L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Perfume Review

Growing up in beautiful Quetta valley, I remember cherry blossoms meant another new school year, and an end to long icy winters. There was nothing  more pleasurable than sitting under an umbrella of fluffy, pale pink cherry blossoms, and reading your favorite book. Boughs heavy, laden with fragrant blossoms, pink petals covering the ground like snowflakes, Wafts of scented air all around you, and wishing if only cherry blossom season could last forever. It was like being in Dr. Seuss world, pink trees and all.

I wasn't too excited when I first saw this perfume. I'm sure you'll agree with me here that cherry blossom fragrance has been done to death. Pick up any brand and you will find some kind of product featuring this scent. Be it candles, body mists, lotions, shampoos or soaps. I have been lucky enough to grow up with the scents of apple, almond and cherry blossoms around me, and know their distinctive fragrance quite well. Sadly, most of these cherry blossom scented products do NOT smell like real cherry blossom at all.
It's not an easy scent to capture, it's quite abstract, and no, it does not smell of sugary sweet cherries that most brands have us believe with their never ending lines of generic smelling products.
Cherry blossoms have a green smell, with a touch of soft fresh floral which is hard to describe. I think L' Occitane did a very good job at capturing that scent.

A fresh and floral fragrance that celebrates the beauty of the cherry blossoms during the first days of spring. 

 Cherry Blossom (Fleurs de Cerisier) eau de toilet was launched in spring of 2007.Cherry blossom is an evitable part of the spring South France landscape, so this perfume represents the scent of an early spring. Cherry note is accompanied by freesia, black currant, lily-of-the-valley, rose tree, amber and musk. It is available as 100 ml EDT, 10 gr solid perfume and additional body care line, as well as scented candles. (source)

In Provence, cherry tree blossoms create a magical landscape of light pink flowers. L'OCCITANE's best selling fresh and floral fragrance range celebrates the poetic beauty of Cherry Blossom and its delicate flowers during the first days of spring. 

L' Occitane's cherry blossom starts off green and airy, reminiscent of a mild, fresh spring day. After a while, delicate soft florals make an appearance, freesia being most prominent. Thankfully, none of the fruity notes appeared on my skin, which I think would have made the scent too sweet.

 It's a beautiful skinscent that stays green and clean with the lightest touch of musk. Delicate and easy to wear throughout the hottest of weathers. The lasting power of the solid perfume is amazing. The best cherry blossom in my opinion.

CATEGORY: FLORAL

TOP NOTES: Cherry, Freesia, Lily-of-the-valley, Black Currant, Brazilian Rosewood

BASE NOTES: Amber, Musk, Cherry blossom 

GOOD FOR: Spring/Summer. Day/Casual.

Available at L'Occitane's website for $12 for the solid perfume

All Images by Google

Benefit Crescent Row: Laugh With Me Lee Lee Perfume Review

Benefit Cosmetics is undoubtedly one of the quirkiest brands around. With witty names and fun packaging, their products never fail to attract attention. These ingenious ideas extend beyond makeup – their fragrances are equally cleverly designed.
The Crescent row collection comes on their own little mini houses, with interiors to match the owners unique personalities.

Benefit founders Jean's daughters (and Jane's nieces) Maggie and Annie were inspired to bring the concept of Crescent Row when they stumbled upon the incredible Royal Crescent whilst on a trip to Bath, England.
The perfumes were entrusted to perfumer François Demachy of LVMH and developed by Jean and Jane Ford over two years with fragrance companiesRobertet and Firmenich. The scents are housed in flacons inspired by a cocktail shaker Jean and Jane found in their grandmother's belongings from the 1920s in their home state of Indiana. The design was modernized and recreated by Ateliers Dinand. Each is packaged in a mini dollhouse-esque townhouse complete with interior design reflecting the furnishing and decorations of the corresponding fictional gal's eponymous fragrance. (Source)

google image

Today, we are taking a stroll down to lee lee's place.
What a beautiful Georgian style front door! She has a bottle of milk and today's newspaper waiting on her doorstep. Is she even home? Let's knock and find out...

 Lee lee comes out all dressed in blue. Fresh, with an innocent smile. Oh my! she has invited us inside to have tea in her beautiful garden.

 The entryway has a cute little pond and a path leading inside.

Just like lee lee, the inside of her home has an airy, whimsical feel to it.

What a beautiful summer's afternoon, and you have lovely Gazebo. The garden smells heavenly. Is that jasmine and lilies I smell?

• Top notes: cassis, melon, citrus
• Middle notes: black violet, lily, jasmine
• Bottom notes: blonde wood, amber, santol (a tropical Asian fruit tree with a scent often used in incense)

A poem on the back of the box describes the girly and carefree LeeLee:

her playful wink
and mischievous smile

the flirtatious side
of her innocent style

no thought or worry
of what’s meant to be

first laughter, then love
“…along came leelee”

 Lee lee open fresh and breezy on my skin with a slight hint of floral and fruits. Lee Lee is inspired by the aromas of an English garden, and holds that airy, fresh feeling in it's opening for quite sometime. 

The strongest flower that I can detect is definitely jasmine. It manages to stay right till the end. But the jasmine here doesn't have that typical heady aroma that it's famous for. Mixed in with citrus and melon, it's soft as a whisper.

The amber/woods take a while to develop but even when they take the stage, they are still softened by the flowers. 

CATEGORY: Floral/Woody

GOOD FOR: Spring, Summer, Daytime, Casual.

Overall, a nice, safe, pleasant scent that smells more expensive than a $36 fragrance, and the scent lasts all day long.