Liz Earle Botanical Essence Eau de Parfum No. 1

RRP: £39.50/50ml

--What does the promo say?--
"For our first ever bespoke fragrance, we’ve used the finest natural botanical ingredients from around the world and the expert skills of a distinguished perfumer from Grasse, France. We gave him the time to indulge in this age-old art, skilfully hand-crafting this complex scent with true passion to create a vibrant, sparkling fragrance translating into warmth and sensuality – and it’s just won its first award, in the Grazia Beauty Awards.

Over 98% directly derived from natural ingredients, this sensuous fragrance can be worn every day. Spritz generously all over any time your spirits need a boost."

--Packaging--
Beautiful in their simplicity, the white box and the clear glass bottle are uncluttered and peaceful-looking, bearing only the most essential information and the gentlest touches of colour and illustration. There is a blue fabric tag with which to pull out the inner box from the outer one, and it is easy enough once you've got the knack to very lightly grasp the top and bottom edges of the inner box and shake the bottle out into your waiting hand. The classic spray top is adorned with a satisfyingly heavy silvery lid.

--Application--
Spray onto pulse points, or spray into the air and then walk into the fragrance so that you are covered in a light mist of it.

--Appearance--
The liquid in the bottle appears dark yellow to light green, but there are no visible traces left on the skin.

--Irritation--
No irritation was experienced during the use of this product.

--Scent--
Possibly slightly off-putting, as the bitter orange combined with bergamot makes for a rather masculine and arresting start. However, it settles into something more subtle, yet complex, as its different flavours come to the fore. I'm no botanist, so could not say which was the most prominent, but can confirm that even once the heart notes are in session, the scent is still on the masculine side, meaning that some die-hard girly scent fans might be eliminated at this stage. Nevertheless, despite the fragrance's unisex nature, don't worry that men will be put off: my fiancé loves this on me and comments on it every time I wear it.

--Longevity--
Most long-lasting scent ever: my fiancé commented on the smell one MORNING and it was the same spritz that I'd applied the previous afternoon. Most impressive.

--Value for money--
Given the high percentage of natural content, the unusual scent and the longevity factor, this scent has a lot going for it. Buying a scent without being able to smell it is always a gamble, though, so like many Liz Earle products, you're relying on word of mouth to help you decide whether or not to buy. If your perfume collection is almost exclusively girly and sweet (like YSL's Parisienne) then you may not like this one; however, if you like musks and peppery scents just as much as the ones that remind you of sweetshops, then give this a go: at just under £40 for 50ml its value for money equals or surpasses many high street fragrances, especially when you consider how long it lasts on the skin. Not least, this multitudinal perfume is an absolute pleasure to unwrap as you try to decipher its scent, and is a sure coup for Liz Earle.