. One day I may hunt down some vintage Joy, but for now I'll happily wear what I have. Blended to perfection. I recommend without a doubt.

Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel

This is a review for the *new* Anais Anais. I moved cities and haven't yet unpacked my *tier two* fragrance box. In that I know I have an 80's version of Anais Anais. I've never thought of this as a fragrance for young teens. Lately a friend gave me some of her new, relaunched juice. I was eager to wear it because it was my signature fragrance in the 80's. How disappointing. It doesn't smell at all like my vintage version. Screeching unpleasant opening to straight up cheap soap, well described by other reviewers. The florals finally appeared but they were drowned out by...the soap. Soap from beginning to end, and I tried it a number of times. My vintage Anais Anais was a lovely light floral, but this? I had to wash it off.

Shalimar Eau de Parfum by Guerlain

I really wanted to try this classic so I was lucky enough to hunt down a part bottle of the vintage parfum. I put it down for awhile, and am giving it another go. I don't have an experienced nose, but it just isn't a pleasant fragrance to me. It's hard to endure the initial screeching blast. I get no fruit notes as they're overpowered by the heavy spicier fare. It's just not my type of scent. Too heavy. Reminds me of old, dusty velvet curtains. What is really enjoyable though is the wonderful vanilla drydown but it's hard to gather up the nerve to weather the rest to get to the vanilla. It just doesn't work for me, but I have about 4 applications left in the glass stopper bottle, and I'm determined to use it up dammit.