Lunasariel

Does anyone have a BPAL dupe for Jicky by Guerlain? For Halloween, I'm going as a book character (Phryne Fisher, if anybody's wondering) who is known for wearing Jicky in the Roaring 20s, and I think it would add a very neat dimension to my costume if I even smelled like her. Jicky's description can be found here, and reads: Oriental Fougère. Contrasting, dynamic, surprising. The spicy notes that blossom with the warmth of the oriental facet also play skillfully with the fresh and aromatic notes of lemon and lavender at its heart. Underneath this audacious structure, one detects woody and vanilla notes for greater vibration and character. Fragrentica lists its notes as: The top notes contain lavender and citrus (bergamot, lemon and mandarin), which perfectly match the cold, metallic orris and rose shaded by vetiver. The cold top and middle notes are an elegant counterbalance to the warm base created of patchouli, vanilla, amber and musk.

In the bottle: Just how I like my ambers - warm and sweet. This one has an interesting, subtle hint of orange to make it stand out from the pack (pride?), though. The oil itself is an interesting dark-red color that might potentially stain skin or fabric, so beware where this one ends up! Wet: Much more spicy than sweet, but still a feeling of warmth. A very sharp-nosed friend of mine has said that he gets a soapy edge off of me when I'm wearing it, and...I guess I could kinda see it? Not immediately, though - it took some determined sniffing to get to the soapiness. Interestingly The Lion invoked a VERY strong memory of my old neighbors' house. They once gave me a vial of perfume that (I think?) they made themselves, and it was fantastic - warm, sweet, summery, just a little floral, and all powerful. It made me feel like the queen of the universe every time I wore it. I've actually even got a little bit left, since I've been hoarding it obsessively as a sensory memory of an amazing time in my life. The Lion is a little spicier, soapier, and less sweet than QotU (not to mention, it doesn't have nearly QotU's sillage), but the basic feel is the same. Dry: This turned out to be a pretty linear scent. As usual, some of the sharper edges rounded off over time, but stayed warm, sweet, and spicy all the way through.

This came as a frimp. In the bottle: something sharp-yet-warm. Incense, maybe? This could just be me wanting to smell the listed notes, though - I'm easily influenced that way. Wet: Initial burst of soap, but really nice soap. Like, handmade artisan fancypants soap. Sweet(ish). My initial impression, according to my notes, was "classic Oriental." Dry: The first impression of soap fades, leaving the vanilla and leather much more prominent. It becomes spicier and sweeter. Overall, the warmth and sweetness make me place this one in my "comfort scent" pile, but it's not comforting the way a warm fuzzy sweater is (which is how most of my comfort scents feel) - it's got a serious edge to it, something no-nonsense and comfortingly...responsible?

I also got this as a (fr)imp - not something I would have necessarily ordered for myself, as I'm more into ambers and floral orientals. But BPAL must be paying their psychics some good money, because this one works! In the bottle: sharp and herbal, with, of all things, a hint of lemon. I'm not familiar with actual sassafras root, so maybe that was in there and I'm just not identifying it. Wet: I actually got more of an Italian soda vibe than root beer. Definitely something creamy and sweet. Dry: As it dried, the sharp herbal note (which I assume is the sassafras) steps forward, and the creamy sweetness fade back to give it some room. It eventually fades to a vague (not particularly creamy) sweetness. Interestingly, when I tried it on my boyfriend (because he's cool like that), it pulled much more lemon-drops-and-honey than herbal/sassafras-y. TL;DR: While I don't think I'll order a full bottle, this frimp was a pleasantly foody surprise. I found the Italian soda note especially interesting, since it occupies the place in my childhood memories most people have for root beer - summer vacation, end-of-school treats, watching them mix it together at the ice cream place.