Floral Street

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The prices of Floral Street fragrances--back when I first purchased their discovery sets--were so reasonable, I felt I could afford to love several of them. (They are more expensive now.) My memory of the time was that I was disappointed by every one. They're all pretty "safe," and non-groundbreaking, several reminding me of shampoo. On a scale of awful to stupendous, they score a solid "meh." 

One of the problems I have with this line is that in several instances the scents don't match their names. And not for any particular reason. It's as if a name-generating program was used and applied to the scents at random. London Poppy (Neroli, Orange Blossom, Florida Orange, Sicilian Lemon, Apricot Blossom, Jasmine Sambac, Sunflower Accord, Marine Accord, Cedarwood, Hinoki) for example, smells neither of London nor of poppies, though it does seem generic enough to put me to sleep. Its bright opening takes me to the 1970s and the many drugstore scents I tried as a kid. Nice enough, I suppose, but not particularly special. However, it would be fine for a young girl's first fragrance. Black Lotus (Saffron, Rose, Rose de Mai, Patchouli, Pink Pepper, Musk, Black Violet, Black Cherry, Papyrus, Jasmine) is a black rose, on the stem, with sharp thorns. Sadly, that goes all powdery, with a touch of sweetness underneath. The lotus represents purity, strength, and rebirth, none of which can be found in this fragrance. Neon Rose (Pear, Galbanum, Bergamot, Cassis Kir, Apple Blossom, Sichuan Pepper, Cyclamen, Juniper Berry, Jasmine, Angelica, White Cedarwood, Peach Nectar, Crisp Amber) is allegedly a "reimagined rose" that contains no actual rose notes. To me, it smells of pears and white musk with some other floral-y things going on, which isn't a bad thing. But never would I call this a rose scent. There's also something vaguely cheese-y in the drydown, like spoiled milk. Chypre Sublime (Incense, Pink Pepper, Wild geranium, Damask Rose Absolute, Midnight Violets, Patchouli, Labdanum, Benzoin, Olibanum) smells of dusty old roses and not at all like any sort of chypre I've ever smelled, sublime or otherwise. Electric Rhubarb (English Rhubarb, Australian Sandalwood, Island Gardenia, Frangipani, Jasmine Sambac) I smell nothing tart in this fragrance. Certainly not rhubarb. It's a pleasant beachy scent that's about as far from electric as one can get. 

(I feel like I'm summoning my inner Luca Turin here, though I can't quite bring myself to be as unapologetically mean.)

Arizona Bloom

Balinese Coconut, Madagascan Black Pepper, Oak Moss, Salted Musks, Jasmine Petals, Fig leaves, Cashmere Woods

While Arizona is not all desert--there are some wooded and grassland areas--it is certainly not the natural home of either coconut or figs (though no doubt some jackwad is wasting precious water attempting to grow both on a golf course somewhere). So why anyone would think naming this somewhat beachy scent with no discernible floral notes "Arizona Bloom" is beyond me. It's pleasant enough, without a lot of obvious fig (not my favorite note). It's more of a vaguely salty wood scent than anything, though I can also smell the coconut. 

Iris Goddess 

Violet, Red Chilli Pepper, Lemon Zest, Lemon, Iris, Powdery Notes, Suede, Red Fruits, Carrot Seeds, Musk, Black Vanilla Husk, Patchouli

This one actually does smell of creamy iris with a pleasant musk and patchouli background. There's a bit of sweetness from the fruits and the barest whiff of violet; the suede is more of a sensation than a scent. Not bad, but then I do tend to favor iris scents. 

 

Wild Vanilla Orchid

Vanilla Bean, Cashmeran, Ambroxan, Cassis, Lemon, Vanilla Blossom, Bamboo, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Patchouli Fraction, Red Orchid

Ok, this one definitely smells of vanilla. It's somewhat sweet--as most vanillas are--a little powdery, a little fruity. The fruitiness--almost tropical, like guava or pineapple-- I think, makes it smell rather youthful, so even though this fragrance might be considered cozy, it stops short of being sexy. Gen Zers might disagree with me, and that's fine...they can write their own damn blogs. (Or post 6 words and a pic on Instagram and call themselves a blogger.) I also think that the tropical fruitiness of this one might be nice layered with Arizona Bloom, for the coconut. Though two wrongs don't make a right.

Wonderland Peony

Blackcurrant, Pink Pepper, Sicilian Lemon, Pink Berries, Pink Guava, Violet, Peony Accord, Raspberry Flower, Vanilla Bean, Pink Cotton Candy, Cedarwood

With all the pink ingredients in the list of notes (taken from the Floral Street site), I am almost afraid to put this on my skin, in case I turn into Barbie. Thankfully, there's enough tartness between the blackcurrant and lemon that all the sugar doesn't become unbearable. Wonderland Peony smells like all of the stuff in Sephora sprayed at the same time: sweetly generic.

Ylang Ylang Espresso 

Sichuan Pepper, Rose, Tangerine, Ylang-Ylang, Patchouli, Tiramisu, Jasmine, Coffee, Cacao, Whipped Cream, Guaiac Wood

Right off the bat, I get heavily creamed and sugared coffee, floral notes, but also cigarette smoke. That coffee note disappears pretty quickly, replaced by a fruity tartness. It's like trying to enjoy coffee and an apricot tart at an outdoor cafe, but the fug from the woman chain smoking at the table next to yours is wafting into your face. It's an interesting scent, I'll give it that, but the coffee note is so fleeting, it should be called Ylang Ylang Expresso.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.