Tainted Love

I am puzzled by the dislike for this fantastic fragrance. It is supposed to mimic the scent of lipstick, and it does so with probably the most accuracy of any lipstick/makeup scent I have tried, which are many because this is one of my very favorite styles of fragrance. For those of us who seek out this type of scent, this is an absolute 10. It would be so helpful if users reviewed fragrances that appeal to them. If something specifically says it mimics the scent of synthetic lipstick fragrance, be prepared to get just that. It's very frustrating that something as perfectly executed as Tainted Love gets a huge blue bar of dislike, when it has given EXACTLY what it aimed to do. For those of us who seek out this type of scent, it can be really misleading. I assumed by the reviews that it must smell nothing like lipstick when the reality is it smells EXACTLY like it, and moreso than anything else I have tried. If you truly like the waxy, musky violet rose scent of lipstick, this is an absolute must for your try list.

Trying this one again in cold-arse winter, JUST to be sure. In another universe, I would jump at this -- I would fail head-over-heels for this. But, in this universe, there is just one teeny-tiny issue that is holding me back from doing so. Early uni, I worked in a supermarket and worked in the dairy case, going in and out of a walk-in freezer, about 25 to 30 below zero (and I mean degrees, not your one-country-only-unit-of-measurement 'Fahrenheit'), and there is a unique smell that you get in the cold mist, especially at that temp. It only exists in enclosed areas, like the freezer, I didn't get it in Finland when it was 15 - 20 below zero. It might be the pear -- pear does have a frosty, frigid element to it, and it *could* be what 'breaks' this scent for me, so, to be really honest, had I not worked in dairy case, I might be seeking this one out. It's still an 8 / 10 scent, though, it's just that there are too many associations going on here...

Bought way below retail so price value for me is pretty good. In the UK we have a rose flavoured gummy sweet called 'cherry lips' which are a big favourite of mine. This fragrance smells almost exactly like them to my nose. I'm definitely a fan. It smells like lipstick on the initial spray to me. But the synthetic nature settles and the rose and Peach burns through. Don't get much iris (I know it's not listed but in the notes it is there) To me this is definitely a rose fragrance but its nowhere near as in your face as rose usually is. And I paid £75 as opposed to 240. So I paid the same price as a high street perfume. Which is very good to me. Big fan. Don't think I'd like it as much if I paid retail, definitely a more female leaning fragrance. But could definitely be worn by a man as well in tbe right situations

I took this with me overseas and spritzed it on in some cold temps, and I made my mind up there and then that this just COULD NOT work. Firstly, I have quite a few similar scents that fall into the same kind of scent category and trope, and even though I do LIKE these scents (possibly love), I just don't fiend over them anywhere near as much. Lastly, it's also the fact that the plastic element (the iris note, I imagine), is just too...it's just TOO much. I have scents where this is part of the make-up, but in Tainted Love, it's just TOO much for me. It's still an 8.5 / 10 kind of scent, but just one that I sorta-kinda have already, albeit in different forms. I'll be happy with my 2 ml decant, which I'll pop one once every year or two and I feel that will be enough...

I pivot violently on this ALL the time -- some times I'm all like "FIND THIS NOW!", and most other times I'm a little more restrained, measured and composed on the matter. I do find this a little too fruity-rose dainty, truth be told, and I need to be 100 % HONEST with myself here, that this IS unfortunately like a few other iris-violet scents I already have (and don't actually wear), so I don't think this is going to work, unfortunately... It's just a little *too* dainty sweet, and I have a few of these kinds of scents already, so if I'm being honest with myself, it's just NOT going to work... ...but I do really like it.