Babylonia

I sleep bought this, woke up to a confirmation email an hour later. I've never been happier with an accidental purchase in my life. This is stellar. The resins are well rounded and slightly sweet, the florals are intricate and well blended. The black currant holds up well as well. The citrus blast in the wet is slightly overwhelming but it fades quickly and goes right into this magnificent blend. This is a floral aromatic resin type fragrance with fruity notes and is solidly unisex but could be feminine depending on personal skin chemistry. The packaging was very good. The bottle is a great size and easy to hold, it has a magnetic cap that clicks into place with a solid report, and the atomizer is fantastic. I'm not sure why people are disliking this fragrance and/or not reviewing it. This seems like a real sleeper (pun intended) fragance for having something not mainstream.

I was guessing (and hoping) this would smell like Penhaligon's Babylon given that Xandria smells almost identical to Alexandria II from Xerjoff. I was wrong. Babylonia smells like black currant candy with soft tanginess, I believe it's from bergamot, making it even more candy-ish. I don't get any praline character other than sweetness. There's no nuttiness, no chocolate. As it dries down, black currant makes way for violet. I get faint, incense-y smokiness, too, which reminds me a little bit of Satya's Super Hit incense sticks. Overall I like it, it's fun and pretty. Is it FB worthy? Not sure. For now, I'm happy with my travel spray and I might buy it again. It's one of many reasons why I love OJ - I can individually purchase travel sprays. Please don't discontinue travel sprays like you discontinued gorgeous 50ml bottles!

I actually really enjoy this Fragrance. Although, not earth shattering still very pleasant, long wearing and made with high quality ingredients. I find in an uplifting perfume with a lovely, soft comforting, dry down. since Fragrance is very subjective, depending upon chemistry and preferences, it’s definitely worth getting a sample and trying it for yourself.

‘Babylonia’ has a strong and dominating top scent. Kinda oriental, which makes sense given the name of the fragrance. The black currant is prominent and sweet and if you are familiar with LUSH it gives ‘The Comforter’ vibes in the best way! Other than that, the other notes blend well together and plays different scenarios in my head; Walking around at a market in southern Europe and smelling whiffs of homemade soaps and oils whilst you feel the salty sea breeze once in a while. Or visiting family or family friends that you only see twice a year and aunts that want to kiss and pinch at your chin and asks about school. To some that may sound traumatic, but I mean it in the best of ways. The initial drydown gives way to the orange blossom, but the powers from orris and violet saves the top from being too cloying and sweet. Though, the perfume is described as first and foremost sweet and vanilla, but I would place the vanilla way lower down. Or is it just my skin that don’t want to embrace the vanilla in the cold weather? Amber and musk are way more prominent than the vanilla, and usually I pick up the vanilla in scents way before those two... Nevertheless, all of the notes in this perfume gets to shine in its own time and way, and all of them blends beautifully together even though the composition tend to lean slightly soapy. But soapy is absolutely not negative when the longevity is close to 12+ hours on my skin, and the sillage is actually perfect. People can smell you and notice you without it being too much.

I’m surprised at how many people dislike this one. It was one of my favorites from the tasting menu set. My immediate impression was it smells like walking into a Lush store. You’re hit with quite a strong melange of smells: sweet tart blackcurrant, some citrus, some indistinct florals, a bit of powderiness. It’s like you can smell everything and yet no single thing. As it dries down it becomes a soft powdery floral. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, it feels more designer than niche, but it’s a very pretty fruity floral with decent lasting power and throw. It also doesn’t feel specific to any one season or occasion. It’s kind of generic enough to be worn to work (with conservative spritzing) but feels lush and feminine enough for date night or special occasions. I don’t think the bottles are anything special and I’m not sure I’d pay full price for this but I’ve found discounted bottles for a reasonable price and am considering buying if I still like it enough once I use up my sample.