Alina Morinova

Alina Morinova

Feb. 16, 2026

2/5

2

For those who adore ylang-ylang. Honestly, I don't understand why raspberry is listed in the composition. My bottle had three notes: lavender oil, rose absolute, and ylang-ylang. Perhaps I have a newer version of the fragrance, but that's not so important. Let's forget about the raspberry and move on to how the fragrance unfolds on my skin. Generally, scents on my wrist and elbow crease smell differently. On the wrist, they are more delicate, and on the elbow crease - deeper and sometimes sharper. But in the case of Amelie Mae, there's almost no difference. Except that on the elbow crease, it sounds a little sharper. The fragrance doesn't 'play' on me, it remains the same throughout. Rose is barely noticeable. The main note is ylang-ylang, it overpowers lavender, although sometimes lavender manages to break through. Rose seems to whisper from afar, but the ylang-ylang and lavender duet drowns out that whisper. Mostly on my skin, it's almost a mono-fragrance, dominated by ylang-ylang. The scent is quite sharp, reminiscent of a bath bomb from this brand called Love me do. Maybe ylang-ylang lovers will like it, but I'm not thrilled; sharp fragrances are not for me. P.S. Here's my collage with the bottle and ylang-ylang - the brightest note of this perfume

Alina Morinova

Feb. 16, 2026

2/5

2

The fragrance «Wild Pears» gives me mixed feelings. At first, there's a sweet pear on the skin, reminiscent of «Duchesse» lemonade, but then a strange «soapy» effect appears. I expected bergamot or sandalwood to balance this sweetness, but alas, they didn't show up. Bergamot only flashed briefly, and there was no sandalwood at all. Vanilla is barely noticeable, as if it's hiding. After half an hour, the scent starts to resemble baby soap, and that doesn't please me at all. It doesn't develop, doesn't play, but just stays on one level. The longevity, like most Montale perfumes, is unfortunately not a joy here. Instead of delighting, it chokes with its chemical soapiness. Musk, which usually adds depth, here unfolds powdery, creating the impression that powder was also sprinkled on this soapy wonder. I tried this fragrance in different conditions, but it stubbornly refused to «befriend» my skin, only giving off soapy-lemonade notes

Alina Morinova

Feb. 16, 2026

3/5

3

"Chance Fraîche" looks more appealing. At first, I felt a familiar scent, reminiscent of Chanel's green "Chance," and this sensation lasted about five minutes. Then the perfume starts to unfold, becoming more refined, but, as with "Chance," sometimes that cologne note appears, which prevents me from enjoying the full spectrum of the fragrance. On my skin, it often smells like patchouli, although there's a bit of bergamot and woody notes present. But this strange cologne undertone constantly returns. Sometimes the scent becomes slightly soapy (perhaps it's lavender playing tricks, I'm not sure). After about an hour, mint starts to emerge, but not in its pure form, rather like a mint cream or ointment. Later, it feels like mint candies have been drizzled with a drop of that very green "Chance." Although this is a more beautiful "interpretation" of green "Chance," even cashmeran sometimes peeks through, but... it's not for me. After 3-4 hours, the "Chance-ness" almost disappears, mint and cashmeran become more noticeable, although patchouli and cedar are still present. In the cold, the fragrance develops better than in the heat, with more mint cream and soapiness appearing than cologne. Overall, I didn't like it, but the drydown of the fragrance is not bad. Smooth, minty-bergamot with a light hint of vetiver and soapiness. Patchouli is almost imperceptible. I'd give it not even a 3, but a 3.5, as for me it's an "ennobled" version of green "Chance" with a "smoothed out" cologne note

Alina Morinova

Feb. 16, 2026

2/5

2

The 'double allergy' fragrance - that's how I'd describe 'Ural Gemstones'. I'll say right away that raspberry didn't develop on my skin, nor did apple. Of all the declared fruits and berries, only grape managed to show up. But it smells very quietly from the wrist, and from the crook of the elbow, it's almost imperceptible. After 10 minutes, the grape from the wrist simply disappears. On the wrist, patchouli and something woody remain, and from the crook of the elbow - pretty much the same. The grape disappears again, and only notes that make the fragrance chypre are audible. The patchouli on the crook of the elbow is very earthy and dusty. Considering I have a dust allergy, such an intense dusty background doesn't bring any pleasure. Why did I call the fragrance a 'double allergy'? Because there's another point here. Cologne. All chypres on my skin have a cologne tint, but here it's not just a slight cologne-like quality - it's cologne itself. In comments on various resources, I've seen mentions of 'Soviet cologne'. I breathed a sigh of relief - I wasn't the only one who noticed it. When I was a child, my grandfather had such a cologne; where he got it from, I don't know, as I didn't live in Soviet times. Maybe there were leftover supplies, maybe it was a gift, it's unclear. But I remember the scent to this day. One time it spilled on the sofa, and I couldn't enter the room for a long time because the sharp smell made me cough. So 'Ural Gemstones' with its dustiness and cologne-like quality is a real 'double allergy' for me. I'll give it one star for the decent grape at the beginning, but I can't give more than two

Alina Morinova

Feb. 16, 2026

2/5

2

The 'Alice' fragrance only lasted 2-3 hours on my skin. Honestly, it smells unnatural to me. Among the fruits, I only distinguish mango, passionfruit, and pineapple. Strawberry, if it appears at all, is very faint, I didn't even realize it was strawberry at first. I used to buy summer sprays from Victoria's Secret, and if I were offered 'Alice' in a blind test, I'd think it was one of their limited edition scents. Closer to the base, 'Alice' starts to resemble cologne. Almost all fragrances from this brand behave this way on me, but in 'The Witch,' this booziness seemed appropriate, as if the witch decided to drink something strong. But for a fragrance dedicated to a child, it looks strange. I'm not imposing my opinion, maybe this perfume will unfold differently on someone else, but if I want such a smell, I'd rather grab a Victoria's Secret spray. Some of them even last longer than 'Alice' P.S. Here's my collage with the 'Alice' sample, it remained as a reminder, because the sample itself has already moved to a new home. Not for me, unfortunately 😕

Alina Morinova

Feb. 16, 2026

5/5

5

It's not often that something grabs me so much that I want to buy more from a perfumer. With Kot (Cat), that's exactly what happened. Someday I'll tell you more about it, but for now, just a few words about what struck me. The scent is sweet, but not cloying, cognac is noticeable, but not overpowering. There's a light amber quality and a few leather notes, but these are more subtle hints than anything prominent. Everything sounds very harmonious, no note tries to overshadow another. The longevity is simply amazing - I applied it in the morning, and I could still catch whiffs even the next day. If you adorn something with this Kot, the scent will last until it's washed. P.S. I was so impressed that I bought another fragrance from this perfumer online from a perfume enthusiast (though not from Ladanika this time, but from Incarna). I also plan to get Odolen-trava, which, like Kot, was created by Natalia Vitkovskaya for Ladanika

Alina Morinova

Feb. 16, 2026

4/5

4

It's almost a literal repetition of the description from the book. Honestly, I can't say I'm thrilled with this approach. The perfume dedicated to Triss Merigold is much more expressive and beautiful, in my opinion. But with Yennefer... It's more just a retelling of her scent than an attempt to convey her character through smell. Triss really had a character that could be captured. Overall, the fragrance isn't bad, sometimes I even catch notes of powdered sugar, though I don't understand how it got there. It's funny, but on the crook of my elbow, it smells heavier and more powdery, and from my wrist, it's lighter with a gooseberry note. As for cons: it lacks the character portrayal, unlike other fragrances from this brand. Sometimes lilies "pop up" for me, and sometimes the musk sounds too coarse and animalistic. Otherwise, the fragrance is even beautiful in its own way, and I think powder lovers will like it. On me, it doesn't unfold too retro, like many other powdery fragrances I've tried. I rate it 3.5, but I'll probably give it 4 stars. P.S. Here's a photo of my sample with Yennefer and The Witcher in the background for mood!