Secret d'Essences Neroli

Wow, I really didn't expect to like (LOVE) this as much as I do! I've always been a fan of the musky notes, but bitter orange was the one thing I wasn't so sure of. I tend to favor soft mandarin orange over sharp orange note. Secret d`Essences Neroli truly surprised me! "Zesty" is the one word everyone's been saying, and I agree. Juicy bitter orange beautifully wrapped in musk, rich and realistic floral notes... Winner! As someone said before: very different from everything else sold nowadays. This fragrance really has a character. Oh, Secret d`Essences Neroli really IS perfect for layering. I really love the notes & combination of Voile d'Ambre (Yves Rocher), but somehow it just hasn't worked on my skin. It just doesn't "suit" me, which is a pity. BUT this fragrance changed everything. This afternoon I got the idea to combine this & Voile d'Ambre, and the result was HEAVENLY. I "blame" petitgrain/mandarin leaf & mandarin orange/bitter orange for the way these two just FIT together, seamlessly - and yes, VdA also has the vanilla note everyone has been detecting in this one! If Neroli is a walk through the most beautiful garden in spring morning/midday, the combination of Neroli & Voile d'Ambre is that same garden in the evening, just when the sun is going down and the shadows are revealing all the mysteries that stay hidden during the day. Neroli can definitely lighten up some "darker" and more serious fragrances, make them more wearable in the daytime, and (for example) some oriental notes can transform Neroli into something much more complicated and sensual. I recommend you to purchase first the mini version of this - if you don't like Neroli on its own, you will surely find a perfume to mix it up with! I personally can't wait to purchase the full bottle!

I was pondering for some time between this and L'Occitane's Orchydee/Neroli. The latter is just too plush-y and sweet for summer, for my taste. I've had a crush for the YR Neroli ever since it came out, but I never got to buy a bottle until now, at a heavily discounted price. YR Neroli starts with a bitter-sweet, aromatic sour orange, which is refreshing and not at all sweet. It smells indeed elegant, but not really cold and distant. In this bitter-sweet pulpy orange tissue, there seem to be strains of leather and greens. At least I do get something that reminds me of leather or maybe soil or beeswax. Calling it a chypre note would be far-fetched, but it does add character. With time, the fragrance warms up and the orange blossom surfaces, displaying a white flowery and a dry vanilla facet. For all the times I've tested YR Neroli in colder weather, I'd never got this sweet vanila-like note. It still manages to stay away from getting too sweet, but I must say I get a relieve, when the fragrance returns to being more more clean/soapy that waxy again. I do love this quality of YR Neroli and the musk in the base is very lightweight. It does not feel artificial (the way Moment de bonheur appears to be, in my opinion) and it is marvelously complex and balanced for a hesperide affordable perfume. It is great in summer, but I see it as a year-round staple. I've been told I smell like summer breeze wearing this, I'd say this is a legit description. The shower gel and lotion are a bliss as well. Signature worthy. Bravo, cette fois-ci, YR!

Oops, I'd never heard of Yves Rocher until this afternoon. I wandered into a store, noticed the milky white Neroli bottle, picked it up and smelled it. Wow. At last! I've been wearing Flowerbomb (V&R) and Chance (Chanel) for the last 8 years or so and I've been on the lookout for another fragrance to add as a signature. I have toyed with the idea of buying Light Blue (D&G) but never taken the plunge. A few months ago I bought a bottle of Angel (T.Mugler) but it's really too strong for me so now it's my deluxe, decadent bathroom spray. Well, I finally found my new signature scent today! I smelled a few others but kept returning to the white Neroli to make sure it was true: there is another perfume I can possibly love as much as Flowerbomb. Musky, floral and simultaneously masculine and feminine - what a blend. I'm happy for the ladies who manage to get this on sale - I paid top dollar and gladly too. When you've been searching for a beautiful fragrance for as long as I have, I just couldn't leave it on the shelf! The real kicker: it doesn't smell cheap. ---}---@

Personally, I love the top of bright bitter orange and wish it lasted longer than a minute or 2. The bulk of this fragrance is a soft orange blossom musk. It has a fresh lift to it but also verges on masculine at the same time, possibly from the petit grain. All in all, YR Neroli is a tender scent, not a citrus powerhouse like Guerlain or TM EDC's. It also has minimal sillage, a little disappointing for an EDP, very much like Adrienne Vittadini parfum. And, Narciso Rodriguez has nothing to worry about...it is still my favorite in this category with it's wonderful depth and strength. Laura Mercier's Neroli is another standout and remains true to it's femininity. Update: I wore this today and applied to every pulse point plus a few other places and as I suspected, it's a skin scent with minimal projection and 3-4 hour longevity. Not a re-purchase contender for me.

Fresh, peppery, a little bitter in the same way that lime peels are bitter. It reminds me of the citrus orchard by my childhood home. This is my go-to work fragrance for summer. It sits close to my skin, smells nice and clean, and is a bit unusual. Sadly, it disappears within three or four hours, but while it lasts, it's lovely. I would never wear it out in the evening or during the winter; this is a light and casual scent. Probably not for fans of very sweet, fruity fragrances, but you never know. Of note: I hated this the first time I smelled it. I thought it smelled of shower cleaner. A month later, I was cleaning out my stash of samples and retested it. To my surprise, I loved it so much I ordered a full bottle that night. Incidentally, the bottle leaked in transit, but I haven't had a problem with it since then.