Fragrance World/French Avenue - Fierte Review

Just got my bottle of Fragrance World/French Avenue Fierte.

This is supposed to be a dupe for YSL Babycat. Let me start off by saying I have Babycat. It's in my Top 5 perfumes so I am very familiar with it. Also, I didn't buy Fierte because it was a dupe for it. I bought it because the reviews were SO good I figured I'd take a chance with the blind buy.

First things first.

It IS really good. Very vanilla forward, sweet, earthy, warm spicey, comforting. The initial spray the vanilla hit me hard with saffron sneaking up underneath shortly thereafter. Then it mellowed to smokey/woody and amber. Finally on dry down the vanilla and tonka were front and center.

Projection at first sprays was good but it does not have great longevity for me. It was only detectable for about 2 hours then it became a skin scent for me. However, it's the next morning and I can slightly smell it on my wrists. Maybe if I use more of it the lasting power will increase. I typically tend to under-spray since most of my fragrances are rather powerful ones. Or maybe it will benefit from maceration for a few weeks similar to most Lattafa fragrances.

Second IMO this is not a dupe of Babycat. I noticed a lot of people reviewing it say they haven't actually tested Babycat let alone smelled it. The two only share a few similar notes and not in the same order. Fierte is sweet, mellow and friendly on opening. Babycat announces itself with a shout due to the pepper on top. I honestly don't understand people who say they share the same DNA.

Leans feminine and is marketed for women but could easily be for men also.

So it is a +1 for Fierte in it's own right for being a good fragrance probably worth having if it fits your scent style but not a replacement for Babycat. Enjoy it for it's on pleasures which are worthwhile.

Last, the bottle is a PITA. It's top heavy because the cap is solid metal and like many people reported fell off in transit. Some say the bottle got scratched up because of this though mine, thankfully, arrived in good condition even though the cap was off rolling around the box interior. The box itself is also a PITA to figure out how to open. I had to rip apart the outside cardboard in order to release the bottle from the box. Would have made it hard to return I bet since I'd ruined it. This isn't fault of where I purchased it from (Jormashop) but that of the manufacturer.

The bottle is freaking adorable though, with the fox stopper :D