Fragrance Friday: Some Mini Reviews (Miniviews?)

I've been entirely too busy with life stuff lately and haven't really had the chance to write up full reviews for perfume, not to mention I am so unqualified to do so. And so, I've decided to post "miniviews" of things I've smelled, with links to more substantial reviews from other legit perfume bloggers where warranted. These are basically just the notes I took on my phone when I went perfume hunting with L at the Eugene mall (which has a truly paltry selection of perfume, so don't be expecting anything niche here), so some are very brief and uninformative, though I've added some extra comments in parentheses. Hopefully they're witty enough for you to forgive me their lack of content! (Also, if you haven't already, be sure to enter the giveaway! It closes Monday.)

Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs: Nope, smells outdated. (Classified as a floral by Fragrantica, where it received not great reviews. I think the vintage was better, but am not about to try and hunt it down.)

Chanel No. 5: Yes, aldehydes, but I like it much better in edt than edp form, because the underlying floralcy can come out. Worth smelling, should probably try on skin. (Aldehydes and I don't get along particularly well, so I don't actually plan on getting a sample of this. I know, cue perfumista horror. See Bois de Jasmin and Now Smell This's reviews.)

Clinique Aromatics Elixir: L described it as bug spray. I cannot put it better myself. Perhaps it's better when worn, but I don't really feel a burning desire to find out. (This is a classic, polarizing chypre, so I really should try it on skin sometime. Maybe I'll try the next time I'm at the mall. See Bois de Jasmin's review.)

Dior Hypnotic Poison: Okay, smells like vanilla and licorice to me. Maybe the woods come out when you wear it, but I'm not willing to find out. Too strong, too sweet. (See Now Smell This's review for a more flattering opinion.)

Dior Poison: Smelled this years ago and hated it; still holds true today. Way too big, couldn't even try and find the notes. Just no. ("Poison" is an accurate name, at least! This is arguably THE perfume of the 80s, with everything that comes with that. Should stay in the 80s, thank you very much, along with shoulder pads, big perms, and the Berlin Wall.)

DKNY Be Delicious and Kenzo FlowerbyKenzo Mini Reviews

I figured I would start with two of the more popular perfumes in my collection (two arms = two sniffing platforms), DKNY Be Delicious and Flower by Kenzo.

DKNY Be Delicious

image from Sephora

This is one of those fragrances that is a popular entry fragrance, because it's not too complicated and it smells nice.  I definitely wouldn't buy a full bottle of it, just because it's not complex enough to keep me interested, but I have enjoyed using the sample vial I have of it.  It smells like apples, but with a wonderful warmth and floralness.  These definitely aren't normal apples.  As an edt, it's not terribly strong and only lasts a few hours before it needs to be reapplied, but it's a great running-errands type smell: simple and non-fussy and makes you smile when you smell it.  It's classified by Osmoz as a floral chypre and by Sephora as a fresh citrus; I don't really have a strong preference in either direction.  Here's the fragrance pyramid for your reference.

$42 for 1 oz, $60 for 1.7 oz, $75 for 3.4 oz, available from Sephora, department stores, and Amazon (the latter is cheaper)