Tried and Tested : Pierre de Lune by Armani Prive

The Armani Prive perfume collection evokes ambivalent feelings in me: half of the fragrances in the line excite me, while the other half leave me cold and unmoved. To illustrate this antithesis I would like to use Cuir Amethyste and Pierre de Lune as examples. I view the two as antipodes of each other in terms of the feelings they elicit in me, with Cuir Amethyst being a zenith to Pierre de Lune’s nadir. I am completely in love with Cuir Amethyste, its deep and intricately nuanced scent haunting my mind, the memory of our first meeting re-experienced over and over again, in blindingly saturated colors. I would gladly pay its rather extravagant price tag without once complaining, for in my mind, the quality, the luxury of this scent justifies its cost. And then there is Pierre de Lune, proper and demure, effortlessly sophisticated yet, at least in my eyes, doubtlessly lackluster. Now, I realize this is entirely subjective. What I find lackluster and boring, surely has a place in someone else’s heart. Yet, whenever I smell it, I cannot shake the feeling that the price tag is, in this case, rather exorbitant. I cannot shake the feeling that this scent is neither luxurious, nor special enough to warrant the cost. With these thoughts in mind, I decided to take Pierre de Lune out for a test drive and see how others perceived it. Considering that the average shopper is neither a collector nor likely to be a perfume enthusiast or devotee, it was clear to me from the beginning that it was unlikely that I would find anyone who wouldn’t in fact find the price exorbitant, yet I still thought it would be both fun and interesting to see how exclusive this fragrance is perceived as just by its smell in general.

A few things to keep in mind before reading this month’s little interviews:
- As is always the case when there is a post about a harder to find fragrance here on Fragrance Bouquet, there will be a random draw for a sample of it. Please comment if you would like to be entered in the draw!
- The people that were interviewed were not told beforehand which fragrance they were smelling nor how much it costs. They were debriefed only after the interview was concluded.
- Two interviews had to be omitted because the subjects did not wish to have their picture taken. Even though their interviews are not going to be posted, I find it worthwhile to mention that both subjects commented on how soapy the fragrance smelled to them. They both compared it with soap they have smelled in the past and one of the two even identified the soap that Pierre de Lune reminded her of – Maja soap! It is quite sad that I had to omit these interviews because it is rather telling that three out five people found it very soapy.
- Pierre de Lune costs 185$ for 50ml and the official description characterizes it as “a sensual, floral fragrance designed around the penetrating scent of cassia. Fresh woody notes and soft violet harmonize with iris from Florence—an ingredient so precious it costs more than gold. An intense fragrance that awakens the senses.”

Katerina, Highschool Student
What is your first impression of this perfume?
- Ooh, I do not like it. It smells very strongly of soap.
What sort of price range do you think this fragrance falls into?
- I think it is probably an expensive fragrance. Maybe around 60 euro?
Would you buy this fragrance for yourself or for another?
- No and no! I do not like it at all, so it wouldn’t be right for me and I wouldn’t buy something I don’t like for a friend of mine!


Anneke, Pensioner
What is your first impression of this perfume?
- Mmm, it is feminine, but it is also rather oppressing and heavy. Sultry perhaps and ...exotic! That’s a good word for it. I do not like it myself... This is for some sort of dark type, do you know what I mean?
What sort of price range do you think this fragrance falls into?
- Probably around 25 euro?
Would you buy this fragrance for yourself or for another?
- No, I wouldn’t buy it for myself and I would certainly not buy it for a friend of mine. It’s too heavy.


Martin, University Student - Biopharmacy
What is your first impression of this perfume?
- The first thing that pops into my mind is that I am not convinced by it! Oh, it is alright I guess – it smells like a rather light unisex fragrance.
What sort of price range do you think this fragrance falls into?
- I really have no idea.
- Oh, go ahead and guess, it’s fun!
- I can’t say! Must I?...Well alright, 25 euro?
- Funnily enough you are the second person that guesses this!
Would you buy this fragrance for yourself or for another?
- I don’t think so... It’s not that I find it disgusting or anything – it’s more what I said in the beginning. It just doesn’t do anything to ‘convince’ me. I have to be crazy about a perfume to buy it, and this, well, it’s just mediocre.


I hope you enjoyed this month's Tried and Tested and don't forget to let me know if you want to be entered in a draw for a sample of Pierre de Lune! The winner will be announced in a week's time.

Images: Author's own.
Official Quote on Pierre de Lune: www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com

Tried and Tested : Midnight Poison by Dior

As was announced in the beginning of this month, Tried and Tested is one of the new monthly features of Fragrance Bouquet. I knew the first perfume I was going to test-drive was Midnight Poison by Dior, not only because it’s new, but also because it made such an impression on me: It was completely opposite of what I expected it to be. I was expecting it to be seductive, mysterious and most of all feminine. To my surprise it was intensely citrusy (definitely not the note I associate with midnight) and not at all feminine. In fact, I found it very masculine. Was it just me? I had to find out what others thought. Equipped with my camera and a notepad, I took to the streets to find out.

Note: In order to avoid bias, subjects were not told which fragrance they were testing.

Sara, 23 years old, student

Would you say this is a feminine or masculine perfume?
- I’d say feminine
Would you wear this fragrance yourself?
- No, it’s too strong - I don’t like it! Personally, I go for lighter scents.
How would you describe it?
- Hmm, as I said, it is very strong. It’s a powerful, intense scent. It seems like something that would be mostly worn by older women.


Hans, 53 years old, Gallery Owner & Freelancer

Would you say this is a feminine or masculine fragrance?
- Masculine, definitely masculine. Wait... there must be a catch, right? If you are asking this question, it must mean it’s actually feminine!
- I am afraid I cannot tell!
Alright, would you wear this perfume yourself?
- No, it is too heavy. This is a fragrance you can smell from a mile away! You know, I believe fragrance is something you should only smell when you get close to someone, when you’re allowed to come close to someone. When you are attracted to someone and you approach them...and then you smell this...Let me just say, if a woman was wearing this, it would definitely be a minus point.
- Ouch!
How would you describe it?
- It is heavy, overwhelming. It is sweet, but very citrusy too. I smell musk; perhaps there is some leather in there as well. In some ways it reminds me of the way the core of a tree trunk smells like...


Jeroen, 27 years old, Carpet Installer

Would you say this is a feminine or masculine fragrance?
- It is a masculine fragrance. Mmm...well...it could go both ways actually, like a unisex fragrance. But I am leaning towards masculine.
Would you wear this perfume yourself?
- Yeah, I really like it! I would buy it.
How would you describe it?
- It is soft... Soft and seductive.


A big thank you is due to Sara, Hans and Jeroen, who agreed to be interviewed and photographed by a total stranger: Thank you for giving me some of your precious time. Doing this was definitely daunting at times: Not everyone has the time or inclination to participate is such a project. At the same time it was great fun! I love hearing people’s opinions and whether these echoed my own, or took me by complete surprise by being completely different was really exciting. We laughed a lot together with the people that participated and they all had questions to ask me in turn after I had finished asking my own. One even surprised me by producing a camera and taking my own picture afterwards! They made my day brighter – seeing them engage their senses and allowing me a glimpse of how they perceive this scent was most rewarding. I am really looking forward to doing this again next month. I hope you are too!

Images: Author's own.

Fragrance Bouquet News: New Features and Things to Come

Dear Readers,

I am very excited to announce that Fragrance Bouquet will be teaming up with For the Love of Perfume to bring you two new features! These will be hosted on both our blogs every first and every third Monday of the month. Starting today, every first Monday of the month, TMH256 and I will be writing “Perfume for the Occasion”, where we will discuss appropriate scents for a different occasion each time, beginning with today’s rather controversial subject, “Perfumes for the Gym”. The third Monday of each month will in turn be devoted to older, well-established classic fragrances. We have affectionately dubbed this feature “Forget me Not” and we were prompted to start it by your -that is, our readers’- desire to see more reviews of older fragrances amidst the reviews of niche and new releases. The first “Forget me Not” feature will be presented on Monday the 17th of September. We welcome requests and suggestions on both these features! As well as these regular features, TMH256 and I will be bringing you more impromptu joint projects, such as our Fall top 5, which will be presented on the 30th of September. Lastly, Fragrance Bouquet will be taking to the streets once per month to bring you the monthly “Tried and Tested” feature, where the opinion of random pedestrians will be solicited on a different fragrance each time. I hope you are as excited as I am about all these new features!