REVISTING DECANTS I HATED / FINISHED DECANTS

ALKEMIA AMMIL: it still smells like public bathroom soap. Its imagery of "wet snow, melting ice, warm skin" is perfect for NYC weather, but I can't get myself to like this clean, faint menthol chill, slightly masculine-leaning unisex fragrance. It conjures up snowcapped trees and other winter imagery more than before. Ammil smells like a guy driving his pickup truck to a cabin in the woods during winter, chopping firewood, muted flannel, and natural aromatic body wash. My previous guesses of Juniper and Vetiver still seem right. 

    The longevity is weak. I'm trying to finish this decant, so I am liberal with my applications! Despite my generous application, it doesn't get me through the day. If you like the scent, you should carry it around for touch-ups. The dry-down is palatable, but the initial whiff is jarring. The fragrance clings to fabric; I wore this scent to bed, and now my sheets have this clean, enticing scent. Where was this on my skin? 

PARANORMAL PERFUMES KITCHEN WITCH (no longer in stock): freshly baked bread, soft spices, melted butter, honey, and almond cookies topped with flowers to celebrate the changing seasons. Opens up super buttery and yeasty, but an artificial almond extract paired with the honey saccharine sweetness becomes sour. I previously only called out the almond extract, but the honey is just as evil. Smells delicious and is a fun gourmand. Still reminds me of butter popcorn. One of my many questions is, how do I wear this? What is the time, place, or occasion? It's a weird scent that's better suited for home fragrance. Not as offensive as I remembered. 

    To get through the decant, I applied it before bed. Since I dab it hours before bread, the almond and honey notes mellow out dramatically. Now, my sheets smell super yummy and cozy. Sadly, it hasn't helped me fall asleep faster. I also wear it to work. No one has said anything about the bready gourmand. I barely notice it. Occasionally, I catch a whiff, and I am amused. It's a fun, somewhat challenging fragrance to wear, but it will brighten your day. It felt weird wearing it in a medical office setting. Wearing it as a baker or barista is too predictable and on the nose. Perhaps a quirky librarian?

GUERLAIN SHALIMAR: bergamot, iris, jasmine, rose, vanilla, tonka bean, leather, civet, patchouli, vetiver, incense. Opens up citrusy, dominated by the musks, and warms up to something smokey, vanilla-y, and musky. I can't discern the florals. Mainly smells like musk, spice, powdery, and something funky. Is it the civet or opoponax? On the one hand, I want to try these notes individually to familiarize myself, but I am also terrified to have disgusting notes sit in my drawer forever. 

    Musc Ravegeur is a long-lost twin that also smells super animalic. I don't know what it is about these two that I do not like. They both include notes I've encountered but smell completely foreign. What is it about these two that's so challenging?! Elusive in the worst way. 

    It smells ancient, like an eclectic and eccentric older woman who is most definitely a hoarder. Maybe it's because Shalimar was decanted and Musc Ravegeur is an official sample, but Shalimar tones down considerably faster than MR. It's warm, slightly musky, powdery, and smells Autumnal. 

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN AQUA UNIVERSALIS: The longevity is spectacular, which is unfortunate because this scent can be nauseating and overwhelming. What drew me to this fragrance ended up stabbing me in the back: Lily of the Valley. It's my birth flower, and whenever I see it on the street, I stop to sniff it. I thought I liked them. 

    It's a fresh and clean smell dominated by the Lily of the Valley note. The citruses (Amalfi lemon, Bergamot, Orange) give it a perkiness and lift it. Slightly musky and barely woody. I don't smell orange blossom. It's not a ground-breaking or thought-provoking scent. A pretty scent, but simultaneously overwhelming with its assault on the senses and underwhelming with its unidimensionality. 

    I don't like any of the MFK fragrances I tried. Is Gentle Fluidity worth the try?