r/FemFragLab

I was growing a little tired of the gourmand category since it was usually the same thing. Some type of decadent vanilla cake, marshmallow, strawberry, etc. And then I saw a video from a TikToker whilst she was at a Chinese fragrance expo (annnicoleng__) where she introduced this brand, Soulvent and these two perfumes, Ong Lai and Taro whispers.

To say I am OBSESSED is an understatement.

In Chinese culture, dessert is not about overwhelming sweetness or excess, but about balance. And I think these perfumes really reflect that.

Taro whispers smells just like a creamy taro bubble tea. It’s taro, coconut milk, sandalwood, tonka. It’s so rich and creamy without being too sweet. It settles into such a beautiful scent on the skin. It’s not overpowering or crazy. It’s comforting yet different from the traditional gourmands we love and know.

Ong Lai is inspired by traditional Chinese pineapple pastries. And I think it does it really well. It combines the smell and texture form baked dough with juicy, tangy sweetness of pineapple and mixes well with apple and vanilla but softened with oolong.

I really, really like Taro Whispers. This is a perfume that I’ve just been spraying all over myself. It’s incredible. Tasty and creamy without being overwhelming. And though I don’t usually go for pineapple fragrances, I do like Ong Lai. Not as much as Taro Whispers but it really is just a pretty, bright fragrance. That again, isn’t too sweet.

If you want to give a new category of gourmands a chance, I highly recommend these. I got mine of Baroma (I live in Australia.)

I know this fragrance is retired but I'd never smelled it before. I found a full bottle for sale on Ruelala for $36 (🚨deal alert!🚨) and decided to blind buy it! I figured if I don't like it at least the bottle is cute lol Marc Jacobs always has the cutest bottles. It was such a good decision, I'm so pleased. I was on the hunt for something with honeysuckle or pear and this has both.

This fragrance is lovely and perfect for spring/summer. I was expecting a more prominent honey scent but I smell more of the fruits and florals, which is fine by me. It reminds me a bit of Clinique Happy. I turned right around and ordered a second bottle 😆🤭 I know I will be using this often & I hate that I wasn't into fragrances when it was in production and easily accessible! 😩

Does anyone else have this or the flankers? What are your opinions?

I have no idea what this glass little honeycomb is meant for, but it’s perfect to hold some perfumes and samples I want to get through! 4.00 at the thrift store.

Source: Ulta < notes: freesia dew, toasted rice, sakura blossom, jasmine, coconut milk, tonka bean, vanilla & skin musk.

Reviewing in order of purchase.

I got BBW Milk a couple of months ago based on reviews. I was surprised that it smelled so floral to me, and not creamy. The only other three “lactonic” scents I have are Commodity Milk (woody, sesame-nutty) and its twin Christian Siriano Intimate Silhouette, and Paris Corner Taskeen Lactea Divina (very creamy tuberose, modeled after Giardini di Toscana Bianco Latte). So I got Milk to get my nose used to a genuine lactonic note. Then I felt unsure since it was so different from what I already had.

I let my local barista smell it, and she said grew up on a farm and that Milk definitely smells lactonic. I was skeptical, but she convinced me when she said, “Like a pail of warm milk you just got from a cow.” I even made a post about it here, and some comments there say BBW Milk smells like canned milk, breast milk, or creamy oatmeal. In time, I decided it does evoke milk in my mind; it’s just one of those notes I have to adjust to. The way Kayali Yum PG smells powdery and fruity but not like an actual pistachio to my nose. After smelling similar fragrances that skew nuttier I see how it smells like a pistachio now. I like to layer it over lots of scents now. 8/10

Next I got Dedcool Mochi Milk. I had fomo for it since its debut in 2025, with online content creators raving about the rice note. I only recently smelled it in Sephora, and it was love at first sniff. I found a travel size on Mercari for slightly less than the Sephora cost. At first I was stoked to have it and so pleased with myself for thinking to get a secondhand bottle, but then I noticed a new facet - a boozy, decaying peach like the one in Paris Corner Khair Peach Delulu. A sour twinge. I didn’t get that in the store, so I was a little disappointed. The scent didn’t last long on my skin, and I was irritated. I read reviews, and more folks call it a marshmallow scent than a milky or rice scent. Dedcool is playing fast and loose with the word milk! Their fragrances Milk and Xtra Milk are just musks that don’t give me any lactonic vibes when I sampled them. I like it as a marshmallow scent, but I don’t love the performance. 6/10

Lastly, and best of all, Phlur Matcha Milk. I tried it the same day I tested Dedcool Mochi Milk. Maybe loving this in my shirt is what made me fall for Mochi Milk! This smells JUST like neapolitan flavor Astronaut ice cream to me. The freeze-dried kind they sell in science museum gift shops. So creamy and sweet and good. An instant dopamine hit for me. Its lasting power is minimal, but the scent bubble is respectable. Very nice before bed. 9/10

I hope she doesn’t disappoint.

ETA notes!

Megan Thee Stallion launches her first-ever fragrance, Hot Girl Summer Eau de Parfum. The floral, woody scent opens with creamy coconut and sunlit warmth, unfolds into a rich orchid heart, and settles into a smoky vetiver base, creating a balance of softness and power.

So, I got my hands on the infamous Huda Beauty Easy Bake Intense perfume. Just for reference I haven’t tried the first version that came out. I have had this for about 2 weeks and have been wearing it on and off during that time.

Now apparently many people were excited since this was a cherry vanilla perfume and also that the first perfume was appreciated but was limited edition.

My First impressions: 🍒

As soon as you spray it, you get a slight cherry but it almost instantly gets to the middle notes. I didn’t find the juicy cherry which they have described. For me, I get more of a dry cherry scent with slight powdery notes. It starts off slightly like those vintage perfumes associated with granny, which honestly had me constantly sniffing my wrist because I couldn't decide if I liked it or not, but it really grew on me over time. I just kept sniffing it, and honestly, I still think it’s sexy and confident in a way.

Also, just to clear it out, I don’t think this is the exact same as the Huda Easy Bake loose powder scent. It does share some of that DNA, but it’s really not the same.

Notes: 📝

•	Top: Wild Cherry.

•	Heart: White Flower, Cinnamon Bark, Caramel Milk.

•	Base: Vanilla Bourbon.

How it actually wears:

Once that quick cherry opening passes, it goes straight into the middle notes, and here’s where I think people are comparing it to fish. Now it’s not mentioned in the notes but, I feel (to my nose) like there’s some indolic florals like tuberose and ylang ylang (esp ylang which I also found slightly sour). I feel these notes, which are not mentioned in the notes, are what gives people that fishy note. These notes were present in the og perfume so I won’t be surprised if these are in this version as well.

Along with that ylang and white flowers, there’s this slight spicy kick from cinnamon. The cinnamon just gives it some depth and warmth and it's not as strong in your face as the one in Lattafa Khamrah.
(Personally, I do get some slight powderiness as well in the middle but no such note is mentioned)

Then it settles into this creamy, slightly boozy, sweet (not in a very lactonic way) vanilla bourbon. As it dries down, the base feels very modern. It basically transforms into something completely different than what it started with.

Performance: 🕰️

•	Longevity: It lasts for a good 6-7 hrs.

•	Projection & Sillage: It projects nicely for the first 3 hrs (like 2-3 feet) and after that it settles into a skin scent. 

•	Sillage is mild to moderate.

•	Maceration: I did notice that it macerated a lot in just these 2 weeks. I noticed it changed quite a bit over the last 2 weeks, and it may continue to develop with time, as many middle eastern fragrances do.

Vibe check and setting: 🎭

Okay, picture a woman getting ready for a late night lounge or a classy autumn evening. She’s dressed in a sleek, deep cherry red silk dress with a vintage leather jacket over it. As she walks into the room, she leaves a heavy, confident and mysterious trail of white flowers and that slightly sour ylang ylang, but it's warmed up and made cozy by the kick of cinnamon. By the end of the night, as she's unwinding with a drink, the scent has completely melted into a modern, gorgeous skin scent of boozy vanilla bourbon and sweet caramel milk. It's vintage leaning at first, but ends up super modern and dark.

Character aesthetic: 🎬

Midge Maisel (from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) but make it edgy. It perfectly captures her exact energy. She comes from that classic, proper vintage era (the powdery, floral opening), but then she gets the divorce, defies everything expected of her, and goes out to build her own career and earn her own money. She keeps that hyper feminine, gorgeous vintage look on the outside, but she has a sharp, independent, modern grit underneath.

This perfume is exactly that! 🤌
It basically starts off smelling like a vintage old vanity but completely transforms into this modern, independent, boozy vanilla.

Zodiac vibe: ♏️ ♉️

Scorpio or Taurus. It has that deep, slightly mysterious, and polarizing energy.
But wear whatever you want to, this is just for fun!

Season: 🍂

Fall and Winter. The warmth of the cinnamon and that boozy vanilla bourbon base make it perfect for cold weather.

Blind buy safe??

No, definitely not.
Now, does it smell like fish to me? NO. Most definitely not. This perfume is like how olympea is compared to a swimming pool or urinal. I love olympea though. So I guess it’s quite subjective and depends on how different nose perceives it. If your nose is sensitive to heavy, indolic florals, you might not like it.

TL;DR:

•	No fish.

•	It’s powdery cherry that quickly turns into a heavy white floral (slightly sour ylang note and warm cinnamon), which settles into a modern, slightly boozy sweet vanilla bourbon. 

•	Lasts 6-7 hours and needs to be macerated.

•	Not a safe blind buy. Test it first!

Disclaimer:

This is written by me, a human. These are solely and solely my views.

I am just sharing my free perspective on a free platform. If it doesn’t resonate with you, that’s totally fine. Please skip.

If u choose to comment, I kindly ask that you to keep it respectful.

[Purchased with my own money. NOT PROMOTING OR BEING SPONSORED BY ANY BRAND(S) SHOWN/ MENTIONED HERE.]

Genuinely I suck at describing scents but together these smell amazing and create something completely unique that I don’t currently own!

Using a test tube storage box for my samples!

I had a tree in the front yard of my house, and it smelled so intoxicating at night. I have memories related to it , so I was searching for a perfume with the same note. And found Fils de Joie by Serge Lutens. The problem is that it is showing OOS everywhere. I want to know if there is any other perfume that smells like nightblooming jasmine?

Hi lovelies! Has anyone managed to smell this new Zara fragrance in person yet?? I’ve heard it’s akin (not a direct dupe) to glossier you. Please tell me anythingggg

My Zara had a tester for every single one except this one 😫