It's Strawberry Season! Strawberry Passion Perfume Au Naturel

Strawberries say Summer to me. Delicious, juicy strawberries are perfect on their own, delectable in pie, crucial for a delicious smoothie, and oh so mind-blowingly good dipped in quality dark chocolate.

This simple red fruit with the jaunty green hat is, for many, a memory of Summers past. Remembering Grandma's famous strawberry pie. Remembering the taste of the juice on pink fingers while picking strawberries in a field. Remembering lips stained with strawberry "lipstick". Remembering that last sip of a thick homemade milkshake.

Did you know this favorite fruit is part of the rose family?  Did you know they are high in antioxidants? Did you know only one cup of these berries gives you 136% of the RDA of Vitamin C?  Did you know strawberries can help reduce inflammation? I didn't know these things until I was researching this article. 

What I did know is that strawberries are yummy.

What I also know is that strawberry perfumes are few and far between, and most of them smell of sweet and sweaty plastic. Well, that is until now...

[via]

Monica Miller of Perfume Pharmer dreamed up an idea of a beautiful perfume infused with strawberry flower essence. She shared her idea with Kedra Hart, perfumer of deliciously sexy Opus Oils, who created two scents based on the brief.

Monica wanted two scents based on memories from her youth in England. The first, a strawberry scent reminiscent of strawberry confiture, scones, and clotted cream - memories of tea time. The second, the scent of green hillsides, strawberries, and the Summer sun. The two creations are, for now, referred to as "Cream" and "Green".

Monica has asked for help selecting just one of these two strawberry scents. THE strawberry perfume. That scent will be turned into unisex (and very sexy!) products: massage oil, body butter, lip butter, an eau de parfum and a perfume. As a member of a group chosen by Monica, I've been asked to choose a favorite and tell a bit about my thoughts on the two variations.

First, some thoughts from Monica. I asked Monica about this project. "Why?" - for one. Why strawberries, why this way, why Kedra?  Her response: "I wanted a strawberries and cream perfume for comfort... Kedra is known for her 'kittenish' sexy perfumes and... sexy is a good additive if you want to be nibbled on!"

She further explained that she wanted an all-natural scent that even mainstream perfume-lovers would love. While Monica does wear "mixed-media" perfumes (those with both natural and synthetic ingredients), she points out "Toxins DO build up [in the body] and I want to feel really good about what I (or my skin) ingests. I think your immune system can get pretty overloaded with chemicals, so I prefer natural."

The perception of "natural perfumes" is varied, and Monica wanted to make sure this was a nice, upscale, unisex scent that would impress anyone despite their normal perfume tastes. "My intention isn't to be mainstream but I wanted to break the mold of acceptance. I dont think anyone will say 'yuck - a natural perfume'. It's not dirty or opaque." The ingredients in these scents are top-notch. They're quality, and that is apparent to anyone who tries them.

Monica, gathering water for her
Strawberry Flower Essence.

Flower Essences? Yeah, me either. Here's some info. Based on the theory that plants have energy that can be communicated to humans and even help them change and heal, these liquids transfer the specific energy and vibrations of a flower to person (or pet, I wonder?) who is treated with them. A flower essence is created by using water, brandy (as a preservative), sunshine, and the plant. Call it alchemy, magic, faith, or whatever you like - the belief is that the energy from the plant and flowers will be infused in the water. Flower essences can be applied topically, via massage, accupressure, or sprayed, but can also be ingested. Plants have their own essence, or energy, and, via a concept called "vibrational healing" those energies can be channeled to relieve or enhance certain conditions or feelings.

Strawberry Flower Essence, "percolating".

Strawberry Flower Essence. Monica created a flower essence from the flowers and leaves of strawberries from her home, Martha's Vineyard. The essence was used in the perfume created by Kedra, which is a stand-alone perfume. In other words, the essence has no scent and does not change Kedra's creation at all -- at least by smell. The concept, of course, is that the essence adds so much more to the perfume. Strawberry flower essences focus on the concept of "dignity". They can be used to promote strength, a sense-of-self, grounding, reliability, grace, being in-touch with one's body. One might reach for a strawberry flower essence when feeling a lot of guilt; feeling low, unworthy and "not enough"; feeling irresponsible; feeling psychically overwhelmed, and also when dealing with childhood issues with mental abuse. ¹

Strawberry Passion. Kedra developed two scents for Monica - both containing only natural ingredients. One scent is a bit more sweet and reminiscent of strawberries and cream. The other is greener and reminds one of strawberry fields and fresh green leaves.  Monica refers to the Strawberry Passion concept as "A Strawberry Perfume for Grown-ups".

Cream is the fun one: sweet, flirty and slightly fizzy. Green is the more serious one: a tad deeper, a bit more solemn, and a lot more grounded. Cream is a snuggle; Green is a warm hug.

The variation both contain the Martha's Vineyard strawberry flower essence, of course. Pink Pepper perks up the top notes of both scents, and Boronia, a woodland flower from Australia, lends its purported calming and centering influence to both blends. Both contain the same base: vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, and Kedra's beach-found ambergris. These notes make the scent seem to melt sweetly into the skin, warm like a Summer's day. But it's what they don't have in common that make it difficult to choose a favorite!

Martha's Vineyard Strawberry Flower Essence, Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Tangerine, Boronia, Natural Peach, Raspberry and Strawberry Accord, Amber, Vanilla, Patchouli, Beach-found Ambergris, Sandalwood

Oh, this one is my favorite!
Inhale. Breathe in berries, fresh and sweet.
Inhale. Raspberries and strawberries with cream in a glass bowl with two spoons.
Inhale. Fruity flashes of citrus make the blood rush.
Inhale. Vanilla cream innocence. The batting of eyelashes.
Inhale. A whisper. A wink. A giggle.
Inhale! Pink flush on creamy skin .

Martha's Vineyard Strawberry Flower Essence, Pink Pepper, White Water Lily, Red Mandarin, Natural Ivy Accord, Rose, Tuberose, Boronia, Strawberry, Black Currant, Peach, Green Tea, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Beach-found Ambergris, Oakmoss

Oh! This one is my favorite!
Inhale. Breathe in the zing of mandarin and a rush of something wet and cool.
Inhale. Luscious strawberry, freshly bitten.
Inhale. Green leaves and juicy berry.
Inhale. A tall sweating glass of peach tea with a strawberry floating in the melting ice.
Inhale. Lying in a sun-warmed field of flowers, vines, and berries.
Inhale! Strawberry-tinged skin, like the juice left on the chin after a stolen strawberry kiss in the picking field.

[via]

The choice... As one of the bloggers being strong-armed into voting being asked to choose a favorite, I'm having a bit of a difficult time. Honestly, the first time I tried these I disliked them both. I think they were reacting to something else on my skin - lotion, soap, something in the skin? Subsequent testing was much better. By the way, I often lightly roll the containers of natural perfumes to remix the juice inside. I feel like sometimes the goods settle differently and I get different results when I apply without doing so. I think I forgot to do that the first time I tried them.

Anyway, now picking between the two is incredibly difficult. I thought I'd hate these, since I've never smelled a strawberry perfume I liked. Or a strawberry body product I liked, for that matter. But these are so beautifully rendered, so natural but intense (they last for hours!), so lusciously strawberry - well, I just get all addled at having to choose between them. I can't wait to smell the body products created from which ever version wins, and neither can my children who absolutely love both of these strawberry perfumes.

Enough stalling.
I pick Green.
I find Cream to be flirty and fun and a true pleasure to wear. But I think I appreciate the grounding and warmth of Green. It pairs so fantastically with the sweet juicy citrus, berries, and boronia that I just can't stop sniffing it.

Want to try these two Strawberry Passion samples? You can get them here, on Etsy. 

Here are some other thoughts on the Strawberry Passion perfume...

• Ida on Fragrantica
• Ida again on her own blog,  Chayaruchama
• John, the Little Berry Perfume Fairy on Perfume Pharmer
• Lucy of IndiePerfumes

Further reading...

• Strawberry Flower Essence
• Making Flower Essences
• How Flower Essences Work
• The Evolution of Flower Essences
• On the Consciousness of Flowers
• Boronia by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet
• Flower for Healing: Boronia

 Samples of both perfumes were provided to me for this project,
courtesy of both Kedra Hart and Monica Miller.
For more information about my submission and
 review policies, please read this.  

Madonna: Truth or Dare, the fragrance, and some rambling...

Ya'll, I'm not even sure where to go with this Madonna thing. I mean, I should just leave this as a perfume review and leave the celebrity "creator" out of it. But I feel like if a celebrity signs his or her name to a product -especially one they "helped create"- how can you leave the celebrity out of it? 

I can't even play around. I am not a Madonna fan. I mean, I had Madonna and Like a Virgin back in the day. On vinyl. Who didn't? And there were quite a few good songs in True Blue. The song "Like a Prayer" was big the year I graduated from High School. But since then, I've really been pretty disinterested in her.

Can I be honest? She's not that great of a singer. But she's worked her ass off to be famous. I don't know if there are any other people out there who have worked so diligently to get what they wanted out of life. Madonna is hardcore. And she's a talented performer. She can work the stage and a camera with the best of them. She's a trend-watcher, too. No, she doesn't really set trends, but she is right there on the first wave of trends, so it kind of tricks you into thinking she's leading the crowd. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think for a performer it's really, really smart.

But there are some things that really just rub me the wrong way about the woman. Like how, by many accounts, she's just not a nice person. And that trend thing. It irritates me that she's so easily swayed from her core being and just becomes these other things, these other people, just to keep herself "in". She's gone a little bit country, dipped into India, done a bit of hip-hop wannabe stuff... what else? I guess Madonna's drive is a double-edged sword. It impresses me, and it makes me think she's a bit... frantic to remain relevant.

Speaking of trying to relevant - what's with Ms. Holistic dropping drug references? She asked who had seen Molly at a recent concert and her new album, MDNA, is a not-so-subtle reference to MDMA, an ingredient in Ecstasy. 

It's just so obviously "look at me, I'm hip!"

oh-so hip

But relevant she is, I suppose, and now is when she's decided to make a perfume. Like many of us, I wonder "why now"? But maybe the time is perfect. Maybe Madonna sees this as the perfect time do make some bold moves. She's released a new album, has a relatively new line of clothes with her daughter, Lourdes, and has started up a chain of upscale gyms in Mexico*. Why not fragrance?  Or maybe since Katy Perry, Dita Von Teese -and, heavens help us all, Lady Gaga- all have perfumes, maybe Madonna just needed to do it too? 

*Is it just me or does this feel like the most legitimately "Madonna"
thing she's done in recent years? Clearly the woman is in to fitness - it shows in her fantastic physique!

Truth or Dare

So there was my rambling about Madonna, and that's what I brought to the table with me when I sampled Truth or Dare. I think it's clear that I was not predisposed by an avalanche of warm fuzzies to love this scent.

As a lead-in to my review, first here's a little about the scent. Madonna apparently made this as a tribute to her mother, who died when Madonna was a child. I think that's terribly sweet. I cannot imagine how profound that loss must be.

It's said that Madonna has worn Fracas in the past and it may even be her signature scent. This scent is, like Fracas, a Big White Floral. Naturally, there's a twist...

this is a photo of
my little lab sample of
Truth or Dare

 “I have always been obsessed by fragrance and for years wanted to create something personal that was an expression of me, but that other people could relate to as well. Something classical and timeless and yet modern. My oldest memory of my mother is her perfume. I carry it with me everywhere. She always smelled like gardenias and tuberose, an intoxicating mixture [that was] feminine and mysterious. I wanted to re-create this scent, but with something fresh and new about it as well. Something honest and yet daring — hence the name Truth or Dare”, said Madonnato wwd.

Madonna was reportedly deeply involved in the process of making her perfume. She has worked with Stephen Nilsen, Givaudan perfumer, to create the composition of white flowers on an intensive gourmand background.

The scent is both a light and dark, opening with notes of gardenia, creamy tuberose and neroli. The heart consists of jasmine, benzoin and white lily, based on vanilla absolute, caramelized amber and sensual musk. -Fragrantica 

You know what? It's pretty good.

Truth or Dare launches boldly - who would expect less? It's tuberose and gardenia. In yer face. Blam!

It does come on strong, but it does also settle down into a slightly less gregarious tuberose-heavy white floral. These are garden-fresh florals, slightly green and very pretty.

Nearly immediately a candied facet appears. Truth or Dare is now a Big White Floral dipped in caramel. I find the sweetness to be quite intense, but I think my skin amplifies sugary scents. Your results may be different.  On me, this perfume goes on and on and on and on and on and on... like Madonna's career.

I think Truth or Dare succeeds in what Madonna says she wanted to accomplish. What's more traditional than a Big White Floral? And what's more modern than a caramel base? (Well, maybe a few things, but it is trendy.) Moreover, this scent is a well-done blend of innocence mixed with naughty, just like I suspect Madonna likes it.

I've been referring to Truth or Dare as "Fracas Lite". It's apt. Or maybe "Fracas Candy".

If you enjoy Big White Florals, you may like it. If you enjoy other candied scents like Prada Candy or even Jimmy Choo, you may like Truth or Dare. Me? I will keep my lab sample and wear it, but I have no real desire to go out and buy a (not terribly cute) bottle.

This product was furnished for consideration only by the manufacturer or a representative thereof. 

For information on my submission and review policies, please visit my About page.

photo credits: tuberose, gardenia, caramel

Aftelier Perfumes - new packaging (and a review of Honey Blossom!)

Oh, hai! Pic-heavy post here. Bringing in the freshest news from Aftelier Perfumes. Well, almost the freshest news. More on that in a bit.

Anyway, these are pictures of Mandy Aftel's new packaging. Isn't it exquisite?!

[before pic via Mandy's Facebook page]

Let's start with the bottle itself...

Pre-makeover, we had a sleekly-shaped rectangular bottle - kind of apothecary style - with a wrap-around sticker. Lovely.

Now, though, the same bottle is adorned with a gorgeous, streamlined logo, silk-screened in white.

While the name of the scent isn't featured on the bottle itself, it is present on a sticker placed on the top of the cap. So cute! It's easy to find the scent if you have multiple bottles of Aftelier (you should!) but the overall look remains subtle and pretty.

Why I really love the new bottles: I get to see more beautiful juice! I find the colors of perfume to be mesmerizing. It's on of the many pleasures to be derived from this obsession hobby.

Plus, the bottle just looks even more professional and upscale now.

On to the exterior packaging...

I'm a fan of that gorgeous mega-floral print in deep purple, ivy green, and vibrant orange that Mandy uses. I always have loved that! Now it's the main feature on the boxes from Aftelier.

My edp came in a pretty box that has no excess space. The bottle slips perfectly into the inner box, which then slides into an outer sleeve. It opens like a matchbox!

The exterior packaging doesn't give a hint to what wonders are inside save for a simple clear sticker placed on one end that tells the scent's name.

Why I love the exterior packaging: The colors! The sliding! I also adore that the somewhat busy print on the box contrasts so nicely with the minimalistic appearance of the bottle. If both were vibrant and busy or both were spartan, it wouldn't have the same delightful impact.

Overall, the packaging is incredibly well-done. I'm impressed. I'm not someone who buys a perfume just for packaging (ok - maybe the cute cats for Katy Perry's scents or the fairy on Feerie, but let's ignore that for now). And I would never skip a great scent because the bottle was ugly. But isn't it nice when a well-crafted, beautiful scent comes in well-crafted, beautiful packaging?

On to my review of Honey Blossom...

I have no stories about honeysuckle, mimosa, or linden. As far as I know, there's no linden (called "lime" in England but not actually a lime tree) anywhere around. I outlined my history with mimosa last Spring (here). To summarize: I have no history with it. My experiences with honeysuckle are the same as many people's experiences: when I was little it would be on fences in my neighborhood. We'd pluck it apart, sip the nectar. I have no recollection of how that tasted or how they smelled. So there, I'm totally not qualified at all to review this scent, but that has never stopped me before!

Scent Family: Soliflore
Beautiful honeyed floral, hypnotic with notes of honeysuckle. If there were a flower that smelled like honey, this would be it.


Featured Notes
Top: mimosa, linden blossom CO₂.
Heart: orange blossom absolute, phenyl ethyl alcohol.
Base: ambergris, benzoin.

Finalist for Fragrance Foundation 2011 FiFi Award: Fragrance of the Year - Indie Brand

Here's what I can tell you about Honey Blossom: it's a beautiful expression of Summer. And Spring. And just sumptuous florals in general. 

This perfume is the result of Mandy's Letters to a Fellow Perfumer Series with Andy Tauer, featured on Nathan Branch's blog (read the first installment here and then follow along!). Andy ended up with Zeta, Mandy created Honey Blossom. Both are worked around a linden CO2 extract, and yet they smell nothing alike. I can't really wear Zeta (I will try again this Summer, perhaps), but Honey Blossom I love. As always, I encourage you to follow along with the perfumers in the Letters... series. It's an incredible opportunity to see how creative minds work, how indie perfumers create, and how the individual perfumes evolve.

Honey Blossom opens with a beautiful floral note. "Honeyed" is the word I'd use, rather than "honey". Meaning, it smells sweetened and floral but not like the gooey stuff Pooh loved so much. It is by no means that alleged honey smell that you can find in some cheap perfumes. No. What it does remind me of, though, is a ridiculously good wildflower honey I had the pleasure of eating two years ago. Let me tell you, that was so gorgeous and rich and sweet and heady and unbelievable... And while smelling Honey Blossom probably smells nothing like that wildflower honey, the experiences are still somehow incredibly similar. 

[via]

Stretch out on a picnic blanket in the sun
next to these gorgeous flowers...
That's how Honey Blossom makes me feel.

I'll be honest: I can't pick out the mimosa or the linden. As the swirl of the opening settles on my skin, I can pick out the orange blossom, but it's not a soliflore orange blossom. It's just evident that it's there, involved in the melange of floral blooms.

This scent is warmed but not warm, if you take my meaning. It doesn't generate its own heat, but rather feels like it has been heated gently in a meadow in the sunshine. It's like basking in the sun on a Spring day. Not hot, not humid, just warm. Honey Blossom glows.

This is a natural perfume. As such, it does not lift off the skin and call out to strangers. Your sillage won't follow you for blocks. Honey Blossom is more of a "come to me" kind of scent. It's for you and those lucky enough to be close to you. It's neither translucent nor short-lived, however. 

The drydown for Honey Blossom is oh-so-subtle and yet exquisite. This scent melts into the skin over the course of a few hours, leaving behind the most delicious honeyed nuance to the skin. It's incredibly soft and incredibly sexy.

Honey Blossom is more than welcome in my perfume cabinet. It's perfect for almost any occasion and will never overwhelm. I wanted to compare it to MAC's Naked Honey, but really - there's no comparison. Naked Honey seems shrill and strong and a little clunky when worn next to Honey Blossom. They do not smell the same, but I suspect they wanted to have a similar feeling about them. I like them both, but Honey Blossom is truly a work of art.

You can get Honey Blossom on Mandy's website, Aftelier Perfumes.
A sample is $6 for either the perfume or edp; a perfume mini is $45; an 30ml edp like mine is $150; a bottle of the perfume (1/4 oz) is also $150. 

[via]

PS: This isn't Mandy's only new news. Or not her most recent news. She's got a new scent called Sepia and it's breathtaking. It's actually Mandy's creation from another Letters to a Fellow Perfumer series, this time with Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studios. Stay tuned for my review!

[additional image credits: linden, orange blossom, mimosa]

The color of scent: Cyan by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz (A perfume review)

Synesthesia. When one sense automatically also triggers experiences with another sense. So in other words, you experience "extra" sensations when you normally should only experience one. I "hear" things I smell. Some scents bring a color to mind. Some people see colors and pictures when they listen to music. Others associate letters and words with color. One cool form presents with days of the week or letters of the alphabet having specific personalities. These associations are completely involuntary and there are probably countless variations in the way synesthetes perceive their world. I find it fascinating.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, a synesthete herself, has a line of scents that represent colors. Her Chroma Collection is an array of colors - olfactory expressions that represent beautifully inspiring shades. Eight artist's color pigments are represented along with one 17th century textile shade. While creating the scents, Dawn  created some of her own art - I'd love to see it!

CHROMA:  color translations from the artistic to the obscure. These perfumes are pure, spontaneous emotion; just as pure color is. This series of perfumes is a new form of abstract aroma-art: synesthesia in a bottle. - from the DSH website

I am lucky enough to possess the CHROMA collection and will be reviewing each perfume over the next few weeks. It's an incredible experience and I hope you enjoy reading my reactions and ramblings about it!

xoxo,
jen

Ethereal. Winged. Pixiliated.

Created for Sniffapalooza Spring Fling 2009, Cyan is an airy, refreshing light blue-green aroma color interpretation. Inspired by the ultra modern bluish color in the CMYK color printing spectrum.

Top notes: Bergamot, Blue Chamomile, Crushed Mint, Yuzu 
Middle notes: Cucumber, French Linden Blossom (accord), Jonquil, Linden Blossom Absolute, Orris, Orris Concrete
Base notes: Ambergris, Australian Sandalwood, Seaweed, Silver Fir, Wild Chamomile, Wood Violet

When I see this color, a slightly green-tinged blue called "cyan", makes me think of aquatic perfumes. This is not a good thing. My experience with aquatics is disappointing at best and headache-inducing at it's worst. It was with a little trepidation that I approached Cyan when I was sampling the Chroma Collection Box.

Cyan opens with a wave of citrus and chamomile - juicy, wet, and herbal. It comes on strong at first, which I find incredibly appropriate because this color is intense. Just as your eyes relax after a moment of looking at this color, it only takes a minute or two before the perfume relaxes into your skin.

Cucumber adds to the wet feeling this perfume gives. I really like cucumber in a fragrance. It does neat things, adding a watery, fresh nuance that is better than any "ozone" note I've smelled. Linden also plays a strong part in Cyan, reinforcing that fresh and nearly Spring-like feeling.

Cyan holds pretty steady with little development. There are no surprises here. Once you've gotten the feeling of the first five minutes, you've got a pretty complete impression of the scent. Linear scents like this can be a bit much if their intensity level is too high, but luckily this one avoids that trap. I find Cyan to give a beautiful impression of floating. This is a blue balloon or maybe a kite. Despite the lack of weight, Cyan does its hovering close to the skin. Its projection is minimal, sillage subtle. The scent eventually fades away into the skin in the way a streak of watercolor paints fades into the paper at its end.

I'm pleased to let you know that this scent completely avoids smelling like any sports or aquatic scent I've ever sampled or been smacked with in a hot elevator. While the first impression may hint that the scent might lean that way, Cyan tilts back to become more unique, complex, and beautiful than any other bright blue perfume.

This perfume is, ironically, not blue in color - no dyes were used to push you into the color-scent association. The ingredients and how they are blended give you the impression on their own, in a true expression of synesthesia.

Regardless of whether wearing Cyan makes you think of a slightly-green-tinged blue, it's a very lovely and fresh perfume that's a delight to wear. It's refreshing and cheerful while avoiding any cliches. I'm going to be wearing this a lot this Summer.

Your Turn
Do you associate colors and scents? Does knowing a scent is associated with the color blue bring to mind any preconceptions? Have you ever eaten or smelled a yuzu?

The product reviewed in this post was provided by the perfumer for consideration only.

For information about my review policies, please read this.

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom (a perfume review)

[image source]

Who doesn't love cheery cherry blossoms in the Spring? Evil people, that's who.

They're pretty. They're not noxious. The worst thing they do is rain delicate pink blooms down onto the ground after a rain. What's to hate?

Their short but beautiful lifespan is a reminder of the short but beautiful lifespan of humans according to Japanese culture. As such, the symbol of the cherry blossom can be seen often in the art of that culture. That meaning and symbolism has carried over to other cultures as well, as evidenced by the prevalence of cherry blossom tattoos ("borrowed" from Japanese tattoos of the same thing) that can be spotted just about anywhere.

Cherry blossom trees, which can be found all over the world, don't actually produce cherries. More's the pity. They're originally Japanese and often go by the name "Sakura".

They do have a fresh, slightly sweet scent that is subtle and very, very pretty.

I got the opportunity to try L'Occitane's Cherry Blossom scent recently -the eau de toilette, to be specific. This scent comes in a variety of other products: hand lotion, a solid perfume, a bath and body gel, soaps, and even a "shimmering lotion". The scent has been around for years and has quite a loyal fan base.

Cherry Blossom is, to be honest, not totally my style. It's something I will probably wear, but not all of the time. It opens with a greenish brightness that packs a fairly strong wallop. That dies down after about 15 minutes and a floral quality steps forward.

[image source]

Is this verisimilitude? Does this smell just like a cherry blossom plucked right off of a tree? Eh... it's certainly cherry blossom-esque. Essentially this smells like a bouquet of perfume flowers. Not real flowers, but perfume flowers. You probably know what I mean. As close to a real cherry blossom as a watercolor painting - you know what it's meant to be, but it's not photo-realistic.

The drydown for Cherry Blossom is nice. It's my favorite part of the development of the scent, actually, since the opening makes my eyes water with its enthusiasm and the heart is a little too generic for my liking. The drydown is not earth-shattering in it's creativity, but it's a sweet little musky woods combo that melts into the skin.

This scent is bright and fresh. It's pretty. It's feminine for sure. It is mostly inoffensive - though people who judge the fruity-floral genre and "pink perfumes" in general may take offense just out of reflex.

[image source]

This is a great office scent (let the top notes burn off on your commute!) and perfect for those who like a simply but pretty perfume they can depend on. It's a sundress and sandals scent, not a black leather mini scent. It's a charming girl-next-door perfume, not a Diva. I imagine it's a pretty good compliment-getter, too..

Cherry Blossom is not a challenging scent, nor is it complex. But it is very, very Springy. And who hates Spring? Evil people, that's who.

Cherry Blossom
Top Note: Sweet & Juicy with Cherry and Freesia
Middle Note: Floral and Feminine with Cherry Blossom and Lily of the valley
Base Note: Warm and Woody with Amber and Musk.

Have you ever been to DC when the cherry blossoms bloom? It's spectacular.
I highly recommend a visit if you can time it right!

This product was provided by L'Occitane for consideration only. 

Please visit my About tab for more information on my review policies.