“I’m always crushing on something scented or other. My nose knows no limits. Candy Crush is where I showcase the beautifully scented things I’m crushing on right now so you can hopefully develop a crush too.”
Every now and then I like to revisit a perfume that I’ve not smelled in a long time. I find that one’s tastes can change dramatically over time, especially as the nose becomes educated more and more. I often find that fragrances I have dismissed previously leave a completely different impression when sniffed many years later. I’ve even owned bottles of perfumes and swapped them away because they weren’t ‘me’. But as I change, what I enjoy as a fragrances changes also. In certain cases I simply think that my nose wasn’t ready to appreciate what a fragrance has to offer.
So as part of my regular Candy Crush series (where I showcase scented things that are my latest obsession) I’m going to include the occasional fragrance that I’ve recently revisited and I’m crushing over. My tastes change so much over time and something I’d written off as ‘not for me’ years ago can be my latest obsession. My nose just wasn’t ready but now it is. So this week’s Candy Crush is just that: a perfume I’d previously ignored but I have found new love for. Enter Miss Charming by Juliette Has a Gun.
So why Miss Charming? Well, I wanted to go back and re-sniff Juliette Has a Gun’s initial offerings and seeing as Miss Charming was the one that seemed to live in the shadow of the delightful Lady Vengeance, I thought she deserved some time in the spotlight. JHAG describes Miss Charming as “the scent of a virgin witch”, but warns the wearer not to be taken in by her innocence. These roses have thorns, they say and Miss Charming may seem all strawberries and smiles to begin with, but she certainly has more to her than that.
I’d classify Miss Charming as a fruity rose, which seeing as I like sweet things and adore roses, makes her just my thing. The fragrance opens up sweet, tart and juicy with notes of strawberry and lychee. Thankfully the fruit treatment here is rather grown up and the levels of sugar are fully in check. The rose is instantly recognisable but it’s also subtly treated, with its natural berry facets accentuated with hints of greenery for contrast. As Miss Charming dries down she gains more of a warmer character, using musks and patchouli to add sharpness, not to mention something a little bit mossy. But overall she is charming throughout – all fruit, roses and neon pink luminescence.
Miss Charming is an interesting perfume to revisit, not only because it just shows the development in Juliette Has a Gun as a brand (smelling this along side the latest release ‘Sunny Side Up‘ highlights quite the olfactory journey), but also because it proves that there is so much more to the fruity floral genre than candy floss, caramel and grape syrup. It’s a refined rose with fruity notes and an almost chypre-like patchouli facet in the base, managing to smell luxurious but entirely casual at the same time. A great piece of work.
Availability
Miss Charming is available in 50ml (£76) and 100ml (£99) Eau de Parfum.
Disclaimer
Sample, notes and quotes via Juliette Has a Gun. Images are my own.
The Candy Perfume Boy 