It is definitely harder to write about something that you don’t have strong feelings about. If you either love or hate a fragrance it seems that the words just flow. As the following scents will be put to rest in my samples box because they don’t invoke love or hate, I thought I would try something different and so some very short reviews. I’m not sure how helpful they may be, but let’s give it a shot!
HOTHOUSE FLOWER BY INEKE
WHAT I SMELL: Ineke’s Hothouse Flower opens with a burst gardenia and green tea. The fragrance then blooms into a warmer gardenia with hints of fig.
Hothouse Flower Notes: Earl Grey Tea, green foliage, cypress, gardenia, galbanum, fig, frankincense, guiaiacwood, musk, corn silk
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: very grandmotherly
- Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Floral
- Classification: Feminine
- Expense: $95 for 75ml EdP
SANTALUM SLIVERS BY KEROSENE
WHAT I SMELL: Kerosene’s Santalum Slivers opens with sweet juicy orange, like orange concentrate orange juice. It then turns to more of an orange/lemon cleaner like composite.
Santalum Slivers notes: vetiver, musk, sandalwood, bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, orange, rose, pepper, hay, cucumber and cedar
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: a very clean house
- Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Citrus Aromatic
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $140 for 100ml EdP
GERANIUM POUR MONSIEUR BY FREDERIC MALLE
WHAT I SMELL: Frederic Malle’s Geranium Pour Monsieur opens with a blast of camphoric mint…strong, strong mint. It’s very powerful and overwhelming at first, almost toxic in its volume. When it dies down it becomes a bit spicy and warm. It’s a familiar scent that seems powered through chemicals.
Geranium Pour Monsieur notes: mint absolute, peppermint oil, Chinese geranium oil, rhodinol, anethol and floralozone, CO2 and cloves oil, white musk, ambroxan, sandalwood, resinoid incense and Siamese styrax benzoin
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: classy barbershop tonic
- Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Oriental Floral
- Classification: Masculine
- Expense: $240 for 100ml EdP
BOTTOM LINE: All of these are semi-interesting compositions that just don’t work for me. Hothouse Flower is not for men and Geranium Pour Monsieur would not work for most women. Santalum Slivers is nice, but there is something there that leaves me a little cold, but I do love Kerosene’s artful bottles!
September 22, 2012 at 7:29 pm
SWOOSH! And done! Thanks,
Portia xx
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September 22, 2012 at 7:46 pm
No fuss, no muss!
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September 23, 2012 at 4:29 am
Thanks for sharing. It’s sometimes good to write about something you have no feelings for, though I know it’s harder to write then. Good job. Never tried any of those 3, don’t know if I will try them.
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September 23, 2012 at 11:35 am
If you didn’t check them out, you probably would not be missing much, but of course, some like Geranium Pour Monsieur are big sellers so somebody out there likes it!!
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September 23, 2012 at 11:44 am
Yes, I didn’t check them out but I think not much is missed by me. I know that many like FM fragrances. Geranium Pour Monsieur was at split few weeks ago at Polish Perfume Splits Board.
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September 23, 2012 at 7:23 am
The only one I’ve tried is Hothouse Flower which I do like. It’s not as big a most big white florals are and I do understand the granny vibe you get from it. You’re right, it wouldn’t be my choice for a man either. I like some of the Kerosene scents but haven’t smelled Santalum Slivers. It’s sounds too orangey for me.
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September 23, 2012 at 11:38 am
Agreed that Hothouse is not over the top… as for Kerosene, I have heard many really great things about his perfumes, but this is the 2nd one I have tested (Copper Skies the other) and I see what he is attempting, but they are a bit too rough around the edges for my liking.
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September 24, 2012 at 12:38 am
I like Hothouse Flower, grandmotherly or not 😉 and will probably get a bottle for the next Spring.
I haven’t tried any of Kerosene’s perfumes (for some reason I’m not attracted to the brand). Geranium Pour Monsieur… don’t remember, I probably missed it when I tried the line.
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September 24, 2012 at 5:54 am
I’m glad you like Hothouse Flower, it is a nice perfume and I can live with wearing feminine scents, but this one just crosses a line for me.
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September 25, 2012 at 10:21 am
For some reason, Ineke’s fragrances don’t jive with my own aesthetic — and that proved true with Hothouse Flower, which I had high hopes for, as in general I’m a white-floral lover. I do admire Ineke’s customer service and attention to detail, though, and her perfume bottles are works of art.
Geranium Pour Monsieur is one I own, but I can definitely see why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. That blast of mint is nuclear, isn’t it?!! For some reason, it works for me. 🙂
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September 25, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Ineke’s customer service is stellar, no doubt. Glad you like Geranium PM. I think under the right conditions (mood, weather, etc.) it might work for me too, just not on a regular basis 🙂
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September 27, 2012 at 1:23 am
What a releif, finally something I don’t need to try ;-). Of course I will if it comes into my hands accidentaly ;-).
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September 27, 2012 at 5:42 am
Don’t go by my word. Lots of people love these, maybe you will too!!!
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September 30, 2012 at 4:58 am
Some things should be missed so we can discover them later and unexpected. Life is so much interesting then.
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