Monday 8 October 2012

Eau d'Hadrien by Annick Goutal

I had given up searching for a my perfect Summer lemon fragrance when I stumbled upon Eau d'Hadrien by Annick Goutal.


You wouldn't think much from the name or the packaging (especially the square bottle). So many perfumes these days rely on attractive bottles to make you try a scent (and it certainly works!). Annick Goutal bottles all look the same so you really have to rely on word of mouth/reviews, an eyecatching name or good ol' perseverance to find a scent for you in this range.

I happened to stumble upon a tester of Eau d'Hadrien on its own. I ignored it & looked at perfumes around it, but then I saw they had a small 15ml bottle for sale @ a bargain price. I admit, the reason I tried it is that I really wanted to own an AG perfume as I'd heard so many good things about this line. So I tried it. I am so glad I did.

Fragrance notes:
  • Sicilian Lemon
  • Grapefruit
  • Green Mandarin
  • Cypress
  • Aldehydes
  • Ylang-Ylang
What do I think?

Eau d'Hadrien is simple, classy & super-wearable. It is also an addictive scent & really energising. definitely a form of aromatherapy.

This fragrance starts with a super fresh just cut lemon scent, not long after a lovely fresh grapefruit & mandarin combines with the lemon. The scent is very natural & it is deliciously juicy.

Just when you think you have Eau d'Hadrien figured out the cypress/aldeydes gives it a small unusual herb type quality & the ylang- ylang gives it a tiny soft edge.

I usually choose this fragrance when it's warm, or I don't feel like a "complicated" perfume. This is just so easy to wear. It is also perfect when I need a pick-me-up. You know how you just have days like that?

I see many people compare this perfume to cleaning products, well I don't use lemon cleaning products often & the ones that I have used certainly don't smell like this!

When to wear it?

Eau d'Hadrien works for anytime of year, however is simply perfect for Summer.

Who can wear Eau d'Hadrien?

This perfume is termed as Unisex. Whenever I see the word "unisex" I'm very weary as the scent usually still leans on one side (be that masculine or feminine - usually the former) however Eau d'Hadrien is neither & I would most probably call it Asexual as it is neither feminine, nor masculine if you know what I mean.

Longevity?

Lasting power is not too bad on my skin, I get a few hours out of the EDT. It will last even longer if you layer it over moisturiser. The scent seems to lie close to the skin but I get lovely whiffs of it during the day.

It also seems like a perfect layering scent, I am eager to try it with vanilla or sandalwood as I think they would compliment it very well.

The bottle?

There seems to be two different bottles - the square one (which seems to be marketed to men) and the tall bottle (see both above). I have a small square bottle - it is great as it lets you control how much you use, whether it be a dribble, half squirt or a full spray. Some perfume bottles only let you do a full spray or none at all. I might be way off base, but I feel that this shows the quality of the nozzle.

Would I buy it again?

Yes, I will definitely re-purchase Eau d'Hadrien when I run out.

I highly recommend you try Eau d'Hadrien!

My rating: 7.8/10

Saturday 6 October 2012

My 2nd Lucky Scent Sample Order

I know I haven't even received my first order, but I got the sample fever again & started clicking! :-) I decided to give myself a mission to make it a bit easier - try some vanilla & chocolate fragrances that I've read reviews of.

Here's my order;


Montale - Chypre Vanille
Montale - Jasmin Full
Montale - Chocolate Greedy
Montale - Boise Vanille
Comptoir Sud Pacifique - Vanille Abricot
Comptoir Sud Pacifique - Amour de Cacao
Comptoir Sud Pacifique - Vanille Extreme
IL PROFUMO - Vanille Bourbon
IL PROFUMO - Chocolat Frais
IL PROFUMO - Chocolat Amere

I threw in Montale's Jasmin Full at random, I guess as the list seemed very Winter oriented I wanted to get at least 1 Summery sounding fragrance!

Cost:

All of the above samples ended up at $34 total. The Montale fragrances were $4 each, the Il Profumo & Comptoir fragrances were $3 each.

Postage to Australia ended up being $8 which okay. Though I can't imagine that samples would take up much room - they'd probably fit in a padded envelope.

Can't wait to try these out! :)

Update; Tuesday 9th October, 2012 - the order has been marked as posted. Pretty good despatch time considering I ordered over the weekend. Can you imagine how many other people worldwide were mouse shopping too? It was posted on the Monday afternoon.

Update: Monday 22nd October 2012 - I got the samples today!!!! Packed in a small padded envelope & wrapped together with a little bubble wrap.

The Il Profumo is packed in 1ml vials. The Montale Chocolate Greedy sample was a manufacturer made 2ml sample, the rest of the Montales were in 1ml sample vials. All of the Comptour Sub Pacifique vials were manufacturer made spray vials.

I'm very happy with my Lucky Scent purchase.

The only problem now is what to try first???????????