Perfume Reviews by baklavaRuzh

Karité Corsé by L'Occitane

Karite Corse was a great surprise to me!

At the L'Occitane store, they were sold out of eau des Baux, and offered me to try this instead. It's a woody iris with roasted chocolaty nuances. At first, it's spicy and strong. Later, it becomes sweet, nutty, and powdery.

The fragrance lasts all day and is good for any place or time.

In the air, it's extremely similar to Givenchy Gentleman reserve privee. Karite Corse feels more elegant though, and is slightly more cocolatey and woody.

Overall, Karite Corse was a great surprise and worth trying. I feel like it's great value too!

1889 Moulin Rouge by Histoires de Parfums

Ah, Moulin Rouge 1899, the world famous cabaret in the golden age of the city of lights! Named after one of my favorite movies! I had such high hopes for you!

Let's set the stage: I was ready a be transported to the behind the scenes of a fantasy nightclub in the golden age of Paris, to a beautiful powdery boudoir, the sweet scent of a modernized Shalimar with spices, booze, rose, violets and a semi-sweet balsamic vanilla dry-down. A whimsical and flirtatious fantasy hinting at the underbelly of a glamorous but exploitative entertainment industry.

What I got was stale cosmetics, Absinth in shot glasses from the night before, a fur throw left in a diseased elderly widow's Manhattan apartment and something dirty from the ground, like a freshly picked carrot.

Moulin Rouge 1899 is the perfume that made me realize that I have to be careful with iris fragrances described as smelling like "make-up". Going by the notes, this should've been a safe blind-buy for me. How wrong that turned out to be. Somehow my nose is only picking up on stale wax or make up foundation, right at the point when you just know you shouldn't put it on your body anymore, and a warm and hefty base, like animal fur up close.

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? Not with this dirty iris-carroty concoction. And I'm not talking about the kind of 'dirty' image most people have in mind when we talk about carrots in the Moulin rouge.

In conclusion, if you're seeking a fragrance that takes you back to the risqué glamour of the Moulin Rouge, try MFK's Oud Satin Mood, Psychedelic Love by Initio, Shalimar or why not even Poison by Dior.

It's a Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, no-no, or a hey sister, no sister, just go sister, for me.

Moulin Rouge you are one of my if not my worst worst blind-buy. Someone will inherit my bottle 2/10.

Dark Vanilla by Montale

Montale describes Dark vanilla "with notes of vanilla, spices and amber, sandalwood, leather and oud wood".

Right from the beginning, I get a deep and acrid note that could be described as an intense woody, oud or leather, or a mix of all three with some soapy aspects. It's similar to the most dominant note I get from Arabians by Montale.

There is vanilla too, without much sweetness, somwhere under the deep murky oudy leather layers. Overall the fragrance is dry, warm and overwhelming. It has nothing in common with the sweet and gourmand vanilla fragrances from Montale like Vanille absolu and sweet vanilla.

Where the spices, sandalwood and amber went, I have no idea. Perhaps they are hiding somewhere underneath the massive dose whatever aromas that make up the wood/oud/leather note.

The sillage is enormous, a few sprays is enough. In summer with temperatures at around 30C/90F, a single spray is enough for my nose, and the fragrance keeps projecting for hours, which is a feat in itself. Longevity is equally notable, it could easily last two days and is completely linear.

The main reason Dark vanilla disagrees with me, is that pungent oudy leather note that never goes away. When I get whiffs of it through the day, it reminds me of unwashed and sweaty body odor combined with stuffy second-hand furniture store interiors. This note seems to be a signature in many of Montale's creations, as I get similar note from Arabians and oud station. If you like that signature woody note, you will likely love Dark vanilla. As for me, I'm happy I went with a travel size!

Sweet Vanilla by Montale

Montale Sweet Vanilla is described on the Montale website as "vanilla revealed by the crispness of Apricot and the soft White Musk".

Sweet vanilla straight-up smells like a fruity and creamy vanilla dessert. Deliciously sweet and food-like, this should be a big hit for real gourmand lovers.

There's not much else to say about sweet vanilla, it's pleasant and gourmand, great value if you like this kind of fragrance. There are quite a few alternatives out there that out-do sweet vanilla in development and complexity, but perhaps not in terms of longevity and sillage for you bucks.

It has really impressive sillage and longevity and stays linear.

Vanille Absolu by Montale

Montale Vanille absolu is described on the Montale website as "a boozy Vanilla set off and enhanced by sweet Cherry and Plum Nnotes. A refined Vanilla without being snooty with a little touch of Caramel".

I immediately get a sweet and intense vanilla note that feels like I stuck my nose in a jar of vanillin powdered sugar that you can find in a lot of European supermarkets and took a long, deep breath. Despite the description on the Montale website, that is all I get from this fragrance aptly named "Vanille absolu ". Not too much to complain about. It's a simple, sweet, comforting and gourmand vanilla fragrance for vanilla fanatics.

It has really impressive sillage and longevity and stays linear. Two sprays are enough for me, a 100 ml bottle should last a long time.

All in all, to me Vanille absolu is a totally fine vanilla fragrance with really great performance at a good price. It does risk becoming boring, as it is very straight-forward with no development. It's not a fragrance I would repurchase, but I would easily recommend it for sweet gourmand vanilla lovers

Alien by Thierry Mugler

This is a story about Alien:


Once upon a time, in a small remote village nestled in the rolling hills of a lush green valley, there was a beautiful jasmine plant that grew wild along the edge of a field. Every year, just as the summer sun reached its peak in the sky, the jasmine plant would burst into bloom.



One faithful day as the summer sun reached its peak in the sky, a young woman named Alice came visiting the village from Capital city.



Alice was a foreigner to these lands, having been brought there by her parents who were missionaries. This was her first trip without her parents. She was filled with a sense of anxious anticipation mixed with budding excitement as she found her way to her accommodation.

Alice was staying on the second floor of a building close to the town square. The only other resident, the owner of the building, was an elderly mute widow. It was a simple but sturdy structure. The raw wooden beams covered with reeds gave the interiors a cozy aroma of cut timber.


On the first night, as the sun set and the night sky turned a deep shade of violet, the winds would pick up and carry the delicate fragrance of the jasmine petals far and wide, filling the entire village with its sweet aroma.

The villagers gathered in the town square, where they set up tables with delicious food and drink. This was the beginning of the Jasmine festival, a yearly event that marked the beginning of the harvest. The villagers took to the streets, parading down the narrow roads with lanterns and torches, their faces alight with happiness and joy.


The commotion woke Alice from her evening nap. At first she was terrified. The noise and bright lights appeared through the window as flickering shadowy figures on the walls of her room. As she came to her senses and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Alice too was enchanted by the sweet smell that had filled her room while she was asleep, mixing in with the woody aromas from the beams. She left her room, her accommodation, and joined the villagers. They greeted her with open arms as she joined them chanting and twirling down the cobbled streets.



Everywhere they went, the windswept jasmine petals followed, filling the air with their intoxicating scent and adding to the magic of the night. Alice felt a sense of excitement and freedom.

On the last day of her stay, a week after the festival, Alice woke up to find a small, violet glass vial on her nightstand. She didn't understand what it was and her mute host was unable to provide any explanation as to what the vial might contain. Nevertheless, she decided to keep it as a memory of her stay.



Weeks turned into months and months turned into years. Alice was about to graduate from her studies at a university in a country far away from Capital city and worlds apart from the remote village. The festival was slowly fading into a distant memory.



Having spent most of her years growing up in different parts of the world, Alice had a hard time connecting with the other students. She was shy and felt like a stranger, totally out of place. She spent a lot of time away from campus and kept to herself.



A big ball was scheduled for the graduation. Alice didn't want to go. Nobody had asked her out. But she felt obliged, as official pictures would be taken and those would make her parents proud.



She struggled with her own thoughts. She tried to muster up the courage to go. She spent hours procrastinating pretending to decide what to wear, how long to stay and came up with many excuses for staying at home. She went through her drawers and cabinets with frustration. Suddenly she came across the violet glass vial. Alice decided to open it for the first time. There was a dark purple liquid inside. As she pulled open the vial, images of the flickering lights of the festival and memories of the sweet aroma of breezy summer nights and cut timber came back to her. She dabbed some of the liquid content on her forearms and behind her ears.



In that moment, as the room filled with the exotic yet familiar aroma, she decided to approach the ball with the same anticipation that she felt when she arrived at the remote village so many years ago.



Alice felt a sense of excitement and freedom. Her arrival to the graduation ball was heralded by a shower of shimmering jasmine petals mixed that filled the air with an intoxicating scent, like an ethereal form surrounded by a halo of golden light. She loved the way it made her feel confident and powerful. She was greeted with open arms by the other students and she received a lot of compliments.



Eventually, Alice's adventures came to an end. The violet glass vial ran out. But she knew that she would always cherish the memories of her journey and the powerful impact that fragrant memory of the windswept jasmine petals had on her experience. Especially those days when she felt like an alien in this world.

Hermèssence Myrrhe Églantine by Hermès

Myrrhe églantine - a simple rose and Myrrhe combo that stands out. But not for the reasons you might think!

Myrrhe églantine was released in 2018 as a part of Christine Nagel's first venture into the Hermessence universe. The previous in-house perfumer at Hermès, Jean Claude Ellena, created the Hermessence collection back in 2004 as a line of fragrances to be sold exclusively in Hermès stores. Elena's previous creations were centered around one or two notes and often described as "watercolor" or "haiku poem" fragrances for the restrained and translucent compositions.

Nagel's first introductions to the Hermessence collection focused on notes more often associated with the oriental style of perfumery: Woods, resins and attars.

Some have contrasted Nagel's first fragrances with the austere and lighter approach taken by Ellena.* But at least in the case of myrrhe églantine, there is a clear sense of restraint, clarity and elegance that fit well with Elena's existing creations. Why does this matter?

Middle Eastern inspired rose combos are a dime a dozen these days. The austere approach that guided Nagel's creations is likely a reason why myrrhe églantine is so successful and still stands out in a forest of sweet balsamic, vanillic and "oudy" rose concoctions.

Nagel described myrrhe églantine like this: '..myrrh, then more precious than gold, reinvented and reworked around eglantine, a wild, fresh and tangy rose that never surrenders.'

This description reflects my own impression of myrrhe églantine. It opens with a citrusy and tangy rose with a whisper of myrrhe in the background. After a few minutes, you are left with an elegant and naturalistic rose that delicately balances between the sweet and the fresh.

Myrrh is a prominent supporting player throughout the weartime. It lends a warm and dry sweetness to the composition. Together with the églantine rose, you are transported to an otherworldly place, like a celebration of the day of roses in the Hagia Sofia in the 7th century.


I have tried a quite a few rose fragrances, but I have yet to find something that is comparable to Nagel's myrrhe eglantine. And that is quite a feat.

Myrrhe élgantine lasts all day with moderate projection. It is office friendly and versatile. So don't expect a sillage monster.

*I'm not sure how much truth there is in the supposed contrasting approaches, as the biggest hit Elena created for the Hermessence collection was ambre narguilé, inspired by amber, honey and shisha fruity tobacco, not to mention the spice caravan inspired poivre samarcande.