Scent Split Sample Shipment #4

Wow! If you've seen any of my previous Scent Split posts (linked under the 'fragrance' tab at the top of the blog), you might remember they send their splits in pull top dab bottles. This shipment, however, had the sample atomizers with a spray. They're only filled partially, and a note is included to tell you that is intentional so you don't think you're getting less than you should. Do I like the bottles? Yes!!! Spray is so much nicer for testing!! However, if they were to go back to dab bottles, I would still buy. Trying before buying is absolutely the way to go with scent. What one person (or even hundreds of people) love, could be a total turn off to you, or not work well on your skin. 

For all of the scents I try, I only find a few that I really, really like and want to purchase in full-sized bottles. It is worth every scent cent though, because when I do buy, I know it's something I'm really, really going to enjoy. I found a keeper in this shipment (the seventh scent on this list) and that makes me absolutely delighted. There were some others that I enjoyed too, and some that I did not (which is to be expected). I'll list them for you below.

Atelier: Grand Neroli.  If you like Neroli, this is a good scent to try. It is a bright/crisp, fresh, citrusy (lemony), floral fragrance. Not overpowering. I can definitely smell the Neroli. I love that bright citrusy smell in the opening notes. The dry down is different though. Not as good. A little too earthy for me. It's not a bad smell, but it's not something I want to wear. I read that it has oak moss and galbanum in the dry down to add an earthy greenness. I guess that's the part I'm not overly fond of; perhaps this would be better suited for a man (it is a unisex fragrance). 

From the website: "Let the refined scent of Grand neroli make you discover the olfactory notes of Neroli from North Africa as well as the essential oils Galbanum and Pettigrain from Paraguay. This orange blossom perfume is softened by a round vanilla scent. Sweet, yet fresh and sophisticated." 

Atelier: Orange Sanguine. Ooh. I like it!! It's zesty and nice. A sharp blood orange scent is the most prominent note. That's what I smell more than anything. I think you'd have to be careful with this one. Too much spray and it might smell like a cleaner. A little is nice though! 

Notes: Blood Orange from Italy, Geranium from China, and Sandalwood from Australia.

Atelier: Vanilla Intensee. This is unisex, warm scent but the vanilla leans a little masculine to me. It's not awful, but it's not the kind of vanilla I like to wear. It smells a little 'dirty,' which isn't very appealing to me in a perfume. 

From the website, "Notable contrast between vanilla and woody moss. Among its exotic perfume ingredients you will find vanilla from Madagascar, lime from Mexico and cilantro from Russia."

Diptyque: Eau Duelle.  This is my first time getting to try a Diptyque fragrance. This is a fresh vanilla with a green punch or lime Jello kind of kick to it. It's bright and zesty but still subtle. I like it. It is pleasant. Update: The second time I wore it, I smelled vanilla with a touch of spice. No lime (or very faint if there was lime). Third time wearing, I smell the lime again! I can also detect the vanilla, but no spice. First fragrance that leaves me perplexed because it never smells the same twice when I wear it. Not a love, love, but it is very nice. I would probably reach for it sometimes if I owned a full-sized bottle. Notes: Vanilla, Pink Peppercorn, Cypriol.

From the website, "An ode to travel and vanilla. Along the spice route, the vanilla at the heart of Eau Duelle takes on new aromas: luminous, addictive accents of calamus and dark, smoky nuances of cypriol. Travelling through time and over borders, Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar reveals itself between darkness and light."

L'Artisan: Couleur Vanille. I like a nice vanilla smell, and I heard this was really good in that department so I wanted to give it a go. It is so interesting. A combo of bright citrus and vanilla. Unlike any vanilla fragrance I've smelled. It's an 'in the natural environment' type of vanilla and it mixes well with the sea salt. Someone said it smells a bit green and herby/vegetal. I detect that too, in the opening and mid. Those smells are gone in the rather fast dry down and this becomes slightly floral and citrusy. Not heavy. In fact, it's very light with transitional depth. I like it. Daytime fragrance.  A unisex scent that does not lean masculine or feminine. I could buy a bottle and be happy. 

Top notes are Sea Salt, Freesia and Bergamot; middle notes are Immortelle, Cashmirwood and Vanilla orchid; base notes are Madagascar Vanilla, Tolu Balsam, Musk and Benzoin.

Parfums de Marly: Darcy. Not my fave from this house. It's a little 'tinny' at first and then the dry down reminds me of a musky smell from my youth (which probably came from some woman wearing musk around me when I was a child). It's not horrible. I just find it seems outdated for my tastes and simply not for me. It is a woody (and I did think it had a very light masculine streak in it), musky and floral kind of smell.  I do smell a touch of fruit. It is smooth, as all Parfums de Marly fragrances seem to be, and you can tell it is a nice quality.  It is just not for me. Not at all.

From the PDM website, "A soft and sensual fragrance, Darcy blends sparkling citrus notes and sweet floral notes enveloped in fleecy and delicate white musk. The base of patchouli provides depth and a heady scent."

Parfums de Marly: Safanad. Soft floral. Smooth. Pretty. I definitely smell orange blossom. It gets better and better as it dries down (when the vanilla starts to feel present). It is subtle, not bold at all but still super pleasant and happy. This is a safe daytime fragrance. I like it quite a bit actually (delicious and yummy are the words that instinctively come to mind), and I would love to own it. It might even replace Athalia as my favorite (or tie it for my first place from this line).

Update: I purchased a full-sized bottle and I still love it. Low projection though, and it doesn't last long at all. It has for sure become my favorite scent from the line, I just wish it lasted longer.

From the website, "The oriental captivated by its delicate notes of orange blossom, iris and ylang-ylang that rush to draw a woody trail revealed by sandalwood, amber and vanilla. An addictive signature saturated with light."

Parfums de Marly: Sedbury. I smell soft, white, slightly pungent (that must be the Jasmine) florals. It's pretty, but it's not one I want to own. While nice, it's a little too 'white floral,' I think, for me.

From the website, "Sedbury combines the tenderness of florals and the freshness of aromatic scents. Its creamy tuberose heart is softened by a hint of jasmine and iris, lying languidly on a bed of amber and patchouli to make a fragrance that is refined and addictive in equal measure."

Maison Martin Margiela's Replica Line: Funfair Evening.  I absolutely hate this scent. It smells nothing like any of the descriptions and is the second fragrance I have found that initially smells like meat to me. This is just awful. Top Notes are Star Anise, Pear, Apple, Neroli and Petitgrain. Middle Notes are Orange Blossom, Tuberose, and Moroccan Rose. Base Notes are Caramel, Tahitian Vanilla, Ambroxan and White Musk. 

Vagabond Prince: Swan Princess. A combination of six musks. Jasmine, a touch of gardenia, lily of the valley, mimosa, iris, rose and peony...and a little bit of pink pepper. Nothing out of the ordinary. You can definitely smell the white flowers. Not bad, pleasant in fact, but it's not one I see myself buying. Daytime fragrance.

Xeroff: Ivory Route. I heard this was the best vanilla and sandalwood fragrance ever. False. Ew. No. Not even close to true. This smells cheap and old-fashioned, and it costs a couple of hundred dollars for the bottle, but I have no idea why. They say fragrances are very subjective, and this one proves that for me. They intentionally do not reveal the notes, so I do not know what is in it, but I can say it is a woody, spicy fragrance.

That's all I ordered for this shipment, but I am already looking forward to next time. Scent Split is a fantastic website that I trust when I want to order perfume samples. I've tried so many different perfumes and colognes now, and I log them all so I can keep track of what I like and don't like (and why). Searching for new fragrances has become so much fun for me. Although I probably have enough to last for the rest of my life now, I will still keep smelling. A big thank you to Scent Split for helping me find a new perfume favorite (Parfums de Marly's Safanad is awesome, fantastic, and amazing! It really just smells so, so good!). I cannot wait to purchase the full-sized bottle.

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