Oriens

I'd been waiting to review this until I could wear it more than a few times first... because the scent is that dynamic. It can sometimes smell vaguely reminiscent of Miss Dior Cherie (minus that godawful popcorn) but I would still say this is a unique fragrance. At first spray, all I get is caramel and pralines. Straight up. And yet, not at all in an edible way. How strange is that? I think it might be the hint of orange that keeps this from smelling like an ice cream parlor. After a (pleasantly long) while, the smell dries down, losing the caramel but maintaining the praline, and the black currant and jasmine are able to come gently forward. It's intoxicating. [Yes, I know there is no caramel note, I'm just telling it how I'm smelling it.] I also noticed today (which inspired me to finally write a review) that despite my complete inability to ever smell raspberry anywhere in this under normal circumstances, I no longer doubt that it is there. I was walking around in the ungodly scorching heat and I noticed that my perfume had a tartness to it that had never been there before. Something about the heat brings out a mild Sweetart scent, and somehow, it works with the praline to make a new kind of delicious. All in all, this is a wonderful summer scent that is layered and ever-changing and never unpleasant. It is sweet and enchanting, and sorta smells like the color of the lid, if that makes any sense. :P

This is my first fragrance which has gone from the shelf "dislike" to the shelf "love". It's like with the real jewelry -if you haven't reached a certain degree of maturity, you won't be able to really appreciate a gem or a jewelry in your hands. There is an age for plastic beads, bright rings which come together with your favorite chewing-gum (and they are closer to your little heart than any sophisticated collar or precious gem ring) and there comes the time you can't wear those plastic things anymore, you are a grown up girl who is looking for something real. And this happened to me with this scent. Now I'm grown up enough to appreciate this composition -warm, thick, sweet, oriental gourmand. Like a hot, strong, dark berry jam poured into a beautiful, shaped crystal pot. Next to this pot there's a white flower bouquet, which adds to the fragrance a touch of freshness and just a bit of honey. And there's a box of selected, handmade chocolate sweets,their scent (together with amber, vanilla and patchouli) lies in the base of this beauty. I agree about Dior and Chanel vibe (and more-I smell "So elixir" by Yves Rocher) - yes, it's there, nevertheless Oriens has its own soul to discover when the right time comes. The only problem -the lasting power and sillage could be better, but I don't mind reapplying.

This is just beautiful. I haven't been this impressed by a scent in a long time. I love chypre florals, especially when they are dominated by patchouli. However, sometimes on my skin, citrus mixed with patchouli can get a little weird. Thank goodness, I don't get much citrus from this at all. I've been wearing Coco Mademoiselle for almost a decade and I don't smell any similarities at all. This is much more light and airy. It is very elegant, sweet, and smooth. I thought it was going to be sharper but it is blended so well. The praline really gives it a nice roundness while the mix with of patchouli and raspberry really create a gorgeous aroma. I think the praline is what really sets this apart from Miss Dior Cherie and Coco M. While I don't think this smells like Coco M, I do smell similarities to Miss Dior Cherie. If you like Miss Dior Cherie, you will probably like this. I find it much sweeter and airier than Coco M so I can't say for sure if Coco M fans will love this, but it's a total love for me! Oh and one of the most beautiful bottles in my collection!

Bought this for my mom after reading reviews about this. I figured I was kind of gambling here, but my mom LOVED it! She said it was a very agreeable scent of jasmine and sandalwood...so with this I found out my mom preferred Florientals and Orientals. I'm not sure where she got the sandalwood from, but I guess it's a mix of the patchouli and amber. It has a very complex smell, sweet, but fairly grounded as well. This is not by any means a light or bubbly scent, but it is very bold and mid-set. Not heavy, but layered and complex. I definitely think this is a good perfume for mature women. In fact, my mom brought her bottle along to her elementary school reunion (yep, elementary school) just to "show it off" to her friends that she hadn't seen in around 30 or 40 years. I'm surprised that of all things she decided to bring, this was one of them. Well, I guess this shows just how much she loves it! :) Van Cleef & Arpels itself is a really high end brand name, and this perfume certainly does this design house justice.

When i first applied this a few weeks ago, i were not sure at all because it smelled chemical and even plastic. I tried this again today and to my surprise, nothing chemcial and plastic has emerged despite i sniffed very hard trying to find them! In hotter weather, i get more berries from the start with chocolate throughout. in the cooler temperature however, the strong chocolate sweetness scent is dominant from the very start. It reminds me of the opening of Angel. As time passes (say an hour) the strong sweetness thankfully calms down to give place to fint floral scent. when i move, there is also curious hint of berries playing hide and seek. It is a perfume with twist and turns. From not liking it to love it. I think this perfum behaves very differently in different weather. I prefer to apply it in hotter day since the sweetness in colder day is a bit too heavy. It borderline headache inducing. maybe the solution is to apply it on the waist not the neck....