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Clean Fragrance Review

May 16, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

This Spring and for this coming Summer, I’ve made it a point to venture into light clean fresh fragrances. I’m kind of tired of wearing heavy scents, especially those with strong alcohol notes. As the sky gets brighter and the daylight gets longer, I needed a few new light scents that could lift up my mood and inspire me throughout my activities. I wandered inside Sephora a couple of weeks ago and stumbled into a few Clean fragrances. We all have known, seen, and probably tried some Clean scents before, but on my part, I feel like I haven’t really taken a closer look and tested their fragrances thoroughly. I do know that their stuff seems to really gear towards light scents.

Clean scents are definitely scents that are meant to be light and clean. They’re made of simple, sustainable, and cruelty-free ingredients, with the concept of giving back to the community and improve their lives with every Clean fragrance made.

Upon trying a few scents at Sephora, I noticed that some of the scents really appealed to me, while a few also repulsed me, and there were also others that made me nostalgic or even gave me a few mixed emotions. Ultimately, I brought home three travel-size scents that I knew will be the ones I’ll be reaching out the most this season.

Clean Reserve

Citron Fig (0.34 oz: $28, 3.4 oz: $98) – This has a very citrusy green scent, but it’s quite light, fresh, and somewhat tart. I like this note of citrus a lot because it’s not so acidic and you can’t detect any alcohol content in it even if it’s in there. It’s just pure lemon and citrus from the beginning ’till the end, and it’s the kind of scent you would wanna wear from Spring until Summer.

Rain (0.34 oz: $28, 3.4 oz: $98) – Also available in Clean Classic, which is a lighter note compared to the Clean Reserve line, this Rain scent is the complete definition of a no-fuss, fresh, light, scent. It reminds of me of fresh morning dew, light rain, misty grass, fresh water, and delicate flowers along the meadows. Now that’s deep, LOL, but yeah, Imagine that! It smells simple but describing it is actually complicated. All I know is that it is so fresh, interestingly light, dreamy, and just beautiful. This gotta be my most favorite Clean scent of all.

Clean Classic

Fresh Laundry (0.34 oz: $24, 1 oz: $44, 2 oz: $74) – Inspired by freshly laundered linens under clear blue skies (per Clean Beauty’s website). A lot of people love this scent. This has a soapy cotton and linen scent that will definitely remind you of freshly cleaned clothes, whether dried under clear blue skies or baked out of a dryer, LOL. But yeah, the concept is there, and though I find the soapy scent of this to be a little bit too much, I still like its unique scent. It’s quite similar to the Clean Warm Cotton fragrance, but that one is just way too strong for me. Now, a lot of folks are saying that this particular scent smells like the Vicktor&Rolf Liquid Diamonds, which is one of my most favorite scents ever, reviewed HERE. Honestly, this Clean Fresh Laundry doesn’t really smell like the V&R Liquid Diamonds. I think they’re way too different from each other, even though they both have this hint of “freshly cleaned clothes” smell. Fresh laundry mainly smells like pure clean linen, while Liquid Diamonds has a lot of floral notes to it.

Other Clean scents I’ve tried and not photographed here in this review.

Acqua Neroli – exactly like Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino. Not sure which came first, the chicken or the egg? Hmmm, seems like Tom Ford had it first.

Sel Santal – very much like Le Labo’s Santal 33, though a bit lighter, and cheaper as well.

Skin – not a fan of this. The scent is too much. Like sweat.

Solar Bloom – so intrigued by this. I couldn’t quite discern the complicated notes of this. It’s like fresh floral, earthy, and somewhat has coconut in it. I may wanna purchase it soon.

Warm Cotton – way too strong. It’s very soapy.

What I love about Clean scents is the fact that they tend to have this linear type of fragrance. The scent pretty much smells the same from the moment your first spray it on the skin until the very end of its lasting power. Their top notes and their dry down don’t change that much and I really love that in a fragrance. However, since these are light fragrances, expect to notice that they do fade a lot sooner than most perfumes.

Are you a fan of Clean fragrances? What’s your favorite?

The Clean Classic and Reserve scents are currently available at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, and Birchbox

Viktor&Rolf Magic Collection Discovery Set Review

October 19, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello There Friends! This season may be full of the latest releases in makeup and all things beauty, but for me, this is also the time to discover new and exciting scents. It’s been a while since I’ve tested and ventured into finding another signature scent, that’s because finding that one fragrance that will blow your mind away doesn’t always come easy for me. Usually, it happens by chance. Luckily, several weeks ago, I happen to sniff a sample of one of the latest fragrances from Viktor&Rolf called “Liquid Diamonds” (0.30 oz: $30, 2.5 oz: $190) from their Magic Collection and the scent is truly magical.

I was never really a fan of Viktor&Rolf fragrances before (now I am), and their Flowerbomb scent is just too much for me, but I decided to check out their latest Magic Collection Eau de Parfums to see if there are other scents I might like apart from Liquid Diamonds, and true to my intuition, indeed, there is a lot to like and fall in love with this Magic Collection Discovery Set (6 x 0.3 oz/ 9 ml: $135.00).

The Viktor&Rolf Magic Collection Discovery Set has six magical and well-curated travel-size fragrances housed in a beautiful box with the signature black Viktor&Rolf seal. They are all Eau de Parfums and each has a distinctive and evocative impression.

Magic Lavender Illusion: This is a very feminine scent that is mild, sweet and a tad earthy. It’s a blend of lavender and citrus and it will remind you a bit of that light ocean air.

Magic Dirty Trick: This a warm and intense scent that is leathery, musky and spicy. It has Iris accord and it’s also quite a masculine scent.

Magic Dancing Roses: Smells like a fresh rose bloom in the early morning. This is a very intriguing and enchanting scent that has the perfect blend of rose essence and cherry. It is mild, fresh, fruity, and floral. Definitely irresistible as a rose.

Magic Sparkling Secret: Has exciting first notes of orange and fizzy accord. This is a refreshing scent that is hard to ignore but is also a reminiscent of Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue.

Magic Sage Spell: This has strong and complex top notes. It is musky, woody, a bit spicy, and quite masculine. The dry down is really good and it becomes mild, yet it lasts a very long time.

Magic Liquid Diamonds: This is the scent that captured my heart, body, and soul, lol! There is something special and beautiful about this scent. It is simple yet complicated, it is fresh and mysterious, it is clean and alluring. It has a delicate floral powdery scent that smells like fresh clean clothes and in a way soapy, but it’s also very feminine, romantic, elegant, and sexy. Wearing this is just exciting from the first spritz down to the last remaining notes. I definitely found my signature scent for all seasons in this one.

The Viktor&Rolf Magic Collection Discovery Set gets a huge thumbs up for me. The scents are unisex and all the fragrances in this new collection are well-curated and you’ll definitely find a signature favorite for all seasons and for all occasions. With that being said, I do have my top Favorites: Liquid Diamonds, Lavender Illusion, Dancing Roses, and Sparkling Secret.

Have you tried any of these scents already?

The Viktor&Rolf Magic Collection Fragrances are currently available at Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, and Harrods

Tom Ford Mandarino di Amalfi VS Sole di Positano Eau de Parfum Review

September 6, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello All! Ever been a fan of Tom Ford scents? Actually, I’m not, and what samples I’ve tried from his line of fragrances before didn’t register much to my memory. Although, in fact, I may have remembered having sniffed the Orchid Soleil and it was little too overwhelming for me. That is, until, I happen to wander inside Sephora and decided to test the Tom Ford Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua by chance. It literally blew my mind. The first spritz of the scent pretty much made my heart stop for a few minutes. I wanted the scent right then and there, but I had to wait until it completely settled on my skin so that I could judge its dry down. Unfortunately, while the top notes were exhilarating, the dry down was a bit of a letdown because it seemed too acidic for me. The TF Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua (Eau de Toilette) is a perfect fresh harvest of mandarin citrus scent that is SO good but it gets a little bit acetic with time. Yet still, I couldn’t get past my experience with that scent, so I decided to try it’s Eau de Parfum version hoping that the dry down won’t be that disappointing. Yes indeed, it’s a much more pleasing and much more pronounced scent. Because I love the scent very much, I also tried the Tom Ford Sole di Positano which is the latest release in Tom Ford’s Private Blend collection.

I haven’t found a lot of reviews that talked about or compared these two scents, so I hope this review will give you an idea as to how these scents are compared to each other. To start, the Tom Ford Mandarino di Amalfi and Sole di Positano Eau de Parfums are pretty much similar fresh scents that will jumble your brain synapses the moment you sniff them. I’ve never smelled such perfect scents in my life. They might be kind of alike, but if you pay close attention enough, then you’ll notice that they do have their differences.

Tom Ford Mandarino di Amalfi (1.7 oz: $230, 3.4 oz: $312, 8.4 oz: $595) – A slightly more intense version of the Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua which smells like fresh bursts of strong mandarins that are slightly sweet and perhaps a bit floral. It’s one of the freshest and strongest mandarin citrus burst I’ve ever tried and its middle notes pretty much stayed strong and fresh for the first one or two hours. Later on, as the scent approaches its dry down, it becomes slightly acidic or herbal-like, but not so much like its Eau de Toilette counterpart (Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua). The scent pretty much lasted a long time on me, probably for a good 4-6 hours until it requires reapplication.

Tom Ford Sole di Positano (1.7 oz: $230, 3.4 oz: $312, 8.4 oz: $595) – Its top notes don’t start as strong as the Mandarino di Amalfi, instead, its moderate citrus scent is more balanced and more steady. It is also more floral and a bit tarty than the Amalfi, with hints of jasmine as it reaches its middle notes. This scent is very clean and very sparkly. It tends to last up to 4 hours on me, give or take, and its dry down remains fresh as the first spritz. It may be a bit milder than TF Mandarino di Amalfi, but this scent is much more reliable as it doesn’t change its notes much from top to end.

If you ask me which scent I would prefer between the two, I think I may be a bit leaning towards Mandarino di Amalfi. Why? because I like that it’s more intense. But, I also love the Sole di Positano because of its clean and balanced scent that I know I could use anywhere and everywhere, and it also seems to be more versatile. For me, the difference between the two is probably just about 0.5 in points. Ha! In fact, there’s a moment where the two of them start to smell the same as they reach their middle notes unless you really pay close attention to their respective scents.

I will definitely still be using these two scents as we get closer to the colder days. They’re simply hard to get enough of, and unless I’ll find a nicer Fall-Winter fragrance soon, I think I’ll definitely come back to these two Tom Ford scents.

As I wrap up my favorite scents this summer, I definitely think that these two TF fragrances are now at the top of my list as my favorite summer scents of all time, aside from the Hermes Garden Collection (reviewed HERE) and the Atelier Cologne Clementine California (also HERE). Both the Mandarino di Amalfi Eau de Parfum and Sole di Positano are such perfect Summer vacay scents that are incredibly fresh, a tiny bit fruity, a bit floral, and most of all, very clean, well-crafted, and well-balanced. The only caveat is that they’re really pricey. However, the 1.7 oz bottle not only looks luxurious and unique, but it also lasts a long time.

If you’re looking for something to remind you of that perfect Summer stroll along the beach, or that enchanting Mediterranean afternoon vibe, look no further, who knows? you might just love these Tom Ford scents as much as I do.

The Tom Ford Sole di Positano & Mandarino di Amalfi Eau de Parfums are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter, Barneys NY, Lord & Taylor, Bergdorf Goodman, & Macy’s

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