This is yet another classic fragrance from Christian. It is an acquired taste but once acquired it will stay with you for the rest of your life. Therefore the perfume can be accurately classified as one of those efforts that impact on the customer base in a way that is secret and hidden from the rest of the public because of the unique features that are associated with the fragrance. As one would expect of a Christian Dior Perfume, this is something of a triumph.

The Brand

The genius that is responsible for the perfume is none other than the famous Guy Robert. The perfume has great pedigree that has been used to great effect. The theme is supposed to have some animal instinct that entices the users to try to it out and let rip. However this is an element that is not likely to sit well with the genteel target audience. Perhaps they wanted to bring a new passion to the lives of people that have such scripted lifestyles.

The Fragrance

The oriental and spicy nature of the perfume is brought to the fore with the top notes of aldehydes, greens and fruit. There is also the jasmine, geranium, cinnamon, carnation, orris, ylang ylang and tuberose. The base is completed by the use of patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, vanilla and musk. This is a formidable list of ingredients and they create a perfume that is complex but definitively wearable by the target audience. The great thing is that the perfume does not seem to distract the audience with irrelevant issues when it is doing its work.

The Packaging

The combination of yellow and black might be somewhat disconcerting to some people but used in this way, it can provide a great contrast. This is a perfume that is confident in its stature such that it no longer has the need to justify its presence amongst the top contenders on the market. In other words the packaging is a secondary issue to the substantive perfume within. In any case the packaging is absolutely adequate for the target audience.

General Customer Feedback

Some customers have complained about misleading labeling on the perfume line but there is general consensus that the best versions of this perfume are classic. The lesser versions have not been as successful. There was a certain earthy smell that seemed to appeal directly to the target audience.

This is one of the perfumes that Christian Dior has put out as if it were a trial balloon. It is true that the perfume has been something of a “hit and miss” job. There are times when it dazzles and there are those that are worried about the leather overtones that come with the perfume. However I still believe that that strength of the brand can still come to the rescue.

The Brand

The genius that is responsible for the perfume is Paul Vacher. The brand is very strong and points towards the fashions of the pre war and post war periods for the upper classes. Leather seems to be a running theme in the perfume. They are normally associated with the great stars of Hollywood of that time. It is a celebrity perfume but not in the grotesque way that we are exposed to in the modern times.

The Fragrance

The predominant flavor of the perfume is leather but you have to keep it one for more than twelve hours before you can get the hints of oak moss and patchouli. One might feel that the leather is a little bit too much but this is really the brand identify for the perfume and it would be such a shame if they lost that quality. For example we no longer need yet another floral perfume. It is nice to be able to sample something that is totally different.

The Packaging

This one of those packages that must be nice but it fails to touch the right buttons with me personally. I know that the companies have to come up with interesting ideas on a regular basis but it would be nice if they could be normal as well. The packaging on this one is nice enough but I am not entirely sure what they are trying to say with it.

General Customer Feedback

There is a feeling of awe when people are reviewing Christian Dior items because of the great reputation that the company has acquired and this is no different. However the consensus was that this was a perfume that did not disappoint from a brand point of view.

This is yet another of Britney Spears’ forays into the world of perfumery. This one is released under the great name of Elizabeth Arden.  The creator of the perfume is none other than Jim Krivda. The name is rather interesting but conjures up images that are not altogether pleasant. However the substantive perfume is worth a great review.

The Brand

The Britney Spears brand has had its share of challenges but at the center of it is a young girl who has a talent for entertaining millions of people across the globe. The target group for the perfume is between eighteen and thirty. For the older generation the perfume might not have the gravitas that they are looking for in a quality perfume but for the younger generations this is a perfume that they can aspire to in the short run or even the long run if they are given enough sentimental reasons.

The Fragrance

The notes consist of  red lychee, golden quince, kiwi, cupcake accord, jasmine, white chocolate orchid, musk, woods, and orris root. There is a rather disturbing hint of confectionery in the way that the perfume is made but when looks at the target audience then it makes perfect sense that they should choose to structure it in this way. The other alternatives would have been far too grown up for the target market. If you like sweets then this is definitely a perfume that you will enjoy.

The Packaging

The packaging is very feminine with a pink theme and some silver highlights. I like the sequence of circular shapes and the color seems to indicate a celebratory mood. One might have wanted a darker theme but bearing in mind that the target audience is into all things floral and fresh, it makes sense that they have presented the perfume in this way.

General Customer Feedback

Unfortunately for the perfume it suffers from a conspiracy of low expectations but this might yet prove to be an advantage when people are pleasantly surprised to learn that the perfume is actually quite good and merits a mention in the highest levels of the industry. It is true to say that the perfume is not likely to make an impact outside its core market but within it chances are that it is going to be a roaring success.

The idea behind Believe by Britney Spears is that everyone can aspire to something.  It is all about letting the general public into the perks of modern celebrity. You are expected to feel like a million dollars after putting on the fragrance but it remains to be seen whether the reality of the perfume bears this out. I am also not entirely sure that the general public really wants to be hounded by paparazzi at every turn just because they happened to be good entertainers.

The Brand

Suffice it is so say that Britney Spears has had a rather turbulent few years in the past. However there is no doubt that she is one of the most successful artists of all time. Her target audience looks up to her and I am sure that she had them in mind when she put out this perfume. On their own merit, her perfumes are acceptable. This is a great improvement on the normal fare that we see with celebrity perfumes of all descriptions.

The Fragrance

The perfume is surprising because you would normally expect something flashy and ungracious but this is a rather touching perfume.  It is floral and youthful in its tones. It starts off with jammy fruit that goes into linden blossom before transitioning into a pale musky base. Then there is the obligatory patchouli. The overall effect is that of a positive perfume that is appealing to a youthful audience. This is a combination that has been proved successful time and time again. It is interesting that you are not irritated by a perfume that is sold by a major celebrity.

The Packaging

I adore this packaging that is primarily based on green triangular shapes. It is all about cool elegance but you always get the feeling that this is a youthful product. Of course you will get the skeptics that will talk about the fallen woman but to me this is a great fragrance that is superbly packaged. I would be very surprised if it was not a commercial success. Clearly Britney Spears knows what she is doing.

General Customer Feedback

The customer reviews were filled with the usual bitchiness against a successful young person but event they could not fail to acknowledge that this was a great perfume. It is something that you can wear for every occasion from the school trip to the office to church service.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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