Monday 22 November 2010

Honeysuckle by Demeter

I was first introduced to Demeter online & decided to try & find a store that stocked this brand to test. Gee it was REALLY hard to find these colognes in Sydney, but I tracked them down to an obscure pharmacy in a shopping mall.

It was a lot of fun testing these fragrances, they have scents such as Thunderstorm (imagine how the air smells after a thunderstorm! It smells like that!), Dirt (smells just like dirt!), Kalhua (the drink), Vanilla Cake Batter (Mmmmm!) & Sex On The Beach (ummm - well smells like neither sex or the beach but its a pretty scent!).

Although intrigued, I decided not to buy any of them as they were quite expensive for a novelty cologne. Colognes are known not to last long - they are below EDT (Eau de Toilette) in the fragrance pecking order, so they were definitely not worth the price they asked for. I'm guessing other people decided the same thing, because the next time I went to that mall (for other reasons) they were no longer stocked.

Fast forward a few months!

I saw Demeter Honeysuckle online for quite a good price & had been lemming a Jasmine or Honeysuckle scent, so I read a lot of reviews, most seemed positive & purchased it unsniffed - I like a gamble! I was also impressed how they pulled off the Thunderstorm & Dirt colognes so I assumed Honeysuckle would be a cinch for them.

Finally it arrived! I was excited to get this cologne! I unpacked & sprayed it straight away. It was at that point that I was immediately assaulted by a synthetic baby powder scent.

******** KAPOW! ********

It was so strong & smelt nothing like Honeysuckle. I waited it out & luckily it turned into a nice powdery scent that lasted surprisingly well despite the experience of previous reviewers - quite a few hours. But. No. Honeysuckle.

Verdict:

Demeter's Honeysuckle is a nice fragrance, safe for work (if you don't spray too much) non obtrusive or offensive, maybe even comforting but NOTHING like Honeysuckle, no-sir-ee. I discovered that if you sniff the nozzle there is a tiny hint of flower, you could possibly even imagine it was Honeysuckle, but no, it's not there.

I may try another Demeter fragrance in the future if I'm up for another gamble, but not for a while!

If you're after a Honeysuckle fragrance, look elsewhere. If you like a baby powder scent (which Demeter also make - I wonder if that smells like Honeysuckle???) this is perfect.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

S de Scherrer by Jean-Louis Scherrer

Let me introduce you to one of my favourite perfumes - S de Scherrer.

From the design house of Jean-Louis Scherrer (pronounced "She-Rer") S de Scherrer was launched in 2002. This perfume is completely underrated.

S de Scherrer was one of the fragrances that started my perfume obsession - one reason why I don't use it enough as I have so many on rotation now. However, it is a very special fragrance & has a special place in my fragrance wardrobe.

I found this special scent on a perfume hunt about 4 years ago. I had grown tired of wearing the same perfume & went looking for another signature fragrance. I intended on only buying Joop! Femme, a perfume I was already familiar with but had never owned.

The SA (as they do) talked me into trying this and 3 others on different places on my arm. I walked around the mall for an hour smelling all 4 fragrances periodically. S de Scherrer was not a fragrance I would have thought of trying, but the notes really hooked me, it was so pretty. I immediately went back & grabbed it.

Here are the notes:

Top Notes: Pepper, Bergamot
Middle Notes: Lily-of-the-valley, tiare flower, rose
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Vanilla

S de Scherrer is a subtle & elegant fragrance. As soon as you spray it on your skin you can detect a hint of Pepper - not too strong - with Bergamot. The Middle notes do not take too long to follow - all 3 flowers mingle & for some reason smell a little like Pear to me. Finally once Base notes come out the perfume mellows with the Vanilla & Patchouli pulling all of the notes together. This is not a perfume with a stand-out note, they are all working together as a team here.

For me, S de Scherrer lies close to the skin however I've been told it has a hit of silliage. It lasts all day on me.

Where to wear S de Scherrer?

I find that this is one of the most versatile fragrances in my collection. It's perfect for work, formal OR casual occasions, a night out with friends or romantic interludes.

Speaking of romantic interludes, my OH (other half) doesn't seem to comment on this one but he doesn't usually.

Would I repurchase?

Yes! I already have a couple of backups as S de Scherrer very hard to find in Australia now. It can be found online however.

If you get the chance to try this fragrance out, definitely give it a go. It's unique & very very pretty. I highly recommend it!