I, like so many other people over the course of the last couple of years living in a pandemic, have recently gotten super into playing around in the world of fragrance. I've actually been meaning to feature more fragrance here on the blog but hadn't gotten around to it until a brand new Canadian fragrance house called FOOPE Fragrances reached out to me and asked if I'd like to try out their three brand spankin' new fragrances. Of course I was absolutely dying to give them a sniff and a test and share them with you guys - just in time for their launch!

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One thing that is always sure to get me is when a brand has a clear intention and ethos and that was what really drew my interest and made me want to try out FOOPE - even though I'm a little bit outside the target market. Aimed at Gen Z, FOOPE's goal is to produce beautiful, unique, experimental fragrances while maintaining a focus on being eco-friendly and sustainable, vegan and cruelty free, inclusive, and luxury in performance while being affordable in price. And really - all of those values are absolutely ones that I can get behind and that are the kinds of things that I think indie brands are really focusing on beautifully. 

When it comes to the 3 fragrances in the launch collection, I definitely think that they managed to bring a really interesting spectrum of fragrances to the table that bring three distinctly different vibes to play with - and I definitely, definitely think that they're leaning hard into vibes. As someone who tends to really relate fragrance to how it makes me feel, I absolutely love that aspect.

When it comes to the three different vibes of these fragrances, I think it would be easy to assume that they're for three distinctly different people, but I actually don't think that's necessarily the case. I mean, obviously different people are going to be drawn to different scents and have their own preferences and signature vibes, but as someone who chooses my daily fragrance based on how I want to feel and what I want to project on any given day I definitely think that these three fragrances could easily be three different sides and aspects of the same person as well. 

One other thing I'd like to note is that I really don't think that fragrance needs to be gendered and I definitely think that all three of these fragrances could easily work for just about anyone regardless of where they fit on the gender spectrum. I would (and will) personally wear all of these fragrances, but I think all of them would also work for a more masculine presenting person as well. 

IFÉ Eau De Parfum* ~ citrus floral

Bergamot, Mint, Spices, Mineral notes | TOP NOTES

Geranium, Rose, Water Lily, Mojito Fusion, Damask Infusion | HEART NOTES

Musk, Cedarwood, Amber | BASE NOTES

I love that they related IFÉ to a love story because I can absolutely see every aspect of that in the wear of this fragrance. I think this is going to be the most easily crowd pleasing of the scents because there's a clean brightness about it that I think can really fit just about anyone and brings a sort of effortless cool vibe. It opens really bright and citrusy in a way that, to me, absolutely screams the Mediterranean and brings to life in my head pictures of falling in love in the summer time. That brightness really clings for a solid couple of hours before it really starts to mellow out into a muskier scent that feels effortless and cool and just a teensy bit dirty. Honestly, for me, this part is where this scent really shines even though it sits closer to the skin at this point. You still have some of that clean brightness with the really effortless musk and then these really subtle hits of a resinous sweetness and that slightly deeper and a just a little bit dirty muskiness. Though, as I said, it does sit a little closer to the skin after a couple of hours, when compared to scents in my collection that I would think of in the same vibe, it definitely stayed impactful for longer. 

For me, this is pretty much an anytime for anyone type of scent, but I think it'll probably be best for daytime or pretty much anytime when it's hot because it really lives in a good zone for that. Also, I think this is just sort of the definition of what I think of in my head as a "cool girl scent", though I wouldn't say this one needs to be gendered at all. It's just effortless and easy but still beautiful.

Bergamot, Grapefruit, Black Pepper | TOP NOTES

Orange Blossom, Cedarwood | HEART NOTES

Vetiver, Amber, Musk | BASE NOTES

I absolutely fell in love with this fragrance when I sprayed it on the tester strip, but when I first applied it to my skin I wasn't quite sure. This scent opens with a lot of punch and vibrancy that felt like it might be a little too much for me, but I stuck it out because I knew that something beautiful was to come. After about 30 minutes, it really settled down into this gorgeous, deep resinous amber that I just felt like I wanted to let myself sink into, if that makes sense. It still packs a lot of punch and intensity, but it's a little more grounded at that point in a really beautiful way. After about 3-4 hours this really develops a softer sweetness that sits a little bit closer to the skin - which is, honestly, my personal preference - and when I get little whiffs of it, it makes me feel warm and cozy and a kind of sexy that is really confident and comfortable - if that even makes any sense.

For me, I definitely think this is going to be a bit of a fall go to for me and I think that rich, resinous sweetness is going to be something that I can't get enough of as the weather gets colder. Also, something I find really cool about this scent is that I love it on myself and I think it absolutely fits me, but I also definitely want my partner to be wearing it while I nestle myself in close to his neck.

Honestly, I'm obsessed with this one and as soon as the weather starts to cool down I think I'm going to end up reaching for it often. 

Saffron, Bergamot, Black Pepper, Coriander | TOP NOTES

Rose, Cinnamon, Geranium | HEART NOTES

Sandalwood, Oud, Kashmir Fusion, Cedarwood, Patchouli | BASE NOTES

I think this is definitely going to be the most challenging fragrance of the three for most people and it will likely be the most polarizing. For me, when I first smelled this, it sort of reminded me of another fragrance that I ended up really not liking, so I really wasn't sure. It opens with a ton of punch that very much has the vibe of a middle eastern perfume, which isn't surprising when you look at the notes. It's very spicy and intense in the opening, distinctly gender neutral but leaning a little bit more masculine in my opinion - at least at first. It starts to mellow a little bit within maybe 45 minutes to an hour and then you start getting this really beautiful sweetness that I am... sort of a little bit in love with. It also loses some of that bite as it wears, becoming much smoother in its warmth as it settles in. It actually really, really starts to remind me of a spice cake once it settles into the skin, which I am literally obsessed with. 

I actually tested this both on myself and on my partner and I sincerely can't decide whose skin I like it better on. On him, there's this masculine sexiness and strength that just makes me want to burrow into him. On me, I feel like this scent really embodies confidence and strength, but in a way that is somehow cozy? It's main character energy, but like... curled up in cashmere. 

Of the three, I definitely think this is the one that you're either going to love or hate. Initially, I actually thought I would be in the latter category and it just wouldn't be for me, but as I wore it I really did fall in love with it and I'm already thinking about pairing it with hot coffee drinks, cozy sweaters, and floppy toques come this fall. 

Something that is really, really cool to me about FOOPE is that their Cop or Drop Program. Essentially what you do is choose the fragrances that you'd like to try out and give them your payment information. They will then ship you out the discovery kit for the fragrance or fragrances you want to try, which includes both a 30ml full size bottle and a generously sized tester sample. Once your fragrance(s) have been delivered to you, you have 5 days to try them out and decide whether you want to keep them or return them. Full details about this program and the costs are available on their website. 

FOOPE Fragrances is officially launching today, so be sure to head over to their website and take a closer look if any (or all) of these sound like something you might be into.

Thanks for reading!