Boss Orange by Hugo Boss : Perfume Review

Boss fragrances are usually received with deafening silence in the perfume blogging community, and not without good reason: the fact that each perfume in the lineup has a name that is some sort of confusing (and utterly ungoogle-able) variation on the Hugo Boss name is enough to baffle the Boss marketing execs themselves, but most importantly, the fragrances have for the largest part been as indistinctive and bland as their namesakes. Myself not excluded from the collective perfume-community derision regarding the Boss fragrance lineup, I’d completely ignored the latest launch, Boss Orange, ever since it first appeared on the shelves. When my newest Douglas magazine arrived with a free sample however, I decided to test this on my skin. Time to eat my words? Well, yes. I actually really like this!

The opening is not the strongest point of Boss Orange: a soft, smooth peach note is combines with juicy, barely-there notes of pear but after a few moments a strong note of dry, tart green apple takes over completely, dominating the composition. It is not unpleasant per se, but while the peach-pear combo was juicy and natural smelling, the apple note is more on the synthetic side, and most importantly rather intrusive, not really allowing the wearer to focus on any other facet of the perfume. Undoubtedly, it adds freshness to the composition, but this is the kind of harsh, urgent freshness I could frankly do without. Fortunately, about fifteen minutes later the apple note loses its sharpness and evolves into a far more agreeable presence. The soft, woody-oriental base starts coming through, lending easy, comfortable warmth to the overall feel of the perfume. At this point, Boss Orange smells like a Burberry fragrance in character and feel, so lovers of Burberry fragrances should definitely give this a shot. The best comparison I can make is that this smells like a combination of Burberry Classic with its dry apple overtones and Burberry Brit, with its sweet, woody-vanillic oriental base (albeit not being nearly as sweet as Brit). I do not smell much of the reported white floral heart notes, except perhaps a vague, well blended jasmine-y floralcy. What I do perceive intensely and find myself immensely attracted to is a lovely milky accord running through the composition and easing us into the beautifully creamy base notes. Rising light vanilla cream with a subtle hint of cinnamon and beautiful, sweet, buttery sandalwood make for an amazingly attractive base that lasts and lasts. I can see this being a comfortable every day choice for autumn and winter, something you put on and feel good without thinking too much about it, like a favorite sweater that despite its simplicity just works, making you feel gorgeous. Boss Orange is comforting and cuddly, while at the same time being sensual enough to make others want to lean in and get a proper whiff. I’d very happily wear this if it was given to me. If the (rather prolonged) sharpness of the opening does not put you off, you'll be rewarded with a very pretty every day oriental that dries down to a wonderfully yummy vanilla-sandalwood scent that is not only beautiful but also addictive.

Images: www.boss-fragrances.com