CHARLOTTE TILBURY DOES FRAGRANCE

 

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Charlotte Tilbury has really leaned into the 'tongue in cheek' elements of their branding - which you'll either love or hate - and the latest launch from the brand is their Perfume Collection. There are some interesting names and concepts in the lineup, but are the scents any good...?

The fragrances cost £130 each for 100ml, which obviously is going to increase my expectations; this is more than one of my favourite brands Kayali, which is just under £100 for the same amount, or even my luxury indulgences of Maison Margiela and Diptyque are marginally cheaper at £120 and £129 each respectively for 100ml bottles. That being said, I do think the packaging is beautiful! Each comes in a glass bottle with a luxury feel and weight to it, with the theme etched onto it, the name of the fragrance and some rose gold detailing. The unit box also feels really special if you're opening this as a gift.

We'll start with the boldly-named More Sex*. This comes in a red bottle, with slightly erotic imagery - obviously! This scent promises notes of leather, musk, black pepper, juniper berry and sandalwood. It's nothing new or revolutionary; I'm sure that whilst you were reading those notes, you probably had a very good idea of what this smells like if you've tried a lot of fragrances. That's not to knock it; it's sensual, spicy and ever so slightly masculine. However, it just feels a little flat to me; especially after a few hours of wear, it's like those more complex notes begin to fade out almost immediately after you spray it onto the skin. Within about 10 minutes, all I'm getting is the pepper and sandalwood, which is nice but not the quality I'd expect for the price.

Next, we have Love Frequency* (with a flaming love heart on the front), and I have a feeling this is going to be the most popular of the bunch (it's pink and floral, so Instagram will love it!) It contains notes of rose, pink pepper, saffron, cashmere, patchouli, amber and musk. I definitely get the floral layers in this fragrance; it has that light petal aroma as well as that deeper, more essential oil rose scent. I definitely get the patchouli and pink pepper coming through too. As the scent settles down on my skin, I can also detect the amber note. It's not really a spin on floral scents and I don't really pick up on the woody notes the brand describe it as containing, but it's a nice, deeper, more sensuous take on a floral-based scent. It lasts really nicely on my skin throughout the day and I will definitely be wearing this one in my day-to-day life!

We also have Joyphoria* in this general fragrance family, with a sun motif on the front of the bottle (I do also think it has the best colour, with its solid rose gold tone!) I know this is a spoiler, but honestly: this was my favourite of the bunch and it feels perfect for summer with its notes of vanilla, ylang ylang, neroli, coconut water, petitgrain, tuberose and wood. It just smells of sunshine with this gorgeous depth that's subtly floral but also sweet, warm and slightly woody. It reminds me a little of a mix between the Nuxe Huile de Prodigieuse scent and Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess; both of which I love! It's honestly intoxicating and lasts on my skin extremely well throughout the day, retaining much of its depth and complexity.

Ok, now let's move onto some of the less-conventional looking scents in this range, starting with the blue Calm Bliss* (with a lily pad on the front of it, which encapsulates this scent really well). This looks to be the best-reviewed on Charlotte's website at the time of writing and although it's not something I'd usually go for, I think it is really nice. It's light and refreshing with water accord, lavender, orange flower and tonka. I could've sworn I was smelling a bit of cucumber in there, but I guess not! This is like a refreshing glass of water in a scent with some floral notes in there and a musky undertone. It's not my favourite but that's just personal preference; if this sounds like your kind of scent then I can confirm this is a really nice interpretation of water florals, though the muskiness is definitely seems more pronounced a as the day goes on.

We also have Magic Energy*, with a star embossment on an emerald green bottle. This scent isn't dissimilar in vibe to Calm Bliss but it feels a little more complex and sweet with notes of cypress, palo santo, bergamot, myrtle and seaweed. I think it's the woody intrigue of the palo santo that really takes this scent to the next level for me; the (slightly citric) freshness hits you right away like fresh dew on grass, but as it settles down on the skin it still retains its complexity but you get a lot more of that deeper woodiness. I didn't think this would be for me, just looking at the bottle, name and description, but I think it's my second favourite of the bunch...

Finally we have Cosmic Power*, a purple astrology-themed scent with notes of frankincense, rose, pepper, spice, amber and cinnamon. I wasn't a fan of this one, in all honesty! It reminds me of Parma Violet sweets and - for a £130 fragrance - that's not a good thing... Although it gets better the longer you wear it, for the first hour or so, the spicy notes feel completely crowded out by a very sweet floral overtone. It's just a bit overpowering and lacking in complexity for me.

Ok, so let's round up everything! If I had to rank these scents from least to most favourite with a one-liner, I'd go: Cosmic Power (it just smells a bit cheap and sickly-sweet to me), More Sex (just a little flat and generic despite the attention-grabbing name), Calm Bliss (a nice option for those who enjoy water-floral scents, but that's not me), Love Frequency (nothing revolutionary but a nice feminine floral), Magic Energy (a surprising combination of freshness and woody notes) and Joyphoria (sunkissed warm florals). So, are these products worth it? Personally, I do think they need to lower their prices; £130 isn't terrible for a well-established fragrance house these days, but for a makeup brand foraying into scents for the first time the price-point feels like a tough sell...

Let me know - have you tried or sprayed any of these scents? Would you try a fragrance by Charlotte Tilbury?

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