Sampling The Scents: March 2018 – Chanel, Gucci, Chloé, Burberry & Juicy Couture

Sampling The Scents: March 2018 – Chanel, Gucci, Chloé, Burberry & Juicy Couture

I’m an avid lover of all things beauty, and this month I’m kick-starting a brand new monthly series on my blog called ‘Sampling The Scents‘. I’m not sure about you, but I somehow accumulate a fair few fragrance samples throughout my shopping adventures. Whether it be from orders I’ve purchased online or ones I’ve received in a sample bag, I’ve got a lot. So, I decided to point a blog post focus each month toward what new fragrances I’ve been testing out recently. Each month will see a new post featuring a lineup of six different products, from varying brands, that I have chosen to focus on. Let me introduce you to this month’s sampled scents..

Sampling The Scents: March 2018; featuring Chloé, Gucci, Chanel, Juicy Couture and Burberry.

Intro
As you see above, my March 2018 ‘Sampling The Scents’ series features; Gucci Bloom, Chanel Gabrielle, Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy, Chloé Fleur De Parfum, Gucci Gucci Premiere and last but not least, Burberry’s ‘My Burberry’. I’ve gotten these particular ones from beauty purchases that I’ve made. I’m not sure I could pick one favourite from this lineup but I love Gabrielle Chanel and the Gucci Bloom, they would definitely be up at the very top. Now, lets break down the details on each one, shall we?

The Fragrances and Their Notes
Fragrances give us all sorts of feelings, aromas provide many vibes, our moods can change just simply by a certain scent. Known as an aroma compound we signify a ‘smell’ via the olfactory system in the upper part of our nose. Aroma compounds can be found in food, flora, wine, oils, and of course perfumes. In synthetic and natural aroma compounds of perfume, you will find what is known as the ‘fragrance wheel‘, made up of four chambers; fresh, floral, woody and oriental. Usually perfumes will be a mixture of notes under these categories. I’m going to give a run through of each six fragrances I’ve featured here, to talk about each one’s ingredient of notes, their pricing & availability, and of course what I like or dislike about them.

Gucci Bloom; top notes of citrus oranges & fresh leafy stems, middle notes of tuberose, honeysuckle & jasmine sambac, with base notes of vanilla, sandalwood, orris root and a red native Indian flower called Rangoon, which is exclusive to this fragrance. Released globally in August 2017, it is the first fragrance released under Gucci’s new creative director, Alessandro Michele. The perfume comes available in a light dusty pink, frosted bottle with white labelling, in the sizes of 30ml, 50ml and 100ml. The exterior boxing it comes in is decorated with the red Rangoon flower and other flowers over a beige background. Pricing: 30ml – $105 AUD at Myer & 50ml – $140 AUD at David Jones.

Chanel Gabrielle; top notes of grapefruit, black currant & mandarin, middle notes of ylang ylang, pear, jasmine, orange blossom & tuberose, with base notes of sandalwood, musk and orris. Gabrielle launched in 2017 with actress Kristin Stewart as the face of the campaign, the fragrance is based around four white flowers and the glass bottle (available in either 50ml or 100ml) is covered in a light golden tint that transmits light. The label is a shiny light gold with black capital font. Pricing: 35ml – $134 AUD at Myer, 50ml – $174 AUD & 100ml – $248 AUD at Myer, and the same prices at David Jones, however slightly higher at 50ml – $200.50 AUD & 100ml – $267.50 AUD at Strawberrynet.

Chloé Fleur De Parfum; top notes of bergamot, verbena & grapefruit, top notes of cherry blossom, black currant, rose & peach, with base notes of white musk, powdery rice and cedar. Released in July 2016 with Dree Hemingway as the face of the campaign, Chloé Fleur De Parfum was described as a naturally elegant and sensual veil that covers the skin. The gorgeous bottle is draped in a beige ribbon tied around it, it has no labelling, and it comes available in a 30ml, 50ml and 75ml size. Pricing: 30ml – $99, 50ml – $140 and 75ml – $180 AUD all at Myer, 50ml – $140 AUD at Mecca, 50ml – $140 & 75ml – $180 AUD at David Jones, however I found it the cheapest at 50ml – $113 & 75ml – $141.50 AUD at Strawberrynet.

Burberry My Burberry; top notes of mandarin, sweet pea, lemon, bergamot & grapefruit, middle notes of freesia, geranium, gardenia, passionfruit, fresh green notes, peach and quince, with base notes of violet, rose, patchouli and musk. My Burberry was inspired by the smell of a London garden after the rain and the iconic Burberry trench coat, Kate Moss and Cara Delevigne serve as the faces of the campaign and it was released in September 2014. The perfumer of this creation is Francis Kurkdjian, the bottle is a glass design with a honey beige tint throughout, it’s draped with a beige golden ribbon made out of the same fabric as the Burberry trench coat and with a stopper replicated of the button from the same coat. The title ‘My Burberry’ is printed across the front in a yellow gold font. It comes available in a 30ml, 50ml, 90ml and 100ml size, it is also accompanied by a range of body care products in the way of a shower oil, three soaps, a body mist and a deodorant. Pricing: 50ml – $79 AUD at Priceline (reduced down from $150), 30ml – $79.99 AUD or 50ml plus body lotion – $79.99 AUD at Chemist warehouse or 90ml plus Moisturising Body Mist – $119,99 AUD also at Chemist Warehouse, or its 30ml – $110 AUD, 50ml – $150 AUD & 90ml – $220 AUD at Myer and 30ml – $110 AUD at David Jones. Very interesting pricing situation there on this one, its cheaper at Chemist Warehouse & Priceline in this case.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy; top notes of wild berries, oranges & mandarin, middle notes of gardenia, jasmine & honeysuckle, with base notes of amber, vanilla, praline, sandalwood and caramel. Launched in 2008; the bottle design is draped with a fuchsia ribbon tied around the neck and features a typical Juicy Couture glass design with logo embossed in the glass and no labelling, the perfume is a light golden honey tint. It comes available in a 50ml and 100ml size, with also a 7.5ml roll-on, perfect for your handbag! The release also saw a range of body care products launched in the same scent, including a 200ml body cream, a 250ml bath and body lotion. Pricing: 30ml – $34.99 AUD & 100ml – $49.99 AUD at Chemist Warehouse and 50ml – $85 AUD & 100ml – $110 AUD at Myer.

Gucci Gucci Premiere; top notes of blackberry & bergamot, middle notes of orange blossom, musk & white flower, with base notes of sandalwood, patchouli and woody leather. Launched in 2012 with actress Blake Lively as the face of the campaign; in inspiration of the couture gowns worn at the Gucci Couture collection showcase at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Gucci Premiere is dedicated to celebrating the star in every woman. The bottle design has a shiny brown exterior with gold trim, and it comes available in a 30ml, 50ml and 75ml size with a range of body care products included, such as; a 200ml shower gel, a 200ml body lotion and a 100ml body spray. Pricing: 30ml – $59.99 AUD & 75ml – $99.99 AUD at Chemist Warehouse, 50ml – $79 AUD (reduced from $125) at Priceline or the 75ml – $144 AUD at Priceline and lastly 75ml – $159 AUD at David Jones. As you can see, prices vary if you shop around. I recommend scouring online & in-store for the latest specials before ever purchasing an expensive fragrance. With that, I do hope that pricing info & the direct links have helped you be more informed.

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My Thoughts & Ratings
I have gathered my thoughts on all of the sampled fragrances featured here, some I liked more than others, some I didn’t like much at all, etc. Let me break it down for each one:

Gucci Bloom; I love how refreshed it makes me feel when I smell it, it’s floral and perfect for a night or day outing. It is beautifully feminine to me. Rating: I’m going to give it 5/5 ★★★★★.

Chanel Gabrielle; hands down my favourite of them all, it screams sexy and sensual to me, I always instantly notice the musk and orange citrus in it which I think is a lovely mixture, and musk is an all-time fave of mine. Rating: I definitely give this 5/5 ★★★★★.

Chloé Fleur De Parfum; this one gives me summer vibes and after a while it is a pretty scent, however its quite strong at first & really needs to mellow out a bit before I like it. But I eventually like the scent once it has settled. Rating: I give it 3/5 ★★★☆☆.

Burberry’s ‘My Burberry’; this one reminds me of ‘Cool Water’ by Davidoff, its fairly strong at first but mellows down to a unisex scent.. I notice the mandarin in it straight away, but its not my cup of tea. Rating: I’ll give this one 1/5 ★☆☆☆☆.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy; instantly I notice the mandarin and vanilla, it’s pretty strong at first but mellows quickly to hints of gardenia and amber. I like it, especially when its mellowed down that’s when it’s quite beautiful, its great for a lunch date or dinner night. Rating: I’ll give it 3/5 ★★★☆☆.

Gucci Gucci Premiere; at first it sort of reminds me of ‘Old Spice’ by Procter and Gamble, but it’s not quite as nice, it’s a bit bitter and I notice the woody leather scent straight away. However, it gets a bit better when the musk and white flower make their appearance. Again, it’s still not really my cup of tea but has some nice aspects to it. Rating: I give it a 2/5 ★★☆☆☆.

Sampling The Scents: March 2018; featuring Chloé, Gucci, Chanel, Juicy Couture and Burberry.

Where To Buy & Availability
The fragrances shown here are available at either of your local Myer, David Jones, Chemist Warehouse or Priceline store. Let me break down which store each bottle is available at with direct links; Gucci Bloom can be found at Myer and David Jones. Chanel Gabrielle can be found at Strawberrynet, Myer and David Jones. Chloé Fleur De Parfum can be found at Myer, Mecca, Strawberrynet and David Jones. Burberry My Burberry can be found at Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Myer and David Jones. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy can be found at Chemist Warehouse and Myer. Gucci Gucci Premiere can be found at Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Myer and David Jones.

Would I Purchase the Full Sizes?
The big question is, which of these fragrances would I purchase a full size bottle of? I can definitely tell you right now that I would 110% purchase a full size bottle of both the Chanel Gabrielle and the Gucci Bloom… especially the Chanel Gabrielle!! I just simply love it! I already own the Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy in a 100ml size and I like it, I probably would repurchase it but I’d only get a smaller size next time, I just don’t reach for it as much as I thought I would. It’s just not that scent I get addicted to, like I do for Chanel Gabrielle. Chloé Fleur De Parfum is a lovely scent once it has mellowed down & settled, I do like it. I probably would buy it but only a small size. Would I purchase the other two? No. Maybe if my partner liked them, I would, but they’re just not for me. That wraps up this month’s focus on the fragrances, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these six featured samples and I hope you can join me again for next month’s Sampling The Scents series in April. Have a great week ahead! xo