Creation

I received several new fragrances for Christmas this year. This, Creation by Ted Lapidus, was one of them. This came in a gift set with body lotion and the EDP. I have had and worn a LOT of fragrances over the years and Ted Lapidus is not a new fragrance house for me (I love Silk Way and Fou d'Elle). I love Creation, too...and then realized the WHY behind that. This is a vintage-feeling sort of fragrance, with that ever-present carnation note that just sings on my skin. I like it very much, but this is Creation in its earliest stages. There is this touch of smokiness that I attribute to the combination of the moss and musk notes (though these are much more evident in the drydown), and this combination is further layered thanks to the peppery orris note. It's a warm and inviting combination. The carnation and tuberose (very creamy and indolent in this frag) blend with the cassis and jasmine to make a slightly 'animalic' vibe. It's not dirty, by any means, but it's a slightly head-turning sort of combination that perhaps isn't expected in a fragrance this sweet. And this is a sweet fragrance. Not gourmand in any way, no, this is like a sweet floral scent most likely from the combo of the honey note and the patchouli (and this patch is just LOVELY). I adore the way that sweet blend so lifts the white flowers in this. This is a creamy, floral-sweet, slightly musky (plays like smoke on my skin) fragrance. It's lovely and for whatever reason puts me in the mind of frilly white lace collars and cuffs and all things Rococo-fashion. This could be a heady, all-consuming fragrance if applied too liberally. And, I'd suggest NOT wearing it in warmer weather. The animalic/smoky notes would completely overwhelm those delicate white flowers which would be....unpleasant. Now, back to my first paragraph. I do love Creation. Ted Lapidus fragrances are very good quality, they tend to project well and are very well-blended. I've had wonderful success with his line. They are also fairly priced, usually a very good value for what you spend. These reasons are all good reasons to purchase, no doubt. But, what I'm tremendously happy about with this frag is that it's an almost exact dupe for Elizabeth Taylor's "Black Pearls". And that makes me soooooo very happy. Although Black Pearls is much more gardenia-forward (and there is no gardenia note in this Creation) the echo of those white flowers really is reflected in each fragrance. Black Pearls is sweeter and much more 'Lush/Lusty' than Creation-she is a bit more demure, a bit more settled into who she is. We could say that Creation is the introverted twin and Black Pearls is the undisputed extroverted twin. They are so similar (even the bottles could sub for one another!) yet the subtle differences are there. I absolutely LOVE Black Pearls but it is difficult to find any more. I occasionally stumble across the odd bottle on eBay. But I am quite happy with the more subtle and less forward sister that is Creation. I will continue to wear it as the cool/cold weather allows, then she can hibernate until the next chill comes into the air. This is lovely and I highly recommend if this suits your tastes.

I selected this as a blind buy, during a fragrance haul. I heard that it was similar in genre to pheromone by my, and so I had to try it. I'm glad I did! Pheromone is far more complex than this fragrance, but there are some style commonalities. It starts out with green, perky aldehydes and florals. Everything is vibrant and light and happy. It's sporty and nearly unisex, leaning towards androgyny rather than masculinity. It's mildly linear with a few notes adding themselves in as the fragrance matures, over half an hour. A new accord pops in, that is a tactile sensation of bubble bath foam. It's reminiscent of vitabath original green...but only the bubbles. Then, green notes slightly bitter are the result of said bubbles. Very interesting!! Finally, the whole fragrance becomes an amalgam of a green, leafy, flowery, snappy, bubbly summer day! I love it!!!

At first Creation seemed like just a typical example of its sort. I have several chypre florals first released in the 70s/80s and a few vintage bottles of them. Being typical is not a bad thing because I love these old beauties, but I was hoping for something with a different twist. After several wearings, I have really fallen for the drydown of Creation. It becomes quite sweet with the honey demonstrating its staying power, and there is an overall lovely freshness that emerges. It’s surprisingly different in these respects and I really look forward to this transformation. It actually is very longlasting, close to the skin, but quite discernable. I enjoy applying it at bedtime and waking up to that fresh sweetness.

Surprisingly soapy at first. Very bright and sunny with typical chypré structure. It makes me think of simplified, clean version of Diva. Diva, especially in edp is one dirty and exuberant lady that at times shares a little too much information. Or is just too decadent and complicated. Impossible to wear at higher temperatures. Creation has the same brightness and joy, delightful woodiness and posture and can be one outstanding everyday perfume. Great mood lifter. Very chic. Affordable and very very well done.

It was a blind buy, love at first site. I like the power, and spirit of this amazing perfume. Neroli, honey, carnation, tuberose, amber, patchouli and musk are the notes I am able to detect. I don't detect any jasmin, mostly honey-amber- neroli. Just a divine combo.I like the slight hint of carnation. This perfume does not give me a headache as some perfume with osmantus do. I like jasmine note, and it is typically one of the notes, I like and able to easily detect, it is just very sublime here.