Chypre 21 by Heeley

What is better than opening a brand new bottle of perfume? Opening a brand new bottle of perfume that you have won in a competition! 

Thanks to the excellent online magazine http://www.scentury.com and their generosity, I am the proud owner of Heeley's Chypre 21, a chypre for the modern (ish) times we live in. Heeley is a favourite brand in this Franco German household and many of his creations have been tried, tested and shared. There is an effortless elegance to the scents, a perfect combination of British and French perfumery. Understated and yet...complicated enough to be intriguing, and ever so slightly coquettish. 

Chypre 21 is no different. Sparkling, golden, shimmering, soft, powdery, woody, spicy with a hint of bitterness, and bright bright bright. I was fully prepared to share it with Mael, but he declared it too feminine for him. So much for the daring Frenchman! As for me: I will wear it happily whenever I need a bit of backbone support. It's one of those scents that make you sit straighter and give you a red carpet walk.

My visual interpretation of Chypre 21 by James Heeley

Please read the excellent review on the candyperfumeboy's blog here:

https://thecandyperfumeboy.com/2016/02/08/21st-century-toy-heeley-chypre-21-perfume-review/

How and where to wear:

Brexit negotiations in Brussels (both sides)

Tocca Stella, or can I have another Aperol spritz, please?

The Great British Summer is a rare beast. It's quintessentially shit, but moaning about it is de rigeur, marks you out as a foreigner and anyway, one mustn't grumble.  2013 was off to an exceptionally bad start when all of a sudden the sun came out. A heat wave was promised/feared and summer began proper. For me, this summer will be associated with the fashion for spritzers. Especially Aperol, the bitter orange Italian liqueur mixed with white wine or prosecco and soda. It's summer in a glass! Pretty, bright, fresh with a hint of bitterness and warmth. Whenever we went out for dinner, this was my aperitif of choice and it made me happy. So when my SpaceNK summer sale package arrived with things that I didn't need but certainly wanted, I was most pleased to find a perfume sample that really evoked the spirit of an Aperol spritz.

My visual interpretation of Tocca Stella

I'm not a big fan of the name of the house, it reminds me too much of Tosca, the cheapo and unpleasant fragrance of childhoods past. The only other fragrance I've tried from this US based company gave me a headache. I think it was the one named after Grace Kelly. 

So I'm rather careful with this one, but after opening the stopper I get a delicious whiff of blood orange and that is enticing enough to dab it on my wrists. I love this opening, It's fresh, but bitter and sweet with it. Very delicate and feminine, summerly and easy going. It's a scent that does make me smile. 

There isn't much depth to it, but that is not necessarily a bad thing for a summer perfume. So, coming back to my Aperol comparison, this perfume is an aperitif, not a full bodied wine. It doesn't last long enough to make it all the way to the cheese course and as much as I like the smell of it, I don't really want to smell like it. I simply don't think that I am that happy go lucky pastel wearing sort of girl, and I would feel a bit out of place with it.
So this is not a full bottle candidate for me, but I will cherish the sample and take a sniff whenever I need something uplifting. 

They should do candles. 

How and where to wear:

Flirting with Italian waiters on Piazza St. Marco, summer dress, shades and flip flops

Aperol cafeteria image via flickr, Thomas Brauner, some rights reserved