For my Escentual column this week, I’ve taken a look at Adventurer, the latest masculine fragrance from resolutely-man-focused perfume brand, Aramis. I will say now that Adventurer is not my style, but it is a nicely pieced together sport scent that manages to avoid all of the usual clichés with a touch of class and maturity. Click here to read my review in more detail.
Also, if you head on over to Escentual’s Facebook page, you can enter to win a brand spanking new bottle of Aramis’ Adventurer. All you need to do is leave a comment (there, not here) telling Escentual the place where you would like to have your ultimate adventure. The competition ends on 03 September 2014 and the usual T&Cs stated by Escentual apply. Good luck!
The time has come to reveal the winner of The Candy Perfume Boy’s Third Birthday Giveaway! But before that, I would just like to take a few moments to say thank you once again to everyone who has ever read, commented, shared or enjoyed this blog. The Candy Perfume Boy is a real labour of love for me and it means so much that people actively engage with me here about my favourite subject on a regular basis. So thank you all.
Now on to the fun bit! I am pleased to announce that the winner of The Candy Perfume Boy’s Third Birthday Giveaway (as chosen by random.org) and the soon-to-be-owner of a brand spanking new 60ml refillable bottle of Thierry Mugler’s Alien (one of my very favourite perfumes), is…
Way back in July of 2011 I made the decision to create an outlet for my fragrant musings. I picked a ridiculous name, asked my friend, Liam Moore (of ODOU fame) to apply some wonderful candy striping to a webpage and put fingers to keyboard for my very first, feature length review. This first post was a review of Guerlain’s Shalimar Parfum Initial, a perfume that had just been recently launched and had surprised me and many a perfume lover. How we’ve all come a long way since then!
Now it’s 2014, a mere three years later and what started out as a hobby has quickly become a huge part of my life. A lot has happened since that first post; I’ve got married, held two perfume talks for Perfume Lovers London, become the Fragrance Expert for popular perfume e-tailer, Escentual, posted 478 times and won a coveted Jasmine Award. Not to mention the fact that the blog has even been visited over a million times! Of course, this is all so much more than I ever could have expected and I am so thankful to everyone who has supported me in this endeavour – from my husband to my beloved readers. You all know who you are!
To celebrate this milestone, I have teamed up with my friends at Escentual to offer a very special giveaway. The prize is one of my all-time favourite perfumes – a fragrance that I have continuously banged on about on this blog on way too many occasions. In fact, it’s a perfume that I adore so much, I may, or may not own an entire litre of the stuff. Have you which olfactory diva I’m referring to yet?
When a designer house launches a new masculine fragrance I tend to find myself preparing for disappointment. This isn’t always the case (after all, there are lots of fab designer masculines out there), but in a vast number of situations it would be fair to say that the perfumes aren’t really thinking outside the box enough to be considered as worthwhile, especially when compared to their female counterparts.
Sometimes however, a new masculine will come along that does impress and ‘Uomo’, the latest launch from Valentino, is one such fragrance. Taking one or two cues from Dior Homme, Uomo is an effortlessly stylish fragrance that is as soft as it is handsome. For my Escentual column this week I’ve taken a closer look at this new scent from Valentino and in addition to my review, Escentual will be giving away 6 bottles! To read my review and to enter the competition (please refer to the Escentual T&Cs as listed in the piece) please click here.
Acqua di Parma Colonia, Colonia Asoluta, Colonia Essenza and Colonia Intensa Reviews
January may not be the month in which one spritzes on a light cologne, but it is a good time to dream of summer, and what better summers to lust after than those spent in the Italian countryside? One brand that perfectly captures the essence and sophistication of Italy is Acqua di Parma and they have four Eau de Colognes in their stable; Colonia, Colonia Assoluta, Colonia Essenza and Colonia Intensa, all of which I’ve reviewed on the Escentual blog for your pleasure today.
What’s more, Escentual are having a little giveaway where you can win a 100ml spray bottle of Colonia (the original), plus a signature bath coffret including Colonia Bath and Shower Gel, Hair Conditioner and Body Lotion (40ml each). All you have to do is head over to the Escentual blog by clicking the image above, letting me know how you take your ‘Colonia’.
When it comes to wearing perfume one would consider oneself as a traditionalist, preferring the tried and tested method of spraying (usually copiously) over dabbing or rolling. Concentrations too are a very non-experimental area for this perfume blogger who most definitely prefers Eau de Parfum to anything else.
Perfume oils are not something one would usually even try let alone wear, mainly due to the fact that they are designed to wear close to skin and for a lover of nuclear sillage that simply is not cricket. But one must try everything at least once and thanks to Escentual.com there may just be a musk oil that cuts the mustard – Musc for Her by Narciso Rodriguez. (Slightly NSFW pic below the jump)
“Dress your skin in a new form of Narciso Rodriguez elegance. The Narciso Rodriguez For Her Musc Oil is a precious way to wear the iconic For Her fragrance.
Back and even more luxurious than before, the Musc oil is inspired by the mysterious depths of Egyptian Musk, a scent that Narciso himself wears like a lucky charm. Truly sensuous, the fragrance holds itself close to the skin and invites others to come closer.
The Narciso Rodriguez For Her Musc Oil is to be worn alone for personal pleasure, or with the eau de parfum to elevate its musky notes to another level of seduction.”
Following on from yesterday’s Desert Island Sniffs episode with the rather wonderful Neela Vermeire of Neela Vermeire Creations I am very pleased to be able to offer a rather spectacular giveaway in celebration of Neela’s welcome return from her desert island – you didn’t think I’d leave her there, did you?!
Marooned no more, Neela is generously offering one lucky winner a full 50ml flacon of the transcendently beautiful Mohur Eau de Parfum (Neela’s top Desert Island Sniff) with a sample of Ashoka, Neela’s brand new perfume launching later this year. Details of how to enter this incredibly generous giveaway can be found below the jump.
Slightly later than expected (I have been having too much fun this weekend) but I can now confirm that the winner of the 2nd birthday giveaway, taking home the lovely Maison Francis Kurkdjian sample set is….
The Candy Perfume Boy 