Incredible Things by Laurent Le Guernec for Taylor Swift 2014

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Kate Apted

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Hello APJ folk!
I went through a phase last year of buying up random perfumes to store in a pile of unopened ones under my bed. Someone suggested I buy things when I see them cheap and open them up in the future when I think I may like the sound of the notes. So, I saw Incredible Things on massive discount at a little chemist in a tiny shopping centre and bought it. About Christmas time I was feeling depressed through my enforced no-buy period and thought I’d open it to see how it compared with Ms Swift’s other very fruity and sweet offerings.

Instant love!

Incredible Things by Taylor Swift 2014

Incredible Things by Laurent Le Guernec

Incredible Things Taylor Swift FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Grapefruit, Pink pepper
Heart: Passion flower, Vanilla orchid, Suede
Base: Haitian vetiver, Madagascan vanilla, Musk, White amber

I imagine Ms Swift has a serious, contemplative side to her personality. Though she is marketed as girly and romantic, I think there is a marvellous deeper side to her. I glimpse this through Incredible Things. It is a quiet, almost serious scent, in that it does not project with laser like capability and does not pierce with high pitched notes. There is a calm leather and pale violet quality in the opening of Incredible Things. Her other scents are seriously sweet and hit me with an immediate punch to the front of my brain. Incredible Things slowly sings its way to me, and it is a welcomed relief.

Longevity is a problem with Incredible Things, I get about an hour of the leather and violet unfolding to a powdery floral, which then dies down to nothing after three hours. At the price this fetches, I can justify regular spritzes. I have tried spraying a lot on at one time, but it makes no difference to the opening effect. It is simply a serene scent that works best with two or three sprays, reapplied often. I find it is best applied and left to do its magic. I rarely lift my wrist to my nose. Projection is modest enough to allow people to notice I am wearing it, but loud enough for me to catch wafts of it now and then.

If Incredible Things were released by a niche house, I’d bet it would be more favourably received. The fact it is housed in a garish bottle and seated alongside the numerous celebuscents might contribute to the lack of noise over it. I must admit to being floored by the combination of notes done in such a demure yet classic manner. Especially given the harsh sweetness of Ms Swift’s other scents.

Now, let me tell you that the major notes (as listed by Fragrantica) are vanilla, suede, passion flower, musk, vetiver and orchid. It surprises me that vanilla is voted as the most prominent. I registered the florals and vanilla as a mild violet and I get a light trace of the vetiver, but I needed that pointed out by the notes list. Do I love it enough to be eyeing off a back up bottle.

Have you been surprised by a celebrity scent?
Til next love,
K xx

Lovely by Laurent Le Guernec and Clement Gavarry for Sarah Jessica Parker 2005

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Post by Portia

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Hello Fragrance Friends,

Last week in Australia on our AFN FaceBook page we had a Wear Your Celebrity Scents week. We often have special Wear Your weeks because by highlighting a particular section of our collections to wear we remember to bring out things that have sat neglected. It’s been over a year since I last spritzed todays fragrant offering, and it used to be one of my go-to, wear everywhere frags. So it was really nice to spend a full day re-engaging with it. Fully respritzed it for morning, noon and night.

Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker 2005

Lovely by Laurent Le Guernec and Clement Gavarry

Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives the following accords:
Top: Nectarine, bergamot, rosewood, lavender
Heart: Apple martini, white daffodil, orchid
Base: White amber, cedar, woody notes, white musk

The shimmery, hefty/sheer fruity opening of Lovely is skimming the edge of screechy as you apply it. I hold my breath for that first few seconds of zing because it’s completely overwhelming to me. It only lasts a few seconds and then  Lovely becomes well named. My mind has always told me that lovely is a fruity rose and jasmine bouquet fragrance over the most enormous hit of fluffy, powdery, clean woody musks. So there are no roses or jasmine in the notes list but even now that I’ve read the note list my nose is not getting the memo.

What I love about Lovely is how softly insistent it is. While you may not be strong smelling the fragrance does tend to have legs and will fill a room if you spritz in one room, leave for whatever reason and come back 20 minutes later you’ll still smell juicy/musky remnants. So when I wear Lovely I can sit down with someone and it may take 10 minutes for the fragrance to make itself known and then I’ll get a compliment.

Lovely-by-Sarah-Jessica-Parker

Longevity is excellent and because it’s now so cheap I can spritz with abandon. Lovely also leaves excellent sillage, people will look up about 30 seconds after you’ve walked past and will be looking for where that fabulous smell is coming form. Dressed up or lounging around the house Lovely feels like a perfect fit.

Further reading at Bois de Jasmin and Australian Perfume Junkies
FragranceNet has $20/30ml Before Coupon
My Perfume Samples starts from $2/ml to $7/5ml

What has been left loveless around your place that needs to see some spritzing?
Portia xx