RAPID MACY'S REVIEWS

I was sent these perfumes via SoPost and Macy's. Grab a snack and a drink because this is going to be a long one. Happy Holidays, everyone! 

GUCCI GUILTY POUR FEMME EDT

Pink Pepper, Mandarin Orange

Lilac, Peach, Jasmine, Raspberry, Geranium, Black Currant

White Musk, Amber, Patchouli, Vanilla

A musky, sweet, and powdery scent. The fruity notes give it a beautiful lift. Awful longevity and projection. I think it's mainly because my nose is wonky these days, not COVID, but I often forget that I sprayed this perfume. It's pretty, but it fades incredibly fast, even for an EDT. Extremely disappointing fragrance and promotional material for this fragrance. I've tried a few perfumes from Gucci's Bloom line, which are fantastic. Incredibly loud and unapologetic, but with a maturity and elegance to it. The samples I have received so far have been underwhelming.

GUCCI GUILTY POUR HOMME PARFUM

Juniper, Lavender, Lemon
Orange Blossom, Nutmeg, Spanish Labdanum
Patchouli, Dry Wood, Musk

Oh, this is awful. There's this dank, ancient Egyptian baby powder quality that I dislike. Very weird. I wasn't expecting much because of these two suspects, juniper and labdanum. Sour, labdanum-forward, musky, spicy. The dry-down is better, still labdanum-forward and tart, but less aggressive. I didn't wear this long because I ran to the shower and scrubbed this off.

MUGLER ALIEN GODDESS EDP

Coconut Water, Bergamot

Jasmine, Heliotrope

Bourbon Vanilla, Cashmeran

From the card: Vibrant bergamot essence and spellbinding jasmine and bourbon vanilla infusions. For an incandescent and generous solar embrace. Floral-Oriental-Woody. 

For once, I can smell every note! You get hit with citrus, coconut, and heliotrope. Very bright, warm, and inviting. The vanilla and cashmere give another layer of coziness and warmth. If you like Replica Beach Walk by Margiela, you might also like this. Heliotrope continues to sucker-punch anyone in its proximity. Not something I'd go for, but nice nonetheless. A Spring/Summer fragrance. Lastly, not as noxiously sweet as I thought it would be, thank goodness! 

I ended up using this fragrance quite often. I gravitated towards it without thinking. 

YSL L'HOMME EDP

Bitter Orange, Bergamot
Lavender, Geranium
Cognac, Oak, Cedar ,Vetiver

This opens like every cologne. It's generic, there's a lot of lavender, and there's a smoky/woodiness to the fragrance, not super boozy. Of the colognes, I prefer this because it's approachable and becomes subtle. Though the latter trait could also be a critique: longevity could be better, especially since it's an EDP. As usual, I sprayed some during the crook of my elbow, and it was incredibly faint within 20 minutes... If a guy/gal is wearing this, I wouldn't mind. I just hope they do better in the future. 

PACO RABANNA INVICTUS PLATINUM

Grapefruit, Absinthe
Mint, Lavender
Cypress, Patchouli

Minty, lavender, woody, and musky. Getting a pickled plum/umeboshi and amber base that oddly reminds me of Baccarat Rouge (never got the sweetness people always talk about.) Some users have said it reminds them of Bad Boy Cobalt by Carolina Herrera, and I agree that there are some similarities. However, Invictus's dry-down is muskier, woodier, and ambery, whereas Bad Boy smells fresher to my nose. It's not an awful fragrance, but if you want to smell like BR 540, get that instead.

Box of samples #2

PRADA PARADOXE EDP

Pear, Tangerine, Bergamot
Orange Blossom, Jasmine Sambac, Neroli Essence, Neroli
Bourbon Vanilla, White Musk, Amber, Benzoin

"The scent of an avant-garde grand classique."

This is just Valentino Donna Born in Roma, but without the tonka beans, with floral/jasmine musk and ambery/resinous notes instead of whatever the Valentino has. 

Another sweet floral from another Italian designer brand. 

Florals for Spring. Groundbreaking. I expected more from Prada. 

That being said, I like Prada's version more than Valentino's. 

This fragrance's whole "sustainable" aspect isn't all that groundbreaking either: "the glass bottle has been designed to limit its weight and use of glass and will be the very first refillable fragrance by Prada." Glass is easily recyclable and can be infinitely recycled; we should focus on making places that recycle all types of beauty products containers more accessible instead! Also, how they phrased the bottle design makes it sound cheap and flimsy. Furthermore, there are SOOOOO MANY perfume brands/houses that offer refills: By Kilian, Armani, Mugler, etc. So what if it's your first refillable perfume? Are you changing other perfumes from the house to be refillable for sustainability reasons/because you care for the cause? Or are you only using sustainability as a marketing ploy for a generic perfume?

CALVIN KLEIN DEFY EDP

Mandarin Orange, Black Pepper
Suede, saffiano leather
Haitian Vetiver

"Defying expectations with a new intense addiction - seductive woody leather notes contracted by exhilarating freshness."

Vetiver-hatred confirmed. Peppery, leathery, and VETIVER-Y. Smells rustic, manly, earthy, and smoky. A man that lives in the woods, hunts, and makes thirst trap TikToks of him chopping wood would wear this. Not seductive, but there is a freshness to the fragrance. With such strong notes, the perfume can easily become heavy and bogged down, but there is a freshness and lift, and I hate to say it, from the vetiver. Somehow the awful vetiver is saving the cologne. 

I keep sniffing it, hoping it'll get better. It doesn't. It's like hating High School and hoping college will be better, but you always think about dropping out when you're there. 

JUICY COUTURE OUI SPLASH EDP

Pineapple, Lemon, Apple, Sorbet

Orange Blossom, Magnolia, Jasmine

White Musk, Ambroxan, Cedar

"Sparking. Playful. Sunkissed... the ultimate fragrance of the summer!"

A decent-looking promotional photo does not exist for this perfume. I wasn't expecting much from Juicy Couture, but I didn't think it would be this abysmal. It looks cheap and unimaginative.  

I'm not getting pineapple, and I have a ripe pineapple at home for comparison! Citrusy, bright, and sweet. Not a fan of the florals or base notes. If they're trying to evoke summer vibes, they should've used hibiscus, plumeria, or some other tropical flower. Avoid heliotrope. Sand/amber notes for the base, instead of the ambroxan and cedar. I associate Cedar with winter because of Christmas trees, so I don't think it was the best choice. Sand/amber notes better convey images of warmth and the beach.

There's a quality to the perfume that reminds me of a hot car, specifically my aunt's old minivan. You drive to the beach during the summer, you hang out at the beach for hours, and you return to your scorching, smelly car full of your three kids' garbage/things. Whatever odor already exists is exacerbated. 

When I showered, and the water washed away most of the smell, I enjoyed the base notes much more. It was the old minivan vibes that were throwing me off, but it's quite a darling fragrance. 

D&G LIGHT BLUE POUR HOMME EDT

Grapefruit, Bergamot, Sicilian Mandarin, Juniper
Pepper, Rosemary, Brazilian Rosewood
Musk, Incense, Oakmoss

"A masculine fragrance /that captures the joyful spirit of a Mediterranean summer, the playground of seduction." 

I've tried D&G Light Blue before and liked it, but I do not think this is what I tried back then.

This EDT reminds me of a Screwdriver [cocktail] they try to sell you at a fancy bar.

What I've made for you today is a craft gin-based cocktail with fresh-squeezed citrus juice from *x-location.* I have also smoked wood and herbs to bring out different flavors in the cocktail. A big part of eating is smelling. Enjoy.

It is very citrus-forward, and there is an herbaceous, medicinal sourness. Under the smoky, medicinal sourness and wood notes is something fresher that I want more of.