Charlotte Tilbury perfume review — my thoughts on the fragrance collection of emotions
Daria Orth, Contributor |
With countless remarkable makeup brands at our fingertips, there are a few trusted names I find myself returning to time and again. I’ve experimented with various drugstore brands to more high-end cosmetics throughout the last few years, and I have to say Charlotte Tilbury is by far one of my favourites—as it is to many.
While on the pricier side, I have never been disappointed by any of the products I have tried. This being said, when she dropped her new perfume collection in April, I already had high expectations about each of these six scents.
First, this entire collection is incredibly eye-catching, with its detailed bottles that are all slightly different from one another. Each scent comes in a colourful potion-looking bottle, with a symbol that matches its name. I have honestly never seen perfume in packaging that looks like these ones, and I have to say, the visual alone sold me on wanting to try these out.
Of course, I couldn’t just try one, I had to try them all and I found most of them to be very enjoyable scents. Charlotte Tilbury did not only release a collection of perfume, but created ones that each represent and release different auras.
What I really liked about this collection was how long-lasting the scents were after first being applied.
My first impression of the red bottle, More Sex, instantly gave me a red dress and lip combo on date night vibes. This is a bold perfume with a bold name so I imagined it would smell spicy and musky with fainter sweet tones. The actual notes in this fragrance include black pepper oil, leather accord, sandalwood, and musk to name a few. When I first sprayed this, it immediately smelled more leathery and smokey in a way that overpowered the other notes.
You can smell the spice but it’s not the first thing that stood out to me. I do think this perfume had a lot of potential but I just didn’t love how the notes blended together. Additionally, I find this scent to be very masculine, so I think it could make a nice cologne. This is an overall very specific scent that I feel like you could either love or hate, so for people who enjoy stronger fragrances, this one’s for you.
Love Frequency, the pink bottle, is the embodiment of a classic feminine perfume. It’s on the sweeter side with rose and patchouli notes, finished off with a musky base. Though it’s like its name, Love Frequency is an addictive, flirty and romantic scent that could make heads turn.
This intoxicating fragrance radiates the “it girl” aesthetic, and could easily become a signature scent the next time you’re trying to impress your lover. It smells similar to lychee fruit and is also very comparable to Kate Spade’s perfume Sparkle.
The gold bottle, Joyphoria, smells as luxurious as it looks. It’s the classic sweet vanilla scent perfect for an everyday perfume. With its apparent warmer notes, this fragrance is supposed to stimulate positive emotions. While it’s advertised as more of a summer vibe, Joyphoria could pair nicely with any outfit for any of the four seasons.
Magic Energy, the green bottle, is truly the most enchanting of the collection. It’s an earthy aroma that makes you want to get lost in the woods. This scent could be fitting for either fall or summer, with the spicy forest feel it has.
This addition to the collection feels blissful and relaxing to wear. For anyone who finds comfort in essential oils, Magic Energy might be the next best thing. It has that appealing freshness that other scents don’t always promise to contain. If you’re looking for a bougier version of Fairytale by Bath & Body Works, run – do not walk – to collect this perfume.
The blue bottle, Calm Bliss, is the one I found to be the sweetest. This is summer in a bottle, with its notes of bergamot and orange. It’s fun and exciting in a humble and innocent way. Calm Bliss carries a peaceful energy that almost leaves you sleepy after spraying it. Applying this fragrance feels like falling asleep on the beach in the afternoon sun.
Finally, the purple bottle, Cosmic Power, had me feeling a roller coaster of emotions. Like More Sex, you definitely have to have an acquired taste for this peculiar scent. Initially, I didn’t love Cosmic Power, but the more I wore it, the more it grew on me. The smell itself is hard to describe because you pick up on many different notes.
It smells spicy, woodsy, and leathery but also has notes of rose, bergamot, and vanilla. It’s designed to bring out confidence but it smells like a paradox in a fancy vial, which made me feel more confused than empowered—however, I was far from disappointed.
To all of the beauty gurus looking to find a new scent, your local Sephora can provide you with this unique collection of six very distinct perfumes.
