Best Bombshell Oud by Victoria's Secret Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Perfumer: Dominique Ropion (the nose behind Portrait of a Lady/Frederic Malle, Amarige/Givenchy, Jungle Elephant/Kenzo, La Vie et Belle/Lancome, and many more).

Every perfume in the Shot series focuses on an iconic perfume material. Violet Shot zooms in on the complex beauty of violet leaf and its leathery, sweet, powdery and earthy nuances. To highlight the earthiness, the perfumer used patchouli, the sweet is enhanced with Madagascar vanilla, and the leathery vibes are supported by labdanum and saffraleine.

Narcotic tuberose, a favourite of Marie Antoinette, amped to heady heights here by ylang-ylang with added saffron intrigue. This voluptuous floral is bold but not shrill, thanks to the grounding of suede, papyrus, patchouli and cashmere wood.

Perfumer: Serge de Oliveira

An addictive and sophisticated gourmand balancing almond marzipan and suede leather inspired by Medieval Andalusia, the city of Córdoba and almond sweets. A must try for gourmand lovers.

Still Life in New York is a perfume built on contrast: cozy and warm notes are set against cool and fresh materials.

The photo for this smellscape was taken by an artist who only shoots cities in the snow. She might be trying to capture that feeling of being snug while it’s snowing heavily outside.

The perfume design is toying with the same idea. Cozy warm notes of saffron, leather, smoky birch tar and vetiver are highlighted by a generous portion of cool clary sage and violet leaf.

The perfume feels like standing by a window in winter to peep at the falling snow and being able to feel both the cold ambiance coming from the glass and the warmth of the house in the background, the fireplace, steaming tea and cashmere blanket.

Perfumer: Jérôme Epinette

Photographer: Vivienne Gucwa

***

The Sniff on Flash Back in NY:
"Imagine that you are walking along a city street in the winter. The air is cold, crisp, making your lungs tingle as you breathe it in. You’re wrapped up nice and warm but the end of your nose is cold. Up ahead is a youth in a battered leather jacket smoking a marijuana cigarette and you get a second-hand whiff of it as he exhales a plume of smoke. That’s exactly what this perfume reminded us of."

Read full review

Perfumer: Anne-Sophie Behaghel

A radiant woody perfume with an intriguing name. Is it match as in a box of matches? The perfume does possess that dry wood and cardboard vibe escaping from a box when you take a match out. Or is it a match with your skin? There is a lot of musky sandalwood and veil-like ambroxan that together create an alluring clean super-layer hovering over your skin. Or match as in new love?

There’s a tantalising friction in the smell of iris root. It’s austere, but tender. It can be powdery, but it also suggests leather. Depending on the context, it can read as feminine or masculine. Iris Ardent resolves this fabled material’s dissonance in a compelling eau de parfum that balances all of iris’ contradictions. The opening spikes of cypress and vetiver provide the scaffolding for cushiony amber and powdery iris. Juniper’s bright twang illuminates the darkness of incense and moss. Intellectual, but accessible.

Andevalo was born under the blazing sun of western Andalusia. A land where cistus shrubs exude a thick, resinous gum saturated with heat and light. This extrait is built around a trio of labdanum extracts, expressing their full ambery depth. Strawberry CO₂ extract, along with raspberry and black cherry accords, bring a pulpy, sensual brightness, quickly absorbed by supple leather and mineral warmth. Enveloping dark woods and patchouli leave a dense and long-lasting trail of smoke and dark sweetness.

Perfumers: Coralie Spicher and Fabrice Pellegrin 

“Živeli” (ZHEE-vuh-lee) is a common Serbian toast used to wish good health and a long life. In this extrait, a juicy burst of plum brandy melts into a leathered tobacco, encapsulating a celebratory night out with friends. Giddy joy is further fluffed by cherry and raspberry notes, while the leather aspect is warmed by honey, saffron and labdanum.

This composition is 24% parfum concentration, with 70% natural ingredients. Capped in Mexican Riviera Gray marble in a delicately etched glass bottle.

Delulu is a soft-focus dream sequence in oversaturated colours, swirling across a soundtrack of shoegaze and nineties/noughties indie.This particular sequence follows childhood into adolescence: a favourite toy, a pack of crayons, a melted sweet in your jeans pocket, a bite of berry pie, a long sunny day doing nothing. There’s fizzy cedrat and the salty-fresh friction of tart rhubarb against rooty vetiver. Like all dreams, things get weird: a niff of rosy plastic and smoky incense. Yesterday is a place you can never visit again, but it’s still an escape from tomorrow. That’s Delulu.

Delulu bottle caps are hand made from memories, specifically a nostalgic jumble of plastic beach toys captured in epoxy resin.

Master perfumer
David Chieze

Inspired by the dream of an upside-down world. Mandarin and blood orange mix with aquatic, airy and green notes to create a surreal dreamscape where the sky is beneath your feet and a vast blue ocean hangs over your head. See-through boats drift by, and the invigorating aroma of imaginary citrus trees energizes your senses. You don’t want to go back to the world you know.

Perfumer: Maud Chabanis