Acqua Neroli

ABSOLUTELY DIVINE, HANDS DOWN. Fresh, sexy, beautiful, comforting, relaxing. I almost missed it at Sephora yesterday evening; thank God I turned around and saw it and took the bottle to my nose. I would've missed out on this masterpiece! I fell head over heels for it right away. I absolutely LOVE Tom Ford Neroli Portofino but I cannot afford a bottle. This smells so identical, but less sharp and softer. It's so mellow and airy. I discovered right then that Neroli is my favorite note in a fragrance, and boy, does it shine through or what?! Had I had the money, I would've bought a bottle of this on the spot. I will definitely be purchasing it soon. 15/10. Scent: 15/10 Price: $95 for 3.4 fl. oz. at Sephora. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. This will be the most I'll ever have paid for a bottle of cologne with no regrets! Longevity: 10/10! I sprayed it on around 7 PM and when I woke up at 7 AM this morning, I still smelled it on my neck! Sillage: 11/10. With only one spray, I freshened up the subway and trains I was on with this amazing, bright, beautiful, and sexy Dudu (insider) scent! It's not overpowering at all. I felt so sexy. THIS IS #2 on my all-time favorites list behind Neroli Portofino. I finally found what I'm looking for! =)

Going off the notes alone, I didn't think I'd love this as much as I do. This was a blind buy based on my general agreement with Clean brand scents, and they didn't let me down. This is from their more expensive Reserve line and it's noticeably better than their standard "laundry" type spritzes. This is unisex, bright, fresh, sparkling, and clean, with a warm, neutral base. It reminds me of Sun Light dishwashing liquid mixed with Palmolive, but infused with heated citrus and creamy, sweet musk. If bergamot typically doesn't wear well on you, give this a try - the oranges overtake it and leave no hint of it behind after 10 minutes. The neroli top melts perfectly with the tiniest hint of sandalwood in the dry down. The zesty "clean" note from most of their fragrances does make an appearance in the middle, but it's nowhere near as prominent as in Fresh Laundry & Warm Cotton. Longevity is as expected for this price point, though I have not yet tested it in summer temps. Notes I pick up but that aren't official are lemon, honeysuckle, and iris.

This was a blind buy based on reviews because I wanted to try a floral citrus fragrance for a change. And it was on sale. :) Still, I cannot believe I paid that much money for a perfume that smells exactly like the "Soft Cotton" air freshener from AirWick's Pure range that I have in my bathroom. The same sharp synthetic citrusy opening that fades into a soft synthetic "white flowers-fresh linen-clean air" combo that is very, very pleasant, almost heavenly, and makes you wonder why can't laundry detergents make your sheets smell like this, even though you're not really sure why you associate this smell with freshly laundered sheets or clean air or white flowers. Or what those flowers might be. I don't regret buying it but the price, even on sale, might not have been worth it. On the plus side I smell very clean. One could say pure.

This is hands down my favorite Neroli scent that has incredible silage and longevity. Up to this point Issey Miyake Soleil de Neroli was my favorite neroli scent but this has eclipsed that. It is so full-bodied, fresh and clean. There are some fragrances that have it all and leave you totally satisfied. This is one of them. Whoever the perfumer was who created it didn't miss a beat. This smells as wonderful on first spray and throughout its hours and hours of wear (10 hours!!!) right until the very end when it finally becomes a skin scent. This is NEROLI. Every other note is there just to accentuate that clean, creamy, lightly citric, sweetly floral note. The whole composition is a deluxe sensuous experience. Best yet, it is all natural too. This is an off the rails big, BIG, love for me.

Snuck a generous few sprays of this from someone's bathroom cabinet. Such a naughty way to smell so good. On my skin this had a delightfully clear feeling, exuding melodic neroli, orange blossom, and citruses, with some extra depth from what smells like perhaps lime blossom. The base notes are fleeting, so the cheery top and middle fizzle out rather than giving way to a new scent profile. I cannot imagine somebody objecting to this smell. My coworkers, roommates, and girlfriend were all coming right up to me to put their noses to my skin. Perfume should not be about the opinions of others, but it is an undeniably good feeling when a fragrance makes others want to get close to you.