Byredo
Mojave Ghost
I like perfume. Sometimes I fall prey to the allure of luxury brands, but most times I feel more exploratory than fancy, so there's all sorts of stuff on here and I like it that way. Original pictures are not mine; they're from listings, wikis, and original websites but edited to reflect how they make me feel.
Dome Panorama Intense Carmina
Aventus for Her
With time, this has become one of my favorites. The woodsy-ness has become more distinct, adding a dark tone that I really love. It smells like ancient, lacquered wood and incense along with the fruit above.
Aventus
Virgin Island Water
Her
Hypnotic Poison
Genius Blush
Versencia Crystal
Taj Sunset
Fame.
Bloom
In Love With Everything
Nectarine Blossom & Honey
Peony & Blush Suede
I think it's the tuberose, but I'm developing a tiny 'fancy bubblegum' association with it. I love this, but it might just be projection as I've been wanting a bubblegum scent for some strange reason.
Le Male
Leen
Mayar Natural Intense
Breeze
Pear Inc.
Santal 33
I've definitely acquired this taste! It's so fresh, it's just what I need to shake myself out of a rut now and then.
Glossy
Arashi No Umi
Daisy
Sorry about the pictures in this one. I couldn't find these on the internet anywhere, let alone on the parfum wiki. Even Miniso's sites act as if they don't exist except for one blurry and small image where they're included, but not the feature. It's fun seeing them against all the professional pictures on the others pages, anyway. I got these with my best friend, so I may be biased.
Apricot
Gardenia
Mood Ring
Paradoxe
Princess Bubblegum
Wonderstruck
Lost Cherry
Bitter Peach
I've become less fond of this one, but it's not offensive. I managed to get a refund so it's off to jail for it.
...I like it again. Huh. So many reasons why that could be, so I won't bother - I'll just thank Perfume Jail again. Now it's less cream and more amber which I can absolutely deal with. It kind of has a sexy mom vibe but I dig it.
Soleil Blanc
Coral Fantasy
Untouchable
Mon Paris
I'm happy to say that the fruitiness has emerged and I love the brightness it adds. I maintain my above review, but now there's a bright and playful essence added to the scene above. Just a little bit of decadence. It's perfect for its princess title. I will say it also smells a bit more 'sugared' than I remember but that's not a problem. Some of those flowers are edible, I suppose.
Gummy Bear
Inexcusable Evil
Unknown Sun
I've never been able to track this one down; it's a body spray and not a perfume proper. I had it as a teenager, and I want to say the bottle said Sunshine, Soleil, or something like that. It isn't anything that pops up in search results for any of those terms, though - but I don't really expect it to. I believe I got it from some random shop in the mall or maybe even just at WalMart; it's certainly not a designer or even fancy scent. It came in a plastic bottle, clear sticker with only black writing, with a white plastic sprayer and it...smells like my teenage years. Some sort of sunflower (and no, not that one) and something clean and airy but somehow mellow underneath. It's sunny and soft, and lifted my mood even though I was usually shut in my room, happily rotting away by myself (lol).
Unknown Moon
It's a coincedence that these names match, I swear - or maybe just a reflection of my own tastes and why these stuck in my mind to begin with. I fell in love with this scent while staying with relatives, I believe one of my aunts had it but didn't care too much for it and let me have the bath beads it came with. The box had a childish sort of drawing of the moon on it, almost watercolor or chalk, with silver foil stars against its blue surface. It's hard to describe the scent; some sort of floral, a hint of orange, with that distinct nice soap/bath oil scent. I used to daydream I was bathing on the moon when I used those beads. Sometimes, I still catch a whiff of things that smell similar and it transports me right back to that bathtub as silly as it is. In fact, something recently made me think of it and while I remember noting it had orange accords, the name already escapes me once again.
Unexpected Update: This is so crazy; I finally found it almost perfectly recreated in...Bengay's topical Lidocaine; the Ginger Citrus scent. I'm highly amused. It's missing that soapy, bubbly undertone for the most part but with the right perfume I could see it getting there. At least now I can show people what I'm talking about. Helps my shoulders, too.
Wishlist/To-Write
I'm trying to cut back on buying (and am doing a great job), so this should probably be quite still for awhile; though I'm also in the process of trading and selling some of my least-favorites so who knows?
Changed my Mind
Unquestionably one of my favorites - for a long time, my number one only favorite. Just the memory of it makes me nostalgic for where I grew up. It doesn't smell like the literal desert, exactly, more like a dream thereof. Sort of like the concept of rain; it isn't there, but it's on your mind - much like it might be as you look out at the sand at dusk and wonder how the ghost flowers and chico trees survive such long periods of drought. After awhile, it evolves in a way that feels like violets sprouting in the misty morning from the sand - giving it a soft purple note.
Camara
I got this one in one of my lots I traded for. I had the pick of this and several of its counterparts, and I picked based on notes - I 
Creed
I keep putting off writing this because I keep forgetting what it smells like. It's not bad - it opens with rose and cherry which is really nice, albeit a bit faint for the price point. It develops into a scent reminiscent of a Lush soap shop and makeup; like the way a lightly or unscented lipstick smells; or at least how it smelled to me when I was a kid. Eventually, the rose sometimes drifts back into play with a sort of frostiness to it. It's a little nostalgic, very feminine, but I probably won't get it again.
At first, I didn't get the wood in this. Maybe, if you picked a dark, magenta fruit right from a tree and the rustic scent of its bark was still clinging to it as you crushed it in your palm. The pit is dark, with a strange bit of spice. There's a depth to it, a little mystery, and a magnetisum. It's certainly greater than the sum of its parts.
I couldn't stand the curiousity any longer. I don't follow any influencers but even I know that half the internet seems to have a massive crush on this scent and the other half is tired of hearing about it. It seems to be the sphere of try hard young men; and all I knew aside from what I read was that it was supposed to have a prominent, rich pineapple top note. Well...I can say that didn't prove true for me. I was disappointed; as someone who cooks with pineapple a lot, I know that 'rich' smell from reducing it into a syrup and spicing it up. Whoever describes it that way doesn't know what words mean. And I was further disappointed to find that it had that coolness that every trite men's fragrance has. I washed it off and I almost gave this away...but then I tried it again and...now I'm in love. The fruitiness is more of a middle note, maybe even a base note which is much better. It lingers and even gets stronger and it's so lovely. I even appreciate the coolness now that I can link it to the woodiness that comes to the surface - so it's more of a cypress instead of a generic blue note. Very sexy, one of my favorites. I almost wish I could get my husband to try it. All that said...Aventus deserves some of the brighter points of its reputation, but I don't think any scent deserves that price tag. And those people still don't know what pineapple means, it's a fresh dash of it but it's not an infusion.
This one is tame, but not in a bad way. I expected something exotic, but it's more comforting. Imagine you're several days into a vacation at a pristine beachside property - long enough for vacation brain to be in full swing. It's early in the morning; there's no one around as you step outside onto the white sands, but somehow a towel and an umbrella are ready for you, along with a little tropical drink. It's still a little cool, and though the rays of the sunshine stave off any chill, the heat isn't intense enough to let the scents around you or of the far away herbs to develop and bloom. Just the cirtrusy notes of your drink, a faint coconut from your sunscreen, and the crisp morning air without any of the marine scent you've gotten used to over the course of your trip.
Burberry
This one didn't land with me. There's a slight 'lush soap' vibe which is nice, but there's also a bite of old fashioned, artificial grape flavor without the fruitiness which I don't personally appreciate. You know what it smells just like? The 'fruity' scent they'd give toys in the 80s and 90s. Almost tempted to find one to rejuvenate with this.
Christian Dior
I'm tried to like Hypnotic Poison. I don't love gourmands, and this does smell like some kind of unknown tart, but also weird and spicy (that's the anise). The first couple of times I smelled it, it smelled almost like sweet play-doh to me. Needless to say, not love at first scent. I even tried layering it with some things, but it didn't enhance the scent for me. However, on the third try I realized that scent was from the almonds (like cyanide) and that reframed it in my mind...a little. I still couldn't get past the play doh, and the gourmand underneath. It really does smell like a poisoned treat, which is very cool, but I don't want to wear it.
Emper
This is funny to me, because it's been so cold out that I can't drag myself out and to the mall to sample Blush and Elixir again. I couldn't remember which one I liked of the two (though I suspected Elixir) and since I was supposed to pick a dozen when I was trading something for a perfume lot and was running out of priorities, I decided to grab this to jog my memory. And it worked, I'll give it that. It was definitely Elixir. That said, Blush isn't bad and neither is this dupe. It's not as complex or strong, but it's a cute, powdery little reminder of Good Girl Blush. On its own merits I have to commend them for being sweet and almondy without that infamous 'play doh' scent, but it's just too cutesy for me. I don't find it completely unwearable, though. I'd definitely have to be in a certain mood to wear it.
This is terrible, haha. I've heard it gets better and I'll stuff it in the very back of the closet for now, but I'm not even going to say what it smells like. And I'm definitely not doing an edit, because trust me, it would 
Escada
I'm a little torn with this one. I probably set my expectations too high: I wanted a scent that reminded me of this website. So the brightest scent I could hunt down seemed like it'd fit the bill. However, it's a bit too...realistic, maybe? It's more delicate than I thought - it almost smells exactly how it would smell if you spilled fruit juice on your skin and it stayed that way for longer than it really would. It's lovely, though; definitely something I'll wear around the house or to cheer me up but it's too soft on its own to keep me entertained throughout the day. Granted, this is a discontinued scent so maybe what I got is just too old. Oh - and it definitely lacks complexity, but I wasn't really expecting that. All that said, that it still manages to be a really pretty scent is impressive and I can see why it's been so popular in the past.
Gaga
I wasn't a perfume person when this came out, but I 
Gucci
This is so beautiful! It smells like orange blossoms and honey suckle; like spring time in a bottle. There is also a classical, refined elegance to it; probably all the white florals. But it's also sweet and uplifting with a splash of juiciness that eventually shines through everything else but doesn't completely overshadow the flowers. It's like exploring a hedge maze of flower bushes and discovering an orange grove in the center.
Imaginary Authors
You can probably tell from the bottle why I ordered this! I 
Jo Malone
If Pear, Inc. is a pleasantly futuristic fruity, this is the opposite. I bought them together hoping both or each would make me smell like Garnier Fructis (I was feeling nostalgic for the early 2000s) and while I did get that, I got more too. This one smells like you're in a real orchard, maybe carrying a picnic basket and a gingham blanket. It's a hot afternoon, but not unpleasant. The fruits around almost smell like they're being gently warmed to eat, and just past their hedges are well-kept beehives fragrant with honey.
It's unapologetically floral, with a drop of that 'drawing' sensation that enters my mind when I think of the word 'perfume'. It fills my mind with pastel chalk images of flowers framining a delicately inked illustration of a ball gown. If I were to assign a scent to all of my silly light novels about scorned duchesses redeeming themselves, it would be this one.
Jean Paul Gaultier
I really like this one! It's creamy (not lactonic), clean, and spicy and sometimes hard to wrap my head around - all good things. But not conducive to me painting a nice little picture. Later, I promise. But I can say that the lavender in particular is nice, unique. It really smells like fresh lavender; no 'cleaning supplies' to be found here. In my opinion, it's 
Lattafa
I was hesitant to try these because I've heard they're not safe blind buys, even if you like desi fragrances, but I saw the notes and found them promising. I traded my B540 for a lot of like, a dozen and I got to pick them out from a huge list. I'm really happy I did, because so often I'm burned by notes I like in theory but not this time!
Both of the next two are so lovely, and somehow they both make me think of the Ancient Cistern from Skyward Sword (the lovely above ground parts, not the lands of the dead beneath). Don't ask why, my brain always wants to jump to Zelda.
Aside from the above point, this one also smells like a delicious, fresh mango that's been marinated and lightly boiled in a concentrated mango syrup, then rolled in dried and powdered mango. It also smells like spices, incense, maybe a tiny touch of ancient stonework, and just has a whole lot of lovely and atmospheric depth. Maybe the super mango concoction is some kind of offering. Thankfully, despite its deliciousness it's not very gourmand. It's just spicy, sweet, and complex. I don't really know how to explain it, and that drives me crazy in the most positive way. Again, not gourmand - but I still want to eat it, and I think that's awesome. It's also not heavy despite the way I've described it; it's full of these little nuances and contradictions and I just love it.
This is almost the opposite of the above, or maybe its complement. It's aquatic, floral, sweet, and fascinatingly bitter-soft. Like unripe fruit and herbs in a pond of clear, beautiful water surrounded by water lilies. Maybe with a touch of wood, maybe from the frame of the pool. It's more green than sweet or floral, but it keeps a nice balance. It's tranquil, serene, and clean - but it's not boring or soapy (though I don't have a problem with soapy). It feels so pure and natural. Ceremonial, but in a different way than the above. I'm glad I gave fig another chance, I'm not sure why it works here for me but it certainly does - not jammy or raisiny at all. Maybe this the purification after whatever the hell fruit ritual I'm imagining above.
The Zelda party is over; bummer. I wish I had tried this first so it didn't have such tough acts to follow, but I did expect it to be the least compelling of the bunch. The profile is more linear, and its still nice, even though I don't detect the incense note I chose it for (that they all have in common). 
Juliette Has a Gun
is one is green and fruity and clean; not ozonic, almost soapy. The pear commands almost all of attention, and it's got just a little Y2K flair in how it makes me think of Garnier Fructis. It's got a little Frutiger Aero vibe, and that makes me kind of happy. Like a well-created scent you'd be blasted with if you were in a VR simulation of a fruit orchard.
Le Labo
This one is such an enigma. Do I like it? I'm definitely a little fascinated by it at the very least. At first spray, I thought I might gift it to my friend who loves Wood Sage & Sea Salt because while it's totally different, it's what I imagined that to smell like before sampling it but it turned into something completely different quickly. Before smelling this, I never quite understoof what 'watery' meant in a fragrance; I assumed light. But no, this is fresh and watery. Like cucumber water (I guess that's why I've seen it described as smelling like pickles by naysayers - it does NOT smell like pickles, but it definitely invokes cucumber). There's that cucumber and fresh herbal spice - almost like anise but thankfully not quite - at the start, but it dries down to violet and sandalwood and gets a little sweeter. It's 
Maison Alhambra
This is so weird, I LOVE this, even though it's a lot like Burberry Her (which I didn't even finish my sample of). I can't even place what makes it so different, and it's so much cheaper. It's definitely lacking in projection (which I prefer, in all fairness) but the longevity is nice; at least a work shift's worth. But without comparison, I'd describe it as fruity, powdery, and a little candied but fresh too. It's really well blended and nicely balanced, I can see what each of the purported notes contribute but I can't really hone in on them individually. I wore it two days in a row, though, which I almost never do. It's so cheerful and sweet - in disposition, it's not cloying and it doesn't dry down to a simple, boring 'sugar'. I saw a lot of complaints about this, and I get it but it's why I like it. Juvenile, artificial, but not as much as other perfumes of its ilk. Completely headache free, too. I can't stop smelling it.
Maison Matine
I didn't edit this bottle despite not matching the scent crazy well or anything...but I bought it because of the beautiful art. I couldn't resist the cute little cat? mouse? and the gorgeous palette. That said, the scent - while not disappointing - is very 'appropriate'. Light, fruity, and a little floral - like white tea; very nice, and very tame. It's like something a rich (or at least very upper middle class) twelve year old would have worn in the early 2000s, and all the other girls (and me) would be jealous of her. Oh, and like that twelve year old girl, I bought the matching pin too.
Marc Jacobs
It wasn't entirely by accident, but it was still a surprise; this one is sort of like Mojave Ghost's more delicate sister. It's a beautiful scent that's lighter and fades quickly, but still looks out at the springtime desert from the window with a bowl of apples and a bouquet of flowers picked for her by her sister never out of arm's reach. Less wild, but still pretty and colorful in her own right, and more conventional and comfortable but not without uniqueness.
Miniso
This is so lovely; I wish I had bought two! Next time that I'm at the mall, I'll look for it. Strangely, apricot isn't listed as a note but it 
This one is great too; very floral but not too strong. I feel like there's magnolia in there too - it smells just like the magnolia tree of my grandma's neighbors home. Leaves and all; still shining even at a warm, summertime dusk. I may like apricot just a little more, but this one was still a great find despite performing similarly to its counterpart. It's also very nice and fresh for layering.Neither of them are extremely nuanced but I like that about them.
Phlur
Okay, so I looked into this hoping to recreate the Juice Bar gummy bear perfume. The reviews were mixed, especially on the gummy note, but some of the other points brought up were just too intriguing to ignore. So, yes, this was a blind buy but I don't regret it. I will agree that the gummy note is subtle (but it's definitely there) and this wasn't the replacement gummy of my dreams - but I love it. It 
Prada
This is a very popular scent and that alone is probably the cause of the backlash that I see. People say that despite the name, this scent is basic, boring even. I disagreem a little. It is so well blended that it's hard to distinguish the notes, but that it's great despite that alone I feel is impressive. I love to smell the notes individually, and yet what's been made here is fascinating. Harmonious but sunny, refined to the point of artificial, albeit still fresh and juicy. I will say the dry down isn't as nice, still good but it has a strange little grape-and-wood afterimage. I like it, but the first couple hours are my favorite - though I probably won't get it again.
Sugar Milk Co
Maybe it's time for a fragrance break (uh, no buy 2025 everyone! Totally...). Not because this scent is bad by any means, but because I had a burning desire for a bubble gum scent and now I can't even remember why - assuming there was a why to begin with. My guess is to layer with In Love With Everything...but regardless, this smells great! It's definitely a realistic bubblegum, but what I was not expecting was for it to be the fruitier kind. Not in any untrue way; I think this might be what Hubba Bubba or maybe Big Chew are like. I wanted Double Bubble, but this might actually work better for layering with most of what I have already including ILWE. I got a little Pink Drink sample with this and it's nice but not really worth its own write up; it just smells like strawberries and also it was hard to open and I got some in my mouth.
Taylor Swift
I've never tried a celebrity perfume so I was excited about this one. Apparently, it's discontinued but a friend received it for Christmas a long time ago and regifted it to me because she knows I love fragrance. 
Tom Ford
Oh, wow. I wasn't expecting much out of this one; I've heard it's one-note and too conventional. While I agree a hint of spice wouldn't have hurt, this fragrance is cherry's autobiography. It dips into salaciouness but is incorruptibly sweet at the end of the day, and absolutely bursting with flavor and story. You're getting every side of cherry: the hints of natural and fresh juciness from the produce market, the sweet and perfect maraschino from your drink at the club, the concentrated and seductively cloying extract that teaches you how strong the unassuming little fruit can be, the almondy poison of the pit, and even a hint of the bitterness of cough syrup. I 
There was no bitterness and very little peach to be found. It's a soft, lactonic scent which I normally don't appreciate, but I don't mind it here. The peach exists on the fringes, the way pigment flees to the edges of a drop of water color. At its heart is a sweet cream; there's a suprising maturity without the tinge of tangy ferocity I expected. But at the same time, it feels like it used to be there, but mellowed out before I met it.
So nostalgic and summery. Unsurprisingly, I love it. Fancy sunscreen with a hint of spice. It feels so relatable and yet luxe at the same time. Creamy without being lactonic, which I find fascinating. I have two different bottles years apart and it might be my imagination, but the newer one smells more sweet and balanced and the older one smells a little more peppery. I love both, this may be my favorite of Tom Ford's.
Valentino Donna Born in Roma
I love this. It smells like bright light, fruit stripes gum and sparkling flowers all on a bright, sunny coastal day. It reminds me of sunlight drifting through the glass roof of a mall at sunset. I got it on a Friday and wore it over the weekend nonstop. It may not be as scenic or original as some of my other great loves, but it makes up for it with its sheer prismatic brightness. I can't catch this scent without feeling happy. If Mojave Ghost reminds me of the outdoors of my childhood, this is the indoors - when we visited Orange Julius, the Lisa Frank Store, and Suncoast.
Warpaint
This one is so funny to me. First off, I was in the mall when it became discontinued and the whole line was about $3 per big bottle. I bought something to the tune of 
Yves Saint Laurent
I deemed Peony & Blush Suede to be a duchess, and following that logic, this one would be a princess. Many of those same florals are there, but there's less of a humbleness to it. It smells like you've been bathed in the finest floral oils by a diligent group of handmaidens and you're now striding halls that are decorated with bouquets and arrangements celebrating you. It's almost too much, but I still like it a lot. Peony is a little more warm, and while this one isn't cool-toned, it is sharper, a little more demanding.
Misc
Thoughts
Things I Don’t Have
I've never owned this one but when I was about 11, a friend's older sister had it and I was infatuated; it smelled just like Gummy Bears! It was uncanny and I wanted it so badly, I actually willingly went into Bath & Body Works to look for it. They only had Juice Bar's Cotton Candy scent (why would a juice bar have cotton candy? That's not fruity.) and discontinued the line shortly after. Sometimes I see Juice Bar's products (as in, the 20+ year old bottles) being resold online but...it's usually Cotton Candy. I was almost certain I was msitaken about the existence of Gummy Bear until recenlty. I'm sure all those bottles are little more than alcohol by now, anyway. I've searched for a suitable replacement but high-end scents based of children's candy aren't in high demand, it would seem.
Talk about mood whiplash! I first heard of this one in a discussion about the most evil fragrance and Inexcusable Evil came up. This house has so many fascinating scents, but this one has haunted me. I don't want it, I think I'd even be afraid to smell it, but the storytelling is heartbreaking. On top of that it brings to mind so many scenes of horror, both real and fictional, it makes me wonder who could have made this, why; and even more so, who would buy it and wear it. I sort of want to meet them... Makes me think of Kojiro from Corpse Factory.
Do Want
Do Not Want