Sunday, May 24, 2009

Review - Strange Invisible Perfume


Crisp, aquatic notes of wild roses brighten a warm sea of marjoram and sandalwood. A floral perfume for both sexes, this aquarian elixir boasts the relevance of rose in contemporary perfumery and on the skin of men.

Provenance: rose returns but this time on its own terms. True to its roots and wild with thorns, it is poised to enlighten the senses and perfume a new era.


Perfume is a thing I associate with sexy, mildly trashy elegance, like Maggie the Cat dabbing a bit of perfume on her wrist before Brick comes home, in one last desperate attempt to get him to love her the way she needs to be loved. Wearing perfume makes me feel particularly fancy, and I'm not the kind of girl with a "signature scent," which means I get to mix it up a lot. This Strange Invisible Perfume in Aquarian Roses is just the kind of thing I would wear if I were a past-her-prime, yet still totally sexy, Southern belle, trapped in a loveless marriage with a super-hot drunk. It's old-fashioned, but playful. It's warm, but not overbearing. It's feminine, but not sweet. And the fact that Strange Invisible (weirdest name for a perfume company ever?) touts it as a unisex fragrance should give you some idea about the scent - not quite a man's, not quite a woman's, but able to magnify the femininity or masculinity of the wearer. I quite like it, actually. And I think Liz Taylor would approve.

Deedlejuse Says:
Movie Maven! Such a picture you paint....

Perfume is kind of my life. My job is to create all natural perfumes for people and to help them find a fragrance that fits their personality. So, as you can imagine I am super head-strong and opinionated about scents, so take my review with a grain of salt!
This company's motivation and "green mission" is quite commendable, and interesting. It seems as though the perfumer Alexandra Balahoutis knows quite a lot about scents and will create you a custom perfume after you sip floral infused waters to see which flowers resonate most strongly with you. Interesting. My biggest problem with Aquarian Roses is that I don't like the way it smells, I can't imagine recommending it to a man, and after wearing it myself I really couldn't pick it up after about a half hour. It smells basically like Moroccan Rose Oil, a very sour bitter smell with some sandalwood. I am a true admirer of Rose fragrances, but I just don't think it is worth $210 for 1/4 Oz. of parfume and $175 for 1.7 Oz. of eau de parfume. If you are interested in this fragrance I strongly recommend trying the $5 sample before jumping in with both feet, unless you can gamble with that amount of dough! Some of their other fragrances sound scrumptious though, maybe trying a few samples to find your perfect fragrance is wise. Of course if you are in the area and can just go in and play that would be the best option.....

Sheba says this Strange Invisible Perfume in Aquarian Roses is definitly different from the fragrances I am usually drawn to. After Movie Maven's review -- I can see it with Maggie (Liz Taylor) in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'. I think it would fit her personality. I found that it did stay with me for a while which did NOT happen with Deedlejuse. It is so difficult to describe a fragrance -- especially one that you are not really used to. I will say that it was not overpowering. However, I have to be honest and this is a very nice fragrance but it is just not for me. I bet it would be just the scent a lot of people are looking for. So try the $5 sample as Deedlejuse suggests before investing the total price. Just be sure before you dig down deep. I think most of use do that anyway -- you really have to try a scent before plunking down your hard earned $.

Recently I have been using the Strange Invisible Perfume in Epic Gardenia and usually I am not a Gardenia fan. However, I want to mention that I have received many complements on this fragrance. I was afraid I might have put too much on to cause as many complements but friends I trust said NO -- it is just lovely. Sometimes I think Gardenia is too strong on its own and that is partly why I am not a big fan. I did not think this was as overpowering as many other Gardenia fragrances that I have used but was nervous at first due to the many complements. Now, I know it is the scent and not the strength. I am not in the perfume business so it is just about impossible for me to describe the various undertones, etc. I just know this is a very nice Gardenia that stayed with me but was not too strong. Once again, I would suggest that you try the sample before plunking down the full price. Make sure it is for you -- believe me, this is for many of us!!

CitySlicker Says: If you have any experience with Gardenia then you know it's not a subtle flower. it's full of life and lots of fragrance. This scent rich and has a lot of aroma on my skin. It's thick when I first apply but totally lasts throughout the day and is still going strong by the evening. If you like Gardenia you will love this and if you don't then it's not for you.. Epic Gardenia is a lovely feminine floral that stands up to it's name

Maria says: I too received a sample of Epic Gardenia and to be 100% honest, I had decided even before trying that I would not love it. I am no fan of anything floral. Ever. However...this little bottle kind of sets a different bar for the very unique notes of Gardenia. The drydown for me was much better than the first few minutes of application where I thought "uh oh, this is not for me". The drydown gives a subtle floral that is not overpowering or overwhelming. If you are a fan of Gardenia, then this will surely be a great addition to your perfume collection - It is unique and lovely and perfect for this time of year.

Amanda S. Says: Well well well, look how much everyone likes this stuff, huh? It certainly is a unique name, that's for sure. When I first saw it I thought, is this a typo??? But alas, it's as unique as the scent. As far as I know, you can't actually extract scent from the real lily of the valley flower, so I am guessing this is a very good interpretation of the actual scent. I hadn't imagined that if captured, it would be something I'd be drawn to, considering that most of my scents are dark and more heavy than lily. But having been handed this, and feeling obligated to give it a try, I find it's in my top three favorites for this summer! I'm told on me, it doesn't smell very lily-ish at all, but it does have a nice green scent. I have read in a few spots that people couldn't notice a dry down difference, but the scent adjusted to me very differently than to a friend I dabbed it on. Both times, very interesting. I highly recommend this scent as a gift for someone because I haven't found anyone it doesn't meld well with.

No comments: