Gucci Envy Me

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What struck me the most about Gucci Envy Me was the fact that the ad actually said it was supposed to appeal to “the egocentric and bold young woman”. I wasn’t aware being called egocentric was a good thing, but it’s evidenced in how well Envy Me did as a fragrance that people either don’t care, didn’t know, or actually found it  appealing to be called egocentric. Color me confused.

Envy Me

Envy Me

In Bottle: Sweet and clean fruity florals. Just about as standard a fruity floral as you can get. Smells good though.

Applied: Pink pepper adds a bit of clean spice the fruity opening of this where I get a mixture of peach and mango that reminds me of an Herbal Essences shampoo. The fragrance evolves into this litchi note that dominates the beginning stages of the mid notes arena. Litchi tends to enjoy taking control of the show and I find the fruit note to be a bit unbearably sweet and pink and girly at times. Envy Me does a good job taming its litchi for the most part but it is still quite strong in the fragrance for a little while. As the scent continues to age, there’s a bit of perfumey woods going on as it blends in with the clean fruity opening while imparting this refreshing sense to it that I can only assume is the white tea at work. As Envy Me keeps going into its base, there’s a clear amping up of the soapy clean fragrance was present throughout the whole thing as the white musk takes hold of the pretty tame teak and sandalwood mix. At the base the fruits a little weak but I didn’t expect them to do anything else but fade as the fragrance ages on the skin. Overall, Envy Me was a pleasant ride. Starts off like a Herbal Essences shampoo and ends with a scented sandalwood fan fragrance.

Extra: Not sure where they got the idea that this fragrance is bold and egocentric. It just smells like shampoo and cleanliness to me. It’s one of the better done fresh out of the shower smells in that it doesn’t abuse the florals but it’s still pretty generic.

Design: Gucci Envy Me is bottled in a tall rectangular flacon with the signature Gucci pattern on the glass running all the way up the four sides of the flacon in pink. It’s a little ridiculous for my aesthetic but I can definitely see the type of image this fragrance is trying to project in its design choices. The bottle is a bit awkward to hold because it–like Givenchy’s Very Irresistible–is a tall and slender bottle that’s made of heavier material.

Fragrance Family: Fresh Fruity

Notes: Peony, pink pepper, cassia, peach, mango, litchi, pomegranate, pineapple, sandalwood, white tea, teak, white musk.

In a pinch, I’d reach for Envy Me to spritz on when I want to smell refreshed and clean. It’s a great out of the shower fragrance for if you want to hold onto that Herbal Essences smell for just a little longer. Otherwise, there’s nothing remotely bold about it. It sure is fun though.

Reviewed in This Post: Envy Me, 2006, Eau de Toilette.

BPAL Fox-Woman Kuzunoha

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The full name of this fragrance is The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child. Due to space constraints, I couldn’t fit that whole thing in the title above. Regardless, Kuzunoha is a beautifully done clean tea floral fragrance from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. The Fox Woman

In Bottle: Lovely wafty of soft white tea settled with a pleasant bit of woodsiness. The jasmine in this fragrance lends the scent an even more tea-like personality.

Applied: Kuzunoha is one of my favorite fragrances. It’s light and beautiful and airy. The opening is a straight up showing of what the fragrance has, settling first with a hit of white tea followed by gently powdered jasmine. The white tea and jasmine mix well to make this fragrance smell a bit more like jasmine tea than just white tea while the two florals in this scent mix to make a floating floral background. The wisteria and cherry blossom are very light. The cherry blossom making a bigger appearance but it is still largely relegated to the background. The real star of the show here is definitely jasmine. Finally, the teak adds a tiny bit of woodsy presence to the fragrance to round it out. The entire experience is elegant, well-done, and very beautiful. Kuzunoha also benefits from the light approach because it is a very easy fragrance to wear.

Extra: The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child is a print by artist, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka.

Design: The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child is bottled in a similar way to most Black Phoenix Alchemy lab perfume oils. The glass is an amber color with a square label affixed to the surface of the glass. The label in this case features artwork by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka whose painting of the same name inspired this fragrance.

Fragrance Family: Floral

Notes: White tea, cherry blossom, wisteria, star jasmine, teak.

Big as I am on this fragrance, its longevity leaves a bit to be desired. I’m not surprised by this as most of the notes are rather fleeting in and of themselves.

Reviewed in This Post: The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child, 2010, 5ml Bottle.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Baobhan Sith

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Baobhan Sith is one of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab‘s more veteran general catalog scents. Discontinued in 2005, it came roaring back the next year with its tart, grassy citrus and tea scent. This is a well-loved BPAL with excellent longevity and a great fresh, clean personality. Baobhan Sith

In Bottle: Tartness with the mild sting from citrus. I get the slightly astringent white tea as well. Baobhan Sith is a very white, very clean and fresh fragrance. Reminiscent of grassy knolls and ethereal mists. This is a fragrance that makes me think of teatime and, for some reason, cranberries.

Applied: Initial flair of citrus, a very normal thing for me as it seems, before the grapefruit says it’s had enough of me and decides to recede into the background. The white tea is the real star in this fragrance as it dominates for the better part of the scent’s wearable lifetime. There is a very, very mild bite of ginger in this as the fragrance ages, the white tea mellows out and the ginger gets its time in the sun. Fresh, citrus, clean with a really (I mean it) light touch of ginger to round it all out.

Extra: Baobhan Sith (pronounced, “Bow-Vahn Shee”), heralds from Scottish mythology where beautiful women in green dresses wander the mists as bloodsucking vampires.

Design: Similar in design to many other general catalog scents from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. The oils are stored in an amber bottle with a twist black cap. The label is printed with the house name and fragrance name.

Fragrance Family: Fresh Citrus

Notes: Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom, ginger.

Baobhan Sith is great as a wearable fragrance but also a good room scent if you feel like diluting it a bit in water and letting an oil diffuser do its work. BPAL  fragrances are perfume oils, meaning they are not set in an alcohol base and are therefore unsuitable to be sprayed. Should one attempt to spray perfume oils, they will be met with a drooling, uncooperative stream, and a broken sprayer nozzle. To use BPALs as a spray perfume, you’ll have to find an alcohol base to dilute the perfume in first. You can find perfumer’s alcohol in specialty stores online.

Reviewed in This Post: Baobhan Sith, 2009, 5ml Bottle.