This is a recent perfume release from the design house of the same name. It also competes with another perfume that had a similar name. However since both come from the same house then there should not be a problem in acknowledging it.  The first came out in 1990 and those people of a certain age will remember it very well and the kind of vibes that it put onto the market. Some people are not particularly pleased that the perfumes have the potential to confuse the general public. However all in all we have a good product on our hands.

The Brand

The brand is not particularly hyped up but it has been going strong for some time now. On this occasion they used the genius of Pierre Bourdon to make their creation. It seems that they have firmly implanted themselves on the perfume market and will not let go so easily. This is a good thing because it brings in variety.

The Fragrance

The notes include bergamot,  black currant, leafy greens, cucumber, lemon, sea breeze accord, freesia, honeydew, magnolia, jasmine, muguet, rose, orange blossom, peony, amber, musk, nectarine, vanilla, orris, patchouli and sandalwood. This is quite some scent list and one has to say that it has not quite pulled off the simple style. It is a complex and deep perfume. Some people with sensitive noses might think that it might have been a good idea to take out some of the notes.

The Packaging

There is a very lovely lady on the top but the star of the show is the green bottle. This is really an excellent packaging mix. It immediately gives you the impression of being in a smart and cool face. It is not often that a perfume is able to elicit this response in an instant and they have to be congratulated on their work.

General Customer Feedback

Some customers were very complementary of its freshness but others wanted something more earthy or indulgent. All in all there was very little ill to say about the fragrance which is likely to be a commercial success.

Popularity: 60% [?]

I am afraid that the perfume “Dare Me” is going to be a victim of the snobbery that accompanies many of the reviews on the market today. It is a celebrity perfume but according to the experts it is yet another indication that the perfume world is going down in prestige. The reviews have been lukewarm at best and scathing at worst. However I personally believe that it is a simple perfume that is easy to wear.

The Brand

The Dare Me brand is all about the mass market. Many of their products tend to be very affordable and they may no pretensions about their target audience. So far they have been able to service that audience very well. One thing that has happened over the years is that the brand has significantly toned down to avoid that horrendous label of being common. However I still think that there is still room for good products at an affordable price.

The Fragrance

The overall scent of the perfume is fruity but it does not bring to the table any significant changes in the way that it is presented. You get some magnolia, honeysuckle, white milkwood, creme de musk and sandalwood. These are just standard products that you would get in any perfume that aspired to the fruity label. In this I think that they could have been a bit more imaginative. It would not have hurt the perfume.

The Packaging

I find the pink and gold quite fascination to be honest. They have made a perfume that is so obviously feminine that one might wonder whether they could have benefitted from giving it another dimension. It is a great perfume but they really need to look at it in a different context.

General Customer Feedback

The customers generally thought that it was a good perfume but they did not find it very exciting. It managed to be pleasant and inoffensive but at the same time it risked becoming forgettable to the majority of the customers that it could hope to get. This is really a mixed bag of reviews for the fragrance and they might have to raise their game for the next product.

Popularity: 29% [?]

This is a perfume is that is obviously targeted towards those that have a nostalgic attachement to Africa and all things African. It was inspired by the cool breezes of Saint Germain as well as having an influence from the styles of Josephine Baker. It is a perfume that is supposed to be passionate and suggest the movements of dance. Therefore the customer is primed for a very interesting experience that harks back to the good old days of simplicity and fun.

The Brand

The inspiration for the perfume was Josephine Baker was born over a century ago. The style is supposed to have humor and sexiness. This can be a very effective quality in the perfume if the manufacturers are able to pull it off. Given the inspiration this is a perfume that prides itself on tradition and it remains to be seen whether this tradition will take it to the top of the pecking order in terms of revival perfumes. For those that have an interest in the longevity of perfumes this is a welcome development.

The Fragrance

The fragrance list includes African marigold, cyclamen, vetiver, jasmine, violet, bucchu, cedar, black amber, and musk. This makes for a heady mixture that is true to its exotic origins. What one finds in the perfume is that it is not overpowering. It suggests the themes that have inspired it but does not shout them out. Therefore the person has a very good chance of gaining lots of pleasure from the scent.

The Packaging

The packaging comes with some promotional photos of an African lady in traditional dress. This might appear to be tacky but I think that if done black and white, it has a great feel to it. I know that it might divide opinion but generally I think that it is absolutely fine. What I really like is the bottle itself. It is a simple and elegant design that would fit in very well with any wardrobe.

General Customer Feedback

The customers were very pleased that an old perfume was making something of a comeback. They even expressed satisfaction at the tasteful way in which it has been presented. It would appear that the perfume is set to make a triumphant return to the fragrance stage.

Popularity: 34% [?]

The perfume did not have the best of reviews but it managed to come through on the merits of its presentation and the friendliness of the scent. Although it is not one of those perfumes that arrests the person and refuses to let them go, the perfume is good on its merits and deserves its place in the fashion books. The dynamic duo of Bertrand Duchaufour and Baume du Doge has made a good run on this one. It seems that it will make a great impact on the industry as whole.

The Brand

Baume du Doge is based on an Italian tradition and it fits in nicely with the stereotype of rich luxury and stylish exuberance. It is one of the rich perfumes that are making it on the circuit and causing a bit of a stir amongst the general public and people who pay attention to these sorts of things. There is a good mix of the extravagant and the tasteful to keep the customers guessing. That was the original intention and it seems to have worked out well.

The Fragrance

The perfume contains sweet orange, bergamot, fennel, myrrh, frankincense, cinnamon, coriander, saffron, clove, cardamom, black pepper, benzoin, vanilla, vetiver and cedar. This is a challenging combination but there is method to the madness as the final product turned out quite well. It remains to be seen whether the people will be able to pick up on the subtle variations in the fragrance. They might turn out to be too subtle for their tastes.

The Packaging

It is not a particularly inspiring packaging with a cluttered look that gives the impression of a curtain that is past its best. However it is not so cluttered that it detracts from the central aspects of the perfume. Nevertheless I think that they missed an opportunity to make a real impact with the packaging on this one.

General Customer Feedback

The customers felt that it was a rich perfume that somehow reminded them of fruits. However ther was a group that felt that it could have been made spicier by the creation of different scents that evoked the exotic and different. Instead it went for the Italian tradition.

Popularity: 25% [?]

The perfume is the work of the two perfumers François Coty and Vincent Roubert. This is one of the revival perfumes that is meant to bring tears to those that remember the heydays of the perfume. In this perspective we can consider the perfume as a reflection of the changing times and a look to the future of the perfume industry. The latest incarnation is somewhat softer than the older versions. Perhaps they have done this in homage to the metro sexual craze.

The Brand

The perfume belongs to the clothing firm Knize. They have been in operation from around  1858. However the perfume Knize Ten was brought onto the market around 1924. There have been various alternations to the perfume to ensure that it fits in with modern tastes and many of these attempts have been successful. The overriding principle is that the perfume has stayed the course of history.

The Fragrance

There is a complicated list of ingredients that make up the original perfume including lemon, bergamot, orange and petitgrain. We then move on to rosemary,  geranium, rose, cedar, orris, carnation and  cinnamon. A contrast is provided by orange blossom, sandalwood, leather and musk. The perfume then comes to moss, patchouli, ambergris, castoreum and vanilla. Thus one has the classic combination of soft yet sweet. This is the perfect combination for the masculine market.

The Packaging

The packaging is typically French and it gives the impression of wood for some reason. The bottles are simple but the focus is taken to the little pattern right at the top of the bottle in  the front which looks like something against the Trident Nuclear plant. However it is all done tastefully.

General Customer Feedback

Many of the readers were delighted that such an old fragrance is still making the waves. The nostalgia is there but the perfume itself has the merits to warrant such attentions. It has stayed the course through various tribulations and has retained an element of its own identity despite all the attempts to make it appeal to the modern general. It is really an example of how to create a long lasting perfume for the general public.

Popularity: 77% [?]

The perfume is one of the new products that emphasize the all natural theme. They tend to look for organic materials to use with the perfume rather than going for the synthetic materials. In this they are hacking back to the natural movement that has held sway on the public imagination for a significant period of time. They are one in a kind but very effective in terms of bringing this niche to the forefront.

The Brand

The brand is all about tapping into the organic movement. They have been rather prolific in producing some high quality perfumes in order to establish their reputation within the industry. After a recent debut they started getting the perfumes out and they have been something of an unexpected success.

The Fragrance

The perfume includes galbanum, clary sage and bergamot as the top notes. We then move towards Indian carnation absolute and cistus. This is then developed into basmati flower, heliotrope and vanilla. The perfume then closes with patchouli and plant musk.  This is an interesting contrast between heady oriental theme and a rather masculine bottom. The final combination of both is quite interesting and makes for a great perfume.

The Packaging

The packaging consists of a rather angular box with an elaborate black top. The liquid color is rather interesting because it has the same hue as one would expect from a herbal mixture. Thus they packaging is entirely in line with the general qualities of the perfume. They have worked to bring the packaging into the same kind of line that we see in the fragrance notes. That is quite an achievements by any standards.

General Customer Feedback

The customer feedback is very positive and many of the users were particularly interested in the oriental theme. It was felt that this was not a perfume that would necessarily be suitable for everyday use. Rather it could work well for special occasions and visits to important places. As a concept the perfume has been very successful and those that are in the organic movement will definitely look to it as a perfume of choice.

Oeillet, Scent Systems, men’s perfume, herbal perfumes, oriental

Popularity: 30% [?]

Rather than announcing its presence from the rooftops, Tropical Vidal is a rather gentle perfume that lends itself to some of the fruity flavors that have been associated with the tropics. It is not a perfume for the glamorous and showy types but one that is comfortable in its own skin and delivers quite a punch if used correctly. This is a perfume that can be work at any occasion depending on the circumstances and the impression that is intended.

The Brand

The brand is all about creating modern perfumes that titillate the senses but are not so outrageous as to put off the consumers. It might be unkindly referred to as a middle of the road perfume that does not really do much for the audience or the public but the reality is that the brand is quite strong and will remain a strong force in the perfumes market.

The Fragrance

The perfume is very sweet and almost no sharp tones at all. It includes vanilla, magnolia, vetiver and patchouli. If one looks at it carefully they might find some hints of mango, jasmine and basil. It is a rather pleasant perfume that could possibly turn to a herbal hue in due course but the overriding principle is that it is based on sweet things and delivers in that aspect.

The Packaging

A very simple bottle is topped off by a flat black top. The packaging is not really inspiring from the point of view of artistic impressions. In fact it looks more like an oil bottle than a perfume bottle but I am sure that there are fans lurking within the market segment.

General Customer Feedback

The customer feedback is very happy with the perfume in terms of its sweetness but some people regretted the fact that there was no bite to the whole thing. They felt that some excitement was lost in the process and the perfume could have been made a winner through the addition of these simple things. Overall the perfume appears to be successful on its own terms. It will never dazzle but it certainly does a good job.

Popularity: 12% [?]

The perfume is one of the new wave of American fragrances that are attempting to unseat the French as the capital of the perfume world. Working with Mandy Aftel, the perfume has been created to show exactly what the USA market can produce in terms of high quality and affordable perfumes. The perfume is a great representative of this niche in all circumstances. It is hoped that their future endeavors will enjoy the same kind of success because the perfume is simply a treasure.

The Brand

The Aftelier brand is all about creating unique products that combine an American charm with the latest high end techniques. It is a marginally irresistible brand for those that have patriotic fervor flowing through their veins. However one must assert that it is not all about patriotism. The brand is quite capable of standing on its own and challenging the very best of them.

The Fragrance

The fragrance is based on a combination  of wild mushrooms and an earthy hue that makes it somehow erotic. It is a really animal perfume and not for the faint hearted. The floral theme makes it even more erotic rather than pure.  It can remind the user of farm work and some people have described it as smelling like a barnyard. This is an innovative perfume that can challenge the senses. Some people might like it while others will hate it but it cannot be ignored at any rate.

The Packaging

For some reason the packaging reminds me of a chocolate desert. It has a rather oval shape that sits on a flat bottom with a pearly top and some chocolate coverings on the side. This might appear to be a rather unusual design for a perfume bottle but when one first smells the earthy scents, it becomes clear that the brown is the earth and not the chocolate. In that sense the packaging is harmonious with the perfume. This can only be a good thing.

General Customer Feedback

There was a respectful curiosity on the part of the customers because they did not expect a perfume to smell like that. However some were enthusiastic while others were less enthusiastic.

Popularity: 4% [?]