We all know that bees collect nectar from trees and bring home to feed their larvae. That’s their food. Ever imagined what that nectar may taste like? Or for that matter smell like? Honey bees collect nectar which is quite to similar to honey and has about same quotient of sweetness in it; but why I am suddenly writing about bees and nectars? You can here for a perfume review, right? That is exactly what you will get. The perfume in today’s focus is called Nectar and Jasmine and it belongs to the house of Marks and Spencer. Now, whatever I know till now this is an original creation of Marks and Spencer and not a dupe. If it is then please leave a comment below to help to update myself and others. Marks and Spencer majorly creates wonderful fragrances which are dupes of high end perfumes. We all know that and for that we kind of like Marks and Spencer. After all, it is making great scents reach out to the masses. However, this one seems to be their own creation. Not something utterly unique, neither something amazingly creative but the juice inside the bottle is so nice that you will fall in love it with. So, let’s see what is there in the perfume that made me sit down and write this review. Packaging Very basic and minimal. If you see the 10ml or 100ml variant of this perfume bottle, the packaging is pretty nice. Nothing out of the box; it is what we call standard decent packaging. You get a transparent bottle and a black lid; the quality of which is very good. The bottle is nice and sleek enough to be carried along regardless of the fact that it is a glass bottle. I rather prefer glass bottles as plastic breaks down components of a perfume. So, yes nothing groundbreaking here and all over a nice packaging. Scent Of but this is where the magic happens. A rather decent looking bottle opens up to bring a smile on your face as the beautiful floral, woody, and sweet aroma of the fragrance wraps you up. As the name suggest, you have nectar so it is sweet and woody. It has jasmine petals which makes it floral and I don’t know what other component is there in it that gives this one a zing. There are no citrusy notes in it as far as I know but there is a definite zing in the fragrance that gives it a fresh vibe as well. Although the source of this note is unknown in the fragrance, the presence is surely there. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful concoction that you need to try if you are at all into floral, woody, fruity, or sweet type; basically any major type. Longevity and Silage The areas where this perfume lacks are longevity and silage. This is a beautiful scent that will last on your skin not more than 2-3 hours after which it tends to fade. While reapplication is a part of wearing this perfume, it doesn’t project much as well. Even after initial application, it doesn’t project much. It is basically a soft mild scent which will create a nice impression as safe scent which is not offensive in any way. Interestingly, after some time, you cannot smell this perfume on you at all but others who come into close contact would be able to smell it on you. It doesn’t leave a trail much but if you move and all you will suddenly give whiffs of this perfume. So, it has an element of surprise in it. Quantity and Price Point There are two sizes available for this perfume. 10 ml which retails for Rs. 499 and 100ml which retails for Rs. 1299. So, the 100ml bottle is more economical. So, if you want to save some money and if it is feasible I would suggest you go to a store, give this perfume a sniff and then if you like it buy the bigger bottle. On the other hand, if you to have a travel size with you or you want to try the perfume without investing much, then go ahead with the 10ml. I personally own the 10ml as I wanted to try this out properly before I invest in a bigger bottle. Given other fragrances from the house of Marks and Spencer, this seems to be priced at a reasonable price point, in my opinion. The online and offline presence of Marks and Spencer is good, so you can either visit a store or check out Myntra to try this fragrance. Final Thoughts So the question is do I think it is worth your money? Yes. Definitely. It is one of the most beautiful scents to come across. It is mild so it acts a great gifting option as well because a scent so mild as this will not give headache or discomfort of any sort to anyone. Want to validate my points? Grab a bottle and thank me later. Do you remember your first love? The flush of blush on your cheeks when you see your crush. The sudden quickening of heartbeat when he is around. The urge to impress but subtly. All these are very known and precious feelings for someone who has been in love. Now imagine those feelings captured in a bottle and you get Blush from the house of Marks and Spencer’s. Today, I am going to review this fragrance and share my thoughts and opinions about this one. Packaging Very simple and classic packaging. This eau de toilette is housed in a while cardboard box with an image of a flower at the bottom. The bottle is pretty sleek too. Although I have the 10ml variant with me, I will share the image of a 100ml bottle for you to see how classy it will look on anybody’s vanity. Nothing out of the box to talk about when it comes to the packaging but it is beautiful in its understated beauty. Scent This is where all the magic happens. One sniff and you are in love. At least that is what happened with me when I sniffed it for the first time. The perfume opens with zesty notes of bergamot, cassis, and violet. Although I cannot make out the violet much but the tanginess that is provided by bergamot soon fades away. Then the perfume quickly turns over to a dewy rosy heart that also has the fruitiness of raspberry in it. Finally the perfume settles down to a popular, cozy, and comfortable base of amber, vanilla, and musk. This is one combination of base which I always love so I keep going back to this set of combination time and again. It is such a beautiful inoffensive fragrance that everyone can wear it and will love it. There is no headache inducing element in this fragrance which makes it a mass pleaser but it is unique? No it is considered to be a dupe for Touch of Pink by Lacoste. Haven’t smelled it so cannot verify if this comparison is accurate or not. However, regardless of being a dupe or not this is an incredibly wonderful perfume. Since this belongs to the Autograph range, which means making top designer collection available at high street prices, am ready to believe that this is a dupe for Touch of Pink. Longevity and Silage Although it fails in these categories, I don’t mind to spray more than once on myself. The lasting power for this perfume is not more than 2hours on my skin. It is such a muted mild fragrance that it doesn’t project too much as well. But then again it is like that feeling of sudden quickening of heartbeat when you suddenly sniff it on yourself when you move around. This one catches you off-guard. When you think you can no longer smell it on yourself and you need to reapply, it may just surprise you by making sure it’s present is felt. Definitely not a lot of people can smell it on you. They need to be close to you to smell it like that budding love which is not out in the open and is slowly evolving. Quantity and Price Point There are two sizes of this perfume available in the market. You get a 10ml for which you pay Rs. 599 and for a 100ml bottle, you pay Rs. 1999. This sounds just about fine for me. However, if this seems too much for you, let you share the pricing for Lacoste’s Touch of Pink perfume. 50ml bottle of this perfume costs Rs. 3150 and the full size bottle which is 90ml costs for Rs. 4650. In comparison to this price range, M&S’s Blush seems affordable. Still investing almost Rs. 2000 on a perfume is a huge thing for which I suggest you to try the 10ml variant first. Paying Rs. 600, you can test this perfume and check whether you like it enough or not to invest this amount. After all not everybody wants mild fragrances. Final Thoughts If you are looking for strong perfumes, then this is not for you. However, if soft and mild fragrances with a floral touch to them is what you are looking for then this one is something you must give a try. You will be surprised to see how amazing and delightful this perfume is, which reminds you of the initial days of your love story. Smelling expensive can burn a hole in your pocket, right? What if you smell elegant and expensive without losing a lot of mullahs? It is going to be a great deal, isn’t it? Well, behold True Red EDT from the house of Marks and Spencer. This one is sure to give you a pleasurable experience and turns out to be an affordable dupe for the famous Boss Deep Red by Hugo Boss. I will delve into every aspect of this perfume in details and am dividing this post into separate sections. So based on what area you need to know, feel free to jump on to that specific section and enjoy reading. Packaging I have the 25ml variant with me which has quite a simple transparent glass bottle packaging with a spray mechanism. There is nothing exceptional about the packaging for this one as you can see. However, the outside packaging is very classy. The ombre effect from red to black is very stylish and understated. The 100ml bottle on the other hand is a stunner. As you can see here, the ombre effect is much stronger and it starts with black and moves on to red. It is beautiful from the packaging perspective and once I am done with the 25ml, I will be definitely repurchasing the 100ml variant; at least for the look of it. It is heavily inspired by the color scheme of Boss Deep Red. Scent Coming to the actual scent. It opens with a zest of pineapple and orange and then moves on to sage and jasmine. Once the top and middle notes fade away the patchouli and musk in the base notes surface to create a lingering soft subtle smell on your skin. The blend of all these beautiful notes create a beautiful fruity-floral aroma which makes you smell expensive. It is as if you are wearing a premier quality perfume rather than a moderately priced one. Now, I neither own nor have smelt the Boss Deep Red perfume by Hugo Boss so I won’t be comparing it from the notes perspective. From what I have researched and found out that this is considered a dupe. On the other hand, what I do understand that this one is a safe purchase for people with sensitive noses. This is one of the most inoffensive fragrances out there. It is mild so it will not trigger headache or discomfort of any sort. So, I will highly recommend this fragrance. Longevity and Silage This is a sector which this perfume must improve a lot. Considering the price point at which this is sold I expect stronger performance from this. This has decent lasting power and only if you overspray you can get a good wear time out of this. If you are from colder countries, then you might be able to get a wear time of 4hours but on my skin it doesn’t last more than 2-3 hours. India being hot and humid, this perfume wears off sooner than I expected. Even I guess the percentage of patchouli put into the base is not strong enough to last for a long time. This acts as a wonderful skin scent which you can smell on yourself and feel good about the scent but in no way this can be termed as a perfume that projects awesome. Quantity and Price Point Marks and Spencer is not a cheap brand and none of the perfumes available with them are super affordable. This is no exception to that as well. 25ml, which is the variant available with me retails for Rs. 999. However, the 100ml is priced decently as you pay Rs. 1499. So, having the 100ml makes more sense than the smaller variant. Why did I consider this an affordable perfume? Because the comparison is with Hugo Boss Deep Red, which retails for Rs. 4200 for a 100ml bottle. If you can pay Rs. 1500 and smell expensive like Hugo Boss’s perfume then of course it is affordable. Final Thoughts The bottle is classy. The scent is amazing. The perfume doesn’t last or project well. It is not for all pockets. Will I still recommend it? Yes. No doubt about that. Because perfume is all about experience. If you want to experience luxury at this price and don’t mind the reapplication then go for it. You won’t regret it. It is a tremendously good perfume from the scent perspective. Maybe it needs a couple of more spritzes than usual. Then again, that is not a big issue as far as I am concerned. Let me know your thoughts on this perfume in the comments, if you adhere to my thoughts or differ. Oh it is always a hunt to find a fragrance that has a perfect balance of intensity, freshness, liveliness, and masculinity. Most of the run on the mill fragrances today for men will have a blend of some of these features but surely all the elements won’t be present in a perfume. In my ardent search for a combination that has the right balance of all these elements, I stumbled upon the United Dreams line from the house of United Colors of Benetton. I have both the “For Him” and “For Her” variants from this line specific to the name “Together” and this post is going to be dedicated to the “For Him” variant. This was a surprising discovery for my husband and has been a keeper ever since. Let’s dive into all the aspects of this perfume. Packaging Luxurious, efficient, classy, and compact. That’s what this packaging reflects. If you see the image, you will see an opaque bottle that has a gradient going from blue towards silver. The cap has got perfect symmetry when it comes to the design and is definitely of good quality. The atomizer is silver in color as well, which not only befits the color scheme perfectly but also emits uniform spritzes. Overall, 10/10 on packaging from my side. I can barely find anything a flaw in this packaging to talk about. Scent
Oh my god! This one is sure to take your breath away. Opening with the freshness of bergamot and tangerine, you also get hints of spices in the top notes that has black pepper and juniper in it. The heart notes are quite intense with the floral and aromatic notes of Lavender, geranium, thyme, and water accords. The water accords give this fragrance a lucidity that wraps around you and makes you feel good about the fragrance you are wearing. At the base, you get cedarwood, tonka bean, amber and moss which gives this perfume the sultry woody scent that lingers on to your senses for a long time. Overall, a winner. Longevity and Silage Many perfumes get the scent correct with all the perfect notes and in their right amount of concentration to make you smell incredible. Most falter at the longevity factor. This one tops it too. You can clearly get a wear time of 8–9 hours with this one and remember I belong from a hot and humid country. So, if a perfume performs this good here am sure it works even better in colder countries. The silage is great as it projects decently for a significant amount of time. Then it leaves a trail as well. So, you walk passed someone or you meet someone, they will surely be able to smell this one on you. Quantity and Price Point Now, when it comes to the pricing, none of the UCB perfumes can be considered to be cheap. That is a truth you will have to live with if you intend on buying this fragrance. There are 60 and 100ml variants available in the market and the pricing starts from Rs. 1400 and ranges up to Rs. 1900. Not sure if 30ml variant is available for men as the same is available for the female counterpart of this perfume. So, as per the quantity, the price point can seem too much. However, trust me it is worth every penny of yours and if you check various online portals, you will definitely get amazing discounts on this perfume for sure. You can check Myntra, Nykaa, and TataCliq for some great discounts when they are offering and you can save some bucks while you lay your hands on this awesome perfume. Final Thoughts Few spritzes of this and you are good to go. Any occasion, any function, or a regular office day, you can rock this perfume with the huge boost of confidence that it imparts. Will I recommend? The long post is surely a testimony that I will, a hundred times over. For me, winters are defined by snuggling up in my blanket with a book or now Netflix and a soft, mellow, sweet, floral, and cozy fragrance by my side. That can be a candle as well as a perfume I am wearing. If this picture sounds like your winters, then you can give Nude Bouquet from ZARA a try to complete this scene. While you read your favorite book or watch your favorite series on any OTT platform, you can feel comfortable and snug in a fragrance that oozes elements of fruity and gourmand notes. Let’s cover the details of this fragrance now. Packaging I happen to own only the 10ml variant of this one so am okay with the packaging. I would rather have been happy if ZARA would add sprays to their 10mls instead of rollerballs as the later tends to leak out. I have lost quite a bit of the perfume during the delivery of the product at my doorstep. So, this is one aspect am totally bummed about. Neither do I like the rollerball nor was I happy to see the fragrance already had a dent in the liquid when I received it. Being a glass bottle, I believe it is not even safe to carry around, especially with the rollerball in place. I would have loved to carry this perfume around in the smaller variant if it had a spray. So, not a huge fan of the packaging when talking about the 10ml variant. However, the 100ml variant looks lovely with a peach colored bow attached at the atomizer of the perfume. So, the packaging sucks for a 10ml but looks quite nice for the 100ml. Scent
This is where every feeling I had towards the packaging is blown over. The actual scent is so feminine, delicate, and elegant that I can overlook everything. With the top notes of cherry that drifts into the floral peony notes and finally settles into the gourmandish vanilla is something am completely in love with. The early formula of this fragrance was more complicated and it was considered to be a dupe of Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet. I have checked the fragrance notes of the previous formula and it definitely seems close. However, I believe ZARA has changed the formula for Nude Bouquet and it is now of only three notes and I simply love it. I haven’t smelled the previous formula so I don’t have any point of reference here but what I smell now is great and it is perfect for cozy wintery evenings and dates. It is very delicate so it will suit even sensitive noses, which makes it qualify for being a great date night perfume. Longevity and Silage This is the category where ZARA always fails and this perfume was no exception as well. Although it is mentioned to be EDP, it surely doesn’t perform along that lines at all. You can get a maximum wear time of 2 or max 3 hours after which you will have to apply it again. Now that is not a performance that is expected out of an EDP, right? Since, ZARA is always known to deliver great perfumes with terrible longevity and silage, this follow the trail totally. Quantity and Price Point So, there are two sizes available in the market – 10ml and 100ml, which retails for Rs. 390 and Rs. 1,490 respectively. Yes, it is on the pricier side. So, if you budget permits then you can reach out for this perfume. However, if you take my opinion into account, I can say that once I run out of the 10ml, I will definitely reach out for the 100ml. Despite the price and poor longevity, I love the scent and the 10ml is not doing justice to my love for these sort of fragrances. Final Thoughts ZARA always has a couple of drawbacks when it comes to its fragrances. They are not long lasting, they don’t project supremely well, and they are at times expensive; like this one. Keeping all of these in mind as well, I will say yes I recommend this. The scent speaks for itself a lot and of course I would have loved if the price for this perfume was lower that what it is. That doesn’t take away the fact that I enjoy this fragrance a lot and cannot wait to lay my hands on the bigger bottle of this one. |
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