The lesson I've learned here is that something can sound beautiful "on paper" , and be awful IRL. I finally got a genuine branded sample and Good Lord this perfume is awful !
Sorry to the people who love it.
I love nut notes in frags so the hazelnut and pear was really appealing to me. Id read plenty of online reviews and posts here , I knew it was polarising as everyone - lovers and hates - agrees that it's a beast mode level frag.
I was expecting/hoping for a beautiful feminine sweet frag with a twist.
All I can smell is a generic "perfumey" , cloying mess !!! Ita a dated style of smell (on me at least) , it's really triggering a memory of something from my childhood In the 80s ..... Not one of the classic 80s frags that my mum owned (no clones or cheapies for her! She liked her fancy stuff ) , but something cheap and nasty.
I get no pear or nutty sweetness. I get no gourmand vibes. It's just a dated "perfumey " musky mess. It smells like a cheap air freshener that you can get in Poundland. ...... How the F is this a premium £300+ frag!!! ......... To be fair I suspect it may be one of those skin chemistry dependant types of frag.
On me it smells awful.
Scrubber !!! And as a ,50,yrs old woman whos been a FragHead since I was 4 , spraying my mum's Chanel's , Diors and Guerlians , i was so sure from reading the notes and reviews that I'd love this.
When the young uns say a perfume is of the old fashioned style , dusty , choking or cloying..... THIS is the kind of thing I'm imagining. It's reminding me of a dupe I bought my mum circa 1987 that she refused to use. Diva.
Well , it's saved me a lot of money I suppose 😎!!
I do not get it all.
Now I understand the extremely 50/50 reviews!
On the other hand I got 3 travel size perfumes at Aldi the other day , £2 each I think . One is a BR dupe, then a Miss Dior and a Prada Paradox . The Prada is just ok , but I feel that way about the actual P.P . .... Miss Dior and BR are absolutely spot on . Absolute bargain for £ 1.99 ! I will be stashing BR for the coldest winter days though. BR in summer is grotesque to me , although I adore it in the cold deep winter days. ...... Miss Dior is my fave. It made me realise that I've never tested that one previously. ..... I've been missing out all this time as it's a gorgeous , sweet and girly frag.