Review: Vivienne Westwood Boudoir

Whenever I read something about a perfume that interests me, I add it to my wishlist on The Perfumed Court, and then when I come back weeks later to have a bit of a spree, I can't remember why anything is there. This was definitely the case with Vivienne Westwood Boudoir. I can't for the life of me remember where I heard about it. I looked at the notes - nothing jumped out at me. Why did I want to try this? However, I am a bit of a fan of Viv and her Very British Eccentricity, so the last time I did an order on TPC, I threw it in.

Notes: viburnum, marigold, orange blossom, orris, red rose, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, amber, vanilla, sandalwood and patchouli.

Thankfully, I get no patchouli - I'm really not keen on it. I don't get any cinnamon, coriander or cardamom either - wouldn't that smell like a curry? Weird. I swear to you, the first thing I smell when I spray this on is sarsparilla. It's very odd, but not at all unpleasant, and it doesn't last very long - giving way quickly to a rich, creamy rose. Rose is iffy on me - it always amps, sometimes in a good way (The Garden Bath Fresh Roses), sometimes in a bad way (BPAL Come To Me). The rose in Boudoir is different from any other rose scent I have - I can't put my finger on why, but there's something else there tempering it. Something... green? I don't know - I've been sniffing away at my wrist as I write this and I can't pin it down. Maybe that's what the coriander is. There's a vanilla note in there too, but not your usual super sweet or warm Bourbon vanillas, this smells like a properly made, light and sweet Crème Anglaise. Or a fancy vanilla slice, the kind you get in David Jones.

It lasts for hours and has a lot of throw - this is a heady oriental floral not for the faint-hearted or those who work in very close quarters with other people. I love it so much I bought a full bottle, which is rare for me these days!