REVIEW: Vera Wang Be Jeweled EDP...

Wow, I was beginning to think this review was never going to happen! The main reason for the delay is that endeavouring to capture the beauty of this bottle eluded me for many many weeks. It didn't seem to make any difference what angle I chose, or the lighting for that matter, it never seemed to look as gorgeous on camera as it was on the shelf. But persistence is it's own reward, and at last, I'm happy with this shot ♥

I'll digress for a moment, and explain what happens when I walk into a store and I see FRAGRANCES and a SALE sign. In the minutest fraction of a second, I forget what I came in for and make a beeline for the display. The bottle is what immediately catches my eye, so marketers, if you're reading this, packaging is crucial in order to grab my attention. Next I test the scent - I take off the cap and sniff the atomiser nozzle. If I can't smell anything, I look for a tester card, and if there's none available, I squirt a tiny amount into the lid, and sniff again. If my nose says "whoah!", I spray a little onto my wrist and let that settle while I look for the price (and whatever else is on the stand that might be worth investigating). Then after a minute or so I place my wrist close to my nose, and inhale deeply. At this point in time, if I instantly fall in love, the price no longer becomes relevant, but if I'm not taken with it, I move onto the next one, but never more than two per test session else my nose goes into overload. I'm guessing that this scenario is a familiar one he he?

So...probably by now you will have gathered that this exquisitely glamorous bottle stuck a chord way down deep inside my girly soul, and I followed the above process, with my heart beating like a jack rabbit at the prospect of discovering a new love. Well my old ticker skipped a pulse ENTIRELY as I breathed in a gloriously fruity fresh sparkling scent that encapsulated the essence of femininity. Let's see now, an enchanting mix of berry, an envigorating splash of pomegranate, a fair whack of passionfruit (oh lordy!), a handful of (unidentifiable but delicately sweet) petals, and a tinge of musk - in short, right up my fragrance alley. Approximately 3 minutes later, I was at the checkout with my calcium tablets (that I miraculously remembered) and my beloved Be Jeweled under my arm (around $35) ♥

Later research revealed my initial impression was reasonably accurate (the berry is red currant), the flowers are pink honeysuckle and pink peony, but there's also champagne (ummm...what does champagne smell like?), pink crystal-sugar and sandalwood in the formula. It's a truly beautiful scent, makes me feel happy to be alive, and thankful to The Maker that I'm not a fella. In the "kats fragrance catalogue", it's a fruity floral, perfect for Spring and Summer, but a delight I'll wear all year round. The floral notes start to blossom about 10 minutes after spritzing, but the passionfruit and currant hold the reigns by a whisker till the end. Which leads me to the only disappointment...

...just over an hour later, my schnozz can only detect the barest hint of it's jeweled splendour (sob). Why oh why would anyone construct the most stunning perfume, and then not include whatever it takes to make it linger on the skin? I can only hope that Vera follows Versace's Bright Crystal lead, and brings out an Absolu version. Meanwhile, I'm still adoring it of course, but at the rate I'm spraying, it's not going to last me through the Autumn...sigh...

Take care of you,

kats xxx