Ava Luxe Tea Rose

(tea rose http://www.lynsnow.com/tea_rose.html)

I figured I needed to do a fragrance review considering I haven't done one in so long, so out of my box of samples I chose Ava Luxe's Tea Rose. Her note listing for the scent is: tea rose and green notes. The scent is pungent as is to be expected with tea rose scents, it has a hint of spice but overall tea rose scents have always smelled slightly lemony to me with a hint of airy notes. I consider them the original precursor to Calvin Klein's Eternity (which to me is a tea rose scent amped up with white flowers and ozone notes and all together headache inducing). This one luckly is not headache inducing. As the scent enters its middle stage in takes on an almost indolic quality (think there must be a little jasmine in this blend), it then drys down to a green musk laced with rose. The image that pops up into my head for this for a young wannabee hippie girl who doesn't want to wear patchouli oil but wants to wear some oil and so she chooses this. Just not a scent for me, although I do remember once mixing it with Egyptian musk oil and finding the combo quite nice.

Vivienne Westwood's Anglomania

To put it simply Vivienne Westwood does not release scents that are easy on the nose, then again neither is the clothing that she designs. Up front Boudoir was unwearable for me, quite frankly it smelled like a woman's sex, and putting that on, well... Being female I really don't need too. Still I couldn't help but admire the audacity of her making a scent that very much had the scent of a woman's ladyparts running through it and all of its blatant glory. As for Libertine I can't say anything on it as I have never smelled it. But then Anglomania (and yes the name leaves much to be wanted) came out and I had the chance to try it and the chance to buy it at a ridiculously low price at TJ Maxx. It is a powdery rose, old fashioned, and by old fashioned I do not mean prim and proper, but the old fashioned scent of the 40's, 30's, and 20's which designed for women usually knock out modern men's fragrance in there sexual audacity and weight. For under the lovely powdery cardamom spiced rose is a hint of leather and a definite hint of skank and a nice bit of tobacco. The image that came to my mind was the incredible lush womanly dark Dita Von Teese who plays with bygone era glamour and sexual kink with a dash of theatrics and sense of humor. The scent is modern but the attitude behind Anglomania is nostalgic kink with humor.
Official Notes to Anglomania:
Top notes: Green Tea, Cardamom, Coriander
Middle notes: Rose otto, Nutmeg, Violet
Bottom notes: Vanilla, Amber, Leather

Recommended: To those that like Fifi Chachnil, wanted to love Habanita or like Habanita, and want something that has something a little classic and dirty.

Facts: Dita Von Teese does wear a classic fragrance-Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant, a scent created in the 1800's and first to not be a soliflore.