Burberry The Beat

Floral woody musk scents remind me of expensive soaps. The kind you buy from specialty stores. The fragrance quietly wafts in the air and the  soothing freshness of the soapy character permeates an interesting ambiance where the decorative allure of soap and the comely effect of youthful freshness mingle in a beautiful symphony. This is Burberry The Beat, in a nutshell.

Burberry The Beat was introduced in 2008 and the noses behind it are Dominique Ropion, Olivier Polge and Beatrice Piquet. This stylish and energetic perfume features bergamot, cardamom, pink pepper, mandarin, iris, bluebell, Ceylon tea, white musk, vetiver and cedarwood. The floral appeal is contradicted by the warm musk at the base while the Ceylon tea accord brings out a tinge of sparkle  to complete the fragrance.

The Beat is certainly a young scent. It’s mildly sweet and slightly earthy. The notes are well-blended and to some extent, nondescript. This isn’t too sheer either. Sometimes, perfumes with tea notes in the composition come out as too light a fragrance (olfactive memories of Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea come to mind). On the whole, it’s a nice everyday scent to wear if you feel like wearing something mainstream.

The 2008 version of The Beat is formulated as EDP  however, the sillage is more like an EDT, at least on my skin when I tested it. This year, Burberry released an EDT version of The Beat which is a total surprise because the original fragrance is already light in formulation to begin with. I am not sure how a watered down version of a light perfume would smell like. And frankly, I don’t find any logic in that. Certainly, the EDT will be more ephemeral and longevity is likely nil. I like the youthful attitude of The Beat but in regards to formulation, I’ll stick with the EDP. The latest EDT version is repetitive and a waste of money, in my opinion.

Burberry The Beat is available in 1.7oz and 2.4oz, both in eau de parfum and eau de toilette versions. The bottle features the signature Burberry plaid design topped with a silver metallic cap.

Holiday Perfume Gift Guide Part II

The classic feminine floral fragrance is luminous, elegant and certain to draw compliments. In the 80s,  we’ve seen and smelled a lot of remarkable floral-based fragrances which stole the hearts of many. Some of them went beyond the 80s and are still making waves up to this day. One of the most striking features of floral fragrances is how it makes a woman feel more like a woman. It brings out her innate femininity where she can be the refined-sophisticated type one moment and be vampy and naughty on other days depending on her mood. One such fragrance is Alfred Sung’s Sung Perfume.

Sung was introduced in 1986. It’s floral with a creamy soft drydown. It’s quite heady at the beginning but develops into a beautiful garden of white flowers as it melts on your skin.

The fragrance notes are:

Top notes – orange, galbanum, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, bergamot and lemon

Middle notes – osmanthus, jasmine, lily of the valley and iris

Base notes – amber, sandalwood, orange blossom, vanilla and vetiver

Alfred Sung Sung Perfume veers away from the trendy fruity-floral celeb type of fragrances. This is not in any way in the league of the Britneys and the Paris. The lemony-orange component is rather a prelude to an explosion of flowers. The scent,  a symphony of exotic florals, will definitely bring a lot of memories of the 80s.

Sung with its  prolific floral base is a perfect match for the holidays. The blanket of floral aroma is a nice wrap-around scent to keep you warm and smelling lovely during the cold months of winter.

Find more Alfred Sung fragrances this holiday season at discount perfume retailer, scentiments.com

Holiday Perfume Gift Guide Part I

Ah, holidays. Aside from giving gifts this season, isn’t it wonderful to receive gifts, as well? What’s more wonderful is receiving the gifts we have our eyes or noses on!  Now, Christmas is also that time of the year when we allow ourselves to some guiltless indulgence. We spend more than the usual especially on luxury items. If you’re one of the perfume-loving public, designer and niche fragrances definitely top the list.

Here are some of the top gift-able fragrances:

Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue

Dolce&Gabbana’s classic scent, Light Blue evokes the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean during summer. The refreshing ensemble of sparkling fruits and florals always and without fail impress both the wearer and the observer. Light Blue is neither a passing fancy nor one of those fragrances to be stashed sway once the hype has mellowed down. Suffice to say, it’s mainstream gone classic. Launched in 2001, this dazzling fragrance is still very popular today.

Ed Hardy Woman

Christian Audigier’s Ed Hardy fragrance portfolio is a tattoo art showcase from the godfather of tattoo, Ed Hardy. Each fragrance brings forth a rush of exciting fruity floral accords that spells fun, fun, fun! Ed Hardy Woman is strawberries galore. It’s sweet but not candy-sweet. This is a great summer fragrance and likewise a great gift this holiday season.

Prada L’eau Ambree

This perfume is Prada’s softest (by far) version of the amber. Soothing, calming and sensual in an elegant way. Prada L’eau Ambree is remarkably well-blended. The custardy-vanilla scent mixes well with the not too oriental ambery-notes. The mingling of the accords complements each other producing a refined amber fragrance.

Giorgio Armani Onde Extase, Mystere and Vertige

The Armani Onde Collection is a tribute to the exotic scents of the East. Each fragrance takes us to an adventure of luxurious aromas and pure essential oils expertly blended to produce an olfactive experience that defines the mystical charm of the east. Onde Mystere is an oriental-spicy fragrance, an ode to the Middle East; Onde Extase sparkling, light and unassuming, inspired by the art of geisha in Japan; Onde Vertige is floriental, the scent mirrors the eroticism of the Kama Sutra.

You can check out more of these holiday perfume gifts at discount perfume online retailer, scentiments.com.