A few weeks ago, I blogged about a perfume gift box set that was £4.95 (including postage) and how the box was well worth it because of the Space.NK Laughter perfume that was included as this 15ml bottle retails for £20 currently on the Space.NK site.
My excitement for such a bargain was easily diffused as I sprayed this perfume on. I don't want to say anything negative as perfume is very subjective and personal. So something that is horrible to me could be some one's favorite perfume. I will just say that it wasn't my cup of tea. I will say some good things about the perfume though. First, their web site's stock photo is not very accurate. As you all know, I'm a big fan of packaging, so for me the stock photo didn't allure me, see for yourself, it looks like this plain boring pale yellow box.
But in reality, it is a vibrant gorgeous chartreuse box
Now onto the concept behind the fragrance.The owner of Space.NK created this out of a childhood memory. On the back of the box it says:
"An uplifting fragrance, inspired by my childhood memories of the Spanish Mediterranean Costa del azahar, where sun drenched orange groves sweep down to the sea. Fresh citrus top notes of bergamot, grapefruit and lime are boosted by the tonic effect of juniper berry and the aromatic notes of rosemary in a sensual woody base of amber and musk, enlivened by a sweet spicy bit of ginger."
There is a bit of a discrepancy with the notes however. The box reads one thing, and their website describes the fragrance to contain these notes:
"Fresh citrus top notes of bergamot, grapefruit and lime are invigorated by the tonic effect of juniper berry, angelica root and verbena with refreshing aromatic notes of rosemary, fennel and coriander. The sensual woody base of patchouli, amber and musk is enlivened by a sweet, spicy bite of ginger."
I'm not quite sure which description is accurate, and left me feeling a bit confused. So my review is based upon the notes on the packaging box.
For me, I believe it was the abundance of rosemary that may have set me back. I love rosemary in my food, but as a fragrance...well not so much. The citrus top notes are easily overpowered by the bergamot and rosemary. You can get a whiff of lime and juniper berry, but I believe it would have taken a sophiscated sense of smell to catch that one. I was disappointed that there wasn't more grapefruit presence in the scent. The bottom notes of sensual woody base of amber and musk is very accurate, but once again the other ingredient of ginger wasn't present (at least not to me). Ginger is once again another product that I love in my food, but as a fragrance...nope. So that is my interruption of this scent. I do appreciate the inspiration behind it, but the execution and confusion of which notes are actually in this fragrance left me a bit unimpressed.
If you are a lover of the scents listed above, then this fragrance can be yours at your Space.NK shop and on their website for £20.