Soul, Luv, Truth by Sharon Bolton : Perfume Reviews

I am back from my holiday and so I find you all again here on Fragrance Bouquet with replenished energy levels, newly charged batteries, big smiles and a miniscule tan, slowly built under protective layers of La Roche-Posay 50+ sunscreen. It will no doubt fade in a couple of weeks, unlike my good spirits which I plan to carefully nurture throughout the rest of the summer. Yes, my holiday might be over, but summer most certainly isn’t! We are only just on the brink of August and I am mentally willing the weather to keep being as good as it has been throughout this weekend. Trying on jeans in the ill-prepared for hot weather stores of Amsterdam (read: no airco) yesterday might have seemed like a short visit to hell, but a sparkling tipple enjoyed with friends on a terrace later in the evening was like rediscovering paradise. And that’s what it’s really all about, right? Extending the summer holiday spirit even when you’re back in the city, living it, breathing it. I promise to remind myself how lucky I am every single day I can still wear my sandals and freely wiggle my toes as I gleefully catch sunbeams on my hair and skin. To remind myself how wonderful it is to be able to wear tiny little shifts and no jacket while I still can. To make myself go to beach parties even when I’m tired, perhaps to even brave the murky, chilly, choppy North Sea for a swim, for I want to stretch this summer as far as possible!

As I have mentioned before here on Fragrance Bouquet, there’s nothing –bar good weather itself of course- that truly makes me experience the joys of summer like a good, sultry, hot-weather scent can. I shall definitely need the help of great summery scents in my quest to ensure that I can keep on riding this beautiful summery wave I have brought with me from my holiday, and Sharon Bolton’s gorgeous scents are the perfect ticket to tropical bliss! The niche Santa Barbara based perfume line seems to specialize in distilling and bottling the essence of happy holiday vibes and high spirits. Every single one of the three scents on offer is a beautiful travelogue of sandy beaches, palm trees, sarongs, flowers and fruit orchards bathed in pure sunlight.

Soul: Edible, succulent, addictive and a host of other delicious-sounding adjectives is the only way to describe Soul. If soul was a moment in time, it would be the very instant you strip of your gauzy caftan in front of your sun-lounger, under the forest of grass-top umbrellas on a beautiful beach, gleefully getting ready to jump in the turquoise waters. It is the scent that permeates the air: suntan oils and Piña Colladas. It opens with a very realistic note of freshly cut juicy pineapple and the luscious, lightly sweet and rather peachy aroma of papaya fruit resting on creamy coconut. As time goes by, the intensity of the fruit slightly recedes and the loveliness of the coconut comes more to the fore, blending with the smell of cool clean musk. Intensely tropical and absolutely delicious, this is one summer fruit that’s going to keep me company till late September, always transporting me back to a sandy beach.

Luv: An absolutely beautiful floral bouquet that feels wild as though it was handpicked, rather than arranged by a florist. It contains the beauty of a rainforest, despite the fact that its blooms are unmistakably cultivated. Gardenias and lilies wrapped in luscious, juicy saplings and vines, gorgeously combining creamy sweetness with nectar and slightly sour elements that make the lips pucker like sparkling summer wine. Delicious! The drydown in turn, takes us from high-pitched joyous song and splashes of bright color on silk to something smooth and dry, the equivalent of a little black dress: versatile as well as sexy and demure at the same time. This is the perfect scent to bring out in the beginning of spring in order to rejoice the end of winter and one to keep wearing until late October, stretching those all important feel-good moments with the perfect companion.

Truth: I never thought it possible, but I am actually on a citrus kick lately (more on that later!), so Sharon Bolton’s Truth couldn’t have come at a better moment. Truth’s opening is intensely fresh, a soapy citrus whose perfect moment in time is that precious hour of rest when you step out of the shower and lie down on a shady, crisply made bed deliciously exhausted from the sun and sea. Neither ravenous hunger pangs nor the buzz from outside can rouse you yet, for all that matters is resting the body, if only for a little bit. There, engulfed in coolness, a tangle of wet hair and beautiful just-out-of-the-shower smell, and the sound of the crushing waves still in your ears, a moment of pure bliss. That’s Truth in a nutshell. Sea-breeze, foam, lemon, lime and orange shavings, a lone ray of sunlight passing through the shade and a feeling of calm, bottled in a tiny container. Truth, like all of Sharon’s scents is a memory captured. I could let it pierce my heart like a melancholy arrow for I wish the moment would have lasted for ever and ever into infinity, or I could be glad I get to take a scented manifestation of the moment home with me, like seashells gathered, carefully cleaned, their colors coming to life with a coat of varnish. I choose to do the latter.

The Sharon Bolton scents are long-lasting perfume oils that come in 1/8 oz. roller ball bottles, making them perfect not only for keeping in our purses, but also for traveling, even in these high-security times. The packaging is 100% recyclable and the presentation truly delightful! Samples can be purchased from the official website for 2$ per sample.

I am planning to write about a few more summery scents as we enter August, paying special attention to coconut and orange scents. Do you still have your summer holiday to look forward to, or are you like me, back already? Most importantly, have you made any new discoveries this summer?