Gia

My favorite food is oatmeal. My favorite color is pale yellow. My favorite garment is a blue sweater. I like Phillip Glass music for its repetition. There is beauty in the plain and ordinary, beauty that does not seek attention but stillness and constancy. Which is what I get from Gia. It has enough rose to be rosy without being overpowering. The orange keeps it fresh. Pink pepper is overused these days, but here it is a great note for energizing. I chose this as my signature because it is always wearable, always a comfort. Dependable, never weird. Never too much. Is it the most beautiful scent to me? No, that would be L'Artisan Parfumeur Seville A L'Aube, a fragrance that can be overpowering, the Wagnerian opera version of perfume. But Gia is the perfume I can wear no matter what. My husband bought it for me for no reason other than he likes it. So that is enough.

Another gorgeous scent from Tocca. And this one actually lasted a good 4 hours on the skin! I’m very tempted to buy myself yet another rose perfume... Starts off as a pink rose with bright sharp citrus on top, which my husband’s untrained nose thought was rather pineappley—the tangerine and pepper. Then a jammy sweet-tart rose is the star of the show! I use Lush’s Rose Jam body wash and while this didn’t immediately bring that scent to mind, I can see how they have a lot of the same notes. I think the vanilla anchors this down a bit more. An absolute love, for me, but it falls well into the parameters of my established taste so that’s no surprise.

This one is feminine and pretty, almost fairy-tale-like, as becomes a rose-scented perfume. I wanted to use it as a signature scent after getting it as a sample and falling in love with it. Unfortunately, it's not great for daily wear, but it is perfect for a date night. The fragrance isn't very persistent, and I have no complaints from my friends who get headaches with strong scents. The bottle is gorgeous and looks perfect on my vanity. I have no regrets about buying this perfume. Tl;dr if you're looking for something for special occasions and prefer something in the mid-range of prices, this one is a pretty good choice!

Before even smelling it, the beauty of this bottle alone is enough. Yet, it doesn't disappoint upon testing. A strong scented rose which is only bolstered by the peppery notes, affording it an atypical type of spiciness to a scent. The rich and tangy citrus gives it even more punch, while the sandalwood smooths the scent, preventing it from being too harsh on the senses. At first it appears to be a very daytime, warm weather, type of scent, but is actually quite versatile and could work in cold weather/night time situations.

I really like this. The bottle being red feel appropriate, if that makes sense. It’s bright and a little bit zesty. I get a little bitterness, like maybe some of the rind from the tangerine in addition to the juice. I don’t get any vanilla, really, it’s more sharp and floral than sweet, even in the dry down. It’s pretty linear - what you smell at the opening sticks with you through the wear - but some days I like that. I want easy and simple, but I want it to last longer than a body spray, and Gia is perfect for that.