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[neptuniannotes]

Irresistible Eau de Parfum by Givenchy, a charming, fruity, musky, and woody floral. This 80ml bottle was my first excursion into the world of fragrance. Saturn had placed his throne on my ascendant when I had come across Irresistible. I was on Christmas Break after overhauling my life and moving into an apartment in a city for university. After such a big change, I craved something with substance and longevity. The lady who donned an accent and bright lipstick at the Macy’s perfume counter held it in her hands. She had brought me all the different Irresistible varieties, but what struck me about the EDP version was the tart top note. I had originally recognized this as raspberry, but it was a crisp pear. 

The notes are as follows:

Top: Pear & Ambrette (Musk Mallow)

Middle: Rose & Iris

Base: Cedarwood & Blond wood

Before we dive into the breakdown of each note and how I experience it, there are a couple things we must cover. First, Irresistible is regarded as a spring and summer scent and I disagree. I can see spring, but in my opinion, it could be a little too sweet for the heat. I associate this perfume with Saturn because besides the alignment I was going through at the time of purchase, it rules Aquarius which has associations with the pear. Saturn is not only bitter, but cold; an astrological signifier for when you may wear it. The planet Venus is commonly associated with sour and tart things, so spring is a reasonable time to wear it as well. Second and lastly, this is not your average “pretty girl” perfume. She is not hot, she is not cute, she is irresistible.

Today is a cooler summer day, sitting around 79 degrees Fahrenheit, and I sat in air conditioning while experiencing this perfume. Therefore, it may read much differently in the humid air, perhaps the fruity and floral notes would be stronger, but because this does not feel like summer to me and I don’t wear it in the heat, I just don’t know. 

Unlike Chypress by Floris, my previous review, the atomizer on this bottle is fantastic. There is full coverage here. Whereas Chypress was a light mist, this was a light drizzle. There was much more product leaving the bottle than expected. Upon application to my wrist, the pear arose and sparkled. It was fresh and green, but not juicy, perhaps dewy instead. The freshness was not a breeze moving through translucent drapes, but the frosty tingles that hit the back of your throat when drinking a Japanese soda. The ambrette here works like a transition accord. The train left the station at pear and stopped at a cabbage patch doll head before arriving at its next destination, floral station.

As soon as the middle notes touched down, I breathed a sigh of appreciation. I forgot how much I enjoyed this fragrance. If one could feel like Crazy-In-Love Watercolor Blush by Too faced, this is the transformative vehicle allowing you to do so. A quilt made specifically for greeting mother nature with tea and a book. A chess game against your crush in your rose garden. You’re wearing a sheer, pink dress over a vanilla cream turtleneck and he compliments you. Your eyes, blurry, full of sparkles smeared on the inner corner by a pinky painted lilac. Here in the middle notes, the roses are caressed by iris, a wonderful pairing. I prefer florals to gourmands, but they are not my favorite accord. The two florals swirl together agreeably, creating a petal soft aroma, nothing is sharp in this garden. 

Irresistible in its base notes is no longer in the form of mist or powder, it’s solid. It develops balmy and warm. It lives on the skin like ointment, where sunshine becomes glittering snow and flowers grow into tall, spiky trees. The snow dusts the cabin in late January and melts wet in February, causing wooden steps to creak more than they did prior. Your lover, who you met many seasons ago in a remote farmhouse, carries his fishing pole to the lake in front. This fragrance, in its most final form is sap covered branches, where icicles evanesce and sunny, brown furs reign supreme. A beautiful, syrupy musk. 

Final Notes:

This perfume at first glance looks like a modern, chic woman, but when given time, it is that woman in all stages. It’s her innocence, it’s her carrying a fruit cup of sticky pears in one hand and her doll with curly hair in the other. It’s her coming of age and adolescence, the blush she spreads across smooth skin and appears naturally when she looks at flowers she was given. It’s her independence, the open world both an intimidating permafrost and a welcoming embrace. 

Irresistible lasts incredibly long. On skin I give it 8-12 hours, on clothes I give it until you wash it next. This smells incredible on a sweater in the winter. I still recall when my cat would loaf up on my sweatshirt and when he would go see my brother, my brother would tell me he knew he came from my room because he “smelled like it.” Projection wise, I’d estimate say a good 1-2 feet. 

Final Rating: 5/5

Astrology Placements this fragrance reminds me of:

Where Saturn is most comfortable: Libra, Aquarius, Capricorn (Rising, Venus, Mars, and Saturn)

Strong Saturn in general

Venusians (Taurus, Libra, potentially Pisces if one has strong Saturn)

Photos are mine, do alert me if you see them used elsewhere, thank you!

[neptuniannotes]

Chypress Eau de Toilette by Floris, a simple, but magnificent fragrance. Marketed as a for her scent, Chypress still dons enough coolness to be considered unisex. It sits at $135.00 for 100ml on the Floris London website. The notes are as follows:

Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Orange Flower, Neroli

Middle: Jasmine, Rose, Osmanthus, Ylang Ylang

Base: Amber, Vanilla, Musk, Patchouli

Upon first meeting Chypress myself, in a 2ml decant, I dreamt up an entirely different experience for it then opposed to how I experience it now. Perhaps this is because I was sampling Philosykos EDP on my left wrist at the same time. My first impression was wow, this smells familiar, freakily familiar. I don’t mean that it’s similar to another fragrance, however some reviews on Fragrantica share the opinion that it’s parallel to Narciso Rodriguez For Her. Chypress, to me, smelled like a familiar person or a distant family member who is convinced she changed your diapers, but you don’t recall ever meeting. It felt like a warm fur, a hand-me-down, and protection lent by a stranger. A guardian angel pinching your cheeks as you sit upon wooden chairs and drown in her overcoat.  My first handshake with Chypress was everything that a kid who had experienced the cold had dreamed of growing up to be. 

It took me ten days of testing different fragrances (Sirens & Sailors by Jusbox and Baruti’s I’m Winter) then I purchased a full size of Chypress. Among receiving it in the mail, I met notes in this perfume that I had not detected previously. The citrusy top notes projected quite strong, and I now understood why many regard this fragrance as a scent for warmer weather. It was more than the original, simple warmness I enjoyed so much. The full size Chypress was no longer just that familiar family member, she was now the mom friend. She no longer appeals to just a Cancer or Aquarius Moon, but a jam-packed 4th house with venusian qualities. 

In order to fully immerse you in this perfume, I am going to walk you through its stages. Because although this does check all the boxes for a classic Chypre, it is in no way linear. Today is a particularly humid day and Chypress, specifically the top notes, performs much differently depending on the weather.

On a day where the air is drier, colder and less dense, Chypress starts off with an extremely sweet citrus. A mandarin lays in a bed of flowers. Sometimes, memories of a lemon pastry trickle into the air. This, another reminder of my childhood. It does not read as fresh, but almost fizzy. The molecules do not strive to quench, instead they are excited, skating around on skin. They do not dribble down your hands after crushing fruit, they spread like a powdery pollen. 

On a day where the air is wet and dense like today, the citrus is there, but dirty. Selena Gomez’s dress from the Fetish music video comes to mind. There is dampness in this expression of the fragrance. This mandarin smells riper and the flowers bloomed weeks ago. It is by no means sticky sweet, fresh, or clean in this stage, but lived in. It’s like when you first put on makeup and it needs to set. 

Now, when it comes to the middle notes, I do think these perform similarly in warm or cool, dry or humid, shine or rain. This is the floral stage of Chypress and it reads jammy to me. This is not the strawberry jam from your cute, local diner either. This is the results of your foraging, the blossoms and stems that line your wooden basket. I do not smell much of rose here, I almost forgot it was a part of the notes. 

Finally, the base notes, and my favorite part of this fragrance. The base notes of amber, vanilla, musk, and patchouli are not linear in anyway. The earthy patchouli comes first, reminding me of damp topsoil, although not fecal or pungent in that way. Here is where Chypress becomes a hug, reminiscent of the Black Sun and the womb. Patchouli swirls into drops of amber in an animalic musk. It is an earthworm’s journey through a dark forest after rain. The final stage of Chypress is soapy, a temperate bubble bath and balmy skin. I only recently started to notice this expression because of how similar it smells to my mom whose favorite fragrance is Amazing Grace by Philosophy. This is forest couture in the best possible way. 

Final thoughts:

Although I am a novice in the fragrance world, I do think that Chypress objectively is a great wear.  When it comes to projectivity, I believe a foot radius would be accurate. The longevity of course depends on the climate. In humid climates it lasts about 6-8 hours and drier climate 4-6 hours. I don't mind re-applying, It is clear from the photos above that I have created a large dent in the bottle. I’ve had Chypress for approximately 22 days and apply it morning, afternoon, and night. On the surface it may look like a simple fragrance, but underneath the canopy leaves and among moss covered stone, there is a stunning complexity that with time will show itself. 

Final Rating: 4/5

Astrology Placements this fragrance reminds me of:

Cancer and Aquarius Moon

Capricorn, Virgo, and Taurus Venus

Photos are mine, do alert me if you see them used elsewhere, thank you!