Blase

Introduction: This is a rather lovely little perfume here, and I am extremely surprised to find so few reviews and votes because it is a really pleasant scent for very little money. I had assumed it was more popular or well known. As other reviewers have mentioned, this does not smell at all cheap, and I agree with both Halvah and Anja Karenina that if this came in a fancy bottle with fancy labels and fancy price tag it would likely be a resounding success. I am sure there will be people who have not even noticed this because the bottle design etc doesn't exactly jump out and grab the attention. I think sometimes people are also put off, perhaps even subconsciously, by things that are priced so low. If I find myself falling into this illogical trap I have to remind myself of Dana Tabu - one of my favourite perfumes and also easily one of the least expensive I own. First Impressions: I actually came across Blase by chance, I had become interested in Rochas Byzantine and while reading about that saw that a number of people had voted Blase as reminding them of Byzantine, and that was the first time I heard of it. I clicked through to this page and the genre - Floral Aldehyde - is one I tend to particularly enjoy, and the notes list looked promising. A quick search online and I found a 30ml bottle for only £3 delivered! At that price, less than a cup of fancy coffee, I decided it would be rude not to buy it and give it a shot. Especially as it was between 10% and 1% of the prices of Byzantine I could find! Blase is pleasant right from the opening, and like other reviewers I found that it felt familiar to me, although to my knowledge I had not smelled it before. Maybe I have smelled it on others at some point in past without knowing, or perhaps it is just one of those scents that feels comfortable, reassuring and familiar right from the outset. The Fragrance: The opening is pretty smooth, balanced and quite refined, with top notes being dominated by aldehydes for me; I don't really notice any bergamot, redcurrants are perhaps there but not very noticeable to me. The feeling of comfortable reassurance and nostalgia is present from the beginning for me. The aldehydes are fairly gentle and not at all overpowering, and luckily they don't have that strident or shrill character that some aldehydic fragrances possess, nor do they turn ashy which is another trait I dislike in perfumes. The other notes as they come in to play are actually very well balanced and smoothly blended, so much so that I would I think struggle to guess the notes without a reference. I think to achieve such a smooth blend from such a low priced fragrance is quite impressive. The notes I can pick oout where some clean jasmine, hints of amber and sadalwood, and what I thought was carnation but is probably the cloves. As others have stated, the aldehydes remain throughout the duration of the perfume, never overdone, they just carry through giving Blase a lovely clean and fresh appeal while providing a structure and backdrop for the other notes. Performance and Atmosphere: This is a lovely, feminine perfume. It doesn't feel dated but yet it still retains something of the spirit of the era of perfumery in which it was conceived. It feels relaxed and casual in an elegant way - relaxed like a confident and stylish woman who on her days off wears wide leg trousers and loose layered tops and goes for a walk, rather than my version of relaxed off-day lounge wear which consists of comfy PJs or tracky bottoms and lolling about on the settee! Longevity seems reasonable on me, lasting around 4-6 hours I believe (although my nose is a bit "off" at the moment so it may be present longer without me knowing), but for only £3 for 30ml I don't mind respraying after a few hours! This projects politely, it will leave a delicate tail in the first hour or two after applying, after which it will envelop you in your personal space but probably won't be projecting beyond arms length. Again though, hard for me to judge that myself so I'll have to enlist Himself for some experiments when I feel better! Summary: Blase is a solid perfume that appears to be well made and well blended, and which performs consistently when worn on skin and/or clothing. The scent is at once elegant and relaxed, refined yet familiar and reassuring, nostalgic but not outdated. This is a daytime scent in my opinion, however I think it would be suitable for most daytime purposes. Possibly office-friendly depending on the particular culture in your workplace. Reasonable longevity and gently persistent sillage. The 30ml size is perfect for chucking in your handbag to freshen up mid day.If you are a fan of feminine fragrances that are not limited to the ubiquitous gourmands or fruity florals or sickly sweet pink things, or you don't want to smell like everyone else, then I urge you to give this one a try. Conclusion (TL;DR): Blase is a lovely perfume that has been massively overlooked and under rated IMO. Available for ridiculously low prices if you look online, and excellent value for money. Longevity = 4-6 hours, maybe more Sillage = 1-2 foot, approx, leaves gentle trail Definitely one to try if you're even vaguely curious. Oh and finally... I managed to sample a tiny amount of Byzantine, and while the opening is very different, by drydown there is definitely a resemblance.

I bought this one just today, it was really a bargain. The smell is really classic, floral and comfortable, warm and not overpowering at all, although it's strong enough to leave a great sillage and last very long. It has a nostalgic feeling to it, indeed. As if it was very familiar, it reminds me of my grandma who always had a nice, warm, ultra-feminine and very delicate smell. Is it old-ladyish then? Not for me, but I understand if many feels like that. You mustn't use a lot, just a few drpos that will last and last but melt into your skin to leave a soft, feminine, very nice smell. It's cheap, but I don't think either it to be 'cheap-smelling'. But it IS simple. A very nice everyday-perfume for little cost that has a certain style and quality. Don't look for expensive luxury notes, just give it a try. A my last advice: try to imagine this juice in a beautiful, luxurious bottle and for many times more money. I'm sure some of you will appreciate it immediately.

This fragrance is quite different than any I have encountered over the (many!) years. I find it to be fresh yet heady. Sophisticated yet sporty. Simple yet complex. Quite the mix! I love the aldehydes in the opening, as I do love aldehydes. However, in most fragrances, they mellow or even disappear. In Blasé they last thoughout the total wearing time which is both unique and to me quite glorious. I don't smell the flowers in the middle notes very much. They are just hinted at, on my skin. The dry down is just a mellow, inviting and wearable version of the opening. The sillage is quite heavy and the lasting power is incredible! I really do enjoy wearing this somewhat mixed up and crazy scent!

I used to love this as a child - it reminded me of the grown up's Estee - was as cheap as chips (pocket money perfume) and great fun to wear!!! Made me feel 'grown up" LOL The aldehydes were the main note in this all the way through but with a peekage of the rose and red berries! Not to be taken too seriously when it came to perfume notes. As I mentioned it seemed to be attempting to clone Estee which was 'the' big perfume of the day! I wonder if it is still available?

Original was produced by Max Factor, and the scent was different, I can't describe that, and long lasting. I still have an original, empty bottle and the new one, and the notes are not exactly the same. I have no idea why MF has sold the formula to the oders, it was really unique parfume :-(