A visitor to this blog (Hi Cindy!) asked me several weeks ago to compare Majenty’s Embrace the Day to Child Perfume Oil. At the time, I didn’t have a sample of either fragrance, but after Autumn kindly sent me a sample of Embrace the Day, Cindy generously offered to send me a sample of Child so I could compare the two. Yesterday I got a package from her in the mail, and not only did she send me Child, but all kinds of other scents to try. So, thank you Cindy! I have to say, I’ve met more nice people through this perfume blog…it restores my faith in people in general. I only hope I can learn to decant and return the favor!But I digress. I pulled Child out to sample immediately. This morning I cruised the internet looking for the notes, but I can’t find them listed anywhere. The closest I get is on La Crème Beauty, where they are listed as “brilliant exotic flowers, an alluring white crisp jasmine floral.” Just as a refresher, Embrace the Day is a gardenia based-oil infused with jasmine, tuberose, and plumeria.
Not having the most trained nose, I feel I’m taking a shot in the dark—I’m basing my impressions on some research and the few things I think I can recognize based on all this sampling I’ve been doing. The thing about sampling is, unless you strictly sample single-note fragrances, you’re always smelling blends, so you might think you know a note when really, you’ve got it all wrong. A lot of this comes from experience, but I swear I’m about ready to plant myself in front of the oils they have over at Whole Foods and start all over with the basics. I looked online for some sort of kit to help me learn, but all I found were scent kits that would make me a better hunting dog. Hrm. I'm already really good at that. I’ve also looked for classes in my area…but nothing! What can one expect from a major city with no serious perfume boutiques?
I digress yet again. Sorry. I said the other day that Embrace the Day presents mainly as a gardenia soliflore, in that gardenia dominates the scent. The tuberose sweetens it a bit (gardenia, although creamy, always has a little dirt or bitterness underneath it to me), and the jasmine lends a slight indolic quality. But still, to me it’s gardenia, and very soft and smooth, crisp like a starched sheet.
Without any notes to help me (I admit this might be way off), I’d say that Child is a sharper scent, especially during the opening. I think there must be some neroli or bergamot in there because I definitely get citrus, and it sticks around for the first couple of hours. The jasmine is prominent all throughout, but I also wonder if there isn’t a little ylang-ylang and tuberose in there as well. Or maybe osmanthus. In the dry down I get a little spice, maybe some sandalwood. It’s not quite as heavy or smoky as cedar, but there’s something there…I don’t detect any musk.
I like Child better than Embrace the Day, and to me they are quite different. If anything, I’d have to say that Child reminds me much more of Fracas than anything (in spirit, that is, as the "main" note in Fracas is tuberose, not jasmine), but it’s not quite as dark or sophisticated. For a younger person who loves white florals, or perhaps for a more casual occasion (or if you’re going into a situation where you’re insecure about your perfume but you want to wear something), I think Child would be a wonderful choice. But I think for a woman who’s more confident and self-assured, Fracas is the better option. Unfortunately Child suffers the same celebrity following (in fact, some of the same people, even) that Fracas suffers, but I suppose you shouldn’t let that put you off. If anything should put a person off this pretty scent, it’s the name. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t think it’s responsible marketing to name a fragrance that’s supposed to drive men wild “Child.” But perhaps that’s just me.
Thanks again, Cindy, for letting me try this! I should also mention that Bob loves it. My man has a real thing for white florals, I’m discovering, and the claim this scent makes them wild is apparently true, at least in my case. He could not stop complimenting me this morning. The other white florals he loves are Carnal Flower, Fracas, and After Hours…I never would have guessed it!
*photo from Amazon.com
