February 2016

For an overall sex appeal, one needs to:

Look good
Feel good
Smell good

While a lot of us focus on point number 1, and some manage to accomplish number 2 as well. But merely a handful of us manage to get to the essential point 3. Those of us who really get all these spot on, are the ones generally considered the hottest of hot! For me, a good perfume is always an investment on feeling good. A strong floral makes me feel fresh on a tiring day at work, while a seductive opium makes me feel powerful on an evening out. A whiff of a good fragrance helps to stir your senses while you are busy in your day job. So having a good perfume handy is always my priority. I love perfume oils, as they are extremely handy, plus they last longer than EDT sprays and body mists. I was always enchanted by perfume oils, but now that has transformed into a love of another kind. I just can’t stop getting enough of them! (The cute little bottles just add to their charm and mystique!)

I popped into a Fabindia store a couple of months ago to buy my sister a birthday gift, and I spotted some cool perfume oils (plus they were darn cheap!) so I just had to try them. I got ourselves (yes, it was her birthday, it was technically for her, but you know how sisters share everything ) two of them: Wild Rose and Ylang Ylang. Read on for how they fared!

Ingredients and Claims:

Chemistry: Almond oil, grapeseed oil and sesame oil are great media to dissolve perfume ingredients. Cyclomethicone is another solvent, and a viscosity controlling agent. Vitamin E acetate is another solvent, and also conditions the skin.

Packaging: The perfume oils come packaged in small cylindrical plastic bottles, with a screw cap on top. It comes with a roller ball dispenser, the best thing to dispense perfume oils. The bottle comes packed inside a simple blister pack. Nothing fancy, but basic functional packaging. I have had no trouble of leakage or anything, so I’m totally satisfied with the packaging.

Scent and Longevity:

Wild Rose: The scent is completely true to its name. It smells of beautiful Indian roses (the ‘desi’ gulab that you find growing wildly). It, in fact smells like gulkand (a jam of rose petals, which I totally love to dig). I love the fragrance, though it does seem a bit strong and artificial. When freshly applied, it is extremely strong. Especially if you apply in excess (like me). I generally apply over the pulse points and all over my clothes too. And then I feel like a rose garden! On the package, it is recommended that you try putting it onto a few strands of hair, as that makes the perfume last longer. However, I haven’t tried this yet. It would especially appeal to the people who are not very used to rose scents. To some, this perfume may seem like the scent of incense sticks, but to me, it is pleasant. Not my most favourite rose scent, but yes I like it quite well.

The scent is also quite long lasting. I can still smell it on my clothes at the end of the day, a good 8-9 hours post applying it. On the body, it mellows down after a while, but the original scent still remains. But again, it depends on how the perfume reacts with your skin’s chemistry.

Also, the oil doesn’t show up on clothes, however, I refrain from applying perfume oils to light colored clothes, as the oil stains can remain.

FFS Rating

Scent: 3.25/5 (The scent isn’t very unique, hence I have to deduct)

Longevity: 4/5 (lasts quite long)

Ylang Ylang: This scent is not for the weak hearted! It mentions on the pack that this oil should be used sparingly, and I couldn’t agree more. The scent of this variant is quite strong, but at the same time, it is sweet and calming. To some, it might be very cloying too (scents are a personal thing, after all). If I use it in excess, then I find it overpowering as well. Hence, I use this one with a light hand.

Ylang ylang is generally used in aromatherapy for its soothing properties. I am not very sure how a ylang ylang flower smells like, so I am not sure how true this fragrance is. But I can tell you that the fragrance of this oil is quite a sweet and balmy one. On the skin, it mellows down after a while and you can detect it only when you sniff yourself up close. However, on clothes, this remains strong for upto 6 hours. So you can decide how much to use and where to apply it.

FFS Rating:

Scent: 3.75/5 (it can be extremely overpowering for some noses)

Longevity: 2.5/5 (Doesn’t last more than a couple of hours on the skin)

Price: I had bought these for Rs 200 for 9ml each; however, I just checked their revised prices, and now it has been spiked to Rs 290! That’s quite a jump!!

Where to buy: Fabindia outlets; these are also available at Fabindia online; I somehow could not find Ylang Ylang variant on their website, and I hope they have not discontinued it!

Pros and Cons:

PROs:

Cheap and easily available
Simple fragrances
Easy to carry in purse and tiniest pockets of jeans
Travel friendly packaging with a user-friendly roller ball applicator
Fragrance lasts longer than EDTs and body mists
A little is all you need to smell good

CONs:

Not extremely long lasting, especially Ylang Ylang variant
The fragrances can be too obvious and bothersome for those with sensitive noses

PS: The sudden price hike of 90 rupees does bother me a little!

Final Word: Overall, I am quite satisfied with both these variants. They are pretty simple and straightforward fragrances, no frills. These are amazing gifting options for a friend! I think I will get myself other variants of these (Arabian jasmine, I’m eyeing you next!)

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