The Vert (Green Tea)

EDIT: After several uses, it's time I write a better review. Just bought this today after reading all the reviews here lol. I own Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea EDP spray as well. This baby here cost me S$85 for 100ml as opposed to EA's S$19.90/100ml. It does smell like Elizabeth Arden's GT initially (like, the first 5 minutes) but proceeds to mellow down. Compared to EA, Eau Vert is far more mellow, as EA's GT smells very green and sharp. On the sample paper at the store, it smells like everything at once but on my skin it is predominantly tea with hints of citrus and a dash of jasmine. For some reason, the citrus reminds me of a touch of L'occitane's Verbana. Yet, if I were to smell carefully, I can distinctively smell the green tea, mate, jasmine, citrus and a herbal dry down. Very well blended, as someone here has said. It's nice how I can smell all the notes and yet at the same time they blend wonderfully together. Sometimes green tea peeks out alongside mate, but soon sinks into the background as the sweet scent of jasmine appears. And the cycle repeats. Longevity is impressive. I sprayed a couple of sprays on a shirt I wore and I could still smell it days later. On skin it lasts around 3-4 hours for me but the scent wears away if you wash these parts. Sillage is moderate/soft, depending on how many sprays you use :) It is particularly great under the hot sun as the humidity and perfume mix together to provide a mental relief from the searing heat. I like to wear this a lot these days when I'm at work, or when meeting up with male friends whom I have no romantic interest in *winks* Oh, and that Elizabeth Arden bottle of Green Tea? Well, it's kinda lonesome these days since I don't reach for it anymore.

Thank you, fellow members! There is something to be said for throwing in samples when swapping! It really CAN be a way to introduce people to new scents. Both this and Bvlgari's Thé Rouge were given to me as samples in swaps with two different members. They weren't even on my "want" or "test" lists; still, here I am seeking out full bottles of these wonderful tea scents! This, to me, is predominantly tea and bitter orange. Maybe a tad "cologne-y" at first, but becomes softer in a very short time. I don't necessarily smell jasmine, but there is a clean, light floral in the background. Like Bvlgari's Thé Rouge, this scent dries down to a milky, nutty musk. L'Occitane en Provence has, unfortunately, discontinued this scent. *sigh* HOWEVER! I managed to buy one last bottle -- which they had beneath the counter. Yay! Edit: If you love this scent, I would highly suggest that you visit/phone your nearest L'Occitane boutique, and ask if they have any leftover stock tucked away. After I'd written the above review, I was able to purchase a couple of extra bottles, by simply calling a shop even closer to home.

It smells like a classy, sophisticated old lady. I really like the scent cloud, even though it's a little odd when I sniff it up close? From a distance, it's clean, round, musky, bitter, yet still fresh. But up close, it's really astringent bitter tea, like if you made strong tea and didn't add enough sweetener to be able to really enjoy the nuances of the tea's flavor. Right after spraying, I get a very sharp and bitter lime, and I like it a lot more after that mellows out. Oh, and there's a subtly nutty/herbal smell that sort of sits apart from the rest of it, kind of reminds me of fennel tea. Edit: I have promoted this from a like to a love. My first few times wearing it, I thought it was nice but was also conflicted. I am no longer conflicted, I love wearing this, and I reach for it often as a pretty, not very sweet, and interesting everyday fragrance. It makes me feel clean, relaxed, and put together. I don't find it especially bitter anymore, but I do still prefer it after the citrusy top notes fade a bit.

I've known this scent for a long time, having purchased it (solid form) in 1999, and then buying the EDT in 2012. I always loved it, so maybe I'm just biased, but of all the scents I've smelled that identify themselves as "green tea", I think this one nails it. This actually smells like green tea to me (perhaps an idealized version, like green tea ice cream, but still...). Other "green tea" scents smell bright or fresh, but not usually like tea. I also own L'Occitane The Vert et Bigarade, by accident, and they smell almost identical to me. I sprayed each one on my wrists tonight. Maybe TV&B has a mild rubber-like smell after an hour? Honestly I wouldn't notice if I wasn't sitting here obsessively sniffing my wrists like a psycho. Longevity for both is about the same - around three hours, I'd say. Sadly, I think they both might be discontinued now.

For years this was my signature scent, and I would crave it at the first cold snap in November, probably because that's when I first discovered it and I loved to catch wisps of its spicy coolness on the cold air. At first it seems merely plain, fresh, crisply inoffensive, but the thyme and nutmeg yield a spicy warmth and a depth that other green tea fragrances lack. I bought bottle after affordable bottle and was devastated when it was replaced with the inferior (but much more expensive) The Vert & Bigarade, the drydown of which manages to be both bitter and sickly. I hoarded several bottles but have found some to have a shorter shelf life than some other perfumes. But today, true to form as it's Nov. 2, I dug one out and was relieved to find it still fresh, cool, dry and spicy. I don't think L'Occitane has made anything as good since.