Cookies & Kisses

Oh my, this is lovely! Where have you been all of my life? lol. I knew going by the reviews here and elsewhere online that purchasing this might be a gamble, it appears to be a polarising scent. Well, all I can say is (thankfully) the gamble paid off this time around. As far as the name goes, I don't know about cookies but I am getting baked goods for sure. To be specific, an apple and cinnamon pie baking in the oven. Vanilla essence has also been added to the pie, and you can smell it as it heats up. When people say this is a warm fragrance, they are not kidding! I've not experienced a scent as warm as this before. It would be just the ticket for chilly/ cold days. Spring is nearly upon us and now I wish we could turn back the clock and it be autumn and winter again, just so I can wear Cookies and Kisses. Images that this evokes in my mind are of autumn leaves falling all around and gathering on the ground, halloween, bonfires, but also.Christmas time. This is warming, comforting, uplifting and addictive, delicious and borderline edible. I love it right from the opening to the dry-down, it smells delectable all the way through. This is a firm favourite and will always be in my collection now. I can't speak on longevity yet, but I can tell you it is definitely strong enough to project. If you wear this, there is no chance that people around you would find it anything but pleasing. That is just not possible lol. So this is a quintessential autumn and winter scent. For day or evening wear. Work appropriate when applied in moderation. And leans feminine.

One of the best gourmands I’ve smelt, no joke! The first spray is very clean and fresh, and after a minute, the apple blends in with the chestnut and balsam fir, reminiscent of baking an apple pie or even making a salty cookie dough on Christmas. It’s sweet, a bit spicy, and a bit balsamic, and it blends beautifully. The dry down is smooth, woodsy, and a bit smoky, reminding me of a fireplace in a log cabin. I don’t find this perfume to be linear in the least bit and smells complex like two things are happening at once. On one side, I get pies and cookies baking in the oven at once, and on the other side, I smell a Christmas tree all taking place within a log cabin. When I first smelt this at Ulta, it didn’t really do much for me, but the more it dried down, the more I kept smelling my wrist and slowly falling in love with it. I thought it was some modern-day vanilla where the notes are pretty self-explanatory and linear but I was wrong. Yesterday, I bought it and was surprised by the notes when I looked it up on Fragrantica because I have never seen or smelt anything like this before. Cliniques take on a gourmand is very Clinique lol... they really thought out of the box for this when creating a gourmand like they would’ve released in the 90s if that makes sense. This one is gonna stay in my collection for as long as I can buy it... 10/10 for me

A lovely Christmas cookie by the fire. It contains vanilla, but it’s not listed. It is peppery at first, but it’s mixed with a resinous, woody amber, so it’s not overpowering, and soon fades, then it just has a warm spice to it. If comparing to by the fireplace (which I also love) this is not the same at all, more like a distant relative, but they could share a couple of ingredients as it has that vibe. This is much less smokey, much softer, much more traditionally feminine and much sweeter. A baby niece to by the fireplace. I can’t stop smelling this one. If you smell the sillage instead of the skin it does smell of cookies, but more a warm spiced Christmas cookie, I definitely get Christmas vibes from this. Unfortunately 1 spray doesn’t give too much projection, especially not when comparing to something like by the fireplace which is a beast. But it’s enough to smell without raising my arm to my face, and the scent really is sweet, a bit nutty, warm spicy and almost creamy. It’s delicious. Edit: the dry down is sugary sweet and warm, like a mixture of roasted chestnuts and marshmallow. It’s similar to Ariana Grande Cloud. If BTF is the uncle then Cloud is the grandma. And the sister..... This is Her by Zadig and Voltaire. I should also note that I can’t smell ambroxan.

I heard about this fragrance via an online review. Of course I had to try it. Went to a store that carries Clinique products and sampled it. Did some shopping, came back to the store and bought it. It just makes me happy! It's cheerful! That's the best way I can describe it. I love that I can smell the peppery, woody notes but that they are tempered by the hazelnut and apple. I know it's not a niche or designer fragrance...maybe that's another reason why I like it so much...its just regular like me...trying to make people around me happy... (just like I try to. )😊 Layer it with BBW Vanilla Bean Noel lotion for added longevity. And to be honest the Longevity is actually not that bad. I get about 5 hours. I wish it came in a larger bottle but this size is nice for taking with you. Price is good too. I ordered another one on their site but the Bay also carries Clinique products. Enjoy! Just found a very very similar perfume to this. Philosophy Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere.

This is such an underrated perfume! I can't seem to find a bigger bottle than 15ml. It is absolutely a dupe for Maison Margiela's By the Fireplace - or the other way round, not sure which came first tbh! I love that it doesn't fit its name - there's no cookies here, it's 100% not a gourmand at all which I'm all for. It's smoky and woodsy, with a chestnutty toasty sweetness. This is Autumn in a bottle for me, cosy and comforting without the usual vanilla sweetness or cake smells that seem to be everywhere at this time of year. I agree with what other reviewers have said that it's a more wearable version of By the Fireplace too - which can sometimes feel overly smoky and almost musty basement smelling to some.