Thierry Mugler love to reincarnate their bestselling Angel and there have been some real goodies along the starlit path, my favourite still being the light and lovely Aqua Chic 2o13. The latest limited edition version, however, is called Eau de Sucree (R695 for 50ml) and this one’s for serious gourmand lovers only in that it’s a serious celebration of sweetness.

Officially, the notes are red berry sorbet, caramelised meringue, patchouli and vanilla and while they sound diabetes-inducing they’re actually well-tempered by the sorbet that lends it a certain sparkling freshness. Then, when the sweet notes come through, they’re muted and soft and sit nice and closely on your skin in a way that makes me think of cashmere, sugared almonds and that yummy ‘old school’ vanilla body lotion The Body Shop used to make. Anyone else remember that?

To me, Eau de Sucree is a lot less ‘brash’ than the original Angel in that I don’t think it’ll evoke the same ‘love it or hate it’ response. I consider it a real ‘comfort scent’ I’ll wear in cooler weather on a day or night when I’m craving a white hot chocolate but thinking of the bikini I have to squeeze into come November.

Another new gourmand-type scent set to emerge in September is Lancôme La Vie Est Belle L’Eau de Parfum Intense (R1300 for 50ml and R1700 for 75ml).

Notes-wise, the newbie, has a similar structure to the original in that also it opens with blackcurrant and pear but now boasts the addition of bergamot, orange and pink pepper. The similarities continue with the floral heart notes but this time more ‘intense’ versions of everything have been used. For example, jasmine now becomes fancy pants Sambac jasmine. The base, however, is now a delicious mix of hazelnut and cream as opposed to the initial scent’s vanilla-patchouli-praline blend. The other big difference I can pick up is that the original had a dash of powder in it but I can’t pick that up in ‘Intense’.

The overall result is that the Intense version is very similar to the regular La Vie Est Belle, but waaay more potent, a lot sweeter and leaves a lingering trail wherever you go making it more suited to night time or a very cold winter’s day. If you’re a fan of the original fragrance, you’ll definitely want to give this one a sniff but don’t automatically assume you’ll love it just because you’re a fan of the original. It’s potent, heady stuff and you’re either going to think it’s masterful or migraine-inducing.

Personally, while I like Intense, I prefer the original. Interestingly, it’s the one fragrance that seems to draw the most compliments from men whenever I wear it. My bestie, Karisa, occasionally wears it too and has noticed the same thing.

Last but not least, let’s talk about new Jimmy Choo Blossom eau de parfum (R595 for 40ml, R795 for 60ml and R1 050 for 100ml).

I can appreciate the odd splash of Meneer Choo’s perfumes on other people but they’ve never resonated with me. There’s either too much toffee or too much powder in the mix. This is why I’ve been super surprised by Blossom which I love, love, love and am actually wearing it now as I type. In fact, I’ve been wearing it the whole weekend and have had every person who’s given me a hug comment on how nice it is. Can we get a ‘yay’!?

A sparkling fruity-floral with good staying power, Blossom opens with juicy raspberry, citrus and red berries before revealing a soft sweet pea and floral heart. The dry down, however, is a heavenly oh-so-simple mix of sandalwood and white musk. The over all effect is an uplifting, clean, fresh, lighthearted and flirty scent that’s definitely ‘girlie’ but sophisticated enough so that I don’t feel like an idiot wearing it at almost 35. It really is well suited to its name as it’s the perfect ‘day time’ fragrance to wear this spring. The only problem is that I’ve now got several friends who want to buy it too so I might have to start telling people it’s a secret blend I had custom-made in France.

See anything you’d like to sniff yourself?

Love, love

Leigh