Of the previously-mentioned three samples that came with my BeautyEncounter order, I had the highest expectations for Ellen Tracy Linda Allard. The packaging, even just the sample card, was attractive. The notes list sounded great - carnation, sandalwood, tonka bean, cinnamon, freesia, peach, jasmine, cedar, and rose. I like most of those. I even like peach, even if I am a fruity-fragrance hater.
The result? Meh.
The best thing that I can say about it is that it taught me what causes that celery seed note in Dzongkha - I think it's the cedar. There's a note in this one that smells midway between cedar and celery seed.
The second best thing that I can say is that the drydown has a moderately pleasant powdery note with a hint of sandalwood prickle that I sort of enjoyed.
The third best thing that I can say is that when I ask the "would I prefer to wear this or go unscented?" question, I would prefer to wear this.
That's about it.
It starts out with wet cedar with a touch of celery, nervous high-pitched flowers, and vegetables. It progresses into dry celery/cedar, that fairly pleasant powder, and even more nervous mid-pitched flowers fleeing into the distance. It ends with the powder.
I suppose that I can also give it credit for not throwing in a lot of things designed to please the masses. It's not sugary or fruity. There's no resemblance to a cookie. The notes that are there could be interesting. But it has the feel of a fragrance where someone found each and every quirk or interesting element, and carefully sanded them off to ensure that no one would scratch themselves. The nice powder/sandalwood aspect reminds me of a Calvin Trillin article in which he referred to some otherwise bland food as having picked up some flavor from the onions "without permission".
My theory is that it was once interesting and was destroyed by a committee. I feel bad for it. But I'm still not buying it.
Review Roundup: Fragrantica, and that's all I can find.
Photo: By Thierry Caro. Wikimedia Commons.
This sounds funny - I mean, like it smells funny. Vegetables, nervous flowers and powder. :)
ReplyDeleteBtw, I've never heard of this before.
I am unlikely to come across this but I chuckled at the notion of "nervous high-pitched flowers", and the subtle variant of "mid-pitched" flowers. You have a good nose and good ears!
ReplyDeleteMe, I am still in ongoing splat mode. I think it is my age, not my ears...
Ines, yep, it smells kinda strange in the wet and flower stages. The powder is nice, but it's sort of like reaching that final, final "Is it still there?" drydown extra early and at a higher volume. Even that would be OK, but it's not a terribly interesting drydown.
ReplyDeleteThanks, flittersniffer. :) The flowers are so very timid, it's hard to figure out why they were included.
ReplyDeleteOh, dear - my sympathies about the splat. Maybe your smelling equipment just needs more time to recover from the ears episode?