Howdy fragrance friends! I have been on a crazy sampling kick and thought I'd share the first harvest of my labours.

A little background: I began my fragrance obsession many years ago...like 14 or so? But life got in the way and I sort of fell out of the hobby - at least the searching and sampling part, which to be honest was always my favorite part, but also the most time consuming. I was still enjoying my eclectic collection of favorites daily. Well, lo and behold pandemic boredom and it’s reeled me right back in. So if I haven’t tested a lot of designer and niche “staples”, that’s the reason - I’m playing catchup!

My favorite, or the really intellectually interesting, fragrances will be getting stand-alone long reviews (Well, longer - fair warning friends, I tend to word vomit). But here are the first batch of brief-ish reviews. I'll be trying to sort them into semi-themed batches, but no promises if some don’t necessarily fit in the future.

Theme of the first batch: Searching for a spring/summer floral!

This can be challenging since I really don’t love typical “light” and “fresh” scents, and I have a low threshold for what I consider overly sweet. I tend to love heady florals supported by spices, incense, leather and animalics, but I can't wear that at 11 am on a Tuesday in 80 degree weather...or can I? No, stoppit, bad perfume addict! *slaps own wrist* Ahem, on to the contenders.

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Christian Dior Dior Gris - Very very refined. Lovely, sophisticated, but uncomplicated. Remarkably well blended - it's almost impossible to discern individual notes. Rose flows into sandalwood flows into patchouli flows into amber. A subtle symphony. There's a very light, subtle powderiness, and the heart reveals a touch of...cherry? Not full bottle worthy for me, but I'll certainly use up the whole sample, and would probably come back for a decant. 8/10

Christian Dior Sakura. Like Dior Gris, this is elegant but uncomplicated. Cherry blossoms and rose, with just a dusting of jasmine. Very pretty, but only lasted about an hour on my skin. Unlike Dior Gris, I don’t see myself coming back for a decant on this one. 6.5/10

Mancera Jardin Exclusif - A lovely, bright floral, but a bit too sweet for my taste. Jasmine and fruit opening, with a fair amount of peach. The jasmine-rose heart is compelling and very well blended, but within the first half hour, the vanilla starts intruding from the base into the heart. Wait your turn vanilla, I want to shout and stamp my feet! If the heart lasted another two hours before the base started poking through, this would be very pleasant. 6/10

M Micallef Ylang in Gold - Ah ylang-ylang fragrances, I so want to love you, but apparently I just can't. I can enjoy ylang-ylang as a supporting scent, rounding out other flowers, but when the accord stands out on it's own...sorry, all I get is artificial banana. Am I the only one, or does anyone else feel the same?

And I know that's not what this is - I know in my head that real ylang-ylang flowers can smell very banana-y, but with it's own floral twist - but the sense impression is there nonetheless. It's like the uncanny valley of fragrance - too close to banana to notice anything except the ways it's slightly OFF from real banana, unable to be appreciated for its own elegance. Ylang-ylang, I apologize that I can't love you for you. It's not my fault, but it's not yours either - blame Laughy Taffy.

The sweet coconut base doesn't help, but it’s not the dealbreaker/sticking point on this one. I love eating coconut, but I don’t exactly want to smell like one. Others may differ. If you enjoy ylang ylang as a stand-alone note, I think you’ll love this lady. 5/10 for me, but I'd give this a 7.5/10 for composition.

Parfums De Marley Cassili - A poof of powdery rose in the opening, but then this incredibly sweet fruit accord takes over. I don't get any of the listed peach - more of a strawberry/watermelon combo? I'm very strongly getting bubblicious flashbacks. The longevity on this one is laughable - after 2 hours it becomes almost imperceptible, even if I put my nose up to my wrist. Just a faint suggestion of vanilla. Pass. 5/10 on scent alone, but I'm downgrading it to a 4 at this price.

Phlure Ameline - Yet another simple and sweet rose. I get a big dose of strawberry entwined with the rose, and that's kind of about it. None of the listed bergamot or citrus, and certainly none of this supposed pink pepper. Maaaybe a hint of woods, but that's probably just my brain being susceptible to suggestion. Too simple, too sweet, hard pass.

Although it does get a little better as the sweetness fades over time. Upon my 2nd sampling, I found that around...hour 3 the strawberry syrup fades enough that I could enjoy what was left of the fragrance - a true, romantic rose. But while the proportions were now pleasant to me, by the time it got to that point, the strength was far too muted. More than simply a skin scent, but it only hovered about two inches from my pulse points. Not worth the wait. 5.5/10.

Xerjoff Dama Bianca - Powdery violets and fluffy vanilla. I don't get any of the lime or citrus, but I get a very boozy blast in the opening. Is it sherry? A dash of madeira? It’s a little indistinct. Either way, the booziness fades to a sort of malted sweetness that blends well with the violets, and never becomes too saccharine. Lovely if you like violets. They're not my flower, at least not alone, so this one's a pass for me, but very well done. Impressive longevity, although it stays close to the skin. 7/10 for me, but I'd give this a 8/10 for quality.

Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile: Lovely lovely lovely! The opening begins with orange zest - not candied orange peel, or dried orange peel, but that fresh burst of orange essential oils, crisp water, and bitterness, that you get from digging your nail into the peel of a fresh orange, just before that first perfect bite. The floral heart is well composed - just enough peony and orange flower to round out the rose. I find rose to be a "heavier" flower, gentle but low, pulling the scent downwards towards my arm, but the peony and orange flower lift and brighten the rose itself, imploring it to come out to play.

There's an impression of...nutmeg? I sniffed my wrist over and over trying to identify the exact note, waiting 2, 5, sometimes 10 minutes between sniffs to try and catch it freshly. It definitely gives off the impression of nutmeg. I think it is perhaps the pink pepper note, but somehow when it combines with the orange zest it really brings forth that sense memory impression of nutmeg and perhaps a touch of cinnamon.

I often become disappointed with these types of fresh-ish floral-dominant fragrances because they are almost inevitably paired with an overly sweet base. But Rosa Nobile is perfectly balanced. Just some nice, soft woods and a hint of musk. Not terribly long lasting, but I'd rather a bright, lively rose that doesn't last quite as long, versus an overly sweet rose whose scent is pulled longer by an overly vanilla'd or honeyed base. Still, I would say this last moderately long for a fresh spring/summer fragrance - 5-6 hours for sure. Decent projection for the first couple of hours, but not a ton of sillage. For me, this is the best spring/summer floral bouquet I've tested in a while, and definitely full bottle worthy. 9/10 overall, but I'm giving it a 9.5 for me, factoring in how well it fits my picky personal idiosyncrasies, as well as the incredible value.

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And that's all she wrote, folks. Would love to hear your opinions on any/all of these, especially if you disagree! DISCOURSE!