Category Archives: Perfume

I love fragrances and I love chocolate, so a solid fragrance made by Hershey's should really be a Dream Team for me, but I'm just not sure about this one: quite apart from the fact that most people who've reviewed it say the scent doesn't hang around very long, I have a sneaky suspicion that the vanilla would be too sweet for me, too.

That said, I'm really into the idea of solid perfumes at the moment: they seem ideal for popping into your handbag without having to worry about spillages (I'm clumsy, so breaking a perfume bottle that was in my handbag at the time would be absolutely nothing to me), and the fact that this one only costs $8 makes it even more appealing, although the low cost is reflected in the relatively small size.

If you want to try it out, you'll find it at www.sephora.com.

When my vacation ended last week, I was depressed. Very, very depressed. But the day I got back, this arrived:

I defy anyone not to be cheered up by the simple loveliness that is a Jo Malone box. So pretty! So reassuringly expensive looking, even although it's just a box, no?

And what was inside, I hear you ask? Why, this was:

It's Jo Malone's new Vanilla & Anise Cologne, and it's not released until this September, so I'm very lucky to be getting this sneak preview. I'm also lucky not to have succumbed to the lure of the airport duty free section this year, because this scent us just gorgeous.

In the brands own words, the fragrance "transports you to the floral valleys of Madagascar, and captures the extraordinary, fleeting moment when the rare vanilla orchid blossoms at day break. The fragile cream and white flowers found on the vanilla vine are a precious discovery: only one of two appear in the morning, and seemingly vanish in late afternoon."

Actually, "fragile" is a very good word for this scent: it's delicate and lovely, and my only complaint is that it fades rather too quickly for my liking, perhaps a little bit like the vanilla orchid blossoms themselves. While it lingers, though, you can expect top notes of Sicilian Bergamot, Tunisian Neroli and Star Anise, mid notes of oleander, tuberose, frangipani and purple vanilla orchid, and base notes of Madagascar Clove, White Amber, Vetiver Bourbon, Vanilla Bourbon Absolute and Tonka.

It's a fairly complex scent, which is floral but also just a little bit spicy, so definitely not too cloying. It's also the kind of fragrance that makes me want to keep sniffing my own wrist in public, which is the seal of Dollface perfume approval.

Available from September, this is priced from £32 for 30ml and will be available to purchase from Jo Malone.

I still haven't got round to trying any of the Harajuku Lovers fragrances, but I already think I might love them, purely because of the cute little Harajuku doll packaging. Yes, I AM that easily swayed when it comes to products!

This set is $57 from Sephora and includes 1 oz Eau de Toilette Spray and a 0.04 oz Solid Perfume. According to te description, the scent itself is "romantic sensual", otherwise I'd have said this would make a great gift for a little girl/teenager. As it is, it would make a good gift for, well, me, because even if I didn't like the scent, I'd probably enjoy putting the little dolls on my dressing table. If I actually had a dressing table, that is. Note to self: get dressing table. Put pretty bottles of scent on it.

As far as solid perfumes go, I think this has to be one of the most extravagant so far…

Made by Leiber, who are famous for their ornate little Minaudieres, this is covered in pink crystals, and is filled with a solid fragrance which is apparently "a blend of Italian bergamot, pineapple and mandarin leaf with Turkish rose essence, white gardenia, vanilla, musk, and amber."

Such an over-the-top indulgence doesn't come cheap, of course, so don't expect to see this turning up on any "Beat the Recession!" style pieces anytime soon. It's $185 from Neiman Marcus.

  I wore a Vera Wang gown on my wedding day, and was seriously tempted to go the hole hog with the Vera Wang 'Princess' perfume, too. In the end I decided to settle for my usual "signature" scent (with matching body lotion, shower gel and deodorant, naturally!) but I think I'd have had an even harder time resisting 'Princess' if this solid perfume had been available at the time.

Enclosed within a pretty little purple heart, it has a lobster clip which you can use to attach it to anything you like, and it's $38 at Neiman Marcus.

Yesterday, when I mentioned that my regular perfume is running out, what I didn't say is that the perfume in question is Jean Paul Gaultier's Classique. It's been my signature scent for a long time now (although recently I've been contemplating ditching it in favour of stablemate Fragile. Clearly I have a "thing" about  Gaultier perfumes…), but this is the first time I've seen a solid version of it. This follows in the current trends to make solid perfumes into pendants, and while I wouldn't buy the pendant on its own, the fact that it's filled with one of my favourite scents makes me much more likely to want to buy it – well, it's that bit easier  to touch up your perfume throughout the day if you're wearing it around your neck, isn't it?

This is exclusive to Sephora, where it's $56.