Having spent most of the last month with a cold and thus, a diminished sense of smell, I feel like this post has been a very long time coming. After loving the Discovery Box which came with The Perfume Society subscription (read the post), I was keen to try out one of their other discovery boxes. Think a curated selection of fragrances, and even beauty treats, all centred around a certain theme. Their most recent discovery box is the Scents of Style box* (£12.50 for subscribers), which was launched around the time of London Fashion Week, to celebrate the link between fragrance and fashion.
The box contains seven fragrances from brands including Prada, Marc Jacobs and Thierry Mugler, with five being sample vials, and two are deluxe minis. There are also three beauty items in the box, which really excited me, as there was one product I particularly wanted to try, the Pixi Glow Tonic. Combined with having at least three scents I was keen to try, this box is easily one of the best that I've seen from The Perfume Society.
Pixi Glow Tonic is quite possibly one of the most hyped up skincare products of recent times, and yet I still hadn't tried it. This is a glycolic acid toner, with a concentration of 5% AHA, which acts as a chemical exfoliant to resurface uneven texture and brighten the skin. It also contains aloe vera, ginseng and botanical extracts to nourish and revive the skin. It smells fruity and refreshing, and leaves my skin feeling soft and ready for the next step in my routine.
The other Pixi product in the box is the Endless Brow Gel Pen, something I've not heard much about. This is a waxy crayon, which feels very much like the Benefit Brow Zingz on the brows. I find it hard to get a natural finish with this product due to the texture, but the shade is fab. I was worried this medium brown shade would be too light or warm toned, but it is fairly versatile as it is cool in tone. Whilst I'm not sure this will replace products like the Maybelline Brow Satin, or my Tanya Burr Perfect Brows kit, I will be giving this more of a go over the next few weeks. Watch this space...
Timebomb again is a brand that is new to me, so I was pleased to see the Time-off Cleanse & Buff in the Scents of Style Box. This is a gentle, lavender scented creamy cleanser that claims to turn washing your face into a mini facial. It contains dermatological grade crystals to exfoliate the top layer of skin, revealing fresh, glowing skin underneath. I've used this a couple of times now and it is great as a morning cleanser. The crystals act as a gentle polish for the skin too, the perfect partner to the Glow Tonic.
I'm going to start with the three scents that I was most excited to test out. After trying Thierry Mugler's iconic 90's scent, Angel in sample form and being pleasantly surprised, I was keen to try out the 2016 reincarnation, Angel Muse. This time around, the scent juxtaposes the signature praline with a woody vetiver note to create a "futuristic gourmandise" scent. It has top notes of pink berries and grapefruit, which are spectators to the main event, the heart of hazelnut cream-cocoa and the base of vetiver and patchouli.
The result is a warm, velvety sweet scent, that reminds me of winter time, sipping Starbucks' Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate (please say they're bringing that back this year! EDIT - They're not and I'm devastated!) and wearing a cosy knit. It definitely has that Angel undertone, which makes it a nostalgic scent for pretty much everyone who lived throughout the 90's. It is addictive and sweet, and one spritz is more than enough, although the masculine vetiver adds a sensuality, tempering the fragrance, and stopping it from being too sickly. I'm interested to see how I will feel about Angel Muse after trying it a few more times. Maybe this could be the Angel for me!
Next is Marc Jacobs Divine Decadence, an update to MJ's "grown-up" fragrance, Decadence. This time around, they have added notes of Champagne to the floral fragrance, which makes is perfect for the upcoming party season. The scent has shimmering top notes, of orange blossom and bergamot, with a little fizz from the Champagne, and then a glamorous floral heart of gardenia, hydrangea, honeysuckle and iris. The base is indulgent and exotic, with notes of saffron, vanilla and liquid amber, mirroring the idea of the Champagne in the opening. This scent was possibly the most interesting out of all of them for me, as I really didn't expect much from it. It's not my usual type of scent, but I definitely want to give it more of a go!
Liz Earle Botanical Essence No.9 is one of the scents that I was most eagerly anticipating, after seeing how autumnal the note pyramid was. I had never properly tried a Liz Earle scent, and it's safe to say I had very high hopes! As inspired by a forest after the storm, the fragrance combines aspects of fresh forest fruits, the mossy ground underfoot, and the fresh florals in the air. I didn't realise until trying this that it was a Chypre fragrance, clearly I'd underestimated the power of the Oakmoss in the list of notes. It is a fragrance family that I generally shy away from, having only really tried one or two scents, and none of which I've overly enjoyed.
Botanical Essence No.9 opens with the fruity tones of blackcurrant, bergamot and red ginger (not too dissimilar to that of the Winter Spice tea I'm currently drinking!), moving into a heart of gentle florals: osmanthus and rose. Interestingly, the heart also features patchouli, a traditional base note. This early appearance stops the fragrance from being too sweet/girlie/floral. Finally, there's the classic Chypre element, Oakmoss, combined with vetiver and vanilla. It is a luxurious, sophisticated scent without being too traditional and although I don't love it, I'll be keeping this in my stash in case I develop a taste for Chypre fragrances in the future!
The next scent is one that I was actually quite surprised to see in a Perfume Society box. I actually reviewed Cheryl Stormflower in full last autumn (read the post) and although liking it at first, I soon grew tired of it. The singer's debut fragrance is a floriental, with a fruity opening of mandarin and nectarine. This theme is continued into the heart with peach blossom, as well as freesia, and the base is a deep affair, with notes of vanilla, white musk and sandalwood. For me, this scent is quite overpowering. It heavy on the peach and smells a bit generic "perfumey" (I wish I could find a better way to describe this characteristic!). Despite it not being my cup of tea, Stormflower has been highly popular. It has even won a Fragrance Foundation Award (FiFi Award), and they have since launched two further scents with the Stormflower concept.
Finally, I come to the deluxe mini samples, both of which are beautifully packaged. Prada has released a new fragrance duo, one scent for him and one for her. I'm not overly adept at picking out notes in masculine fragrances, but L'Homme Prada is said to be in homage to the two classic Prada notes, Iris and Amber, with a masculine twist. It opens with a juxaposition of pepper and neroli, continuing with a floral heart of geranium, violet and iris. Amber makes an early appearance, followed by a base of cedar wood at patchouli. I found this to be quite a fresh scent, and definitely masculine, despite having a lot of feminine floral notes.
La Femme Prada begins with spices and beeswax, but personally I find that it is the distinct tuberose note that comes though, with a hint of something sweet and soapy. It it quite a nostalgic scent for me, as the classic floral scent reminds me of something the "posh mums" wore when I was in primary school and I went to friend's houses to play! The tuberose note subsides to reveal a hint of the tropical floral, frangipani. The result is a sweet, feminine, almost bubblegummy heart. It is a sophisticated white floral scent that is nothing overly groundbreaking, although it offers some relief from the sickly sweet Candy range that has been in the limelight for the past few years. I don't completely dislike La Femme although it's not something I could see myself wearing often.
Overall I've been really impressed with the Scents of Style box. It's one of the best boxes that The Perfume Society has brought out, and probably would have have bought it regardless of having been gifted it. I had mixed thoughts on the scents themselves however, but I'll be moving Angel Muse, Decadence and Coach into my rotation of fragrances and the Pixi Glow Tonic and Timebomb cleanser have already made their way onto my skincare shelf. I cant wait to see what The Perfume Society will do for their next discovery box. I've already got my eye on the Shay & Blue Precious Miniatures Set, I may have to add it to my Christmas list!
What's your favourite perfume right now?
*Post contains PR Samples very kindly gifted by The Perfume Society. All views are my own.
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