Cashmere Kumquat

I was looking for an Alien Essence Absolue - Alien Eau Extraordinaire blend, the best of both worlds and I found it here. I was looking to repurchase the Alien Eau Extraordinaire, but it's discontinued. This is a nice alternative that combines more elements. Using my points (I am obsessed with Korres skincare, it saved my skin), I got it for 16 bux basically. Cashmere Kumquat is like the Greek (long lost) part of Asia Minor itself, a crossroad of aromas where the mystical Anatolia and the middle east meet the western world. I smell beloved elements from various perfumes in this gem, that blend wonderfully here. The balsamic woody cashmere here with the jasmine create that Alien vibe, but without the intense sharp amber of the Aliens which always bothered me as it was too balsamic and "old lady-like". The cashmere here intensifies at the drydown, reminiscent of Alien EDT (citruses, mandarin orange, jasmine, amber, cashmeran). However, the woody, fresh, musky part of it, with all the citrus fruits stays closer to Alien Eau Extraordinaire being musky, but without smelling as "dry" (no sandalwood here) and sharp on my skin as that one. It lasts 6-7 hours on me. After 3-4 hrs I mainly get Alien Eau Extraordinaire and Essense Absolue vibes from it. Here we have the oriental "cashmere wood" which is more musky than Alien's heavy Cashmeran note (Cashmeran being extra ambery) and luckily we have no amber here, even though cashmere itself is quite ambery. So Cashmere Kumquat does not have the pungent, overly sharp amber scent that I dislike in the Aliens. The opening has an orangey sweet-sour vibe from the citrusy yet sweet kumquat and the orange-mandarin which is beautiful, and along with the cedar and almond, they create a fresh, almost milky, nutty, subtly green scent which is the essence of the perfume and very reminiscent of Marc Jacobs Perfect which has Cashmere, almond milk, cedar and rhubarb giving that similar green sweet-sour tone to it just how kumquat offers it here. The MJ Perfect vibe stays subtly throughout for me giving it a fresher nuance. The citrusy orange-almond pairing is so beautiful and I smell it even after 30 mins on my skin. I also smell a little bit of Girl of Now here from the vanilla-sweet smooth almond, cashmere, mandarin orange and orange blossom blend common in both, mainly in the fresher, citrusy, almost lactonic, almond-rich opening of Cashmere Kumquat. The orange blossom is intense in this, giving a sunny feel to it right away and intensifying the oriental vibe as it does in Girl of Now. Cashmere Kumquat stays fresh on me longer than the Aliens, and the cedar helps so much in that and to counteract any pencil shavings smell the cashmere may induce, and that's what I always disliked in Alien the EDP, the EDT which I have, and even in my beloved Alien Eau Extraordinaire which actually contained sandalwood too: the dry pencil shavings overly woody side in them (and Alien EDT smells rather stale too). I don't have that here, just cashmere's smooth woodiness. The vanilla drydown of Cashmere Kumquat is smooth and warm with the nutty almond which prompts me to recall how Alien Essence Absolue smelled: warm, rich, decadent, due to their common vanilla note, but this is much lighter since it has no actual amber, no incense, no orris and myrrh, but the vanilla does the trick here to smooth it out and remove any sharpness the jasmine/cashmere produce. Even from the opening, the vanilla is prominent with that Alien Essence Absolue nutty balsamic vibe. Moving on from the much fresher, slightly green, sweet-tart almond opening which persists for quite some time, it progressively becomes deeper, more woody and balsamic -ambery as the cashmere takes center stage, while I still detect the MJ Perfect vibe in it. The fresh yet oriental orange blossom, jasmine and cedar blend remind me of Playboy's Queen of the Game floral balsamic side, the way it is slightly powdery yet fresh with a green vibe too (from the black currant there). To me this Korres creation is more youthful than the stale Alien EDT and the heavy balsamic overly sharp Alien EDP. It is still part of the usual sweet and melancholy oriental recipe found in many perfumes like Alien (the EDT and the Eau Extraordinaire too), Girl of Now or even in Poison girl/(Fleur De Femme and Varens d'Orient Amethyst), with the added heavy rose & heliotrope of the latter. That recipe usually utilizes citrus fruits like orange and lemony scents even pineapple and unripe pear: orange/lemon - mandarin, along with almond, ambery cashmeran, orange blossom or/and jasmine. For me this is a 10/10 perfume.

I found this perfume in Greece, after I bought Aegean bronze from the same brand, the seller gave me a small sample of this and when I tried it... it made me feel elegant but not too much even in a summer day, it’s warm and Jasmine at the same time, but on my skin was perfect appropriate for the weather. I am able to feel the orange-kumquat-jasmine blend on a warm base, that is uplifting and delicious the same time. When I discovered this scent I didn’t know how alien smells like, but I tried it after and yes there are common points especially the jasmine notes but I didn’t find it the same, this fragrance is smoother and versatile.

I am OBSESSED with this, oh my god. This is Alien, but with every issue I had fixed. Seriously, it's like the perfume gods heard my pleas and answered them. It is all white floral, warm cashmere, and a burst of citrus at the beginning. I am a big fan of Alien so when I saw people saying this was similar, I was a little wary. This is 10000% better for me though, considering that this is lighter and a little fruitier, while still projecting enough to get me compliments galore. I smell like I'm your cool, mysterious neighbor who has orange trees and sunbathes in the backyard.

I wear this one very often. Its a bright, woody scent that is right up my ally. It starts off as something quite strong and synthetic, but blends nicely into something very unique and organic. I cannot compare it to Mugler's Alien as I have never smelled it, but I do smell a grape-y note that many talk about with Alien from this fragrance in the beginning—and not in a bad way! The jasmine is definitely the strongest note in this fragrance, at least on my skin. It projects moderately well but I wish it lasted longer on the skin. It definitely lasts on my clothing, however!

Oh dear I’m so in love with this. I absolutely love its smell, I also use the shower gel and the body cream. It feels creamy, luxurious and divine. It’s not a powerhouse but it is so cheap that who really cares? I keep a small vial with me and I spray it on me all the time. What a wonderful treat. I also believe that this is better than Alien. Alien turns really sour on me and it lasting power isn’t that great nowadays. So I prefer the Korres offering. Moreover Korres is such a sustainable brand and I really love their aesthetics. Huge love from me.