New Niche Fragrance Review: Strange Invisible Perfumes Likewise + Whispers of Love Draw

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All too often we salute the brash and loud but more often it is the delicate and soft which leave the deeper impression. What is said loudly, and to many, is probably not as impactful as the words whispered into a single ear. Even in perfume it is often the powerhouse notes which everyone recognizes and categorizes a fragrance by. As I wore the latest creation by Alexandra Balahoutis for her Strange Invisible Perfumes line called Likewise I was reminded that perfume can also whisper and in that olfactory susurrus be completely unforgettable. 

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Ms. Balahoutis named her perfume after a “shy yet amorous reply to a declaration of love or devotion.” As a brief that actually describes Likewise pretty well as it has a shy unobtrusive quality about it but there is also a depth to this wallflower. As always Ms. Balahoutis’ devotion to making all natural botanical perfumes adds sense of purpose and emotion to all of her perfumes. In Likewise the necessity to turn some of perfumery’s biggest extroverts into team players shows how precise she has become in her use of these all natural raw materials. Likewise is a perfume which I think would fall apart if there was one of the notes in it missing as it has a quiet intricacy maybe only found in the best botanical perfumes. 

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Likewise begins with grapefruit, ginger and neroli. The grapefruit and neroli are kept in balance with the ginger and this group of notes create an unusually tentative beginning like the perfume is having trouble getting its ideas out. In the heart those ideas begin to coalesce around a floral core of rose and jasmine with a pinch of ambrette. The base is where Likewise should begin to raise its voice but vetiver, black copal, and vanilla manage to control their exuberance and instead swirl together to create a woody sweet resinous accord. Likewise has average longevity and average sillage. 

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I have mentioned recently how much the raw materials used in all natural perfumes seem to impart an extra level of complexity to the perfumes which contain them. It seems as if they contain a vitality that those synthesized in a laboratory do not. There are other perfumes which whisper instead of scream but Likewise whispers with a creative accent that many of those other mixed media fragrances cannot imitate. It makes wearing Likewise a much more emotional experience for me as it feels like it is also a more personal experience.  If Likewise is meant to capture a moment of quiet emotion it does that beautifully. So beautifully it makes me want to proclaim that beauty loudly but instead I will honor the inspiration. So as Likewise speaks to me my answer is…..”likewise”

. Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Strange Invisible Perfumes.

Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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Thanks to Strange Invisible Perfumes we have a generous sample of Likewise , which is only available at the  SIP Boutique in Venice, CA to giveaway to one US reader. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite Strange Invisible Perfumes fragrance or what  your reaction would be if you said I love to your beloved and they answered Likewise. The draw will close on June 4, 2013.

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize wil be just spilled perfume

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43 comments

  • I haven’t tried any Strange Invisible Perfumes, but this one sounds gorgeous and perfect for summer. I’d also like to try Moonflower. There are so many from the line that sound interesting. I am in the US and thank you for the draw.

  • haha, If someone answered Likewise after I told them I loved them, we better really be in love and they are just being humorous. Otherwise they would be in for a barrage of harsh words.

  • I love most all SIP fragrances, but aquarian roses and prima ballerina are my faves. If my lover said “likewise” in response to an “I love you” I wouldn’t mind. Thanks for this giveaway. I am in the US.

  • Spunky Monkey says:

    If my beloved said ‘likewise’ after I said ‘I love you,’ I would probably assume my beloved thought I said ‘I like my coffee with cream.’

    Nevertheless, the Likewise concept sounds interesting and the notes are right up my alley. Thank you for the draw.

  • If my beloved said “Likewise” after I poured my heart out and said ” I love you” I’d probably be a little pissed off at first. But after calming down I would come to realize how sincere they were. I am in the US. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Charles Briggs says:

    Electrou was definitely an excellent smoky amber and I do believe this may be no longer available.. I also really like Atlantic. Unique and well made. “Likewise” is a great name. In the USA. Thank you.

  • I would assume he had the husband auto answer on and hadn’t quite heard me correctly. That said, it could be a perfectly acceptable response under the right circumstances (and would not be even close to the strangest response from my slightly deaf spouse who tends to just answer what he hears even if it is obviously gibberish). I have never tried any SI perfumes but would very much like to. I live in the US.

  • wefadetogray says:

    I surely would expect something more than a likewise if I say I love you for the first time to my beloved one but then again, imagine the right scenario, the right mood, perhaps a night of few, simple words, deep eye contact and a whispered “likewise” and everything changes. I would love to try this perfume for sure!
    I am in the US 🙂

  • This perfume sounds wonderful! I love the sound of the grapefruit and ginger opening. I’ve never tried any of their perfumes, but if someone replied Likewise to me, I think I would find it pretty funny (hopefully they would have a good sense of humor and say it as a joke!). I live in the US, and thanks for the draw.

  • ‘Likewise’ would get ‘Likewise what? You love you too? Well, I should hope so! Yet ANOTHER thing we have in common.’ A shy but heartfelt reply receives a wise-cracking yet reply, but in the spirit of love, all is fair, and all is understood to be underpinned with loads of lovely affection. Thanks SIP for the generous draw, and Black Rosette is only one of my faves from SIP.

  • Felicia S. says:

    If I said I Iove you to my beloved and received a likewise back, I would then wake up, turn off the alarm clock, have some breakfast and some tea. In other words, I wouldn’t be with someone like that!

  • I think I would love Black Rosette. Rose and black tea sounds really interesting. I don’t know what I would do if I heard the response “Likewise”.. probably raise an eyebrow.

  • ElizabethN says:

    If someone said Likewise to me, I”d probably see if he was joking, and if he was, I’d know we were soul mates. Otherwise, buh-bye! I don’t know SIP well, but I enjoy Magazine Street, which I own.

  • I love everything about Strange Invisible Perfumes from the name of the brand to the fragrances themselves. My favorite from SIP is Fire and Cream. Elegance shot out of a cannon.

  • Since English might not be the first language of my beloved, I would initially be impressed with the succinct appropriately used one word response. Then melancholy could set in. Then doubt. ‘Likewise’ could be the catalyst for a downward spiral. But then I’d catch myself and profess my love in a more detached way. See if that gets me another likewise. If so, we got issues…

  • Likewise is not the desired response from my beloved after I profess my love. He might as well say ‘Ditto.’ Despite being secure and owning my feelings, that response would be disappointing to hear. I like the notes in the fragrance and adore the name. Thanks for the draw!

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    if i said i love you and the other person replied likewise, my obvious reaction would be a smile and inside i would be feeling grateful for a ‘good life’ 🙂

  • My favorite SIP scent is Fire and Cream.
    I live in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • Since the context is “shy but amorous” I’d smile and give him a hug and a kiss. I’ve not tried any SIP so please enter me in the draw. I live in the U.S.

  • FearsMice says:

    The shy but amorous concept has a certain appeal both in perfumes and in personal encounters… I haven’t tried anything in the Strange Invisible line, but a number of them sound really good: Acquarian Roses, Black Rosette, Moonflower. I’m in the US; thanks for the draw.

  • Sarah Lathrop says:

    I live in the U. S. and my favorite SIP is Fire and Cream. I once ordered some samples from them and they came accompanied by a personal hand-written note. Such a classy company.
    Thank you for the chance at this sample!

  • Victoria Casey says:

    I think if I said “I love you ” to someone & their response was “likewise” I would have hurt feelings.

  • I live in the US and have not yet tried any SIP but I look forward to the opportunity. I do believe, “Likewise…” said in response to “I love you,” could be done in a perfectly sexy, earnest, and inviting way that leaves one knowing that their beloved means that and much more. Anyway, that is the way I would interpret it. I am forever an optimist in matters of the heart.

  • I think my fav SIP is Fire & Cream. I am always happy to support the natural perfumeries. I really hope to visit their store one day. Likewise sounds lovely.

  • I have never tries a Strange Invisible Perfumes fragrance, but Persica sounds interesting to me.
    If I said “I love you” and my husband said “Likewise” I would assume he was trying to be funny.

  • angiefunk says:

    My favorite's (can't pick just 1) Epic Gardenia, Fair Verona, L'Invisible and Atlantic for my hubby.  Amazing perfumes.   I live in the US too.  Not sure about the "likewise" depends on how it is said to me and when.  

  • I've liked most or all of the SIP perfumes that I've sampled. The all-natural ones have better longevity than most in that category. Ones that I recall standing out were Magazine Street and Botanical Musk. I guess I just like ambrette! Thank you for the draw. I live in the US. 

  • LumpkinLuv says:

    I have yet to sample SIP but I really want to I have heard so many great things. If my loved one  said Likewise after I poured my heart out I would probably say Hell No!, thats like saying Ditto and in my book that response does not fly. Thanks for the sweet draw I live in the US.

     

  • I adore Narcotic from S.I.P. I tried it while visiting the store in Venice. That's one of many that I really really like from this company. Great theme "Likewise" – it wouldn't bother me if someone said it to me, rather cute in fact- I have a US address which I believe qualifies me?

  • I do not have any experience with SIP, but would love to smell this. I love ginger in a fragrance. I used to think I was sneaking something past my parents when I would say "ditto" to my high school boyfriend while talking on the family phone located in the kitchen. I'm sure I wasn't fooling them!

  • my favorite sip is persica. mmm. I live in the us and would love a sample of this. Thank you for the draw!

  • After 18 years with my beloved a response of "likewise" would not phase me in the least! Thank you for this draw!

  • I'm a big fan of Fire and Cream, and I live in the U.S. And Likewise sounds very intriguing!

  • ringthing says:

    I would laugh and say "who are you, Patrick Swayze?" and he'd say "what? what about Patrick Swayze?" and I'd say "you know, when he was in that movie with Demi Moore and he couldn't say I love you to her so he would say likewise" and he'd say "was that the movie with the pot making scene? I don't think likewise is right" and we'd toss that back and forth before I would exclaim, "oh yeah, it was ditto! She'd say I love you and he would say ditto." And my husband would say "well, that's five minutes we'll never get back." The perfume sounds just gorgeous.

  • hehe it depends on how this likewise was said 😉 but you know, it can be something to be happy/upset over…

  • "Likewise "  had better be said in a loving and humorous way, or else it would be "NEXT".  the perfume sounds lovely.  Thanks for the draw.

  • Christine says:

    "Likewise" could definitely be said in a tongue-in-cheek, loving, fashion. I've been with my husband for 6 years now, so I'd probably just bop him with a pillow. 

    Thanks for the draw!

  • Hmm… if someone said "likewise" in response to "I love you?" It would depend on their facial expression. If there was a cute smirk, I'd probably think it was cute. If there was no discernable expression? I'd be hurt. If there was a wink and a smile? I'd probably be smitten. 🙂

    I'm in the US. Thanks for including me in the draw!