Idole d’Armani by Giorgio Armani...

Here’s another ode to femininity which goes by the name of  Idole d’Armani. This fragrance is a blast of floral-fruity notes which is very common in trendy feminine scents. Designed by perfumer Bruno Jovanovic, the notes according to the Giorgio Armani website are as follows: top notes: dazzling bitter orange, juicy pear, ginger and davana;  middle notes: audacious rose loukoum and mythical jasmine blended boldly with saffron absolute, creating a honey-coloured subtle spicy note; base notes: luminous and sensual, unexpected styrax, patchouli and vetiver.

The description tries to convey an irresistible concoction of gourmand notes. This is another sweet treat for the sweet tooth perfume fan but what makes Idole d’Armani different from the many sweet-smelling scents in the perfumery?

There’s the usual smooth finish and elegant aroma common to Armani fragrances but other than that, there is nothing much to look forward to. The pear notes seem to take over in the dry down and somehow, it makes the entire composition synthetic and boring. Idole d’Armani’s sparkling pear-sweetness is so pronounced, it screams youthful galore. The elegance factor is short-lived, unfortunately.

Idole d’Armani is available in 1 oz, 1.7oz and 2.5oz bottle eau de parfum.

Azzaro Pour Homme...

Azzaro Pour Homme is an old school classic aromatic fougere fragrance. It’s potent, virile, rugged – just sheer masculinity all throughout. Launched in 1978, Azzaro is one of the best designer scents for men ever created. Because even after 30 years, this fragrance certainly stands out among the ubiquitous sporty-marine-citrusy man scent that clutter retail space in the malls today.

Unlike its contemporary peers, Azarro only projects what a true man fragrance should be. There’s no hint of sweet fruits, sugared candies nor anything food-y. What you get is a deep, musky and complex aroma that sets you apart from the modern-day perfumista where dull and repetitive designer fragrances are preferred.

Azzaro’s success was built on the concept of an elegant man. He is refined, exact and attractive. The same qualities inspired the perfumers who created this wonderful fragrance three decades ago. The opening is highly aromatic featuring the clean and fresh herbal essences of basil, sage and lavender. The middle makes an impressionable statement of different wood notes and spices. This is where the masculine aspect of the fragrance is emphasized. At the base, expect more musk and wood accords; the richness of ambergris prevails in the dry down.

Beginning October 2009, Azzaro Pour Homme will launch a new campaign featuring Enrique Iglesias. He embodies the same manly qualities Azzaro is known for. Revisiting the timeless fragrance and putting on a fresh face to the supposed “dated” scent, is obviously a marketing strategy to reach out to the young perfume aficionados who have gotten used to the mainstream scents that flooded retail since the 90s.

The notes: caraway, iris, lavender, clary sage, basil, anise, bergamot, lemon, sandalwood, juniper berries, patchouli, vetiver, cedar, cardamom, leather, tonka bean, amber, musk and oakmoss.

Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana...

The picturesque cliff-lined coast of Italy paints a beautiful outline against the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The sun glistens at high noon, the breezy ocean mist caresses your skin with a refreshing ambiance, the smell of flower beds beckon and the sparkling taste of tropical fruits  - these are some of life’s irresistible indulgence.

Dolce & Gabbana’s fragrance division captured all these wonderful experiences in one desirable scent called Light Blue perfume.  A bright floral-fruity fragrance, Light Blue conjures images of the sun-kissed summers in Italy. It’s the kind of summer you wish to never end.

The combination of flowers and fruits at the top notes radiates a bright aura that refreshes and calms. The floral notes in the middle straddle between the sweet accords and the green notes; jasmine seems to be the more pronounced note before it dries down. Cedar and musk leave a trail of matte finish, so well-blended and attuned with the entire composition. The crisp apples, Sicilian citron, rose petals, bluebells and jasmine sweetens the fragrance.  Sillage is nothing but sheer charm and subtlety.

Light Blue perfume is originally created for women but strange as it may seem, men fancy this fragrance as well. It could be the balanced aspect of the accords that men find appealing. This scent also plays with the nose that catches the whiff. Because Light Blue lives up to its name, you need to be physically close to appreciate the softness of the fragrance it permeates.

The advertising was shot in the island of Capri: cool blue sea under the sweltering summer heat. The idyllic scene captured the essence of Light Blue – fresh, light and vibrant.

The notes are: Sicilian citron, bluebell, Granny Smith apple, jasmine sambac, bamboo, white rose, cedar wood, amber and musk. Light Blue comes in 25ml, 50ml and 100ml eau de toilette.

D&G Fragrance Anthology...

Dolce & Gabbana’s fragrance division launched five new perfumes called D&G Fragrance Anthology. These non-sequentially numbered unisex scents are named after tarot cards: La Lune 18, La Roue de La Fortune 10, La Bateleur 1, L’Amoreux 6, L’Imperatrice 3. The naked advertising makes the fragrances more interesting or so we thought. The models are Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Claudia Schiffer, Noah Mills, Fernando Fernanes and Tyson Ballou.

La Lune 18

Notes: lily, tuberose, sandalwood, musk, iris root and leather.

This is a clean, fresh, soapy scent. It’s supposed to be floral with musk accords but the floral notes seem to be the dominant note all throughout. There’s nothing extraordinary about this fragrance. Something’s lacking, it needs more character.

La Roue de la Fortune 10

Notes: tuberose, gardenia, jasmine, benzoin and patchouli

If Thierry Mugler’s Angel appeal to you, you may want to road-test this Anthology. It’s candied sweetness to the extreme. The heady notes are too sweet to be a shared fragrance. Again, it depends on your liking, especially for the men; if the likes of A*Men make you cringe in disgust, you won’t like this either.

La Bateleur 1

Notes: cedar, vetiver, aromatic and aquatic notes

The woody-aquatic notes are reminiscent of Davidoff’s Cool Water but it doesn’t belong to the league of Cool Water, unfortunately. It’s light, fresh, watery – nothing’s unique whatsoever. After hours of wearing it, the scent becomes bland. This fragrance is geared towards the masculine crowd. What happens to the shared fragrance concept?

L’Amoreux 6

Notes: juniper berries, spices, bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom, birch leaf, iris root, wood and musk

This one is citrusy and green. The zesty tangy note is discernible at the beginning, the dry down, however, is pretty bare. They could’ve added a bit more edginess to make it more unique. This has a nice blend, at least a different take altogether from the sweetness of the other Anthology fragrances.

L’Imperatrice 3

Notes:  watermelon, kiwi, pink cyclamen, musk

A cocktail of fruits in a bottle! There’s plenty of lip-smacking fruit accords to appease your cravings for something tropical in nature. The musk accords tamed the sweetness of the fragrance in a nice way. This reminds me of DKNY Red Delicious.

As for the bottles, it’s not something to rave about either. It’s boring, plain and too simple. D&G could have been more creative in both perfume and the flacon.

Miss Dior Cherie...

Miss Dior Cherie was launched in 2005 in celebration of Christian Dior’s 100th birthday. Designed by perfumer Christine Nagel , this fragrance mimics the 1947  Miss Dior, but the similarity ends in the flacon. This fragrance is chypre-fruity, sweet like candy and appeals to young women who fancy chic and trendy scents.

The notes are: pineapple, mandarin orange, cherry, pineapple, jasmine, caramel, popcorn, rose violet, amber, vanilla, patchouli and musk. The opening starts off with succulent strawberries and a cocktail of tropical fruits. The middle brings out more candied sweetness as caramel coats the floral notes. Patchouli breaks the highly aromatic sugary scent by introducing fresh patchouli leaves and  musk.

This fragrance is young and very modern; no hints of sensual nor provocative notes.  Whilst it’s gourmand in composition to begin with, the scent doesn’t give you any of that heady sweetness like its peers. The candy factor is several notches lower than that of Thierry Mugler’s Angel and Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb. Also, the chypre factor is somewhat neutered. It seems that the dry down doesn’t give as much chypre-ish character either.

Miss Dior Cherie is a  sweet and effervescent fragrance. I don’t think this is fitting to women who would like to project a more professional and mature persona. Perhaps, Miss Dior is better match.

Viktor & Rolf Eau Mega...

Viktor & Rolf introduces a new fragrance this year. And no, this is not another heavy floral bomb, rather an unassuming, zen-like fragrance that’s sweet, pleasant and clean. Viktor&Rolf Eau Mega tames the explosive floral opulence of Flower Bomb. This time around, it’s more chic and youthful. The green components of the fragrance dish out a more simplistic style, so there’s less of the Viktor & Rolf sophistication to expect.

The notes are straightforward and uncomplicated. There’s pear, violet leaf, basil, jasmine and aquatic notes of cedar, sandalwood, cashmere wood and musk. At the beginning, the succulent sweetness of pear makes a grand entrance followed by jasmine and hints of green accords. The dry down is characterized by musk and some faint citrus notes at the background. On the overall, Eau Mega straddles between the rain water freshness of summer and the green floral aroma of a lush garden. There’s nothing cloying about this fragrance only pure, clean, scent.

Viktor&Rolf Eau Mega was created by perfumers Oliver Polge and Carlos Benaim. It’s available at 30ml, 50ml and 75ml bottles. This new fragrance is set for international launch next month so dare to megafy yourself with this “extravagant freshness”.

Jennifer Lopez Sunkissed Glow...

Sunkissed Glow is J Lo’s 2009 flanker of the original Glow perfume which was launched in 2002.  This is a summer at the beach floral-fruity fragrance decorated with succulent tropical fruits of the season. If you owned the earlier flanker, Miami Glow, this fragrance somehow comes close to that without the coconut accords.

The notes are pineapple juice, red grapefruit, beach flower, hot sand, water lily, amber, skin musk, cashmere wood, passion flower, cassis sorbet, orange blossom. The cocktail of fruits stands out with pineapple and grapefruit dominating the sweetness. The floral notes  sit at the background, neutered and hardly noticed. The dry down is a smooth musky finish resembling Miami Glow’s.

Sunkissed Glow is like a tropical paradise of pineapples and grapefruit. The fruity-tangy sweetness is nicely blended. It’s not bubblegum sweet like the contemporary young perfumes today. The absence of coconuts makes this perfume more tolerable to the nose, that is if you dislike coconuts. The sillage is quite good; longevity department varies but on my skin, I can still smell it after I get off from work. That’s over eight hours of pina colada sweetness clinging to my skin.

Jennifer Lopez Sunkissed Glow is available on eau de toilette 1oz, 1.7oz and 3.4oz.

Davidoff Hot Water...

Davidoff explored the oriental spicy accord territory and came up with a new fragrance called Davidoff Hot Water to challenge the success of the inimitable Cool Water cologne. We all know that Davidoff is Cool Water and Cool Water is Davidoff – it’s a landmark in the perfumery. Now, why veer away from the trademark man scent of marine, ozonic and iced notes Davidoff is known for? Well, the fiery oriental fragrance is certainly a welcome respite from the Cool Water flankers that were produced over the years since the original version was launched in 1988.

Hot Water features absinth, red basil, pimiento, patchouli, styrax and benzoin. The fragrance is based on the concept of sensuality and burning desire. The ad campaign is a story of a steamy encounter at the beach featuring models Alexis Papa and Alyssa Miller directed by photographer Matthew Brookes.

Perfumers,  Domitille Bertier and Olivier Polge, created this scent for Davidoff. Hot Water is expected to hit the retail in October and will be available in eau de toilette in 60 ml and 110 ml bottle.

Si Lolita, new perfume from Lolita Lempicka...

I love fairytale-like perfumes ala-Lolita Lempicka. It’s the mystery and enchanting aura it radiates that makes it so romantic. Lempicka’s perfumes are said to be an ode to femininity. It typifies a woman of passion, one who is quietly discreet and someone who knows how to meld the classic with the contemporary.

Si Lolita, released this fall, is a floral perfume accented by the spicy freshness of sweet pea. This new fragrance was designed by perfumers Christine Nagel and Benoist Lapouza. The notes include pink peppercorn, bergamot, citrus, sweet pea, heliotrope, spicy elemi gum, amber, patchouli and Tonka bean. The bottle is shaped like a four-leaf clover embellished with a curved gold outline.

This perfume has the sweet floral character akin to the earlier Lolitas but fresher, cleaner with trickles of spicy element making it more distinct from the rest of the Lolita Lempicka fragrances.

This “scent of happiness” is available in 30, 50 and 80ml eau de parfum.

Burberry London Cologne/fragrance Review!!...

My Burberry London cologne/fragrance review!! i wanted this for sooo long and i finally got it! Rate, comment, and subscribe people!!