Isle Of Blanc

Let me start by saying that THIS IS NOT A SAFE BLIND BUY! But please stay with me till the end. Ironically, I blind bought Isle Of Blanc after watching one single perfume review about it. Unbeknownst to me, this perfume took me on an emotional roller coaster. When I opened and took the first sniff of the bottle, I was truly taken aback by the scent. It was horrendously weird and sharp. It brutally penetrated my nasal cavity and almost gave me a headache. I would never have guessed from the listed note that that was how this perfume would smell. So I sadly put it away thinking I wasted my money. The next 3 days, I continuously took it out and gave it a few more sniff. Disappointedly, same reaction. HOWEVER, after a week of grief, I said "f*** it, I already paid for this, might as well just try it on". And I did. For some reason, it wasn't that unpleasant on my skin. It was surely a bit sharp and bitter for the first hour (I think from the combination of geranium and citrus note) but the dry down BLEW ME AWAY. It's herbaceous but also very creamy. I have never been a fan of patchouli but thankfully, the patchouli wasn't pronounced, or almost undetectable, here. Lavender is also not very prominent but its calming effect could be felt. Till this day, I still can't figure out what makes this perfume so creamy to my nose. I tried Isle of Blanc during cold season but all I could imagine was sitting on the beach that's next to a lavender field on a sunny but breezy day, sipping coconut water. All day long, I constantly got random whiff of it and it made my heart dance every time. I can't wait to try it in warmer months. If there's one word I could use to describe Isle Of Blanc, it would be heart-fluttering. It gives me butterflies and makes me happy but calms me at the same time. I want to associate all my happy moments with IOB from now on. Not to be overdramatic but every time I smell this, it makes me feel like no matter what I'm going through at the moment, there will be happy and bright days ahead and everything will be fine. This, to me, is truly magic in a bottle.

This is aptly named with cool marine and salt notes being prominent and the blend is really refined and has those lovely developing nuances that a good frgrance has, opening with a fresh burst of citrusy sea spray, then a light breeze carrying the scent of white flowers, sea air and exotic trees before drying down to a whisper skin scent very quickly, which is where it sadly ends within 2 hours. I wore this on my skin, clothes, fragrance cards and husband but found in all cases the longevity and potenency verrry weak. To me, this can hardly be sold as an EDP, it is a toilette at best, which is such a shame because as a cool, and airy summer scent with a hint of warmth, the notes are lovely. PLEASE reformulate Vahy, at this price point it's just too much for what this actually gives.

This is a comfortable choice and extremely worthy of a blind buy. Starts of with a fresh blast of citrus but that doesn't last long and is replaced by in and out marine notes. The wood is definitely the star of the show and that, for me, makes this fragrance more for the last days of summer as the weather starts to roll into autumn. Decent price point and 100% natural

The fragrance is very sharp, if not piercing, upon first spray. No need to read the notes because the smell will shock you regardless. Strong, earthy, harsh, perhaps masculine at first, this is unique and almost avant gard. It dries down quite pleasantly to a powdery ginger. No one else will smell like you, in a good way.

BTW, the notes on fragrantica are incomplete. I have no clue why this always seems to happen with some fragrances. Full breakdown Top Sparkling Pomelo, Fresh Mint, Lemon Zest, Crisp Ginger Heart Solar Orange Flower, Marine, Blue Algae (Fucus), White Flowers, Juniper Berry, Cypress Base Coconut, Mineral Salt, Golden Amber, Patchouli, Cedarwood, Vetiver This brand also specialises in having 100% naturals which is interesting, these are the ingredients Alcohol (Organic Sugarcane Alcohol); Lemon Oil Winter; Bergamot Oil; Mandarin Oil; Cedarwood Oil; Linalool L; Elemi Oil; Vetiver Oil Haiti; Pink Pepper Leaf Oil; Lavandin Oil; Ylang Ylang Oil; Orange Oil; Cypress Oil; Patchouli Oil; Amyris Oil; Sandalwood Oil; Aldehyde C18 and C14 (Ricinus Plant); Vetiver Oil; Ginger Oil; Petitgrain Bigarade Abs.; Pepper Oil Black; Benzyl Acetate (Cinnamomum Cassia); Thyme Oil White; Spearmint Oil; Triethyl Citrate (Sugarcane); Clove Bud Oil; Violet Leaves Abs.; Ambrette Seed Absolute