Perfume review - Tom Ford's Private Blend

If you've read my previous blog post about my tropical perfume favourites, you know that
a) I'm very fussy about perfumes
b) I like coconut scents
c) I'm not very adventurous with perfume!

Well for the last few months I've been sniff-testing Tom Ford's Private Blends and I can officially say, I'm in LOVE!

There are two that my my nose is particularly taken with - Soleil Blanc (which is right up my coconut loving, tropical perfume wearing, street). And then I have also found myself strongly attracted to its musky, exotic sister, Santal Blush.

As mentioned previously, I encourage you to spray sparingly when testing a new scent, and then see how it blends with your skin. I've done this several times, and both scents are delicious. If they weren't £158 each, I'd buy both!

In the meantime, I'm narrowing down my favourite for my Christmas wish list!

Sadie x

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beautySadie Hawker13 December 2017

Four of the best tropical perfumes

I love holidays (who doesn't!). And I love perfumes that remind me of times spent lounging with a coconut cocktail while I'm sat working at my desk.

I'm always keen to sniff a new scent, but it is rare that I buy one. I love subtle scents - I have a strong sense of smell and so find heavy perfumes nauseating. Who else has had the annoyance of squirting perfume all over themselves after an initial quick sniff, only for it to quickly become overbearing, and you spend the rest of the day feeling sick from it?! Well I have done this MORE THAN once at duty free before a long-haul flight. Learn from my lesson, my friends! Spray cautiously! ;-)

So after several years of sniffing, resisting the temptation to spray, and then re-sniffing, here are my top recommendations for a coconut / vanilla / tropical scented perfume...

Enjoy!
Love, Sadie x

1. Lavanila Vanilla Coconut

Hands down THE best smelling perfume I've ever worn. I've worn it almost every day for three years and am still in love with it. I get so many remarks of "you smell nice", even when it's not been freshly sprayed! I first bought it in Sephora Times Square at 1am. A sales assistant asked if he could help, and to my delight he found me my perfect perfume. I also tried the Lavanila Vanilla Summer fragrance which did the whole-i-feel-sick thing to me, after I'd purchased it of course.

It's a subtle scent of vanilla and coconut. It smells great sprayed on your hair! The bonus is that it is also a 'healthy fragrance' which has no chemicals.

Shop Lavanila here.

2. Lush Vanillary

See the trend here? Vanilla smells? Well there'll be more coconut smells too, as these are my scent-vibes! ;-p

Lush Vanillary is a STRONG scent! If you have a sensitive nose, spray sparingly. One or two squirts is plenty! It's a perfume that lingers, too. Unlike Lavanila, it's quite easy to find Lush products in the UK, and so I recommend having a sniff next time you see a Lush store.

Shop Vanillary here.

3. The Body Shop Coconut Eau de Toilette

Cheap and cheerful, a simple coconut perfume that's good for every day wear. It's a nice, summer scent, and a good back up tropical perfume. And it's even easier to sniff in store than Lush!

Shop Coconut Eau de Toilette here.

4. Pure Fiji Starfruit Coconut Oil Rollerball

I was lucky enough to holiday in the South Pacific seven times while I lived in New Zealand. During our holidays at Musket Cove, Malolo Lailai, in Fiji, we were given Pure Fiji toiletries in our bathrooms. They. Smell. Divine. I've since bought several of their heavenly scented products and whenever I use them they take me back to my holidays in Fiji.

One of my favourites is the Starfruit Coconut Oil Rollerball - it's a handy size to keep in my handbag and it smells amazing. I do find that the scent needs to be reapplied regularly, though.

Shop Pure Fiji here.
See my Fiji travel diary here.