Sometimes I just want to smell like a hooker. I accept that this may be somewhat of a sensational overstatement, but what I really mean is that when it comes to perfume, despite loving the classics, the symphonic florals and the exotic orientals, what I really love is the trashy, brash and over the top.

Sometimes it’s great to wear something that is loud, proud and ultra girly, I also find that these ultra-trashy scents work really well on a man, I have no fear of smelling ‘cheap’.

If you want cheap and trashy you cannot go wrong with Rush by Gucci.

Rush was released in 1999 and was created under the art direction of Tom Ford when he was in charge at Gucci. Now, I could wax lyrical for a few hours about how dashing Mr. Ford is but you don’t want to hear that do you? Thought not. What I will say is that Tom Ford is an excellent creative director and the perfumes released under his direction at Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Estée Lauder are far more exceptional than the perfumes released under his own name and some of the scents released by those aforementioned houses now.

The Notes

Top: California Gardenia, South African Freesia and Coriander Seeds
Middle: Madras Jasmine and Damascena Rose
Base: Vanilla, Java Patchouli and Bourbon Vetiver [1]

How Does it Smell?

The notes list above would have you believe that Rush is a pretty, little floral, even innocent perhaps. Well, it lies! Rush is a lady of the night and she doesn’t give a damn who knows it.

Rush opens with an explosion of plastic flowers, poppers and vinyl heels. The flowers are strong, sweet and LOUD. I always thought Rush would suit the name Flowerbomb much more than that horrific toasted candy floss concoction that Viktor & Rolf insist on selling. Jasmine is the strongest floral note here, I don’t really smell the gardenia or freesia. There is definitely a touch of rose, but in Rush, the super-plastic jasmine is Queen.

There is a bitter, chemical note that sits within the floral explosion, to me it does smell like Poppers but to others it may just smell ultra synthetic, perhaps like some sort of floor cleaner. Others have described it as a hairspray note, and I totally get that, it’s ditzy, loud and diffusive like hairspray.

Underneath all of this lies a wonderful, milky vanilla that is blended with a dark, bitter patchouli. This absolutely should not work but for some reason it does and in the base Rush feels like a chypre. OK, Rush may not be chypre in the way Mitsouko is (there really is no comparison between the two) but it certainly feels like one, more so than the legion of ‘modern chypres’ that flood the market today.

The base is mainly about the patchouli but there is also a strong hint of vetiver, these darker notes are what make Rush so interesting, they work with the milky, lactonic notes to create a scented equilibrium of dirty, clean & cosy.

Rush is an excellent fragrance but it’s not for everybody. I can pretty much assume that my Evil Scent Twin Olfactoria will not/does not like this fragrance at all. There is also absolutely nothing natural about Rush, it definitely feels that it was created in a laboratory or perhaps a backstreet methlab/crack den in Brazil.

Rush is an Eau de Toilette but it is strong, people will know you are wearing it, this and the fact that it is just SO outrageous makes it an absolutely perfect clubbing fragrance. Rush was made for a good night out on the town.

The Bottle

Rush is ingeniously housed within a striking red plastic cassette. The bottle seems to divide opinion amongst a lot of people, some think it’s tacky, others think it’s pretty snazzy. I like the bottle, it’s simple, striking and a perfect way to store the perfume. It’s also pretty nifty to keep in your bag as there’s absolutely no chance of breakage.

Availability

Rush is available in 30ml, 50ml and 75ml Eau de Toillete and prices range from £35 to £57, some matching body products are also availible. Rush can be purchased from most good department stores and online retailers such as Escentual.com and Cheapsmells.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a bottle of Rush from my personal collection.

[1] Basenotes.net

Image 1 seat42f.com

Image 2 gucci.com

Image 3 zeinaperfumeworld.com.au