The Cheap and Chic Icon – The Body Shop White Musk Perfume Oil Perfume Review

Christian Dior Fall 2010
Christian Dior Fall 2010 – Chic and Iconic but not Cheap…

Picture this: You’re tasked with buying a 30ml bottle of perfume. It has to be something that  smells good, isn’t tacky or some horrible celebuscent, and could be classed as a classic due to its unfailing longevity and popularity. Oh and you cannot spend more than £11! That’s doable right?

You may be thinking that you have been set an impossible task, and you would not be blamed for thinking so, after all there are good cheapies on the market but £11 is VERY cheap. But I am very happy to say that you do not have to blow the big bucks to find a decent bottle of perfume, all you need to do is head down to The Body Shop and pick up a bottle of White Musk Perfume Oil.

White Musk is The Body Shop’s flagship fragrance and was released way back in 1981. The Body Shop describe White Musk as “iconic” [1] and I have to agree, it’s one of those fragrances that everybody knows. It is instantly recognisable and has stood the test of time where other, lesser scents have fallen by the wayside. White Musk may sing a simple little ditty but it is its pleasant simplicity that has secured its well-earned status as a perfume icon.

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The Candy Perfume Boy Scents The Royal Family for Escentual.com

Scents the Royals
The Candy Perfume Boy Scents The Royal Family for Escentual.com

I am very chuffed to have been asked to write a guest-post for Escentual.com (a wonderful fragrance and beauty e-tailer*), in which I have the colossal task of scenting the British Royal Family. This has been one of my absolute favourite pieces to write and I had a blast putting it together so I do hope you will enjoy it. Please do head on over to Escentual to give it a read.

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Beguile Me With Your Wondrous Fumes – Amouage Opus III Perfume Review

Dandelion
The Rapture of Dandelions in Spring

There are so many niche perfume houses out there it’s a struggle for your friendly neighbourhood perfume blogger to keep up. There are niche lines within designer houses, niche lines within niche houses, private collections and exclusives – the mind boggles.

To cope I have to tell myself that I simply cannot sniff everything and there are niche lines that I will ignore completely, purely because my brain cannot handle adding them to the pile of things I need to try stacked somewhere at the back of my mind, behind all the stuff I don’t use anymore; like algebra, the steps to the Macarena and the ability to resist cake.

One niche house that will always receive my attention however is Amouage. I still haven’t managed to try everything in the Amouage stable (I’m taking my time and enjoying it thank you very much) but what I have tried, whether to my tastes or not has been interesting, high quality and worthy of the praise it receives.

The Library Collection is Amouage’s capsule collection of unique fragrance “works”. The collection is described as being “a poetic homage to the art of living” [1] and it offers a break from the house’s tradition of grandiose, opulent fragrances. After falling truly, madly and deeply for the mind-blowing amber of Opus VI I couldn’t wait to poke my nose through the rest of the collection, and on a recent shopping trip that is exactly what I did. It was on that shopping trip that I discovered Opus III…

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The Duality of the Modern Man – Roger & Gallet L’Homme and L’Homme Sport

Roger & Gallet L'Homme & L'Homme Sport - "Intense Freshness"
Roger & Gallet L’Homme & L’Homme Sport – “Intense Freshness”

Sampling masculine fragrances can be a royal pain in the bum because for the most part they are dreadful calone-fuelled citrus things that feel thin, bland and made for the lowest common denominator. Of course that’s not to say they are all bad, far from it, there is a whole heap of good masculine scents on the market, it just seems that in terms of new launches, the good ones are becoming harder to find.

Luckily for us boys there are some good, not mind-blowing, but good masculine fragrances on the market that don’t break the bank. Two such fragrances are Roger & Gallet’s duo of masculines ‘L’Homme’ and ‘L’Homme Sport’. Between these two masculines Roger & Gallet have catered for both the stylish older man (L’Homme) and the easygoing younger man (L’Homme Sport) at an affordable price.

L’Homme was introduced in 1979 and is described by Roger & Gallet as “an Eau de Toilette…with an authentic, distinctive chypre character” whilst its 2009 counterpart “plays a second oflactive score and reveals another contemporary facet”. Two fragrances, worlds apart, and both representing the duality of the modern man.

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Saturday Poll: Fake vs Plastic – Natural or Synthetic?

Last week’s Saturday Poll focused on the love-it-or-hate-it note of Tuberose. You were posed the question “Tuberose – Yay or Nay?” and you were forthcoming in your answers. Much to my surprise, given the polarising nature of tuberose, a staggering 75% voted a resounding yay for tuberose. This isn’t the result I expected but I am very pleased to see that my favourite note is more popular than I had first though.

On to this week’s poll…

The Poll

This week’s poll focuses on the age old debate of natural vs synthetic. Do you like all-natural ingredients in your perfume, or just synthetics? Do you believe that a mixture of both is important or do you not care at all?

What do you think? I want to know! Register your vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments box below!

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Hot Town, Summer in the City: The Candy Perfume Boy’s Summer Special for Perfume Lovers London

Summer in Swinging London Town
Summer in Swinging London Town

There are a few big and exciting events happening in London this summer; in June we have the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and in July we will be hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, not that we’ve made much of a song and dance about it or anything…

Anyway, these events are very exciting, but there is one other event that I would like to bring to your attention, one that is a little bit more low-key but is 10,000 times more exciting than anything Queen/sports related.

On Thursday 26 July I will be hosting a Summer Special at The New Cavendish Club for Perfume Lovers London. During the evening I will be taking you through a selection of summer scents from the light and ephemeral to the hot and steamy. I am overjoyed to have been asked to host and I hope that you’ll be able to attend.

Details below the jump…

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A Journey Through The World of Amber with Olfactoria and Perfume Lovers London

Bloggers x 4
A Gaggle of Perfume Bloggers: Birgit & Tara of Olfactoria’s Travels, Vanessa of Bonkers About Perfume and me, The Candy Perfume Boy.

The Perfume Lovers London events organised by Lila Das Gupta as part of Olfactory Events are a fabulous opportunity to learn about perfume, to talk to and meet with like minded perfumeophiles and discover a plethora of new, exciting perfumes. It’s safe to say that every event is a joy to attend so the news that one of my favourite bloggers, Birgit of Olfactoria’s Travels, was going to be holding her very own event was very exciting indeed!

I’m sure that I’m preaching to the choir here, but Olfactoria’s Travels has become a go-to blog for many perfume lovers and it’s teeming with beautifully written reviews, informed discussion and passion from Birgit and Tara, who have both changed the face of the perfume blogosphere.

For her event, Birgit promised to take us on a journey through the world of amber, a sensible subject choice seeing as she has rightfully earned the title of “Queen of Amber” through her love for the genre. Now, I’ve made it no secret that amber isn’t my favourite genre of perfumes, but that’s not to say that I don’t like it either, I simply haven’t had the right amount of exposure to it, but now thanks to Birgit and Perfume Lovers London I feels as if I am well-versed on the subject!

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Saturday Poll: Tuberose – Yay or Nay?

On the last Saturday Poll, which was a whole two weeks ago if you can cast your mind back that far, we discussed the subject of perfume gender bending. This is a subject that I am quite passionate, and almost militant about so it was great to see so many people weighing in with their thoughts. A stonking 83% of you voted in favour for gender bending and generally wearing whatever you like and all I can say to that is “hear, hear!”

Anyway, enough of that! Let’s move on to this week’s poll…

The Poll

As you may have noticed, I am somewhat of a lover of tuberose. OK, that’s an understatement, I’m a tuberose freak. No wait, I’m a tuberose addict – I can’t get enough. Whilst I adore the note I’m fully aware that others aren’t so keen, in fact it would be fair to say that tuberose is a polarising note – some love it and others hate it. What do you think? I want to know! Register your vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments box below!

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