schackjj Report post Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) In the Bottle: Sweet and foody, but hard to pin down. Wet: Sweet, creamy (without being milky) and cakey, undertone of something...marine, maybe?? It doesn't match up, I desperately hope it burns off. Bleah. Drydown: Interesting. This has turned into a rootbeer float, with a dash of smoke. I have to say I'd like it better without the smoke, especially since it goes very smoky in the extreme drydown. It still has pretty good throw 90 minutes later. It's wafting around me quite nicely ETA: 3 hours in, I can see why some say this is a good Jingo-Kogo substitute. There's just a bare whiff of smoke left, and it's definitely reminiscent of JK now Edited July 21, 2009 by schackjj Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Persephone76 Report post Posted July 28, 2009 On me this smells sweet and vaguely foody (white cake?). It has a dusty quality that reminds me very much of Antique Lace, but it's sweeter. It's a more distant cousin of Underpants (sans boozy undertones). Very vanilla/sugar/dust/powder/cream on me. It's very good and I definitely understand why it was the first to sell out at the trunk show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boxinghelena Report post Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) A dear friend picked up AF1 for me. I was so excited to try this & I do get that white cake type of note BUT *cries* with baby powder. AND I would rather not smell like a Lesser, Thank you very much - J.R. Ward fans will get the reference. The cake smell is so light I can barely detect it. The baby powder note takes over right away. I can't stand the smell of baby powder so I avoid all scents that mention it when I read reviews. This was such a disappointment. This will probably go in my swap pile. Sad. Edited July 29, 2009 by boxinghelena Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SurrealReality Report post Posted August 2, 2009 (edited) This seams to be a very complex scent. Unfortunately, I don't have a complex nose, so I'm sure I will miss several of the notes, but I will do the best I can..... In the Decant: warm golden amber, vanilla, and hints of cinnamon & red musk Wet on Skin: amber (turning to a sweet powder as it usually does with my skin chemistry), vanilla (stronger), dark dry cinnamon (stronger), & faint red musk Dry: amber (now a sweet powdery play-do), vanilla, lily of the valley (quite a surprise.... I didn't expect anything floral to appear in this scent), dark dry cinnamon, & faint red musk. After about 1 hr, the lily fades away amber doesn't play well on my skin, and it totally ruined this scent for me..... Edited August 2, 2009 by SurrealReality Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fairnymph Report post Posted August 18, 2009 Sniffed: Pale yellow oil. Clean white floral and something harshly chemical. Wet: Narcissus, maybe? I also get a hint of tea, white tea specifically. It's a little powdery, in a pleasant way, like the violet in Faith. or Violet Ray. Softer but still a bit chemical on my skin. Dry: I know what that chemical note is - leather! De Sade style leather. The tea/leather combo reminds me a bit of Severin, although this has soft, feminine violet powder to temper it. It's a weird mix. Later: Goes to awful powder, diapery, with plastic chemical leather on top and a whisper of white tea. And I still stand by the narcissus. This really amps up on my skin to a ridiculous degree. Off to sink now. NOT seeing any J-K similarities. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GypsyRoseRed Report post Posted August 21, 2009 This is *nothing* like Jingo-Kogo to me - JK certainly doesn't have gardenia in it, and this is the most prominent note here. I love the smell of it in the bottle, but unfortunately I amp the gardenia until it's sickly sweet and powdery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zankoku_zen Report post Posted August 22, 2009 GAH. Okay this one has got like vanilla, cream, sugar and maybe a hint of leather plus something floral, and I do think it might be narcissus. I don't know if it's the vanilla or the cream, but both of them end up as a scorched kind of plastic, sweet because of the sugar, and kinda industrial with the hints of leather wafting about. EPIC FAIL. If your skin chemistry can handle all vanillas (mine can't), or cream (mine can't) and doesn't amp up leather to high heaven (mine does), I think you can swing this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
papermaker Report post Posted August 26, 2009 Vanilla, sugar, floral. It smells like a vanilla cake with a light floral icing. There is something else here that is not strong, but it keeps the blend from becoming cloyingly sweet. 'Tis love. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moonstonemama Report post Posted November 3, 2009 (edited) this is sweet and creamy and has the vanilla note that doesn't work for me. there is definitely a floral undertone and the vanilla gets stronger and more sugary upon application. I'm not getting any cake. it's like a tub of betty crocker frosting started eating some flower petals. Edited November 3, 2009 by MoonstoneMama Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
angelicruin Report post Posted May 28, 2010 I'm getting sugar, vanilla, light musk, and tea. Actually this reminds me a bit of Dorian without the citrus-like note I get in Dorian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myth Report post Posted June 30, 2010 White sugar and creamy vanilla at first, it does smell a bit like a white cake… angel food maybe. Taking on a plastic edge on my skin. As it is drying it gets some bitterness that could be the touch of floral others are getting, leading to an overall impression of burnt plastic vanilla. Becoming more apparently floral as it dries, developing a chemical pungency and more bitterness. No impression of cake remaining, now it's all powdery floral [it does smell like violet] and chemicals, with a faint tinge of burnt plastic vanilla. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ami226 Report post Posted July 24, 2010 I remember smelling this one at the trunk show, but I was too far back in line to pick up a bottle. Managed to acquire one now, but it is not at all what I remember. I get a bit of cake, but mostly it is full of floral. Not the nice happy floral... This is screeching headache floral. At least on me. *sigh* It smelled so good when I sniffed it a long time ago... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Geminirubyshoes Report post Posted August 30, 2010 I won this in an eBay auction and just got it in the mail today! I love how the label looks like notebook paper Oil: creamy, light, sweet musky vanilla . This reminds me of Anti Saloon league, Black Opal and the Girl. It has that dreamyness that those oils so on me. I feel like I am floating on a vanilla cream puff! It is a tinge soapy, but I don't mind that being in the background. I think the soapy keeps it from going powdery on me. This is really nice, I will probably burn through this bottle pretty fast. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yamiko Report post Posted October 3, 2010 This is kind of a creamy white floral in my decant, and seems to get more floral and a little soapy on me, with a bit of sugar/cream in the background. I wish it was less floral on me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blood onmy hands Report post Posted October 18, 2010 I usually love cake, vanilla, cream, tea, gardenia, and leather notes, so the reviews for this sounded promising. This is all floral on me, though. If there's any vanilla to be had, it's the sort that turns chalky and powdery on my skin. I might be able to smell a clean, sharp white tea in here as well. But AFI is mostly like perfumey, sharp white florals and cool powder on my skin. It's a bit sweet for the first minute or so, but all perfumey floral as it dries down. Not my thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suusje Report post Posted July 16, 2011 I mostly get vanilla (possible the bourbon kind) and powder and it's turning a bit musky on my skin. Very nice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites