We’re sorry for you Emma, but what’s that got to do with Be Delicious DKNY? (I got into the habit now of imagining the questions of my imaginary readers, and answering them). I was very depressed and, which is worse, it felt like I had been fired but for some reason I was still working there. I went to talk to Louise, my manager (who had nothing to do with that and didn’t know anything about that), and she was just great, telling me not to worry about it, that the mistake was a bad one but if they had to give warnings to all those who make things like that the whole office would be empty. She even gave me one hour off. With the extra hour I had, I stopped at the perfume shop and, as Louise wears DKNY Be Delicious perfume I sprayed a little of it on some test paper and this is the result. It’s a small thank you to Louise (she’s Irish, God bless the Irish) for saving what could have been the single worst day in my professional life. And since I was there I also brough home DKNY Be Delicious men. If I were half efficient at work maybe I would have less problems…

Although I never owned any Donna Karan perfumes, I like them. What I have always found excessive though, to the point of being almost funny, is the plethora of different versions of DKNY perfume Be Delicious, the last two – I think – are “Candy Apples Sweet Caramel” and “Candy Apples Juicy Berry.” I know Louise has the original version because she told me once, otherwise it may as well be one of the similar-but-not-quite-the-same versions, where the green apple is probably picked from the tree by twisting it clockwise instead of anti-clockwise, thus deserving a slightly different name and a different color on the package.
Ok, sarcasm aside, DKNY Be Delicious women is a great perfume. You all know the bottle already, apple-shaped, which means New York, which means urban, cosmopolitan style. Which is also a lot of bull, because Louise was born and bred in the countryside in county Louth and this Donna Karan perfume suits her perfectly. I actually thought that Donna Karan perfumes and other products of the fashion house would be one the favourite brands in Sex And The City, but a friend of mine confirmed that they are scoffed at by the slutty bunch for the poor quality of the clothes.

The notes

The opening notes are –as you would expect – fresh and fruity, quite intense and rather watery. There are soft and juicy notes of oranges and mandarins, plus a brief apparition of the signature note of this DKNY Be Delicious fragrance: the green apple. This is, by the way, what I smelt today in the room when I was talking to Louise. Considering that it was three in the afternoon, I suspect she had just given herself an extra spray.
In the middle notes the florals of this Be Delicious perfume are more intense, in the line of freesias with roses, plus an extra intense note, possibly lily-of the-valley diluted in water, on a base of woods. The feeling of these florals is sweet, and together with it there is resinous amber in the background. In the middle of the middle phase there are occasional liqueur-like notes, like ripe fruits, which could be a red apple, which is flourier, less fresh and less juicy than the one of the beginning.
In the final notes there are more classic florals, like groups of roses, lilies-of-the-valley and magnolia. At this stage it reminded me of some notes of Gucci Envy or 5th Avenue by Elizabeth Arden, but softer.

To sum up…

The best thing about this DKNY Be Delicious for women I think, it’s that it’s a quite intense and striking perfume (at least in the first phase) without being complex. And the other thing that I like is that, although it’s fresh they could have made it even fresher and more citrus, transforming it into a typical summer fragrance, but they decided to tame it and make suitable for any time of the year, except for a stroll in the park on a very cold day.
Be Delicious by DKNY is definitely more at ease by day than by night, and I would leave it on the shelf for romantic dates, although it becomes attractive right in the end (I know Louise is single, I hope she doesn’t wear this after work, I’ll find out the next team nigh-out).

DKNY Be Delicious for men

The masculine version of DKNY Be Delicious eau de parfum was launched in 2004 together with the version for women. Needless to say they have the same bottle with also with a “100% New York” export stamp (how lame is that?). The weird thing is that the liquid is brownish, probably because it contains coffee.

The notes

The opening has fresh and fruity notes, like bitter orange or grapefruit, even though, in spite of the apple-shaped bottle, the dominant notes are opaque and loaded with wood.  In the middle notes the aromatic bitter citrus notes are still there, but with a low profile. Although they don’t feel juicy nor fresh, they tend to saturate the nose. The wood is still there but it’s soft and there are spicy notes similar to pepper, which remains there in the base notes, where it’s joined by cold woods. The coffee notes can be felt, but they are very soft and undefined, integrated with the wood rather than as separated notes of coffee beans or espresso cup.

To sum up…

Although it’s non-complex and relaxed like the feminine counterpart, the style is more wintery and obscure. There are pepper and wood notes, which are less fresh and more mature. Like DKNY Be Delicious woman, it’s not the best for a night use or fir a first date.

The notes

Let’s write down something for this Beyond Paradise review before they serve the wine and my taste buds get impaired. The opening has a mix of two different lines of florals: one is form tropical and the other form fairly dense garden flowers (probably the hyacinth and the orchid of the official notes). In the middle notes the line of garden flowers becomes more prominent although it remains fresh and young, without being old (is this why I bought it?). Note from Denise: in this phase the aroma of Beyond Paradise eau de parfum is very similar to Anais Anais by Cacharel. It’s sweet honeysuckle mixed with a non-soapy jasmine. Towards the end of the middle notes (at the baggage collection) the florals lower their intensity and there is a note between musk and amber, and a dominant honeysuckle.
I’m writing the base notes in my room now, and it’s working: being back is not so bad as I thought. The mix of florals is still attractive and slightly powdery with neutral fruity traces, and a hint of amber.

To sum up

This Beyond Paradise fragrance changes from intense floral fruity notes of the opening, with a strong tropical aroma, to a floral with depth and personality in the middle phase. This perfume by Esteee Lauder is a a feminine adult fragrance, something between non-young and non-old. It’s one of the typical fragrances that will make other people ask you what it is, so it’s perfect for water cooler mini-breaks. For its intensity, it can be used by night, but I got the feeling that age will be a factor here, and that it may smell formal on older people and informal on younger. I’ll wear it and see which side I’m on (is this the reason why I need to feel optimistic? Am I feeling older all of a sudden?). Wear it in the autumn, but put it in the closet when you see the first icy road of the year, as this Beyond Paradise is too delicate for the coldest part of the cold season. Take it out when the nature is waking up again and your senses with it. Oh, and this Beyond Paradise by Estee Lauder is also a sensual fragrance, honeysuckle and jasmine work together quite well.
The age range, in wide terms goes from 25 to 60 years, but women from 30 to 45 will get more benefit (yes!).
BTW, I’ve just tried the perfume with the Beyond Paradise body lotion, and it’s a wow. It does what a body lotion should: it works with the perfume supporting the notes and making them stand out. You’ll need to wear less perfume after using the body lotion.

I’m writing from a sunny beach in Lanzarote for a two week’s vacation. Tacky, I know, what’s a classy girl like me doing in a place like this, surrounded by English, German and (alas), Italian tourists, and sometimes even by some local…. It’s pretty fun actually, I’m here with my friend Denise (remember the Chloe perfume review), who left her sadness at the airport, and is taking a well deserved relax from her emotional turmoil.
So, here, with my sunglasses and my wide-bream hat, under my beach umbrella, I felt the urge to write about perfumes again.
Back to the initial question, our beach umbrella neighbour here is a quite attractive young girl who has this disgraceful habit of spraying perfume on her, right after the sun lotion. Why? Why would you do this to humanity? I mean, unless the sun lotion and the perfume are part of the same line, that is a chemical disaster awaiting to happen. This thing went on for two days, until yesterday for some reason, she forgot to apply the tanning lotion, andc the perfume turned out to be pretty darn good, and turned out to be Diesel Fuel for life.
What’s more fun than a casual stroll in the local perfume shop then? (I know you have at least a couple of things that would answer this question)
SO I was back to my room with two testers, one for the masculine, one for the feminine version. My nose never stops, so here we go with this Diesel Fuel For Life review, summer sale is on: two Diesel perfumes for one. Venghino signori, venghino.
Both versions were launched together and were the first attempts of this Italian jeans house in the perfume market.

Diesel Fuel For Life men
The notes

The opening is quite fresh with a note of fern and hawthorn mixed with a cold vanilla. It reminded me of Wings perfume by Giorgio Beverly Hills (more of that later).
The official notes in the Diesel website are anise, heliotrope flower and strawberry, but I stopped believing in perfume propaganda a long time ago, so of course you will hardly smell any of these notes. In the middle notes the fern is still dominant and quite fresh, with occasional apparitions of spices in the form of anise and pepper, which make it very lukewarm.
The fern in this Diesel perfume men gives a feeling of sweet and juicy fruit (just like in Wings perfume), in the line of mandarin and grapefruit, but (please note) only the juice and not the zest.
The fern will be there in the base notes too. It is still dominant but with less intensity, and this allows other notes to come out, like lavender, and a slightly spicy anise, plus a wood similar to cedar, mixed with other sweet notes which could be residues of fruits, traces of amber, of hints of musk

To Sum Up
This Diesel perfume for men is the result of notes that are pure, isolated, intense and dominant. It’s fresh and lukewarm and the same time, and goes well all-year around. I the office it’s intense and catchy, which serves it well in night events, as long as they’re not too formal (like a couple of pints in one of the hundreds of English pubs in Lanzarote).
For a date? Both Denise and I say: ok. Ferns are masculine and addictive.
Oh, and don’t do like the man I saw at the perfume shop who was buying this Diesel Fuel For Life for himself: don’t wear this perfume if you’re over 45, please, that’s pathetic!

Diesel Fuel for life women
The notes
The opening notes are less intense than the masculine version (this is why I didn’t beat up my lovely neighbour with the umbrella pole).
Just for the record, the official notes for this Diesel perfume for women are: blackcurrant, jasmine, patchouli.
The opening is with red fruits and a sweet praline and preserve. The middle phase starts after about twenty minutes and adds jasmine and other white florals to the mix. At this point, the intensity is even lower, and in the base notes the preserve aroma is still present, but now it’s mixed with fruit, patchouli and amber.

To Sum Up
This Diesel perfume women has a well recognisable opening, but it becomes more low profile from the middle notes. Let’s say that the notes of the opening are for the night, whereas the middle ones are for the office.
Its sweetness makes it more suitable for the winter, although it could be used during the summer, and by no means on the beach. Romantic side, so and so, but what do men know about perfumes after all?
Age range, from 25 to 40 years.
Ok, I’ll go back to my wonderful tan now. Hasta pronto. Emma out.

My niece Bea and I are enjoying the weekend at my place. She’s having love issues, with a guy called Diego. You can read about them in the previous perfume review, although you may probably be more interested in the part where it talks about Paris Hilton perfume Heiress.
It looks like the short stay at her favourite aunt’s place is sorting some effect. The day after her arrival I woke her up with a very appropriate song:  Break a Leg by The Spill Canvas (that’s not the official viedo). It was written by a guy for a girl, but it always reminds me of a common condition of all, men and women, in a situation like this one. One day YOU will be the girl in the song, I said to Beatriz.

That put her in a good mood, so we could set off to the town centre for breakfast and (what’s a girl to do?) a mandatory stop at the perfume shop. Amanda, the girl who works there, was seriously wondering if I had been fine, as she hadn’t seen me there for two whole weeks. I asked her to show us some teenager perfumes. That Paris Hilton Heiress was ok on my niece, but maybe it was time for a change… I was very clear with Amanda (when Bea couldn’t hear): I wanted a suitable fragrance for someone of her age, and that could also work on boys of her age. She nodded at my first remark, smiled at the second, and led us to the Britney Spears section. After all, from Britney Spears to Paris Hilton there’s not much of a distance, maybe just a sex tape…
Bea and I decided to start an accurate, monographic study on all the Britney Spears fragrances on display, we tried them all: Circus fantasy…. too fresh and sporty, Hidden fantasy… not romantic enough, Believe… for adults, Midnight Fantasy… too sweet. Fantasy…. maybe in five years… Curious…. We’re getting there and… there it was: Curious In Control perfume.
This is actually a limited edition of Curious by Britney Spears. It was launched in 2006, two years after the original. It can still be found in some perfume shops and also online. The bottle is the same as for the original, but with a different color.

The notes

The opening is sweet and slightly sugary, but it only lasts a minute and then the dominant note is a layer of florals, hard to define, yet it’s something very common to other fragrances for women. At his point the fragrance is still sweet but it’s not clear if it this comes from aromatic notes, ripe fruit or from the naturally sweet notes of the florals. In the middle phase this perfume by Britney Spears changes considerably. The dessert-like vanilla is again dominant, but not so intense to reach levels of gourmand. If you keep on smelling it, that will be the only note you will have, but if you avert your nose and smell again, there will be other floral notes. It’s an elegant floral, of freesia rather than rose, and probably also narcissus and gardenia, which are the perfect match with vanilla.
In the base notes, after about two hours, is where femininity starts to kick in. The mix of sweet and florals, with the first getting more intriguing, and the latter still making it smell classic. Sweetness receives a support from a musk note and from red berries. All these notes will then gradually fade, until only vanilla and musk remain.

To sum up…

This Curious Britney Spears was launched after Fantasy and before Midnight Fantasy, and it really gives the impression that it’s the link between the two. The sweet notes of Fantasy were made more intense here, just to end up openly to the gourmand, jelly bean side with Midnight Fantasy.
This is why we chose this one: sweet notes are always addictive and seductive, but too much sweetness can be nauseous and this Curious fragrance has just the perfect amount, where the dessert-sweet vanilla and the florals really are evenly matched, and take turns in coming to the foreground.
In the office it’s a happy perfume, with vanilla giving a slightly sensual and professional touch. It can be used as a daily fragrance, as it’s warm but not too much, and it can be used in every season, except for maybe, when temperature goes over 30ºC (86ºF). It’s also suitable for informal night outs, with small groups of friends. If you’re young enough, you can also wear it in formal occasions like weddings.

And on the romantic side…. Well this is why we’re here, right? For Bea, the curtain’s raising, just like the ante… it’s time to play the weapon of teenage seductions. Amanda was (pardon the pun) adamant: this Curious perfume will work like a charm. The vanilla notes are sensual and addictive, and the florals give a general image of strong personality. Some traces of wood here and there will even make this perfume a little more mature.
The ideal age range for this Britney Spears Curious perfume would be between 15 and 25 for sure, because that’s the proper age for this kind of perfume, but also those over 25 until 60 years could wear it, but in that case it would really depend on having the right personality.
Me, for dates I will stick to my Ralph Lauren perfume Romance, but for Bea, I’m sure this Curious In Control will mix well with her freshness and innocence which is what catches men unprepared (ISN’T IT?!)
My job of aunt and perfume advisor is done here. Now break a leg, Diego, no I literally mean it, I do hereby swear a bounty on your heart: stop messing with my niece!

The notes

This fragrance is from 2006, and it’s the third of the Paris Hilton perfumes, the first one was named after the blonde heiress herself, and the second one was “Just Me.” Wearing this Heiress perfume is like, imagine you having bag of chewing-gums with different flavours, chewing one at random for a few minutes then spitting it out and picking up a new one.

The opening is very sweet and fruity, with red fruits like watermelon, strawberries. Forget about the natural-smelling notes of other perfumes, this one is as artificial as a jelly bean. In the middle phase there is a floral note I can’t define very well and also a distinct (again, artificial) banana flavor, which will remain until the end and will be the base notes.

To sum up….

Don’t get me wrong, if I were a teenager I would love this Heiress by Paris Hilton, in fact, if you are one, go and buy it, or at least try it. It’s a cheerful, young and informal fragrance, more attractive, and (if you really want to know) seductive than the original. It invites to come closer, if not for the perfume itself, for the WTF-is-this-really-a-perfume? effect. So, if you’re wondering if it can work for a first date, you have an answer (I wonder what Diego thinks of this Heiress Paris Hilton…)
It’s great for the summer, both by day and by night, and you will hardly find the same notes in another fragrance. In a work environment… well, unless it is a very informal environment, this Heiress Paris Hilton could raise more than one eyebrow.
Age range? Boy this could take a while, let’s say between 15 and 25 years, BUT, if you think you have the personality, with a young spirit (don’t look at me, I’m old inside!), you can wear this Paris Hilton perfume for women until you are 45 and older.

And to sum up with my niece. I’m her favorite aunt, so I could do better than asking her to rely on her age. Her pain was real, as real as my friend Denise’s (the one with the Chloé perfume, remember?).
You made you feelings clear with him, I said, and that takes courage and a noble soul, I said, not stupidity.
But you have to get over him, I said, it will take a while, you will have good and bad days, but if he really wants something to happen, he’ll have to make his part, as you did yours already.
Even if at times you would have liked to act more cool, I said, see it as a personal exploration: you cannot control your emotions, if you don’t express them first.
You’re moving in difficult territory, I said, where you’ll try to forget him, but at the very same freaking time, you will have hope, and you will WANT to have hope, and you will try and intercept any single signal that he gives you to corroborate that hope. Just to realize later that it was (probably) all in your head. Just to realize again that, no, you were not wrong, there is hope, and so on…. Embrace this thing, don’t fight it, I said.
If you cannot avoid to be in the same place where he is, I said, don’t try to control your feelings (it’s not really worth it), but try to control your acts and words, and start from there.

How much she picked up of this speech I’m not sure, I know teenagers are smarter these days, but I hope I didn’t push it too far….
I’m going to bed too now, I’m sure I’ll dream of Paris Hilton and Diego being chased by a gigantic chewing gum, whereas Alexandra will inherit all her fortune. Peace.

I’m back home after a drink with a friend in distress. Denise was left by her boyfriend after ten years. Yes, ten years… man I so have NO idea what it means to be with someone for such a long time. I’m back in my room now, listening to the latest record by Martina Topley Bird, which is really cool and also very appropriate to the mood. Well, in my friend’s words, here is what happened. Her (now) ex-boyfriend came home one day and

broke up with her. No sign of crisis before. Well at least this is what she thought at first, some sign there MUST have been, and in fact now she’s starting to connect some dots. I know what you’re thinking, but he doesn’t have an affair with any woman and he didn’t get anybody pregnant. She’s now trying to cope with it. She’s miserable, this is probably the most difficult challenge that life has given her so far, but she’s also a ballsy girl, and I know she’ll find her way out eventually. Her most difficult obstacle at the moment is the need to find answers to her questions (Why after ten years? What did I do wrong? Has he always told me the truth? What goes on in his fucking mind? – excuse my French), but what I tried to make her understand is that there’s no point in putting these answers as a

condition to get a grip on herself and feel good again. When that happens, it will come from the inside, not from the outside.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, because while we were driving her from her place to the bar, I smelt for 100th time her signature fragrance: Chloe perfume. I love this perfume, although it’s not my cup of tea really. She probably had just sprayed it and it was particularly intense when she got in the car. That’s when my mind set to work, and started to analyze all the evolution of this perfume on her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a perfume freak, plus a woman, and a good friend of Denise’s so I was perfectly capable of listening and supporting my her AND memorize the notes. So here it goes…

The Notes

Although, as I said Chloe perfume is not a fragrance I would personally wear, I think it’s a one of the greatest perfumes on the market, period. If you happened to pass by the Chloe section at the perfume shop, you will have noticed the bottle, striking in its simplicity: a square shape, with vertical lines and a pink bow (something my aunt Mercedes surely has on her well dusted perfume shelf). A very romantic perfume bottle for a very romantic perfume, like my friend is (yes, I AM romantic too, when I want…).
The opening notes are very fresh, with freesia and litchi. They don’t evolve much (and why should they? They’re just great!). Towards the middle notes the evolution is towards white flowers, then the star enters: rose. With a warm and sweet trail, probably thanks to amber. The final is rose and rose and rose again…. Very, very classy perfume, don’t believe the negative reviews you read around, Chloé perfume for women is just great. Just be careful: don’t be fooled by it floral soul, as too much of it can be intrusive. You gotta learn the right quantity for you.

To Sum up…

There’s no sum up this time, for this perfume by Chloe. No “in a work environment” or “on the romantic side…” type of bullshit. My friend is in pain for cryin’ loud! Her life is falling apart (although I KNOW she will be alright), and I just don’t feel like it this time. This is a great perfume really, but as of now it will have my friend’s sad, watery eyes attached to it.

Update: Denise told me she wants to keep this Chloe perfume, but is thinking about adding a new one. I think the only way is up now. Of course I will be there when teh choice will be made.

The notes

Among the Gucci perfumes that were not discontinued, this Gucci Rush for women is the second oldest after Envy, another classic.

The fragrance has an intense floral style, strengthened by oriental notes. The opening note is a classic gardenia (very similar to Nina Ricci perfume L’Air du Temps on aunt Mercedes’ own perfume shelf), with traces of wood. There are probably other fresher florals, which isolate the gardenia and make it stand out as more aromatic. In the middle phase, there are denser, quite oriental vanilla notes, with a woody base and traces of patchouli. There are also traces earthy spices, probably cardamom with mint. Under this dense base, florals rose notes also develop, leaving a feeling of wet soil, very similar to some notes of Angel perfume by Thierry Mugler.

To sum up…

The style of this Gucci Rush for women is a mixed one, sophisticated and classic floral at the start, then more modern and fresher as the notes evolve, and finally becoming classic again thanks to vanilla and patchouli.
It is more a winter than a summer perfume, more for a night use than a daily use (no wonder that the memories it was bringing back are of cold winter nights). If you want to wear it during the day, I would recommend special occasions, staying away from the office environment. On the romantic side, I think it’s too elegant to be attractive. Well, this is what I think now, ten years ago I had a different opinion…

It never fails to surprise me how a perfume not only reflects the mood, but also creates it. After all, when I smell Davidoff Cool Water for men I feel like buying a ticket form Australia to Los Angeles and crash on an island…

Ok, I have to admit though, that while my friend was telling me all this, I was thinking about something else: should I buy LVMH shares? LVMH is the name of the humongous holding company that holds a huge number or fashion brands, including Fendi.

Fendi’s headquarter is not in Milan, but in Rome, in a renovated 18th century building close to the famous and most fashionable Via Condotti. If you have never seen it, you can still look at the perfume bottle – where it’s pictured – to have a good idea of what it looks like (“palazzo” means building in Italian, or palace, like in this case). More in general, this Fendi Palazzo perfume is a tribute to Rome, and its idea of classic (= luxury) beauty.

The notes

At the start there is an overly sweet caramel note, which covers all the other notes. Fortunately, after a couple of minutes, the sweetness calms down a bit and leaves room to mandarin and other orange citrus notes. The result is not as fresh as you would expect though, as the citrus are mixed with a floral sweet note which is hard to define. In the middle notes the citrus aroma goes down dramatically, leaving a floral note of orange blossom. Again, forget about freshness, as this note is soft and lukewarm. There are also other florals like roses and jasmine. In the base notes this Fendi perfume for women has much less intensity, veering towards a sweet note of vanilla and patchouli.

To sum up…

Don’t read the notes on the bottle, as they’re totally misleading. Sure, the fruit and floral notes are orange-based, but it’s caramel sweet at the beginning and classic in the middle phase. In spite of its summer style, it has a winter soul. I really, really hope my friend won’t read this post, but I don’t find this Fendi perfume particularly good for dates, as it’s kind of obscure and lacks of sensual notes. But who am I to judge after all? I’m the one who wears Romance by Ralph Lauren on dates, remember? The age range is from 30 years onwards.

The notes

The opening has an old (really?) floral touch, with a very soft citrus note. The two things together remind of a traditional floral water. There is a stronger note, which stand out, probably carnation and roses. My aunt claims that in this phase there is also a soft note of gardenia (“your nose is not old enough for that, my dear”).
In the middle notes, intensity leaves place to delicacy. Carnation and roses are still the main note, with a jasmine peeping in in the background. The base notes are with iris, with aromas veering towards violet (geek’s corner: iris can tend more towards violets or earth, depending if the leaves or the dry roots are employed).
The final, after four hours on my skin, is with sweet roses and iris, with still a hint of carnation.

To sum up

Nina Ricci perfume is a classic. It means that no matter how old it is, this perfume has still a place in the modern perfumery arena.
Although this starts like a classic fragrance of the forties, this feeling doesn’t last very long, and the aroma keeps very mild and delicate and not at all intrusive. It’s not for the floral notes per se. Think of YSL Paris, an intrusive floral. I would wear it at work and for very informal night outs, when you’re not with people you have to impress.  On the romantic side, well, I wouldn’t know, I’ll ask my aunt next time I go visit her.

Anyway, back to Romance perfume, dates, and me. I guess I could spend a couple of lines trying to answer the question: what’s the best perfume to wear on a date? (if you’re not interested, you can still skip this part and go to the section wit the perfume notes)
The answer is: it depends. On what? And here come more and more questions, but the main one would be: what’s the image you want to give? Like all the other things, like the way you talk, walk, laugh, dress, it all boils down to that. Now, there are many factors involved, but I like to use opposites:
Blatant vs subtle
In the old school perfumery for women, there were no secrets and no second levels: perfumes were created to seduce, period. Now, in the post-modern era, we are given a different option: other than trying to seduce the old way, we can seduce by pretending we are not trying to do it. Something like “oh, do you find my perfume attractive? I didn’t realise it could be like that, this is what I wear everyday”, whereas in our head we shout “score!” After all, this is something that suits us women especially.

Transparent vs mysterious
It’s similar to the first couple of terms, but not exactly the same. Even if you’re not quite the seducer, you may still want to give a WYSIWYG – What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get image, as opposed to a HWTMBM – Hey-Wait-There-May-Be-More image. In other words, it’s the eternal battle between fresh florals and spicy orientals.

Me, I prefer to be subtle and transparent, like the bottle of this Romance by Ralph Lauren suggests, with a rectangular shape and a transparent glass. Do I succeed? Does it really matter, as long as the date goes well?

The notes

In the opening this fragrance has very fresh citrus notes, slightly watery, and mixed with more florals. The citrus is more aromatic than sour, close to lemon zest. Here and there, there are green notes that strengthen the idea of a clean watery aroma. In the middle notes that idea is still there, and the typical aroma of this Romance perfume for women starts to develop, of freesia with roses on a base of lemon, projecting a classic and fresh image. The base notes follow the same line, aggregating some musk, which adds a certain sweetness to the fresh base.

To sum up

This Romance perfume by Ralph Lauren is fresh and elegant. It is ideal for a summer use, but it’s actually wearable any time of the year, giving a fresh and positive image.