A Wren Says

When I took my most recent trip to New York I knew that I needed to finally make a stop at the Kilian boutique in the Meatpacking district. I walked in and saw the beautiful designed shop with a couple of couches, glass displays of fragrances, lipsticks, and gift packaging. But I was there on a mission, it was straight to the counter.

I told the associate that I was interested in smelling that I couldn’t get in my local Sephora, but first I had to finally smell the Born to be Unforgettable.

She informed me that it was a re-release. The same notes but with different packaging. Previously, the fragrance was under the name “Bad Boys Are No Good But Good Boys Are No Fun,” or just Bad Boys, and housed in a round sprayer that sat on top of a cube.

I had low expectations given the Sephora reviews I’d seen basically calling it just flat Coke. It smelled good to me. Slightly sweet and definitely unlike other scents I’d smelled before. There is definitely the cola reference in there, but it did not smell like you just poured the drink on you. There was certainly more depth to it. But I was on to smell the next thing, so I’ll have to explore that one more later.

Then I smelled Blue Moon, part of The Liquors line. It was gingery and fresh. I don’t know what I expected, but I also liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I kept coming back to smell that tester strip and still being surprised I liked the scent.

The associate had me try Sunkissed Goddess, which will be released next month in the U.S, though it is already available in France. It was definitely a quintessential summer scent, floral and coconut. I liked it on paper, but it pulled too much coconut for my liking on my skin. Personally, I passed on that one. It also smelled quite like something else, I can’t put my finger on it.

Smoking Hot smelled like sweet vanilla with an edge. It was not smoky on me, but I liked it.

When I smelled Playing with the Devil, I liked it a lot. I liked it when it was sprayed on my skin. The lychee was just enough sweetness without smelling like a dessert. But alas, I need to play with the scent more before I commit myself to having to tell my family that’s the scent I’m wearing when asked.

Then it was a speed round, as I tried to smell everything while she attended to something else. My curiosity got the best of me, but I don’t recommend that as the best smelling experience. My nose was overwhelmed. I’m pretty sure I smelled Moonlight in Heaven, but who knows at this point what my true thoughts would be on it.

Because I was traveling, I didn’t want to buy full bottles. Well, let’s be honest, I use so many fragrances that full bottles don’t make sense. However, even at the boutique not everything was available in that packaging. For some, my only options were to get the large bottle or buy and atomizer and have it filled with a refill.

The next time I’m in New York, I need to make sure I make a trip out there to smell the rest. I also am even more excited about the brand and might just end up buying a sampler from the brand’s website to try more things at home.