Perfume Review: Christian Dior J'Adore (Eau De Parfum)

Target Gender: Female; Price Bracket (Aus): Medium-High (up to AU$180). Category: White Floral. Christian Dior is a subsidiary brand of LVMH.

This is not a review for J'Adore L'Or, J'Adore L'Absolu, J'Adore Voile De Parfum or J'Adore Eau De Toilette. Review based on wrist and card samples.

Disclosure: No affiliation with any brand or store. Bottle in pictures purchased at retail price.

J'Adore belongs to the family of scents that inevitably get thrown into the comparison and get thought about when their categories are spoken of. Much like Opium (YSL) is to orientals, Chanel No.5 is to aldehydic scents, J'Adore is to white florals. This is one of the gold-standard scents for white florals (Chanel Gardenia being the other one in my opinion).

J'Adore was first launched in 1999 (The EdP version). Since then, Dior/LVMH have released enough flankers to make J'Adore a designer house in itself (there's no less than five variations of this perfume after deletion of a few). The nose behind the scent is Calice Becker, her other notable works being Tommy Girl (Tommy Hilfiger), Lola (Marc Jacobs), DKNY Energy, and Beyond Paradise (Estee Lauder).

You could be forgiven for thinking for the first few minutes after spraying on this scent that it is a single-note jasmine soliflore (soliflores are fragrances based on only one major note). However, there's no mistaking this one for something like Essence Jasmine (Donna Karan) or Jasmin Rouge (Tom Ford). This is a white floral multi-note scent, and has a very proper 3-layer profile.

The top is pear and magnolia to my nose, pear in particular is very easy to pick. But right from the start, hints of jasmine are evident. The middle notes are where its reputation comes from: almost entirely white flowers. Jasmine (easily picked) and tuberose (I got to know what that is after YSL Manifesto) are the dominant notes, and go all the way down to the end of the scent. Dior say it has rose and freesia, but the jasmine tends to hide them. Not that it's a bad thing at all.

The base is slightly musky, but at its heart and soul, this scent is about jasmine, and the base still smells like a jasmine scent.

This is a subdued, elegant and very versatile scent. It's almost stereotypically feminine, and is one of the quintessential scents if you like white flowers, especially jasmine. It is not loud enough to distract others, and at least in my perception, doesn't have much of an intimate vibe. It might be a very "mature" scent if you compare it to Dior Addict or the younger ones from the Poison family, but nowhere even close to the likes of Opium EDP. It is a proper all-weather, all-occasion scent.

It doesn't project very far, as is quite expected from white florals (most wont go too far away from you), but it does last a fair while. Longevity on my wrist clocked in at about 5-8 hours, which is quite good. Generally, white florals are not as potent as red florals or spices, so I think it does well.

The bottle is gorgeous; I think the shape is a bit odd-looking though (it is based on the ancient Greek "amphora" vessels). The tall cap with a crystalline acetate top does look very pretty on a dresser. The squat glass bottle is weighted significantly towards its bottom to keep it stable.

It is a pricey perfume, and to top it, Dior generally dont participate in the seasonal discounting for perfumes. Some chemists do sell it at 20% or so less than Myer/DJs, but make sure you get it from a chain of good repute though.

Ratings:
3.9/5...Soft, versatile, long-lasting. Unobtrusive, but might be a bit too "mature" for some.

Prices:

RRP: AU$120/ AU$180 for 50ml / 100ml

UVP: 50ml $2.4/ml, 100ml $1.8/ml

Click for more information on UVP

This is a pricey scent. Shop around but make sure you buy from a reputed retailer. Expect to pay at least AU$150 for the 100ml at the minimum.

Stockists: Myer, David Jones, some pharmacies and chemists. 

Perfume Review: Flowerbomb (EDP) by Viktor and Rolf

Target Gender: Female; Price Bracket (Aus): High (up to AU$200+). Category: Sweet Floral. Viktor & Rolf is a brand of L'Oreal.

This is not a review for Flowerbomb Extreme (purple bottle), or Flowerbomb Rose Explosion. Review based on wrist and card samples.

Disclosure: No compensation or endorsement involved. Review based on wrist samples from department stores. I have no affiliation with any brand/store/label whatsoever.

100ml Retail bottle. 

Viktor & Rolf is perhaps not as well known among fashion houses as the Italians and French would be (V&R is Dutch). However, I am well familiar with some of their perfumes (Antidote and Spicebomb are both very good perfumes for men). While I havent had an opportunity to try the very new "Bonbon" as yet, Flowerbomb is a staple name for many females...and for good reason.

Flowerbomb is one of the key milestones for Oliver Polge (son of the the Chanel head perfumer Jacques Polge), and in this scent he partnered with the very talented Carlos Benaim and Domitille Berthier. Both Polge and Benaim are very talented perfumers with impressive portfolios, and here they haven't disappointed.

Flowerbomb is predominantly true to its name; it is a floral scent, but quite a sweet one. It has a varied and wide note profile, but it stays fairly pyramidal and doesn't have a huge deal of complexity to it. The "bomb" word in the name would imply something intensely floral, but here the name relates to its longevity and projection more than anything.

The top of the perfume is a sweetish citrus, very much like bergamot orange. Patchouli is faintly evident at the top too. Shortly afterwards, it becomes a sweet, intensely floral scent. Rose and Freesia are easy to pick up, and so is jasmine. There's also orchid, but being a relatively mild flower, it doesnt really power above the rest of the notes. Patchouli starts getting intense around the middle, and the base is a strong patchouli note with flowers still prominent. The patchouli isn't very cold like Elle (YSL) or Midnight Poison (Dior), probably toned and moderated with musk.

This isn't a very intimate scent, because of its potency and projection. That said, it is pleasant, and if you go easy on the trigger, it is not a bad choice for a night out. The EDT version is a fair bit softer but also smells quite different. I haven't really tried it much, so can't comment on it beyond the fact it's just softer.

Longevity is not an issue with this one. Two independent wrist samples from different bottles on different days both lasted over 9-11 hours. Another forearm sample lasted about 13 hours, so it's safe enough to say you'll get good longevity from this.

The bottle is shaped like an item usually associated with military ordnance (hence the b-word in the name), made of precision-cut glass. It's not as prominent as Elle (YSL)'s bottle would be, but it would look good on a dresser nonetheless.

Flowerbomb is priced high no matter where I looked. It is quite pricey (up to $3.3/ml, and the 100ml bottle is over AU$200), and discounts are not very easily found (although the independent chemists are a bit more flexible).

Ratings:
3.8/5...Potent, flowery, sweet, long-lasting, but pricey.

Prices:

RRP: 30ml AU$99, 50ml AU$159, 100ml AU$205

UVP: 30ml $3.3/ml, 50ml $3.18/ml, 100ml $2.05/ml

Click for more information on UVP

Pricey as it is, get the 100ml bottle if you can stretch to it. The smaller bottles are not good value at full price.

Stockists: Myer, David Jones, some pharmacies and chemists.