SUMMER FRAGRANCES 2019

July 22, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

I have put together 6 of my current favourite Summer Fragrances for 2019. Ranging from spicy to aquatic, to green and earthy, to fruity and woody, there is a fragrance to suit your mood throughout the Summer season!

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CREED - AVENTUS COLOGNE

Top Notes: Pineapple, Green Apple, Mint, Ginger, Mandarin Orange, Pink Pepper
Middle Notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver
Base Notes: Musk, Styrax, Birch, Tonka Bean

You may have heard of the iconic Aventus fragrance by Creed before, (I even named this my number 1 fragrance for 2015!) and the latest launch of Aventus Cologne slightly differs from the original in the sense that it is fresher and much more lighter on the skin!

I found that the Aventus Cologne seemed to dry down a lot faster than the original and the projection wasn’t as bold. With that being said, if you are a fan of the original Aventus, then the Aventus Cologne is a great fragrance this Summer if you’re after a lighter take on such an iconic scent!

I would recommend wearing this during a hot Summers day and to purchase and find out more, click here.

ULRICH LANG NEW YORK - APSU

Top Notes: Green Leaves, Coriander, Violet Leaf, Bergamot
Middle Notes: White Tea, Jasmine, Water Lily, Pink Pepper, Iris
Base Notes: White Musk, Cedar, Amber, Olibanum

A unisex fragrance that has a very ‘green’ feel to it with its opening feeling very sharp and spicy. When I say it feels ‘green’ I mean exactly that. It reminds me of freshly cut grass which at this time of year is ideal!

With the fragrance being rather light to give off that fresh scent, unfortunately its sillage is rather weak…

This lasted for up to 2-3 hours on my skin but despite its performance being weak, I still wanted to feature this as if you’re a fan of the ‘freshly cut grass’ scent, then you will enjoy this fragrance!

To purchase, click here.

DIESEL - SPIRIT OF THE BRAVE

Top Notes: Bergamot, Galbanum
Middle Notes: Cypress, Fir
Base Notes: Labdanum, Tonka Bean

A woody, spicy fragrance that has a linear performance throughout. This lasted for up to 5-6 hours on my skin which was rather impressive given that its sillage was medium!

Out of these fragrances, I would say that this is the most ‘safe’ in my opinion. Perhaps better suited to the daytime!

If you enjoy clean, safe fragrances that aren’t too loud, then I would recommend trying out Spirit Of The Brave.

To purchase and find out more, click here!

ESCENTRIC MOLECULES - 03

Top Notes: Ginger, Lime Peel, Peppercorn
Middle Notes: Orris, Egyptian Jasmine, Tea Notes
Base Notes: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Cedar, Mellow Balsams, Musk

Possibly the strongest fragrance within this blog post, 03 by Escentric Molecules is bold, spicy and intoxicating.

The opening begins with a woody, earthy feel that then dries down into a more fresh fragrance and if you like the note ‘Vetiver’ then this is sure to be a winner for you!

The note Vetiver is very strong and remains prominent throughout the fragrances performance.

In terms of longevity, 03 stayed on my skin for up to 6 hours and its sillage is medium to heavy. I would recommend wearing this fragrance on a cool, Summer’s evening!

To find out more and purchase, click here.

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN PARIS - MASCULIN PLURIEL

Fragrance Notes: Grapefruit, Lemon, Lavender Absolute, Leather Accord, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Vetiver

Masculin Pluriel is a fragrance that is sophisticated, smooth and well rounded!

I’ll be honest, Lavender isn’t one of my favourite scents and I try steer clear from that note in any fragrance however, in this fragrance there is something rather modern about it that gives off a clean feeling.

In terms of its longevity, this is one of the longest lasting fragrances featured! The fragrance lasted for up to 8 hours and left a gorgeous, sweet scent long afterwards.

Its sillage was medium to heavy and I would recommend wearing this on an evening. To purchase, click here.

PENHALIGON’S - BLASTED BLOOM

Top Notes: Wild Berries, Sea Water, Green Leaves
Middle Notes: English Rose, Pink Pepper, Hawthorn
Base Notes: Cedar, Moss, Musk

Blasted Bloom by Penhaligon’s is crisp, tart and clean. This fragrance has a real aquatic vibe that transports me to a beach somewhere!

During the dry-down, Blasted Bloom then becomes slightly woody and its performance remains rather linear.

The longevity of Blasted Bloom lasted for between 4-5 hours and although this is a very light scent, I was rather impressed by its longevity.

Its sillage is light-medium and I would recommend wearing this both during the day for a refreshing boost, or at night on a warm Summer’s evening!

To purchase, click here.

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Have you smelt any of these fragrances listed? If so, which ones? Are there any you would like to try out? Which are your favourite fragrances to wear for the Summer season? Let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

*Please note, some of these fragrances had been gifted to me.

PENHALIGON'S - FRAGRANCE PROFILING

November 11, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

I had recently been invited along to Penhaligon’s in Victoria Quarter: Leeds. Now, if you have ever visited Victoria Quarter in Leeds before, then you may find yourself wondering where that gorgeous, musky scent may be coming from as you’re walking through and I can reveal that it is indeed coming from, Penhaligon’s!

This was my first visit to the Penhaligon’s boutique, however, it wasn’t my first encounter with the brand as I have previously had the chance to review their ‘Roaring Radcliff’ fragrance which can be read here. I met with two lovely ladies from the Pehaligon’s team and was asked a series of questions to determine which scents best suited my personality and taste!

“What do you like to drink?” “What do you like to eat?” “Are you a day or night person?” “How do you want to feel whilst wearing the fragrance?” “What sort of holiday do you enjoy going on?” were just a handful of questions that were asked to me to get a well-rounded view to be able to help when finding the best fragrances suited to me. For the daytime, I enjoy wearing fresh yet aquatic scents that feel light and airy yet still have a strong projection, and for the nighttime I enjoy wearing rich, sensual and powerful fragrances that have a good longevity to them!

After the questions had been asked, it took about 4 fragrances before finding a daytime scent, and only 2 fragrances before finding a nighttime scent! It’s safe to say I know exactly what I want and it didn’t take long in this case… The two fragrances that I discovered were:

DAYTIME - BLASTED BLOOM
NIGHTTIME - KENSINGTON AMBER

Both of these couldn’t differ any more even if they tried, however, the one thing that connects them both, is their bold projection! Once I had found my two fragrances, I was beyond grateful when I found out that I would be able to take both of these away with me! With every bottle purchased from Penhaligon’s, you can also have the option of having your bottle engraved, which of course I jumped at the chance of doing. With that being said, the bottle of Blasted Bloom is a frosted glass texture which meant that they were unable to engrave this bottle, but could still go ahead and engrave ‘Mr. LC’ on my Kensington Amber bottle.

I will be doing a full review on both of these fragrances in due course and I have to say, having worn Kensington Amber on a few occasions, I have gained many compliments on this!

Penhaligon’s Boutique can be found in Victoria Quarter in Leeds and within the store, a large screen is presented with the ‘Fragrance Profiling’ with the same questions I had been asked and at the end of the questions, it will then show you a few fragrances based on your answers that you may be best suited to! You can also try out their ‘Fragrance Profiling’ here also.

A huge thank you to the team at Penhaligon’s for inviting me along to try out their ‘Fragrance Profiling’ and once again for selecting my fragrances!

Have you been to Penhaligon’s before? Have you tried any of their fragrances? If so, which ones? Will you be trying out their ‘Fragrance Profiling’? Do let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

SPRING FRAGRANCES '17

May 16, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

I wanted to compile a little Guide of some of my favourite fragrances that you need to look out for this Spring Season!

Within this Guide, I will be talking about my experience with each fragrance, and I will be covering the most important aspects of any fragrance;

Notes featured within the fragrance
Longevity
Sillage
& the scent itself

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**DIESEL - ONLY THE BRAVE: HIGH**

*- Top Notes: Ginger, Mint, Grapefruit, Yuzu*
*- Middle Notes: Geranium*
*- Base Notes: Amber, Woody Notes*
The opening of Only The Brave: High begins with a fresh, citrusey burst that soon settles and dries down into a more woodier and spicy feel. The longevity of the fragrance lasted for up to 5-6 hours upon my skin which I found rather impressive in terms of how light it felt, and the sillage was light-medium which I would have expected given that Only The Brave: High is an Eau De Toilette! I found the fragrance to be better suited for daytime, and was an overall clean, fresh scent!
You can purchase Diesel - Only The Brave: High here.

**PACO RABANNE - INVICTUS: INTENSE**

- *Top Notes: Black Pepper, Orange Blossom*
*- Middle Notes: Laurels, Whiskey*
*- Base Notes: Ambergris, Salt, Amber*
Out of these fragrances listed, the Invictus: Intense is one of those that gained me a lot of compliments! A more intense, powerful version of the Paco Rabanne - Invictus original, but any similarities stop there.
I found that this version was more dense, and sat on my skin for up to 4-5 hours. The sillage was medium-heavy, and I found this fragrance to be better suited for a cooler, Spring evening!
You can purchase Paco Rabanne - Invictus: Intense here.

**RITUALS - OASIS VERTE**

*- Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Grapefruit, Lime*
*- Middle Notes: Ginseng, Bourbon Geranium, Rhubarb, Violet*
*- Base Notes: Vetiver, Patchouli, Atlas Cedar, Oak*
A strong, earthy fragrance that opens with a sharp burst of the woody and citrus notes. The longevity of Oasis Verte lasted for up to 6-7 hours on my skin, and the sillage was heavy, with a loud projection. I found this fragrance better suited for the daytime.
You can purchase Rituals - Oasis Verte here.

**PENHALIGONS - ROARING RADCLIFF**

Top Notes: Bergamot, Tarragon, Rum
Middle Notes: Ginger, Rose, Tobacco
Base Notes: Amberwood, Beeswax, Cinnamon, Honey, Leather, Tonka Bean
My personal favourite as Roaring Radcliff certainly lives up to its namesake! The opening of Roaring Radcliff is sweet, and settles with a muskier, smokier feel to the fragrance. A loud projection, that isn't afraid of drawing attention to itself, perhaps more suited for the confident, collected gentleman.
The longevity lasted for an impressive 7-8 hours, the longest lasting within this guide! Definitely more suited for the evening/nighttime I found! I also must point out that I particularly love the design of the bottle, unique and quirky!
You can purchase Penhaligons - Roaring Radcliff here.

**DAVID BECKHAM - MADE OF INSTINCT**

*- Top Notes: Grapefruit, Fennel, Carambola*
*- Middle Notes: Violet Leaf, Sage, Pink Pepper*
*- Base Notes: Cashmere Wood, Balsam Fir, Moss*
Made Of Instinct is a woody, yet fruity fragrance. The opening begins with the sweetness of the Grapefruit note, and soon dries down into a woody, more 'green' fragrance!
The longevity of Made Of Instinct lasted for 4-5 hours upon my skin, and the sillage was light-medium. I would recommend wearing this fragrance during the daytime, perfect for that cooler Spring day.
You can purchase David Beckham - Made Of Instinct here.

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I hope you have enjoyed my Spring Fragrances Guide! I hope that is has helped and informed you on making some choices when it comes to updating and refreshing your fragrance for this Spring season!

Have you tried any of these fragrances that I have featured within my Spring Guide? If so, which ones have you tried? Which is your favourite? Perhaps least favourite? Which worked for you, and didn't work so much? Do let me know, as I would love to hear from you and don't forget to click that 'like' button down below!