WHAT I SMELL: Kiki opens with a heady lavender doused in cream. It’s gourmand and smells like a topping that you would want on top of ice cream or some other dessert. There’s a caramel quality that gives it substance and depth which makes it slightly sweet but more of a rich and substantial sweet rather than a sugary sweet, if that makes sense. Kiki is lightly warm and very cozy. After a bit, a fruitiness appears that gives Kiki a kick of brightness. As Kiki continues to morph the fragrance swirls and whirls while radiating off your skin. I wore this the other night out to dinner and couldn’t stop sniffing myself and was paying more attention to the perfume than to my meal. Finally Kiki becomes a lavender dream wrapped up in a light musk…am I in heaven? Overall, Kiki transforms little and is pretty linear, but it is beautiful from the first drop.
Kiki Parfum Extrait Notes – lavender, caramel, musk, fruits
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Louise Brooks circa 1928
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE KIKI PARFUM EXTRAIT: heavenly, bright, lush
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARFUM EXTRAIT: Smellythoughts, Olfactoria’s Travels, Scent for Thought
BOTTOM LINE: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kiki. I haven’t felt a love for a fragrance like this in a long time and that’s very exciting. But the cost…oh my!!! The parfum extrait is $220 at Luckyscent, which I believe has been raised from $185. Why are the gods against me??
- Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones (trust me I am tempted to give this 5.5 bones!)
- Scent: Aromatic Fruity
- Nose: Vero Kern
- Classification: Leans slightly feminine
- Expense: $220 for 7.5ml Parfum Extrait
WHAT I SMELL: Rubj opens with a bergamot blast mixed with white florals including tuberose ( I typically hate tuberose but here it doesn’t dominate so I don’t mind it at all.) After the initial blast of its opening, Rubj is slightly herbal, slightly fruited and slightly floral…nothing is dominating at this point and I wonder soon if Rubj will transform or if it will stay in this kind of netherworld of personality. After a bit Rubj starts to get slightly tangy, but it’s a tang from the basil and the cedar which give the scent a greener feel. After a while longer the cumin starts to come to the surface. I know that many people don’t care for cumin in a fragrance, but I am not one of them. To me it’s earthy and exotic and wonderfully masculine. Rubj is warm and its herbal essence to me is incredibly comforting.
Rubj EdP Notes –
Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, passion fruit, cumin, orange flower absolute, tuberose, basil, cedar, oak moss, musk
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An herbal/floral garden.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE RUBJ EdP: spicy, green, snappy
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RUBJ EdP: Perfume Posse, Kafkaesque, All About Scent
BOTTOM LINE: Suprisingly, I find Rubj to be a comfort scent. I find it easy to wear and I like the fact that it’s slightly exotic. Beautiful.
- Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Oriental Floral
- Nose: Vero Kern
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $220 for 50ml EdP
BOTTOM, BOTTOM LINE: Thanks to the sweet and wonderful Freddie from Smellythoughts for sending me these samples. There is now a new Vero Profumo fan in the house and I am itching to sample her other creations as I have the feeling that they are all masterfully terrific. Thankfully the line isn’t too large, but this could be bad for my wallet!
May 27, 2013 at 10:58 am
I have tried very hard to ignore this line because it is so expensive but you have made Kiki sound delicious.
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May 27, 2013 at 5:12 pm
My dear, it is soooo delicious. When you wear it, you’ll easily fall in love with yourself 🙂
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May 27, 2013 at 11:42 am
Love the Louise Brooks photo and the reviews as a whole. Nice job, as always, my dear Mr. Hound. It’s a testament to you that you’ve actually tempted me a little with the Kiki despite it having that dreaded lavender note that I struggle with so much. I have a sample of Kiki EDP, but I think the Extrait version sounds like it may be more manageable for me. As for Rubj, it clearly played nicely on your skin — I envy you. Thank you for the referral link, by the way, my dear.
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May 27, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Lavender can sometimes to me come across as shaving cream smelling, but Kiki mixed with the caramel note tones down the medicinal and herby aspect. I think you’ll like it?? As for Rubj, boy do our bodies wear that differently. There was no funk for me at all… but I could see with some other chemistry it could get there. Or maybe I’m just naturally funky and I don’t know it 🙂
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May 27, 2013 at 11:45 am
So cool to see you loving Kiki! And I like the fact you reviewed it just a few days after I did it!
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May 27, 2013 at 5:21 pm
I think the day you posted your review and I commented that I have always wanted to try the VP line, the package came from Freddie. It was perfect timing!
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May 27, 2013 at 1:36 pm
I guess I’m going to have to try Kiki. I’ve been avoiding it because I know I’m going to love it. Rubj grew on me. It’s much sweatier on me than it sounds like it is on you. Once my nose got used to the cumin though I was able to appreciate the other things going on in it.
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May 27, 2013 at 5:14 pm
Poodle…how come the most exquisite and expensive fragrances are the ones we want??? Rubj was not sweaty on me at all…and actually after writing this post I went to work in the garden and it still never got funky on me. Maybe the fact that I’m so sweet kept the funk at bay 🙂
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May 27, 2013 at 5:36 pm
I bet that’s it! You are definitely sweeter than me. My bitterness must amplify the funk.
The good stuff always seems to be pricey. Yet I find myself stashing money away for the ones I really love.
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May 27, 2013 at 2:53 pm
I am going to stay far far away from Rubj (if it was sweaty on Poodle, it will be disastrous on me!). As for Kiki, I am now convinced I must try it after yours and Lucas’ review AND most likely straight to the extrait. Oh my aching wallet…(and fuggedabout the vintage stuff trend and you KNOW who to blame for that).
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May 27, 2013 at 5:16 pm
Lordy, we’ve probably been bidding on the same items on eBay as of late. Yesterday we went antiquing and I got two minis…vintage Tiffany EdP and Lauren by RL parfum. At least the minis don’t break ones bank and I came home with a little gifty. Please so try the Kiki PE… I would love to hear what you think and if you’re completely lost in it’s beauty like I am.
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May 27, 2013 at 6:21 pm
Oh lordy, indeed! We can also blame you know who for driving up the vintage perfume prices on eBay.
I so don’t need another LOVE IT MUST HAVE IT NOW scent that costs an arm and a leg..that space is currently occupied by Opardu. Will you be reviewing it at some point?
As to trying Kiki, STC is having a sale – is the Pure Parfum the same as Parfum Extrait?
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May 27, 2013 at 6:41 pm
From my understanding they are formulated differently. Maybe you should try both 😛
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May 27, 2013 at 6:43 pm
BTW…what’s the sale??? code???
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May 27, 2013 at 9:25 pm
15% off entire store until midnight CST on 5/28 with code Remember.
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May 28, 2013 at 5:31 am
Awesome. Thanks!
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May 29, 2013 at 4:18 am
I’m trying hard to stop smirking here at all the vintage comments. *GRIN* 😉 😛
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May 29, 2013 at 4:17 am
MOI???? *smirk* Heh.
As for the Rubj, it may have been sweaty on Poodle but it was completely stinky feet and … er… other body parts on me. And I like cumin! So, it definitely would be disastrous on you. I think our Mr. Hound just has ultra sweet skin to match his personality.
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May 29, 2013 at 5:40 am
🙂
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May 27, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Fantastic reviews Houndy I’m THRILLED you’re loving the line so far and that you’ve fallen so hard for Kiki ❤ Beautiful taste you have! Rubj is totally a comfort scent to me too, I wear it so often, it makes me feel fantastic.
Look forward to hearing what you have to say about Onda EDP
x
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May 27, 2013 at 5:17 pm
I’m afraid to try the Onda because I know that I’ll want that too…maybe I just fall in love to easily and I have to control that…or get a bigger bankroll! Thanks again for the wonderful presents!
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May 27, 2013 at 6:18 pm
You’re welcome Houndy I hope you find some other loves amongst them 🙂
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May 27, 2013 at 10:59 pm
Glad to see someone appreciates Kiki parfum as much as I do.
I didn’t expect to love it but it won me over and it is my favorite from Vero Profumo.
Cheers!
Caro
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May 28, 2013 at 5:34 am
We obviously have great taste Caro! Have you tried the other extraits? What are your thoughts on those? I’m dying to try Mito as well. So much to smell!!!
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May 28, 2013 at 11:05 am
Hi, Houndy!
I have tried both Onda and Rubj. I think I prefer Rubj in EdP as there is something more playful about it. Onda is very intriguing and sensual (I have sampled it only in extrait), but just not me.
I am sure Mito extrait will be a beauty. I think the eau de parfum is excellent, but it is Kiki the one that has captured my heart.
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May 28, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Good to know… I have to hold off a bit before I test the others, although I do have an Onda EdP sample that I have yet to open. I’m afraid that the magic elixer will be much too tempting for me.
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May 27, 2013 at 10:59 pm
I am dying to try Vero Kern’s perfumes! Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Isn’t that always the case that what you end up adoring costs a small fortune?
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May 28, 2013 at 5:34 am
I think we need a perfume fairy that will provide us with a 50% discount when we want to buy something!!!
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May 28, 2013 at 5:47 pm
75% 🙂
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May 28, 2013 at 9:29 am
Kiki was love at first sniff at my first Milano Esxence. And I tried that one at the beginning. What a mistake. I couldn’t find something to compete with this perfume. When reading this I found the similarity to Guerlain’s Jicky (the first edition). Creamy lavender. Unfortunately to me too, the price of Kiki holds me back strongly from buying it.
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May 28, 2013 at 7:27 pm
I’m sure if you would have purchased some there on site they would have given you a good discount.. right? 🙂
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May 29, 2013 at 4:39 am
In a moment. Without hesitation ;-).
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May 28, 2013 at 10:38 am
Welcome to the Vero Profumo fan club! 🙂
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May 28, 2013 at 7:29 pm
Smelly…just what I need is to be part of another fan club…I’m already in too many…which of course means spending money that I don’t have 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
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May 29, 2013 at 12:49 pm
I love scenting things with lavender, and the thing I found most about lavender-based fragrances is that the lavender is too strong. To me, lavender has this creamy, sweet–almost ice cream quality to it (or maybe my nose is just crazy). It sounds like Kiki might be a good match for my impression of lavender. 😀
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May 30, 2013 at 8:30 pm
I think you are right Kay. The lavender was not overpowering at all…and very deliciously creamy…Yumminess!
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June 1, 2013 at 1:25 am
Hey Handsome,
Just got to this. Val the Cookie Queen inspired me to fall deeply in love with Rubj EdP. What a fragrance! I’m glad you’re loving it too. I think I get more cumin than you and it sings pretty much through the frag life, YUMMY!
Portia xx
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June 3, 2013 at 8:19 pm
My dear P…I am seriously contemplating full bottles for both. Oh my poor wallet! xoxoox
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June 4, 2013 at 2:15 am
Sell the house and grab them, you’ll not know your living in poverty because you will smell so incredible
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June 5, 2013 at 4:41 am
I haven’t had a chance to try Kiki yet (and I have high hopes for it) but Rubj EdP doesn’t like my skin at all 😦
Impressive review and bone ratings! 🙂
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June 5, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Yes indeed, I hope to have at least as part of my collection at some point!!!
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July 8, 2014 at 12:48 pm
I’ve been reading your blog for a bit & staying politely in the background, but your review of Kiki compells me to pipe up. I love, love Rubj & I brought FBs of both the EdP & the Extrait (the 15 mL no less)! Somehow I was late to the party & I only just discovered Mito- which I’ve unfortunately now have fallen head over heels for (the Extrait version, of course). Because I really don’t care for lavender I have not even bothered with Kiki before- but your review seems to suggest a radically different treatment of lavender & your description of it makes it seem so irresistibly deliscious (it is literally giving me visions of a lavender ice-cream sundae with melted caramel & piled high with gobs of fluffy whipped cream…) that I have to clarify– is Kiki really worth trying for someone who really does not care for lavender? I mean my perfume hobby is gonna send me into the poorhouse- granted the poorhouse will smell very pretty- but still…
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July 8, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Gian – Thanks for popping out of the background and saying hello 🙂 You lucky dog you with your purchases. I too LOVE Rubj, but I have only experienced the EdP, I have heard that the extrait is divine which I have no doubt. I’m also a huge fan of Onda (I have only experienced the EdP there as well), but that had to take some time to grow on me. Mito is not for me, but I know that many LOVE it. OK…for Kiki. I’m not a huge fan of lavender as well. To me it can get dry and boring and typically it will dominate any fragrance overtaking all notes. I fell in love with the extrait immediately as it’s not the typical dry lavender and that caramel topping is just incredible. Now, since I got my bottle, let me say that I have found that I have to be in the right mood and the weather needs to be a bit cooler for it to wear right. One night I wore it and it became incredibly cloying…probably because I put too much on and it was rather stuffy where I was so that just choked me out. I would check it out if you can and give it a test…but for that price you really should kind of like lavender. I hope this helps???? And say hi more often 🙂
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