Week in Perfume - August 2015 (The Sample Size Edition)

I'm a huge fan of travel sized perfumes, both for their handbag portability and the fact that they allow me to try a range of scents without encumbering me with 100ml bottles to store in my beauty room. Inspired by Larie's recent 'Scents of the Week' and a discussion we had in the comment section of the post, I went about gathering up a few perfumes to set aside and use for the week. It wasn't until I got to number 5 that I realised I had only chosen sample and travel sized scents - seems this sample trend was meant to be!

Kim Kardashian - Kim Kardashian EDP

This is a strong, sexy white floral that I really enjoy wearing. I've gone through a full bottle of this in the past and when I saw this travel rollerball in Las Vegas last year I jumped at the chance to buy it in this format - one of my favourite things about visiting Sephora and other American stores is the huge travel size selection available! It's something we definitely miss out on as Australian's!

Candide Bath & Body Chocolate Macaron Fragrance Oil*

This smells just like I've baked something delicious...in fact, not long after applying it I popped into the kitchen and whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, I just couldn't help myself! The rollerball leaked a little bit before it got to me so it's a slippery little sucker to open, but delicious nevertheless.

 

Urban Rituelle Caramella Petit Parfum*

After the immense success of the Cotton Candy parfum (one of my all time favourites!) this was a greatly anticipated release from the team at Urban Rituelle! It's definitely sweet and the edge of caramel gets me comments each and every time I wear it (much like Cotton Candy, actually)

 

Lush Lust Gorilla Perfume*

This scent is definitely full on - wear with caution! I originally had the solid perfume in this strong jasmine scent and had wanted to pick up the travel spray, so when I was offered a wee Lush spree at an event I took the opportunity and love that a little spray goes a long way with this stuff.

L'Occitane Sun Verbena EDT

This was the scent I wasn't expecting to like as much as the others, verbena isn't typically a scent I wear as perfume very often...but as it turns out, I quite like wearing a citrus scent! I have a feeling the orange blossom note in this is what turned it from a cleaning product to a happy little jolt of sunshine on my wrist. I think it was my first time using a perfumed towelette to apply a scent sample - that was a pretty interesting experience! Sadly I just found out this is a discontinued scent - L'Occitane do have a regular Verbena scent though!

 

Do you change your perfume daily, or do you have them sorted into work/weekend scents? Are you equally fascinated with travel sized sprays, or is it just me?

-Emma

 

 

*Marked items provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Jimmy Choo EDP // A Sweet Scent to Enjoy with a Cosmopolitan

Launched in February 2011, the simply named Jimmy Choo fragrance was the very first from the brand.  For me, the Jimmy Choo label is synonymous with Sex and the City, and the thought of sky high heels and cosmopolitans is quite a positive connection to have with a brand. When I first heard that the brand had jumped into the bustling fragrance world, I immediately hunted it down for a sniff. It wasn’t until recently that I had the chance to try it on for an extended period of time, thanks to a sample vial I procured at a Myer counter.

The pink snakeskin design wouldn’t be my first choice of packaging, but I think it ties in nicely with the grenade style bottle said to be inspired by Murano glass. Tamara Mellon was the mind behind the design, and it is said to be a fragrance that is "feminine yet empowering, with a lot of sensuality to it”

This is the description taken from Fragrantica:

“The seductive composition is a modern chypre fruity, with green top notes, tiger orchid, sweet toffee caramel and Indonesian patchouli.”

Being someone who isn’t well versed in fragrance, I smell a lot of sugar in this 'sweet patchouli' scent, and the caramel becomes quite evident on my skin. As with most fragrances this isn’t incredibly long lasting on me, but it does sit longer than others and I’m happy with that. I did really enjoy wearing this, but I’m still unsure as to whether or not a full bottle would be justified. It reminds me quite strongly of my sister in law, who is a big fan of it and wore it on our first holiday together, so perhaps I will leave it to her and enjoy it when I am in her presence.

Jimmy Choo EDP retails between $99-$139 and is available at Myer and David Jones.

 

Do you forgo a new perfume if you know it is someone’s signature scent?

How sweet can you go with your fragrances?

An Absolute Angel

Sometimes a fragrance comes along that smacks you in the face, and you fall in love.

 Not being obsessed with perfumes until recently, I hadn't the chance to sniff the originial Thierry Mugler classic on which this EDT is based. Launching in 1992, when I was barely walking and my mother still fed me with a melamine spoon, Mugler released a gourmand fragrance that was unlike what was available at the time, and named it Angel. The scent has been reincarnated into limited editions over the years,  but none have been so popular as the original, the Angel that literally smacks you in the face.

The most recent reincarnation of this world renowned scent that you either love or hate, is the lighter, more wearable version- Angel EDT. Mugler says that the basis of this scent is comprised of three waves- the first being the celestial wave, where bergamot meets red berries and has a twinge of pink pepper. The delicious wave in the center comes from dabs of praline and berries, which only add to the gourmand touch the new Angel takes from the original. The third and final wave is the voluptuous wave, introducing the infamous patchouli-vanilla aspect to the scent, and mixing with cedar which is a new addition to Mugler's mix. White musk tops off the third wave, and completes what Mugler believes to be the softer, more subtle fragrance stemming from his beloved.

But what do the waves mean for me? Without understanding perfume or how notes are comprised, I know that this scent is amazing. It is warm and creamy, with this risky edge to it that drives me wild. I'm attached nose to wrist whenever I wear it, and it sits on my skin much better than most other fragrances in my collection. It's dangerous in this really wearable way for me, and I've enjoyed it during the day and out at night without a second thought. It's like nothing I've personally smelt before, and having now smelt the original Angel, I can understand why they describe it as the more subtle version. You can see that they are related, but this is like the sophisticated sister to the the original Angel's fierce hot mama persona.


Angel EDT is available from selected Myer and David Jones department stores nationally, with selected products online at adore beauty.
40ml RRP $79 AUD
80ml RRP $115 AUD
40ml refill RRP $40 AUD

What fragrance knocks you for a six? Have you smelt the new comet-shaped Angel EDT? I urge you to go and have a sniff!

This product sample was sent by PR for consideration for review which in no way affects how awesome it smells. Honesty, always.