Smells Like Happiness - Beautiful Solid Perfumes from Gorilla Perfume at Lush

Many years ago, Lush had a glamour filled sister shop called "B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful". The store was cavernous, a vintage lover's dream, a treasure trove stocked with stunning cosmetics and a selection of intoxicating concoctions all sold in boudoir ready bottles.

Whilst working there in my youth, I began to discover the importance of "owning a scent".
Fragrance to me became a sort of DNA game, and it endlessly fascinated me how smells which made me swoon on one person could smell poisonous on another. It was like some sort of cosmetic alchemy, and felt finding the perfect match was like a magical high-five.

I soon had a whole range of fragrances which I would use to compliment my mood. If I was feeling a little sexy, I'd wear something rose based. A fragrance for everyday would probably have vanilla. If I was going out, maybe something jasmine based, with a fruity kick. I enjoyed exploring what worked on me and layering different perfumes with oil based face and body creams. I loved how as the hours passed, my scent would change and it never ceased to seem magical, like a Willy Wonka of perfumers.

I was so excited when Lush started to create new scents under the name Gorilla Perfume, and even more thrilled when they brought back some old favourites under "B-Sides and Rarities". I'm not going to lie, I'd love to see Cocktail and Ladyboy back on my dressing table, but I'm happy to have been introduced to some other beauties too.

Furze is my current go-to perfume for everyday use. It settles on my skin initially smelling of sun tan lotion, but in a lovely, happy, summer holiday kind of way. It's the coconut and vanilla working together to make you dream of sunny skies and sandy beaches, but it mellows quickly into something soft and floral based which can lift your mood swiftly.

I had wanted to expand my perfume choices, so opted to nab myself some solid perfumes which I've found to be a less expensive way of trying things out. They enable you to see how they settle on the skin over the course of a few hours without having to pay out for a whole bottle. I opted for Lust and Kerbside Violet which sounded to be at different ends of the fragrance spectrum.

Kerbside Violet was the first one I tried. What it's name lacked in beauty, the scent more than makes up with the wealth of notes hitting you throughout the day. On first contact, you are met with a very earthy scent. There is a definite smell of grass which feels like a refreshing Spring day, and then the violet creeps through subtlety, very much like the name suggests. It's sweet, but the grass undertones stop it from becoming overly twee. Whilst it's not one which I'd wear everyday, it's a great choice for when I want to feel strong and positive. It fades into a beautiful floral flourish which you will find yourself catching all day.

Lust was the other I tried, and I'd be lying if I said the tin wasn't a factor when it came to deciding whether to buy it or not. I'm a sucker for a pin-up, and it was just too cute to not be a handbag staple. When reading the ingredients list, it seemed to be my dream fragrance as it combined jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, vanilla and sandalwood. The combination of jasmine and rose ensured that the scent was going to be sexy and powerful, and it certainly didn't disappoint. However I love that it softens to a floral finish which still smells heady without the head-ache. It's intoxicating, but in a light, airy way which makes it wearable for all occasions whilst still remaining special.

Whilst Lust has probably become my go-to scent of choice,  I love that there are a whole range of combinations out there for people to explore and try. Fragrances cheap in ingredients can often be amongst the most expensive when created for mass market, and there is something so wonderful about wearing a scent which smells different to everyone else because of the quality of ingredients and your own body chemistry. The solid perfumes from Lush start at around £7 so they don't have to break the bank, and are a great way to explore what works for you and your chemistry. But be warned, once you try and fall in love with them, you'll never buy a drugstore fragrance ever again.

Until next time,

Diana xx

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