MACY'S FRAGRANCE SAMPLES

Thank you SoPost and Macy's for these samples.

Let's get the two colognes out of the way.

YSL MYSLF LE PARFUM

Black Pepper Essence

Tunisian Orange Blossom

Woods, Vanilla Bourbon Infusion

The perfume is peppery and woody. I do not smell orange blossom. The vanilla adds a subtle creaminess and warmth. I agree with the YSL description of an "ambery trail." There is a spicy, resinous aspect to this perfume. That's about all I agree with.

The company describes this perfume as highly sensual, rich, modern, a "self-made man," bold, and unapologetically nuanced. It's a traditional men's fragrance smell. Nothing exciting to write home about. I wouldn't stop in my tracks if I smelled this on someone. 2/5

GUCCI GUILTY ESSENCE EDT

Lavender, Orange Blossom, Patchouli.

Super fresh, clean, and aquatic. Although it's advertised for men, this can be unisex. It smells like citrus peel and slightly menthol-y. Sidenote: I frequently pick up menthol with men's fragrances, even when menthol/mint aren't part of the ingredients or notes. Does anyone else also experience this?

This fragrance reminds me of Paco Rabanne Phantom (mostly likely because of the lavender,) but not as vanilla-y, spicy, and bold. Perhaps it's only the big designers, but men's fragrances are so uninspiring and repetitive. 2.5/5

GUCCI FLORA GORGEOUS ORCHID

Vanilla Duo
Vanilla Orchid
Ozonic Accords

What the heck is Vanilla Duo?

It smells bright, sparkly, sweet, and a little plasticky. The radiant opening is reminiscent of lychees. You are hit with the radiant fruity note and vanilla. This is the perfect fragrance to transition from summer to fall. Dries down to smell like Kayali Vanilla 28. 3.5/5

CHLOE L'EAU DE PARFUM INTENSE

Raspberry
Rose
Ambrox, Cashmeran, Cedar

Chloe is one of my favorite fragrances. My sister had middle school me smell a sample, and I couldn't get it out of my head. I bought the travel spray and the Love Story gift set. This is the perfume that got me into fragrances.

That being said, I'm not a fan of this iteration. It has the Chloe core DNA I know and love, but there is a dustiness and mustiness. It smells like the original perfume was sprayed onto a sweater, buried in the closet without being cleaned, and discovered once the owner felt a chill. It's the cedar! This is the wrong wood! It should be sandalwood, guaiac wood, or even oud/agarwood. The latter would have a better option for the "intense" iteration they're trying to go for. 

At first, I thought my body lotion and oil caused this mustiness, but this mustiness is also present when sprayed on paper. 2.5/5

VIKTOR & ROLF FLOWERBOMB TIGER LILY EDP

Coconut Milk
Tiger Lily
Mango, Benzoin

Oh, this is delicious. Coconutty, fruity, sweet, and musky. The tiger lily/opening smells like the black tea I drink at dim sum and Jasmine. The more I smell it, the more it reminds me of Good Fortune, also by the same brand. I prefer Tiger Lily over Good Fortune because the latter had this unpleasant and odd medicinal base note. 3/5

YSL BLACK OPIUM EDP OVER RED

Coffee ​
Cherry Accord​
Vanilla ​
White Flowers​

Coffee, vanilla, chocolate, almonds, milky, and a little smoky. It doesn't smell like cherries. I once said this about Cherry Punk and ate my world after retrying it, but I cannot smell cherries in Over Red no matter how hard I try. It's Gourmand, but it's not sweet. I do not like the floral, citrus dry-down. This is not the gourmand I signed up for. The opening gets a 4/5 because it's so mysterious and fun. The dry-down does a 180 and is so disappointing 2/5. 

12/12/2024 update: went into Macy's to try Jo Malone's Scarlet Poppy and was pleasantly surprised by how similar the two smell.