Pretty Machine

I first found out about this fragrance and the house of Kerosene in a post made by Florence Welch from Florence and The Machine on her Instagram page. As a fan, I was so curious to try! I remember her sharing Unknown Pleasures too, which is one of the most popular scents of this brand. However, the notes did not captivate me as much as this one did. I guess the idea of smelling like a lemon pie or a waffle cone didn't sound so appealing when compared to a mix of my favorite notes: Jasmine, Orange Blossom, with all the freshness of Bergamot and - my personal favorite - Neroli! When first spraying this, I knew there was a lot going on! But not in a bad way, not at all. It was a beautiful scent with a gentle, citric sharpness that somehow reminded me of the color silver, or steel; the "Machine" in Pretty Machine. The Linden in this fragrance brings me back to when my family and I went camping near a lake together in Northern Italy, waking up to the sound of what sounded like a swarm of bees above our tent. We were a little scared at first, until finding out that we had set up our tent under a Linden tree and that the bees were only seeking the nectar of the Linden Blossoms, innocently. Following the gorgeous floral potpourri, I sensed a surprising hint of Vetiver in the dry-down! I was not expecting to actually smell the rose and the vetiver in this fragrance to be frank, but the mix of these two notes with the Linden create a quite refined combination. Spring has just began here in Italy, but I honestly think this will be an even greater partner during the summer months!

I used to share a generous wooden art noveau apartment with my best friend during the uni that was on the street lined with linden trees. And late spring early summer sunny weekends when we pushed our big kitchen windows open, there was a huge scent bubble of honeyed aromatic linden blossoms mixing with freshly cooked eggs, strong coffee and occasional cheeky cigarette whilst sitting on the window sill. This is a true linden blossom scent with a bit more added honey note, deeper yellower and more intoxicating than I remember, but instantly familiar. Its gorgeous, well composed and performs really well. The linden blossom idea is on the steroids, its less green and tender than in real life, although lindens (that we here also dry to use for herbal tea) can smell also pretty powerful. There is a weird play with a musk on my skin, but its very brief moment in mid-phase. Pretty machine performs like a true super engine- I used a dabber for testing and it lasted on the back of my neck and neckline for hours.... what a pretty pretty thing! p.s. Its my 2nd try, the 1st time in the high summer heat, the musk in the scent was overwhelming, now when the temps have cooled a bit, its perfect.

I have a really difficult time with jasmine, gardenias, and orange blossom. I love the scents, but cannot find one that's wearable on me that doesn't choke me or turn. Pretty Machine works! I sprayed the decant twice, put it on my wrists and dabbed my neck with my wrists and that is enough. I live in south Florida, hot, humid and miserable 80% of the year, so I have to be careful with most applications. The orange blossom jumps (not screams) out at me and skips around like a little school girl. Happy, carefree and PRETTY too! It's not childish nor is it necessarily for a young woman, so don't think of those sweet girly perfumes because it is not. I don't know the other notes, I get something soft and pretty at dry down. Probably the musk, it's not heavy. It's perfect. I just love this and I believe this may be the first white floral that is full bottle worthy for me. One day...

Have you ever walked around a city during a VERY hot day, the kind of day where the heat shimmers on the sidewalk and everything smells like garbage? And every once in awhile, you pass an open doorway that BLASTS air conditioning right in your face? It's like a crisp, refreshing slap in the face- startling but sort of welcome. Pretty Machine feels just like that, it is linden / honeysuckle laundry detergent turned up to 11. Great for sticky hot days when you just want to feel clean and composed. It needs heat to both bloom and burn off the shrill top notes. In normal weather it's a bit too loud and can cause headaches.

The scent of linden blossoms — airy, pale yellow-green, light as summer breezes — is one of my favorites. Pretty Machine blends linden with sparkling citrus to make a lush yet crisp summery floral. The effect is totally pure, crisp, even sharp, without a hint of sweetness: it’s a pretty *machine* after all. this scent could have been designed for me. It’s light, cool, sparkling, with layers of floral nuance. Pretty Machine is a lot like La Chasse aux Papillons (another light, pretty linden floral) but maybe a touch greener and sharper.

Finally bought a full bottle of this today after circling it for a year. The Kerosene house is very left of center, and Pretty Machine fits into that body of work by being one of the more straightforward offerings. Both this and Dirty Flower Factory are great examples of masculine florals that lean into their floral components, rather than hide them behind more conventionally “manly” notes. Pretty Machine pops off the skin, capturing that point when Spring reclaims the air from Winter.

To me this is overwhelmingly a linden blossom perfume. I think it's perfect for the spring. I really like it and it last decently long time. To me it's not all about the linden but if you don't like that note you probably won't like this. You have to be into florals. It's an uplifting smell that reminds me of spring. Whenever I need a little spring (no matter the season) I reach for this scent. Uplifting

This is a dabber, NOT a spritzer. In tiny,strategically placed doses it is beautiful. Summer incarnate, for the brief time during which the lindens bloom. DON'T SPRAY !!!!!!! ;-)

Neroli is so lovely. This is bond no 9 Eau de New york without the kick. Long lasting and clean scent.

Yeah, fair enough - it really is! A bright, sparkly, fizzy zinging blast of freshness that keeps working for far longer than you might expect. Exhilarating burst of the start wisely balances out the smack of citrus with a halo of gorgeous flowery notes that aren't allowed to get too blowsy, so it strikes a perfect middle way between sweet & sour. Linden can get WAY too heady for me, but here it's just doing spring zing without putting a foot wrong. Smells clean, invigorating, spare and modern - synthetic grade for strength, but *seeming* just natural enough to work. (Still not as amazing as some more naturals-based treatments done in this sort of spring-meadow territory like Natsumeku ... but ... a lovely skip though the flowers all the same.) Gives it all it's got for a couple of hours, then fades out fast, leaves only a faintly but pleasantly metallic-salty-green wash behind for a few hours more, gone with the wind by 5h in. Not a real-world trip for me, as the price is too high and its identity not quite defined enough - but a genuinely cheerful and energetic thing to wear on warmer days. If you like the light, transparent, sheer, airy, outdoorsy style - this is a great showpiece.

Wow! One thing I love about kerosene is the fact that the names are always on point. „Pretty machine“ works so well on this one. It smells really pretty, flowery and kind of soapy, while also performing like a beast! I put this on one hand and „Walk The Sea“ on my other hand. While i did like the other one, this one just completely took all the attention from me. It‘s so strong, you can smell it even after hours! While the other one seemed to be overwhelmed by Pretty Machine, I still liked both. This one reminds me of soap, flowers and spring/summer. It blasts you with all those notes and also reminds me of walking past a Lush store. To me it smells very feminine, so I probably won‘t get a bottle of this. For some strange reason i really love the feminine perfumes from Kerosene.. huh. Anyway, in terms of performance this is just wonderful! If you‘re living in a hot country, you have to be super careful with overspraying. I don‘t think this is something to be worn every single day but rather to be enjoyed once in a while. I‘d imagine this to get quite heavy after a while, especially on a long and hot day. Still, I absolutely love this! It‘s just so good.

Extremely wearable jasmine freshie amalgamated with citrus blossoms and it's subservient classical notes. Green, clean, heady and classic smelling. Smells like something a French perfumer would make. Has a clean, laundered linen quality as well. Reminds me of 724 by MFK. This is a classic spring/summer fresh combination, especially for womens’ perfumes. Smells nice! Drying down is less bouquet-ish white florals, leaning dewy/fruity. Kind of like the drydown in Summer of ‘84. This reminds me of one of the Aqua di Gioias from Armani as well, the green or blue one..? It veers into that kind of dewy-ness. Sadly, there’s no WOW factor for me. It just smells so familiar and undistinctive from all the other mature white floral/aquatic lady perfumes. It doesn’t stand out. HOWEVER, that might be a good thing for those who want a familiar DNA and inoffensive smell, but pegg-ified. Lasts 1/3rd of the day, projects medium and respectful. Not the greatest numbers for a Kerosene fragrance but a fresh-floral fragrance like this doesn’t need to have monstrous performance either. Very wearable and solid pick for spring/summer. 7/10

Before I sprayed I was expecting something animalistic and very heavy judging by the name and by my association with Kerosene's product line. When I sprayed, i was surprised by a hit of tangy freshness with a slight "taste" of eucalyptus/mint cough lozenge "Strepsils". I would think it was a combination of lime and Linden Blossom backed up by neroli. On me, the second note I felt was the Orange Flower adding sweetness, followed by jasmine and a hint of musk.Jasmine is something to be very careful with as it opens on everyone very differently and can go from being exotically provocative to foul. I absolutely fell in love with the fragrance on the dry down. It is crisp, light, yet very bold, like a light slap on the face that you do not feel anymore ,but the one that has left a mark. The visual association I get is a Southern Belle, sipping a Mint Julep on the porch of her house in the early hours of the day in the early spring, when the air is just starting to get thick with natural perfumes. This is what I would picture a young Scarlett O'Hara would smell like

So bright and wearable! I don't get the machine part of it much or the industrial scent people are saying here but it's definitely pretty. I guess I can understand it if you count cleaning supplies as industrial but i don't place it in that category? I also often see "cleaning supply" being used as a negative descriptor but I honestly don't mind it (i'd even say i like it) and here it works well Smells really clean & sweet but in a gentle way I put on a bit too much at first and I was like WOW but it fades pretty fast and doesn't last superrr long. I think it'd be nice for an event but I don't think you could wear it all day without reapplying unless you mix it with lotions & oils etc. I don't see this as a feminine fragrance at all? I'm surprised by the votes on here. Yes it is very floral and it has that subtle sweetness but it's very unisex and even masculine at times

I love this. It's definitely one of the most straight-forward, wearable fragrances from Kerosene, but it's still interesting and dynamic. I was looking for a nice white floral without it being too powdery, and this delivered! I think this is a fabulous, youthful floral that I'd love to smell on someone. It's definitely one of the most blatantly feminine fragrances from this house. Honestly, when I first smelled it I kept waiting for some odd note to hit, maybe something animalic or decay-oriented but it never came! However, the fact that I personally know I'm spraying a Kerosene fragrance on myself makes me think the scent has a little edge to it. That's just bias talking though! Decent silage and great longevity.

Fresh and wet and bright. It isn’t listed as a note, and when I really focus and sniff I don’t smell the note itself at all, but it reminds me of a hyacinth. It’s kind of the essence of a hyacinth without a hyacinth note, if that makes sense - intensely floral, with an almost nose-puckering effect (the lemon?), and something damp and dewy over it all. I adore hyacinths and have had very bad luck with hyacinth perfumes, so this is a great find. Dries down to fluffy yellow linden flowers and a clean breeze. Perfect for spring, I’d imagine. Lovely on this gray autumn day. It smells very clean without smelling like a soap or cleanser. There’s a little lingering scent in my bubble like it’s just stopped drizzling.

The first thing my nose picks up on is a floral, citrus scent. Rose normally would make a fragrance smell wet to me but the white flowers in here are more than enough to steer it to a dry, almost powdery clean direction. In the background I also pick up some green notes. This reminds me of Summer of 84, another Kerosene fragrance. This could be her older sister. While Summer of 84 is more fun with melon and isn't dry at all, Pretty Machine is more elegant with its rose and more mature with its vetiver. If you're looking for a white floral with more maturity to it this could be worth trying. Sadly for me there's nothing that piques my interest personally.

Upon my first time testing, I got an overwhelming blast of the orange blossom; which tends to feel quite dusty on me, but as I've gone to testing again, I got more of the magnolia and neroli. Seeing as I'm from the southern states, I love how Pretty Machine seems to capture the distinct smell of spring time wild flowers and especially the bittersweet sharpness of white florals in the morning breeze. It's as if I was dusted with pollen and the milky discharge from broken plant stems that I always smeared along my fingers as I played in the woods as a child. Just beautifully done.

Using a sample from luckyscent — Light, cheerful, sweet yellow florals. Bit of green mixed in. Very little citrus. Unlike some other reviewers, to me and a few coworkers, this comes off as very bright and youthful. My other experiments with strong yellow florals always failed (too cloying or screechy), but I actually really like this. I wish I could combine Pretty Machine’s flowers with the metallic edge from Dirty Flower Factory (which had very strong white florals that bordered on soapy, which I was so-so about, but a metallic edge that was fascinating).

Wow! This one is soooo pretty! The name matches the scent perfectly. On my skin I get the linden, bergamot, lime, and lots of white flowers. This is a beautifully fresh, clean floral, which is slightly green. I also pick up on the musk. Of course fragrance is genderless- wear what you want- but in my opinion this leans rather feminine. This would be beautiful in the Spring! This is a powerful one, so it doesn’t take a lot. I’ve added this to my “want” list!

Particular. Oh yes , this fragrance is really special , it opens pungently , it makes the nose dilate , like fresh and pungent air on a March morning , ready to host the rebirth that will take place , the change in the landscape ( which I perceive thanks to the roundness of the white and Yellowstone flowers), which is accentuated even more with the background vetiver. Long-lasting and trail, ideal for spring and summer. “Spring” painted by Walter T. Crane.

This is so lovely; honeyed linden blossom, not yet in full bloom but already sweet with the first bees buzzing around the trees, and fresh citruses on a cool green day in May. It's sunny and bright. It reminds me of ''la chasse aux papillons'' but stronger and more long-lasting. I've only tried Pretty Machine and Follow from this house, but so far I have to say that I'm impressed and I'm looking forward to try more offerings from Kerosene.

First sniff opens up a strong scent of limoncello and a soft spring breeze, then the floral notes really come out on the skin. The lime, lemon and bergamot come together to make this a really fresh, pleasant citrus smell without being overly sweet or cloying. It sort of reminds me of a modern take on a lemon verbena. Very approachable fragrance from this brand!

Opening is a blast of sweet linden blossom but what follows is fresh, citrusy and a little minty. What an interesting fragrance! It reminds me of June in the Northern hemisphere - Spring in full swing, with blooming trees, freshly cut grass and a light breeze. I really like the linden / neroli mix. This is the kind of white floral I can get behind!

Straight up 100 piece flower bouquet from a someone showing up to your front door picking you up to a date. It’s very in your face and realistic. I can’t differentiate specific flowers. I appreciate the scent and respect the crap out of it but it’s too heavy for me. If you want a beast mode flower, this is worth it!

This is fresh with green and citrusy undertones. What I've experienced with Kerosene frags so far is that the notes pyramid matches the actual scent. I tried this without knowing the notes beforehand, and really enjoyed it.

The citrus in this reads clean, dewy, and green rather than juicy or sweet. The florals are the focal point of this fragrance! Very spring-y and fresh on my skin. Reminds me of picking honeysuckles and lilacs.

Perfect to wear to the gym. Or spray your carpeted room with after cleaning. Very spring and outdoorsy, in a natural way. Breathe deep and feel good.

Soft pretty white floral. Wish I could expand more on this kerosene, unfortunaly like Madeline stories that all there is, there isnt any more :(

really bright, perfect for a warm summer day in the city tbh, i love the liden flower note!!

First blast of sweet clean orange blossom, sharpened by citrus. It feels very white floral, fresh, simple. A couple minutes later, the musk starts to warm on my skin, deepening the sweetness of the florals and fruit, softening that rather sharp citrus note. Would I be able to distinguish this scent from the millions of others citrus white florals out there? Probably not. It's still a charming perfume though. Feminine and best for warm weather. 6+ hours later: The scent stayed very linear on that sweet white floral and citrus, particularly the citrus. Still soft and faint on my skin.

I received a sample of this fragrance with a purchase of another fragrance. Pretty machine is essentially photorealistic bouquet of flowers plus high end luxury soap. Not a lot going on and pretty straightforward. However I’d say this is probably an amazing choice for spring and summer. This fragrance says unisex but is extremely soft and delicate I.e. feminine. Not saying a man can’t wear it but... again flowers and soap. I can picture a sophisticated woman wearing this fragrance.

A nice sweet floral. More complex and interesting than most on the market. Not too sweet and never sticky. It transforms as it wears, sometimes lighter and more airy, sometimes sweeter and sensual. Would be interesting to see how it develops in warmer weather. Ultimately it's just too floral for my taste but I am glad I sampled it.

Citrus as the top accord is wayyy off. It is a very feminine leaning floral with a whisper of citrus. It's a "pretty" scent but not what I was expecting.

Must be the Linden, this smells bad on me. Like I thought black and emphatic at first but upon reflection... why I am smelling like this.

A beautified, deepened rose, not bad but I prefer other terrains of those notes.

Flower (Over)Power. I ordered this perfume as a sampler because I'm a big fan of citrus, and for my first foray into scent exploration I wanted to order a variety of scents, some more floral, some more spice, but all unified by citrus notes. This one is the only one that wont be making it off the blotter and onto my skin. While there is an initial hit of citrus, it is quickly overpowered by the florals in this piece, which dont smell fresh but rather stale and matronly. Even my mom, ineloquent and anosmic as she is, took one wiff and went "ew, grandma." I couldnt detect any of the other notes in the scent, even when I returned to it hours later, everything was drowned in florals. Maybe it settles differently on skin, but I'm not willing to give this scent a second chance. This was also the most stereotypically Perfumey of the batch of scent samplers I ordered, it doesnt smell like a spring breeze through the flower garden, but rather your overperfumed grandma coming in for an unwanted hug when you were 6.

I'm probably going to get blasted for saying this, and don't get me wrong, I enjoy Kerosene's approach to unique scents. That being said, this smelled like citrus scented industrial cleaner with a bit of artificially sweet pez candy thrown in the mix. It came out in a sparkly blast, almost effervescent and initially is quite strong. This does not work on my skin whatsoever. However, on clothing it's a whole other matter. On clothing the harsh citrus doesn't cling and what's left is an exotic sunny neroli that's neither sweet, spicy, or grassy. It's simple but it's pure and lovely. Maybe I need to give it another shot but I do not get FB of perfumes that need to be sprayed on clothing to be tolerated or enjoyed. I'll update if another wearing or two gives me a different perspective or appreciation of this scent.

PRETTY MACHINE smells like pretty and works like a machine in terms of sillage. I don't know that I've ever smelled Linden blossom out in nature; it's not anything to which I've been exposed. That said, if you've never smelled Linden or orange blossoms, you'd describe PRETTY MACHINE as a honeysuckle scent with a hint of mimosa. I do not smell white flowers or cream, nothing old or musty or grandma. Instead, PRETTY MACHINE is a gentle happy scent, a young natural blond, dressed in freshly laundered* summer whites and dress shoes, off to play on the country club grounds. * If you spray it on your clothes, they will smell like they've been freshly laundered. This scent DOES smell like clean laundry. For this reason, I would not buy. That, and I got a bit of a headache and needed strong coffee to offset this.

Starts with a sharp hit of citrus, which fades almost immediately, leaving something green and very floral, with a distinct flower I don't recognize—maybe the linden—and a bit of honeysuckle. There's a green, borderline metallic thread running through for me. I get the yellow florals quite clearly, the white florals as a background, and essentially no citrus or musk. There is just a trace of something industrial or metallic, cold and marine and not terribly welcoming. Maybe good for someone seriously into perfumes, as it's quite different, but to me it does smell like very expensive detergent.

Some yellow flower (linden blossom) is right there at the beginning, then joins by a messy mix of florals. Never smell perfumes with linden blossom as a main note before, so after this i guess its not my thing. Too sweet for my liking and lean feminine. Good performance with better than average sillage.

I got absolutely no citrus from this. I was overwhelmed with florals. They just got sweeter as time went on. This fragrance reminds me of Pinrose's Wild Child, but does not have the powdery dryness that Wild Child does. A pass for me

Light florals blend (as if that weren’t bad enough) mixed with cleaning product citrus. 🍊 no thanks. 🧼 🧽

Wow, I wish I can like this like everyone else but I hate it! Machine it is, in terms of silage, and not in a good way. See The thing is this is a Spring/Summer scent but with The silage of a winter perfume, which IMO ONLY works when it’s Spring Flower (ftwd know a scent by Creed)

The machine part of this pretty floral is way too overwhelming for me, I'm not into industrial cents, and this one is a weird nauseating mixture of floral and industrial, with additional of a little fish. Sorry :(

I get the citrus. Very Strong. It smells like a powerful cleaning fluid to me. UGH!

My tastes must really be shifting. I am THE queen of dark, mysterious, heady, smoky, rosy, oriental fragrances. I think I got stuck buying them, but I never grow weary of them. This one was a shock for me. I love white florals but have to be so careful with them because they can kick your tail, and how many of us have regretted that "extra" spritz that sent us( an others) into a tailspin of strong, strong, white florals?? This one is a drop kick to the face in a good way for me. Luckily, I got this as a sample and so, being the frugal chick that I am, I only sprayed a TEENY bit on my wrist. Whoa, nelly! Blast of spring is right! It is now six hours later, and I still smell it FINE on me. I am in love with that linden/lime blossom and the orange blossom tango. Sooo pretty. This definitely reminds me of something from my grandmother's house which was surrounded by Azalea bushes, honeysuckle, roses, etc, etc. what I also love about this fragrance is that for me at least, the citrus is still kicking after all these hours. That makes it full bottle worthy for me. What a delight. This fragrance is that delightful feeling you get when the first bands of spring start stretching around you. The only issue I can see is that it also seems to possibly be that thin line between loving spring and hating it because of the pollen... Beware. You SERIOUSLY only need a drop of this. I am serious. If you go for full sprays, especially around the face, the sweetness of it could definitely become cloying and even sickening. I would save the full sprays for stomach, behind the knees or ankles. And only a DAB at the wrists and neck. Don't want to knock yourself out. I think if sprayed on the tummy, it will SURELY waft up around you, and even then, you really do not need a lot. I SO WANT A FULL BOTTLE OF THIS. From the commentary it seems like Kerosene Fragrances are super bold and over the top. Perhaps the beauty of them lies in the self restraint in applying them. Because less is definitely more! <3

Pretty Machine is a bit of a simplistic scent for the usually weird Kerosene line. I get mostly linden, orange blossom, lemon, rose and clean laundry musk. I enjoy the linden and orange blossom notes. Linden can be iffy on me; it's either the essence of spring and fresh air (like Tauer's Zeta) or a piercing lemon cleaner detergent note (Heeley's L'Amandiere). Here, the linden is well behaved and actually is supported by an interesting note that smells like melon...cantaloupe specifically. I usually don't like melon notes but here it makes the linden and orange blossom into a very sunny and happy scent. Unfortunately the musk used here is that synthetic smelling laundry type that sort of ruins the scent for me. If I could remove "clean laundry musk" from perfumery altogether, I would. Good sillage but low longevity ; not as bombastic as other Kerosene scents.

Pretty sure the person who listed this fragrance as unisex with citrus as the main accord was either thinking of another fragrance or was very drunk. If you’re a gal who’s ever visited a flower shop and thought, “this is EXACTLY what I want to smell like” then look no further — you’ve found your new signature scent! As someone who doesn’t enjoy florals at all, I had to scrub. :(

Yes it smells clean, and I would tolerate it as a detergent. The main scent in this is linden blossom and I would stand still and inhale it in nature, as a perfume it's an absolute no for me. It has a very vintage vibe and it's unusual, but I believe this note is not used in perfume much for a good reason.