Roses are red.... Violets are ashen.... Candy's got me feelin a little smashin.

Seems to be the season for fragrance launches..... goody goody gum drops!!

 "Luxury" beauty brand Jo Malone (aka Estee Lauder) are on a bit of a new product release tour de force, fragrances being churned out left right and center most of which are still rather bland and nondescript in that Jo Malone kinda way. There is however a couple of gems in the rough amongst the Cologne Intense series. Also, their attempt at creating a bluebell fragrance has, well.... failed. Abysmal. Shame really as they campaign by Tim Walker is the best in the companies history to date.

The winner is Rosewater and Vanilla, a very sweet vanillic rose water fragrance. Like scraping a thousand vanilla pods into a bowl of rose water and churning into a buttery paste then smearing it across your skin..... or something like that!!! Read a better post over on the Silver Fox's  "a scent of elegance"

The only other part of the series that had my nose a little intrigued was Amber and Patchouli. A little too faux incense-y for my tastes but not bad, not bad. Time to get papal.....

Bottega Veneta's perfume debut was a huge let down, Im not going to lie. As mentioned previously I was hoping for a rather risqué styrax ravaged leathery white floral inline with the houses contemporary leather goods heritage but nope, another septic-synthetic floral chypre for the nouveau riche housewife. A tad tasteless and very trend driven. The monied vulgarity. Beautiful Packaging as expected.

My two favorite new releases are rather stunning. One, Prada's first gourmand, Candy. A very simple "Caramel", Benzoin and musk beauty. On my skin it works a treat. Very sticky, very sensual and VERRRRYYY  more-ish. Skin becomes a desert bowl waiting to be licked. If anything I would have liked it to be a touch cheaper smelling, a smidgen more "slutish" but Im still loving it for what it is and what it can do to the senses!

Secondly Serge Lutens Vitriol d'oeillet, a distorted abstract interpretation of carnation or probably more fitting, eugenol's. This is going to be my AW 11 scent, a very plum, spice and bitter floral which develops into an odd mucky musk and clove scent an hour or so on the skin, quite the beauty. Currently sold out here in Scotland so when I do eventually have myself a bottle I will be sure to review it further then.

and last but certainly not least a new release from Penhaligons is hitting us in September as mentioned in a previous post. Juniper Sling by gourmand wizard Olivier Cresp is sure to cause a buzz in the fragrance community. A fragrance inspired by the 1920's London Jazz era and more specifically London dry gins. With its crisp chilled Bombay Sapphire top notes and evolutionary evaporation on the skin to a stunning dusty red leather and slightly salty animalic Ambrox drydown this is sure to create waves among the perfumistas out there. I adore this fragrance and will be added to my wardrobe of scents to be worn directly on the skin as a first layer for many of my favorite fragrances. 

Done.