A few weeks back the most beautiful press pack arrived – a bottle of pink Pongraz bubbly along with Aura by Swarovski eau de parfum and four little minis of the scent’s many variants – Miss Aura, Collection Mariage, Love Collection and the EDT.

I opened the box just as I was about to hop on a plane to Port Elizabeth, headed to our family farm in Graaff-Reinet to bury my grandfather, one of the best men to ever walk the earth. (A real life hero, he returned from the World War II, the lone survivor of his fighter pilot fleet and got down to the business of running our family sheep farm like a well-oiled machine.)

Anyway, the bubbles got popped almost the moment I hit the ground and served as a lovely toast to the best grandpa a girl could ever wish for. I then immediately pocketed the EDP (because I’m a selfish cow) and then doled out the minis to my mom, Aunt Edie, Aunt Charmaine (who’s married to my dad’s brother) and her mother, Merle.

I loved being able to gift each woman with a scent they all adored and that even though each was a little different, they were all a bit the same – a good way to describe ‘van den Berg’ women in general. I also kind of adore the idea that now, even though we’ve all parted ways and have returned to different places – Graaff-Reinet, PE, Cape Town and Seattle – this soft, pretty, ultra feminine scent can somehow link us all and might always remind us of that sad-beautiful-magical time in the Karoo where we all worked together as a team to send my grandpa off into the arms of my grandmother. I also love that Aura really does appeal to every generation; me in my 30s, my aunts in their 50s and 60s and even Merle in her 70s. There’s something beautiful about that and you sure as hell couldn’t do it with Britney Spears Fantasy. Did you know that scent has a whopping nine flankers?

But ja – let’s focus on Aura by Swarovski EDP (R595 for a refillable 30ml) which I’m wearing as I type.

Much like the EDT, it’s a sheer fruity-floral with a cushiony base of musk, amber and pink pepper. However, while the EDT opens with litchi (and has tuberose, rose and jasmine serve as supporting acts) the EDP’s top note is most definitely a lush ‘young’ rose followed by pink pepper and litchi. It’s the kind of fragrance you could easily wear both day and night – whenever you wanted to smell pretty but not silly… elegant but not ‘old’. Something about it reminds me just a dash of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle as well as the now discontinued Clarins Par Amour Tujour. Next time I go on a date, this is the scent I’m going to wear.

My second favourite fragrance of the bunch is Miss Aura (R495 for a refillable 30ml), an EDT that my mom nabbed.

The ‘youngest’ interpretation of the lot, you can definitely tell it’s a ‘sister’ of all the other scents but its made a little sparklier thanks to a grapefruit top note as well as a teensy bit sweeter due to a patchouli basenote that’s tempered by a dash of vetiver.

In short, if you’re looking for a feminine fruity-floral with a soft sensual dry down that feels like a baby pink cashmere wrap, be sure to give Aura by Swarovski EDP (and all her sisters) a sniff next time you’re in store.

Love, love

Leigh