La Fede White Forest Strawberry

Truthfully this smelt like a less soapy Khair Pistachio when I first got it, but I had hopes the strawberry will come out some more. I did like testing Khair Pistachio but wished it was less soapy and fresh so voila, I was happy with this anyway. I've now had it for over 2 months. It does have some more layers than Khair Pistachio to it such as a really wonderful birthday cake accord which really shines especially hours into the drydown, as well as white chocolate but the strawberry itself is a stretch still. If anything I would say there is a little greenness to it which I may acquiesce as to the leafy parts of the fruit. But when we say strawberry we are talking about the juicy red fruit. Its a strong like because of the birthday cake scent which is definitely pretty and layers well to bring an extra cakeyness to my perfumes but this is not strawberry as I would like, so its a bit disappointing and not a love. It literally just needed a drop of strawberry to be a love, Khadlaj if you're listening can this be reformulated into a hit like you did to Empire Victor! I do absolutely love its sister Brown Choco, that one is top 3 gourmand perfume for me.

Ridiculously gorgeous. I’m not getting the pistachio note others seem to smell, or a cake note. If anything, the unlisted note I smell is my beloved moss. This is not a gourmand to my nose. The amber is also very light so I’m guessing the amber accord isn’t labdanum based, maybe patchouli or moss. The vanilla is fresh and not overly sweet, more like a vanilla orchid rather than the bean. And the star for me here is the intertwined jasmine and strawberry. This is what wild strawberries still attached to their plant smell like when they’re sitting in the warm summer sun. Beautifully understated, sophisticated and special, unlike anything else in my collection. Can’t wait to see how it develops over the coming months. Big shout out to all perfumes packaged in opaque bottles! Love the matte feel of the bottle, too. It conveys the softness within. I think this is unisex with a slight lean to the feminine. And finally, this dna reminds me of Mind Games - hope that’s helpful since this doesn’t seem to be a dupe of anything and smells nothing like Her or YPG.

I just got this in the mail today, so this is a first impression. Based on the notes and description that it’s a gourmand, I was expecting this to be kinda of a strong and thick scent. However it turned out to be light and airy. My daughter remarked that she smelled strawberries when I first sprayed this on, so I guess the berry notes are there in the top. In the middle I can smell something really really familiar and at first I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I remembered an Escada perfume that I had in a heart shaped bottle, which had blueberries, jasmine and macaron notes in it. I assumed the jasmine and vanilla gave off a similar vibe. In the drydown I smell almonds and hint of cherry. I know these 2 notes have the same chemical composition. Then it suddenly dawned on me why this is so familiar. L’Occitane Ultra Rich body wash. To some degree, the Shea butter hand cream. Same scent. To my nose, at least. So if you like that shea, almondy, with a faint fruity, cherry scent, you will like this. 🍒

Finally!! I’ve been waiting for Fragrantica to list this one. I’ve had it since it came out and it’s SO GOOD 😍😍 If you love gourmands with strawberry and kind of almondy (it’s not listed but I smell almond or hazelnut) and so different from whatever is out there, you will love it! I’m crazy about any scent with strawberry in it and this one is a strawberry dessert for sure 🍓🍓🍓🍰🍰 And the bottle is so cute 🥰 Also it’s “chocolate friend” Brown Choco that came out at the same time is so good as well! Both of them need a bit of maceration though, so you can smell the full thing. Totally worth the wait 💕💕🍓🍓🍰

Side note, I just learned there’s a white strawberry (which is a hybrid of Japanese white strawberries and Florida strawberries) called... Pineberry. A literal application of that name is not exactly perfect for a perfume like this one as I’m sure that could be interpreted like juniper berries or maybe green, closed pinecones. So if you switch pineberry to white forest strawberry it feels a lot like it’s conveying the same ideas, at least to me. Thanks for following me on my tangent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineberry