Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard of Ibizan-born make-up artist extraordinaire Charlotte Tilbury. After working for years as a make-up artist to stars like Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz and Amal Clooney, this stunning Brit has achieved celebrity status in her own right with her hugely successful line of beauty products. Not only are the products themselves amazing, the packaging is top notch. I’m in love with many beauty products in her brand (Uptown Girl eyeshadow, Bitch Perfect lipstick, Sweet Stiletto lip gloss are a few).
After hearing that the new Charlotte Tilbury perfume Scent of a Dream was “liquid crack” I was curious to see if it lived up. I often don’t read reviews before sampling a new scent but I was stuck at home waiting for a plumber (who sadly didn’t show up) and this is what I learned…
Charlotte calls it a “fleurotic” scent and maintains that her concoction can help you reconnect with “someone’s sex receptors”. She says that her fragrance has the ability to: “create an emotional pathway with someone else’s energy centres: their brain, heart and sex receptors.” Tilbury claims that it is a first-of-its kind, mind-altering floral chypre perfume harmony that she calls fleurotic frequency. Apparently it is enriched with hypnotic, psycho-active molecules, spellbinding, erotic floral extracts and a mood-enhancing joy aura of citrus.
WOW… That’s a lot to imagine let alone live up to.
Charlotte consulted with two neuroscientists (Dr. Richard Axel and Dr. Linda Buck) who were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 2004 “for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system”. She also called upon the expertise of Francois Robert, President of the Commission of the French Society of Perfumers.
Charlotte reveals: “I’ve been mixing my own secret scent for years and have been fascinated by the idea that one’s perfume can attract others and also change the energy frequency of the the people and environment around you.”
According to Robert: “It has the fresh lightness of a floral, and the alluring depth and sexiness of a Chypre, without being heavy or dark. For me, frankincense and violet stand out beautifully and beguilingly within the makeup of the Scent”. He goes on to say: “I have worked on many scents to procure what Charlotte describes as a distinctive “trail”, and this perfume is one of the first to actually have got it. It gilds hallways!”
Charlotte’s website (www.charlottetilbury.com) reveals how it’s magical effect is achieved:
The “Joy” Top Notes (lemon, peach, black pepper, saffron, mandarin and bergamot) = Positivity (A confidence-boosting aura, the top notes develop over 15 minutes and are fresh, invigorating and mood enhancing.)
The “Fleurotic” Heart Notes (tuberose, jasmine, frankincense, violet, patchouli, muguet, orange flower, rose oil, tea rose, green ivy and magnolia) = Love + Light (Your scent reveals a more intoxicating, sensual power. Enchanting floral extracts trigger love and resonate for over 5 hours.)
The Base Notes (fire tree, ISO E Super, hedione, ambrosian, precious woods, cysts and amber) = Power + Sex (The “pheromone” notes are activated by body heat and are said to trigger desire, lasting up to 9 hours.)
There’s even a an elaborate story behind the pretty bottle which can also be found on her website.
I knew that “Scent of a Dream” was a fragrance I had to experience. My expectations were high even though it had gotten mixed reviews. The last time I felt this way before trying a fragrance was with “Juliette Has a Gun: Not a Perfume”. It turned out to be not a perfume all right, at least not anything I’d wear twice. Would it be a perfume that purred or hissed? Would it make me feel sexy or turned off? My mind was racing!
End of story: I was able to made a mad dash to Nordstrom later after my no-show. I had read earlier on the Nordstrom website that the best way to use the scent was: “Spray the magic way to amplify your scent’s seductive power. Start spraying it on your pulse points behind your ears, at your wrists and on your ankles. Then spray a scent halo around your neck, head and hair.” Whaaaat? I certainly wasn’t about to douse my entire body in a fragrance I might hate and then seal the deal with a scent halo! Scent halos aren’t my thing and if I ever start this practice I would hope to be checked in to the nearest mental facility. In all fairness to Nordstrom, the scent halo idea was all Charlotte Tilbury’s brilliant marketing efforts and Nordstrom had nothing to do with it.
After dabbing on the inside my my wrist and waiting for the rush, I felt… nothing. I’m not sure if there’s too much going on or too little going on. No mood enhancement for the first 15 minutes (I felt let down if anything) and no love resonating for the next 5 hours. The sexy and powerful feeling never showed up either. Not the luxe hippie scent I was hoping for; more like a lemony hairspray opening followed by cloying florals and a funky stale drydown. If this smells like sex, it would have to be really, really bad sex…the kind you wish you’d like to forget.
I’m sure some may appreciate Charlotte Tilbury’s fragrance but not me.
The gorgeous face of the fragrance is close gal pal Kate Moss. A 3.4 oz bottle costs $130.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this perfume so feel free to chime in.
Until next time,
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When I started reading your post I felt the intrigue but then again I was thinking I wouldn’t want to attract every other guy in the street and so I started thinking that maybe I could use the perfume and just spray it when I am with my beloved in the house. Lol! And then came the rules about applying it or rather spraying it. I just felt it would be too much for me. But then again the promise was too much to ignore. So I continued reading till the end.
Lol! I was so relieved to read your conclusion. I could forget about it after all!
Thank you Erica. This is a post full of intrigue.
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
Attracting every guy on the street could lead to problems 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by.
Erica
Seems like I need to get out from under my rock! I’m a bloke so I guess I can be forgiven for not hearing of Charlotte Tilbury.
We are fast approach Christmas and my wife demands a new scent each year. This one has a good review so may hunt it down in the department store and try it out.
Thanks for the heads up.
Most guys are given an exemption for not being in the know about Charlotte. The few men who do wear make-up likely have heard of her. Hope your wife enjoys the scent if you end up purchasing it. Thanks for dropping in.
When I first started reading your page I thought someone is going to get rich selling a perfume that draws sex appeal then I continued to read your experience and disappointment regarding your own experience with the perfume.
I don’t think I would want to wear a perfume where I had to rely on it to draw sexual attention to myself what happens when the fragrance smell is gone is the guy gone as well something to think about. Interesting read though however, I would never pay $130 on the off chance it would work.
Rosie,
Many people get rich selling perfume through great marketing. It was a brilliant marketing campaign and so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the fragrance is very lucrative. As far as the sexual attraction/ attention aspect, sex sells. That’s a fact. PS If you smell amazing and it leads to great chemistry the guy probably won’t leave;)
This article made me want to go out and immediately get her perfume. I loved how she was so vivid in her description of the perfume. I was really excited about giving the perfume a shot until I reached the end of the article. I feel like it was a lot of build up and then I felt your pain of disappointment when it did not live up to what you hoped. I guess better luck next time 🙂
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but the need to be honest prevailed. It’s just my opinion though and we each have our own preferences.