Most worn summer 2018

YSL Paris

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Oh? Ah? What?! That old lady smell? Hold it right there. First, it’s not even remotely politically correct and second, that phase only lasts for about fifteen or twenty minutes. Paris is so breathtakingly powdery for those first twenty minutes that you feel like like walking through a cloud of ’70s compact powder. Then, there are some nostalgic flowers peeping out like rose, violet and hyacinth. I t feels like an old faded photograph from the late ’70s, or even a diapositive. Wait for it. After the top notes fade, what remains and accompanies you for hours on end is the charming scent of hot, rain-washed garden, fresh white roses and candied violets. It is absolutely intoxicating. I can smell something slightly fruity, the cassis perhaps, and just the most wonderful, airy, almost edible bright rose. This perfume makes me feel pretty and sophisticated. It works wonderfully with your afternoon tea or café au lait in a fancy Parisian-style café. It has a  vintage quality and it translates as almost wistful at times, evoking the memory of many past sunsets in the mighty capital of France. It is so timeless it may as well have been worn in the 1880s… Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing old-fashioned about Paris and that is why it has stood the test of time: YSL Paris is an modern classic and a must have in any perfume collection.

Best for: office, formal occasions, garden parties, evening walks

Viva la Juicy Juicy Couture

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Truth be told, I only wear Juicy in summer and in England. This is my English summer scent – not that there’s anything super English about it… Just so happens that I first wore it while going out with my friends in Manchester a couple of year ago, and later on during my crazy summer school days. It smells like long sun-drenched summer evenings,  having some cider with your friends, feeling sexy, feeling adventurous. Viva la Juicy is  a fun and frivolous scent that works well on the young and young at heart, and in any setting provided the occasion does not call for solemnity. Just look at the bottle… Or maybe just don’t, it does not accurately represent what’s inside.  I never fall for cute bottles, actually and this one borderlines tacky but really – ignore that. Juicy is a fabulous juice. The sweetness here comes mainly from white flowers like honeysuckle, with a just touch of berry sting and added caramel vanilla. It’s not as sweet as many people think – actually, I find it rather fresh and easy breezy. I only ordered a 15 ml bottle but next up I will definitely grab a full size!!!

Best for: going out, having fun with your girlfriends

Mugler Aura

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Aura makes my mouth water like no other perfume. When I smell it I immediately feel like eating some rhubarb cake and custard at a picnic in a forest. That moment when when the burning acidity of rhubarb makes way to the sweetness of vanilla cream… Mmm… Delectable. At the same time it smells crunchy like a rhubarb would. There is some greenness in the background that sometimes comes off as a bit “steamy” (think of a hot swamp) and sometimes herbal, almost camphorous  (Mugler sure has some thing going on with camphor (think Angel). Delicious Delights has a hilarious review of Aura on her Youtube channel where she envisions a swamp monster rising out of the depths of gunky green water;  she also calls the fragrance  “sticky and slimy”, which is something I absolutely disagree with. Funny what our individual noses can pick up on! I tested Aura in 30 degrees Celsius and did not detect any swamp creatures. It is forest-y in an unusual, exotic way and one of the most unusual scents I know. Love it or hate it, Aura is a magnificent green gourmand that wraps you in a quiet, irresistible aura indeed.

Best for: making a statement, office, date night

 

Paco Rabanne Olympea

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First it hits you with some green orange and zingy ginger, tamed by soft vanilla and something “airy”. Aquatic notes are not listed as ingredients here so I’m  guessing it’s the salt. An unusual and instantly recognisable scent profile. I see why many reviewers say Olympea is a beachy scent: it smells like sea air and tanned skin. This is precisely where I wear it to. Every time I hit the beach I spray me some Olympea. As it happens it goes rather well with my Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen.  Yes, there is Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess and Bobbi Brown’s Beach with their prominent coconut note but I have never been a huge fan of coconut per se (thus, for instance,  avoiding  Hypnotic Poison like plague) as I find it, hmm, too foody perhaps? I would get an overdose of coconut if I layered those with Hawaiian tropic, while in the case of Olympea  Hawaiian tropic enhances its sweet quality that somehow lacks on my skin otherwise, and results in a match made in heaven.  Ok, what if you don’t like beaches? Or you want to wear Olympea in autumn and winter? It really depends how your skin reacts. Mine enhances the ginger and the salt note but I imagine the vanilla and woods from the base will provide a nice cashmere shawl effect to wrap you up cosily on a cold night.

Best for: beach, club, your favourite armchair in front of a fireplace

YSL Manifesto L’Elixir

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I know I am featuring Saint Laurent twice in this post but really, I am obsessed. I also have my eye on Black Opium (again) and Mon Paris… But I am digressing. This one I acquired  in May at a ridiculous price on eBay and have only recently started giving it some serious wear because this baby is not for the hottest of weathers. The original Manifesto (review here) was all about vanilla and blackcurrant wrapped in woods and citrus, and even though L’Elixir does not list blackcurrant among its components, it still manages to smell almost the same, just times more potent and jammy. Here we are dealing with some slightly burnt currant jam, cashmeran woods and tuberose. The overall effect is less fresh than the original, but deliciously marshmallowy and thick,  with a succulent edge that keeps you coming for more. I was not over the moon at first, but the more I wear it the better it gets. It just smells so… glamorous. Have you seen Manifesto’s muse Jessica Chastain in Molly’s Game? If you haven’t, watch it like asap. Watch her float around in low-cut, sparkly designer dresses, with sultry make-up, sporting a pair of cat-eye glasses. That’s what I’m saying – I could almost smell Manifesto L’Elixir on Molly… Brains meet glamour in this perfume and the overall effect is rather sexy. I’ve heard they are discontinuing Manifesto altogether so lucky me for bagging a bottle on time – I am definitely going to save it for a rainy day, quite literally.

Best for: nighttime outings (dinner/club), romantic dates, family gatherings.

Disclaimer: image 1 Macy’s. Image 2 Mugler. Image 3 MakeupAlley. Image 4 Youtube.

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