• About
  • Login to comment
    • Bluesky
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Archives
Browsing by tag: cheap thrills

Crazylibellule and The Poppies 26 Juin: Ile d’Yeu ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 26 June 2011 32 Comments

Crazylibellule and The Poppies 26 Juin: Ile d'YeuCrazylibellule and The Poppies 26 Juin: Ile d'YeuCrazylibellule and The Poppies 26 Juin: Ile d'Yeu

Crazylibellule and The Poppies launched 26 Juin (Ile d’Yeu) in 2009, as the first fragrance in a promised series called “Tous les matins du monde.” Although Crazylibellule is known primarily for its solid perfume “Crazysticks,” 26 Juin was released in a liquid cologne format as well as a solid stick. Its fragrance notes include orange, peach, plum, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, orange blossom, cardamom, black pepper, precious wood, vanilla and musk.

Ile d’Yeu is an island off the west coast of France; I’ve never been there, but I can imagine that it must be a lovely place to spend a mid-summer day. 26 Juin has the refreshing, effervescent feeling of a traditional Eau de Cologne, although its composition is described as a “fruity hesperidic floral.” There’s quite a bit of citrus in the top notes, including something lemony. The rest of the fragrance gives off a freshly-sliced peach note, the suggestion of a few green leaves, and a very cheerful plum-and-rose heart that would appeal to fans of Annick Goutal Quel Amour!. 26 Juin (Ile d’Yeu) is fizzy and juicy, sweet and tart, like a summer cocktail or a bite of candied fruit…

Read the rest of this article »

Dirty by Gorilla Perfume at Lush ~ fragrance and scented body product review

Posted by Jessica on 12 June 2011 8 Comments

Lush Dirty range

I first sniffed the Dirty product line at the New York launch of Gorilla Perfume at Lush last year, and I’ve been looking forward to its release in the United States. Dirty has finally reached our shores, in all its iterations, and it feels just right for summer. According to Gorilla Perfume‘s promotional materials, “Dirty is an invigorating, cathartic breath of fresh air that stirs up something primal.” Its notes include spearmint, thyme, tarragon, lavender, sandalwood, and oakmoss (but no dirt!).

Dirty is available in as a traditional liquid perfume and as a solid fragrance stick; it’s a fresh fragrance that leans slightly towards the masculine end of the spectrum, but it will probably find quite a few female fans who enjoy wearing grassy, minty, or leafy scents. For the first hour or so, Dirty reminds me of an herb garden giving off the aromas of an assortment of plants: the thyme and the tarragon are there, and the mint is especially noticeable. Dirty gradually evolves into a salty sea breeze and an airy musk base with a very sheer sandalwood note. It has good staying power for a “fresh” fragrance, particularly one that includes so many natural ingredients.

The complete Dirty line takes a new approach to “layering”: each product is scented with a different element of the Dirty composition, so that they can be worn together to recreate the total fragrance…

Read the rest of this article »

Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls ~ fragrance review

Posted by Angela on 6 June 2011 99 Comments

Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls

For Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls Eau de Parfum, it’s almost as if the Liz Taylor perfume team set out to make a fragrance that was the complete opposite of White Diamonds. First, of course, the name. What could be more removed from a white diamond than a black pearl? Then the fragrance itself. White Diamonds is a grand, soapy, white floral with a clean, dignified, and innocent air. Black Pearls is something else altogether.

“Well, if we really want to distinguish it from White Diamonds, we’ll need fruit,” a marketing person must have said.

“How about peach? You know, voluptuous, like Ms. Taylor herself. We can add a spot of bergamot to keep it from being too sweet,” the perfume executive said.

“What else? What else will set it apart from White Diamonds?”

“Maybe vanilla? We can make it an oriental. Wait! I know — how about leather? A whopping leather note? There’s nothing innocent and ladylike about that.” And so, in 1996, Black Pearls was born. At least, in my imagination that’s how it happened. And that’s how it smells…

Read the rest of this article »

Bunch o’ limited edition collector bottles 2011, part 7

Posted by Robin on 24 May 2011 11 Comments

More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.

Diesel Only the Brave for Captain America

From Diesel, a limited edition bottle of Only The Brave celebrating the upcoming release of the movie Captain America: The First Avenger…

Read the rest of this article »

Anti-Body Petal Hand & Body Moisturizer and Hydrating Fragrance Mist ~ scented body products

Posted by Jessica on 22 May 2011 2 Comments

GeraniumAnti-Body Petal lotion

Most of the time, those little sidebar ads on Google and Facebook are useless to me, and I find them easy to ignore. Once in while, however, something that actually does relate to my interests will show up, and I might even click though to the suggested website. Greenheart Shop was one of those recent clicks for me. I spent a few minutes browsing the website for this Chicago-based “eco-fair trade non-profit shop,” and ended up ordering two scented body products by an “artisan” brand called Anti-Body.

All the products offered by Anti-Body (“anti-poverty, beautiful body”) feature fairly traded ingredients, paraben-free formulas, minimal packaging, and fragrances blended exclusively from essential oils. I opted for the Petal line. (Other scents include Lavender, Lemongrass, and Patchouli Eucalpytus.) Anti-Body’s Petal fragrance is a mix of geranium and ylang ylang, two notes that are often acquired tastes: geranium is sharp and greenish, almost more of a vegetal note than a floral note, and the oil of the ylang ylang flower can smell rubbery and a bit animalic. I can’t think of any other body products that pair these two distinctive essences, but I’ve been enjoying the combination…

Read the rest of this article »

« Newer articles
Older articles »

Advertisement

Search

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

6 January ~ damage poll

31 January ~ winter reading poll

Back to Top

Home
Archives
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2026 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.