Perfume oils in Rose Oud (similar) Jasmine & Honey (similar) Vanilla Absolute (similar) Mandarin & Basil (similar) all Primark
Primark is not a place I usually shop but I do love their home section; if you are on a budget (or even if you're not and you like changing up the look of your home frequently) it's definitely worth checking out. I rate their bedding highly, and also love their candles and reed diffusers, which are super value at just a few pounds each.
It's hard not to wander through and not look at the other items on offer, though, so when I visited to get some tealights (£1 for 24!) I ended up buying a few other bits and bobs. I used to spend hours in store and come out with bags and bags of clothes, but in the last few years I have tried to buy less in terms of fast fashion so I don't really look to the clothing and footwear departments so much any more (though I do like their vest tops for layering in the winter, and the socks and slippers section is epic!)
Over the past months I have noticed the beauty 'department' really becoming more and more of a destination in my local store. I've bought beauty blenders from there in the past, too - see this post and this post - and love them because they are up there with my Real Techniques ones at about a quarter of the price, so I'll often take a look to see if there are any in stock (sadly, the PS Pro ones, which are the best, are hard to find) and I noticed several weeks ago that Primark had stocked some very premium looking fragrances.
It looks as thought Primark have taken 'inspiration' from another premium fragrance brand - Jo Malone - in the design and content of these fragrances because from a distance, they look very similar. I love the packaging which is very chic, white with black text and a delicate illustration, and the fragrance combinations felt quite high end, too. The prices, as usual, were reflective of the bargain basement element of the store; the liquid perfumes started at around £6, as did the reed diffusers (presented in the same packaging) and the hand creams and perfume oils were £3 each. However, when I visited my local store over the weekend, selected fragrance oils were reduced to £1 so I thought I'd try a few out.
My perfume collection is starting to spiral out of control a little, I added to it back in late summer when I found a load of The Library of Fragrance perfumes in Boots for 50p but I can't resist a bargain and I actually had wanted to try these scents out for a while but didn't want to commit to spending a whole £6 (I know, seems silly! But it wasn't something I needed, so I would always walk on by!) However, for £1 I thought it was worth a go so I picked up 4 of the oils to try.
So what do I think? Well, for £1 (or even £3, the full price!) for 5ml, these are ideal for your handbag. The bottle inside is fairly unremarkable; as you would imagine, it's a glass bottle with the oil inside and a fairly cheap feeling silver lid which conceals a pipette you can use to drop the oil on to the skin. As the base is an oil, you don't need very much and the fragrance lasts really well, although after initial application it stays quite close to the skin, as far as I can tell.
The Vanilla Absolute is fairly straightforward, it's heady vanilla with just a touch of mimosa and honeysuckle create a gourmand fragrance that is just delicious. It smells a little like my favourite perfume of all time, Dior's Hypnotic Poison, if you took the 'guts' out of that, I think this is what would be left. Great for day time wear!
The Mandarin and Basil fragrance was one I bought out of interest, I wasn't sure if I'd like it but I thought I'd give it a try. It's a citrusy scent which I wouldn't normally go for, but the peppery basil and pine needle elements make it a really aromatic scent with a lot of depth. I applied this to my wrists and could still smell it quite strongly after about an hour.
Rose is one of my favourite scents and this Rose Oud oil has patchouli in it, another of my favourite scents. I think this smells like pure Turkish delight on application, which won't be to everyone's tastes but I absolutely love it. The dry down is a classic oriental floral when the initial sweetness dissipates, and this is a scent I would reach for again and again.
Finally I also picked up a Jasmine & Honey infusion, and I love both of these scents but thought perhaps not combined, however they really work! The box states it is a 'flower shop infusion' and this is a good way to describe it - surprisingly fresh and almost 'green' smelling, it also contains Ottoman rose and violet and might be my favourite of all of the scents, on first application at least.
I think now that I've tried these Primark scents I would be more open to buying the Eau de Toilette versions, I am going to try wearing a few of the oils on rotation to see if I can decide on a favourite first though. If I had to have chosen one blind, I would have definitely picked the Rose Oud, but having tried them all, I think my favourite might well be the Jasmine & Honey.
Have you tried these Primark perfumes?
XO Amie
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