I'm going to start off with the larger scents, and two of which come courtesy of popular British niche fragrance brand Miller Harris. I have only previously tried one Miller Harris scent (Fleurs de Sel), so I was keen to explore more of their range. The first 7.5ml purse spray in the duo is Ètui Noir (from £65 for 50ml), one that I tested in my video, and was intrigued about due to its scent being compared to a seasoned, worn leather jacket. This is a deep, spicy scent with a definite masculine feel. It opens with notes of citrussy bergamot and tangerine, as well as elemi gum (an aromatic resin with a sharp lemon/pine scent), with a heart of Haitian iris butter (iris with yellow blossoms), incense and cashmere wood. The base continues the spicy trail, led by the incense and cashmere wood, with Indonesian Patchouli, Haitian Vetiver, leather, amber, birch and labdanum. This is definitely a spicy, mysterious scent with echoes of tobacco, settling with a wisp of soft iris and labdanum lifting the scent. It's not something I would wear personally, but it's definitely an interesting one and as always, I will keep it in my collection to revisit in the future in case my tastes change.
The light to Ètui Noir's dark is Lumière Dorée (from £65 for 50ml) described as "early morning sunshine, dipped in gold". It is a citrus scent, centred around the note of neroli, and includes many different variants of the uplifting orange flower. The opening is bright, green and sharp, with orange, bergamot and petigrain (bitter orange), followed shortly after by neroli, a note that doesn't play any games here! Softer florals join the parade, with jasmine absolute, and the base is warm and woodsy. There's a mix of vetiver, amber, white musk and velvety cashmere wood, the latter acting as a floralizer to bring out the more feminine side of the neroli and jasmine. Although the scent is piercingly fresh on first spritz, heavy on the neroli, it does soften over time into a delicate song of orange blossoms on the skin. For me, I love that soft floral nature, but I can't quite get past the true-to-life neroli in the opening. I often called upon neroli essential oil (mixed with sweet almond oil and grapefruit essential oil for the most uplifting facial massage blend) as part of my skincare routine, so in fragrances I like neroli to be more subdued and "blended" into the scent rather than a dominant note. As with Ètui Noir, Lumière Dorée is also a unisex fragrance, and I'd love to see how this wear's with male chemistry - I could imagine the opening would work brilliantly, as it is almost like an amped up cologne-type scent, and I'd like to see how the florals work. This isn't my favourite neroli-type fragrance (at the moment I'm enjoying L'Occitane Neroli & Orchidée, and the softer Chloé Love Story has been a favourite for a while), but it is definitely worth a sniff!
The other "deluxe" sample in the Latest Launches box is a scent yet to be released, E. Coudray Rose Tubéreuse. I'm going to put my hands up and say that tuberose isn't a note I wholly enjoy. I do find it to dominate a perfume, so I wasn't sure how much I'd like Rose Tubéreuse, but this one surprised me immensely! As soon as I smelt it, I was instantly transported back to being about 5 years old, when my Granny and Granddad were down from Scotland, and they had brought these little cinnamon/clove sweets for us. The clove note is dominant to my nose, but it takes on a sweet form, paired with other top notes of bergamot, tangerine, guava, and rhubarb. The heart is a bouquet of ylang ylang, geranium, jasmine and orange blossom, accompanying the perfume's namesakes - rose and tuberose. The fragrance also has a base of patchouli, sandalwood, tonka, vanilla, benzoin and musk. I don't pick up on many other notes besides clove, but as it warms on the skin, the sweet clove scent takes on a more dry balsamic nature, with the patchouli and sandalwood giving it an incense accord. For me, this is a lovely scent to own to bring back those nostalgic memories, and it definitely has a comforting element. I probably wouldn't wear it as a fragrance, but I'll be keeping it on hand as I'd like to come back to it in the future. I feel as though through evoking such memories, it is intensifying that clove note to my nose. I'd like to see whether over time, I will be able to see through that, to allow the tropical fruits and florals to peek through and shine in their own right. My mum did like this one though, and I'm intrigued to see how others perceive this scent!
Moving onto the smaller samples, I'm going to first touch upon Abercrombie & Fitch First Instinct For Women (from £35 for 30ml). This one is a floral scent, opening with a fizzy mix of magnolia, grapefruit and passionfruit, which is the most dominant. The heart is soft and floral, with orange flower, butterfly orchid and water lily, and then moves into a warm base of amber, tonka bean and musk. The tonka bean really packs a punch in First Instinct, reminding me a lot of L'Occitane Terre de Lumiere (which was in the Modern Classics Box that I reviewed here). First Instinct is said to capture the initital attraction between two lovers. To me, I'm not sure I see that, being a warm, sweet, musky floral which is heavy on the tonka. It's not super unique but it's pleasant and wearable, and it isn't at all sickly like a lot of similar scents.
I have tried a couple of fragrances from Yardley in the past, and their latest launch is Royal Pink Diamond (£19.99 for 50ml). This is a floral fruity scent, which opens with mandarin, pear, peach and cassis, developing into a pretty bouquet of soft, sweet peony, rose and orange flower and a hint of spicy pepper. The base is soft, with sandalwood, cedar and musk, completing the sparkling, romantic scent, reminiscent of a summer garden. It reminds me a lot of something from Vera Wang, being youthful, radiant and fun. As with Lady Emblem Elixir, it's not the most groundbreaking, but it's a simplistic yet happy scent that will suit fruity floral lovers. My mum really liked it!
Annick Goutal Tenue de Soirée (from £85 for 50ml) is a scent inspired by French women getting ready for a special evening out ("en tenue de soirée" translates to "in evening dress"). Housed in the most sophisticated bottle, complete with an extravagant purple pompom, the fragrance certainly follows suit. The scent pyramind is minimal, so using my imagination... To my nose, it opens with a soft sugariness, a hint of rich berry and plum, as well as citrus to oppose the chypre base. The heart contains iris, supported by a touch of rose and violet perhaps and there's the spicy patchouli base. It most definitely has the backbones of a chypre fragrance, but it is done in a very modern way. If you were going on a trip to Paris and wanted a special fragrance to commemorate the occasion, this would be great instead of going down the classic Chanel route. It would be the perfect accessory to wear to lavish dinners, trips to the ballet or the theatre, and of course you'll enjoy the sight of the bottle on your dressing table. I've not had much luck with chypre fragrances in the past, they do remind me a bit too much of a greenhouse and aren't all that wearable for me. Thus, I hadn't expected to like Tenue de Soirée, but I actually do quite like it, as it is sophisticated and the chypre notes are well balanced. Definitely one to try if like me, you aren't quite convinced about chypre fragrances!
Shay & Blue Dandelion Fig (from £30 for 30ml) was the scent that I was most excited to try being a huge lover of fig scents. I had never tried anything from Shay & Blue, and Dandelion Fig seemed like a great place to start! It is inspired by an English garden, and opens with dandelion and lemongrass. The dandelion is distinctive, and takes me back to being a child where I'd pick anything and everything in the garden! The tomato vine notes come through intensely, and combined with the dandelion, are some of the dominant notes of the fragrance. If you imagine tomatoes growing in the depths of a warm greenhouse, that's exactly how it comes across in Dandelion Fig. Juniper comes into play to add a musky tone, and finally fig makes an appearance, with its sweetness intensifying on the skin over time. I find fig to be such a multi-faceted note. It's the green-ness, the berry tones and the slightly coconutty, milky nuance that makes it so interesting, and unlike anything else. The fig here is more of a green, under ripe fig, and the scent really does accurately conjure up the image of a garden: earthy, green and ripe, with a bit of a chypre quality about it. It doesn't come close to my favourite fig Diptyque Philosykos and isn't very me, but it certainly is an interesting scent, one you need to smell at least once!
Parfums de Marly is a brand that I hadn't previously heard of, but Delina (£175 for 75ml) truly is a delight! It opens with a fruit cocktail of rhubarb and lychee, mixing with rose to give it a sweet Turkish delight feel (think Lush Rose Jam or Chloé's signature EDP). There's a hint of bergamot and a grating of nutmeg, adding a spicy twist to the feminine floral, before moving into a creamier heart of vanilla and musks. Lastly, there's a base of Haitian Orpur vetiver, cedar, frankincense and cashmerean. Delina is based on King Louis XIV's Perfumed Court (during his reign, there was a high incidence of water spread disease, so bathing was avoided. Instead, they filled French Court with flower petals, and sprayed perfume on the furniture, so much so that it was known as "The Perfumed Court". Read more in this Perfume Society article), and it is truly fit for a beautiful princess trying to find her suitor; youthful, charming, innocent, addictive, alluring. This is a really interesting floral scent, with a lot of depth, whilst being really easy to wear. It's one of my favourites from the box by far!
Onto the extra treats, there's the Weleda Lavender Relaxing Body Oil (£11.95 for 100ml), which smells so dreamy and I can't wait to use it before bed when I want to drift right off to sleep. Then there's The Very Nature Amethyst Rush Fragranced Sachet (£3), which I've enjoyed a lot more than I thought it would! I've popped it in my sock drawer and it gives out a lovely fragrance whenever the drawer is opened. It's a really pretty scent and I'd love to get some for the rest of my drawers. It has a soft, powdery scent of citrus, violet, lily, patchouli and musk. To my nose I can smell a bit of rose in there too.
Parfums de Marly is a brand that I hadn't previously heard of, but Delina (£175 for 75ml) truly is a delight! It opens with a fruit cocktail of rhubarb and lychee, mixing with rose to give it a sweet Turkish delight feel (think Lush Rose Jam or Chloé's signature EDP). There's a hint of bergamot and a grating of nutmeg, adding a spicy twist to the feminine floral, before moving into a creamier heart of vanilla and musks. Lastly, there's a base of Haitian Orpur vetiver, cedar, frankincense and cashmerean. Delina is based on King Louis XIV's Perfumed Court (during his reign, there was a high incidence of water spread disease, so bathing was avoided. Instead, they filled French Court with flower petals, and sprayed perfume on the furniture, so much so that it was known as "The Perfumed Court". Read more in this Perfume Society article), and it is truly fit for a beautiful princess trying to find her suitor; youthful, charming, innocent, addictive, alluring. This is a really interesting floral scent, with a lot of depth, whilst being really easy to wear. It's one of my favourites from the box by far!
Onto the extra treats, there's the Weleda Lavender Relaxing Body Oil (£11.95 for 100ml), which smells so dreamy and I can't wait to use it before bed when I want to drift right off to sleep. Then there's The Very Nature Amethyst Rush Fragranced Sachet (£3), which I've enjoyed a lot more than I thought it would! I've popped it in my sock drawer and it gives out a lovely fragrance whenever the drawer is opened. It's a really pretty scent and I'd love to get some for the rest of my drawers. It has a soft, powdery scent of citrus, violet, lily, patchouli and musk. To my nose I can smell a bit of rose in there too.
Overall, this has been a fun box to explore. I haven't liked all of the scents, but I don't ever expect to as I'm extremely fussy when it comes to fragrance. I have however, found a few that I enjoy and will pop into my pot of scents to reach for on the daily. I really enjoyed Parfums de Marly Delina and Annick Goutal Tenue de Soirée, and I'll happily use A&F First Instinct and Montblanc Lady Emblem Elixir too. I'll also be passing E. Coudray Rose Tubéreuse and Yardley Royal Pink Diamond over to my mum for her to enjoy. These boxes really do cater for everyone, so you're bound to find at least one scent you'll love, and the Latest Launches box is brilliant value with the three purse spray samples. The Miller Harris duo alone is worth £24 so grab it while you can, particularly if you've got your eye on the Miller Harris or E. Coudray scents for a bargain!
Which scents do you most like the sound of?
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