Friday 8 August 2014

The Discovery Club by The Fragrance Shop Summer 2014 box review

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The Discovery Club by The Fragrance Shop is a UK based beauty box made up of five perfume samples and two aftershave samples (this can vary from box to box).




Included within the box is also an information booklet that provides info on each of the fragrances and also contains money off vouchers for each of the perfumes included if you decide to purchase a full size bottle. You usually receive £5 off each fragrance but occasionally you receive a £10 off voucher!







It is delivered each quarter and only costs £5 per box or £20 for the year.


When you would like to test out a new fragrance, the best method is to try it on your skin. Each perfume will react differently with each individuals’ skin chemistry, so what may smell fantastic on one person may not smell the same on another. By testing a fragrance on the skin you allow the perfume to develop properly and you can decide throughout the day if you do indeed like the scent.

Another reason is because over time the notes evolve from its top notes to heart notes and then base notes. You may love the opening of a perfume, but absolutely despise the dry down. By testing the fragrance you get a truer representation of it than spraying on a card or from sniffing directly from a bottle. 

The Discovery Box by The Fragrance Shop enables you to test out a range of samples in the comfort of your own home. This way there is no pressure to buy a full size bottle straight away and you get to try it over a number of days if you can’t make up your mind.







As you can imagine, being a mum restrains the original freedom that I used to have when being able to stroll down the fragrance aisles was common practice. Nowadays, being allowed to wander off in the direction of the perfume section is a luxury! I’m sure there are other women out there who share this pain, not even just necessarily mothers, so this is why I would like to tell you more about this box.


My freedom is diminished, but my love of perfume is not. The Discovery Club box at least lets me keep some of the fun alive without the sound of my little man crying out in disdain at the realisation that he has been taken down the perfume aisle once again.


So let's take a look at what is included in this seasons box:

Please note that I do have reviews on the way for the two male samples included in this box, but one of the men that I have recruited for the task isn't as good at time keeping it seems. ;) They will be updated shortly, as soon as I get them!

The two male samples are Givenchy's Gentlemen Only Intense and Lacoste Live.









Givenchy - Dahlia Divin







Whilst I wasn't a fan of Givenchy's Dahlia Noir, after reading up on the notes of the new Dahlia flanker a while back, I knew that I wanted to give this one a go.







Where Dahlia Noir is powdery, a little like baby powder, this new addition to the line is more… gold. That’s probably the best word that I can come up with to describe it. From the colour of the juice, the advertising and then the smell. Maybe it is a combination of the whole lot that draws me to the world “gold,” but I do find it pretty suitable.

With plum in the top of the composition, jasmine and white flowers in the heart and sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli in the base, Dahlia Divin is a beautiful chypre floral fragrance that is sophisticated and mature, but not so much that it isn’t suitable for younger women. It is a very easy to love scent that is perfect for all. I really like this one!







If you are interested in buying a bottle of Givenchy's Dahlia Divin, you can get a bottle from The Fragrance Shop for £44.50 for 30ml, £63.50 for 50ml and £77.50 for 75ml.

Also, don't forget that if you are subscribed to the Discovery Club then you can receive £5 off this perfume at The Fragrance Shop only!



Agent Provocateur - Fatale







I was extremely excited to see Fatale by Agent Provocateur included in this box! I have a huge love for every Agent Provocateur fragrance that I have tested out thus far and admittedly, I have had a cheeky quick sniff of this after one of my Benefit Brow Bar appointments!


However, like I explained at the start of this post, a quick sniff isn't going to give you the best representation of the scent, so I have been eager to try it properly.

As Agent Provocateur is a lingerie brand, their fragrances tend to be quite "sexy." It's probably obvious from the advertising and name that this isn't an exception.







Featuring top notes of blackcurrant, pink pepper and peach, followed by a heart of gardenia, patchouli and orris root. It is rounded up with a sweet base of chocolate, vanilla orchid, musk and labdanum.






Overall, to me, this fragrance is like an exotic gourmand. With an opening that is dominated by blackcurrant it is vaguely reminiscent of the opening of Giorgio Armani's Si, then gradually it becomes slightly more like Thierry Mugler's Angel with an overwhelming note of chocolate. The vanilla orchid also adds to this effect. It's sweet but always has that underlying scent of dark fruit. Very beautiful.

You can buy a full size bottle of Agent Provocateur's Fatale from The Fragrance Shop for £35 for 30ml and £45 for 50ml and at the time of writing you also receive a free pair of knickers! Ooh eer! ;) 


Again, you can use your £5 off voucher included in the Discovery Club box at The Fragrance Shop only!



Prada - Candy Florale







Prada’s Candy Florale is a fragrance that I did already have a sample vial of and I think that it is one that a lot of people will enjoy.

In fact, on the occasions that I have worn this fragrance recently, it has drawn in compliments every single time. That is always a bonus!







I am a fan of the first and original Candy by Prada, and again with the Candy L’Eau which I find to be more spring-suitable. Now with the new addition of Candy Florale, I think that this is going to be more Summer suitable. It’s kind of like providing a Candy for all seasons.

One thing that I do like about the Candy flankers is that instead of only keeping one note of the original and then creating a totally different scent in a similar bottle, both Candy L’Eau and now Candy Florale keep the main composition of Candy (musk, benzoin and caramel) and then add extra notes for a slightly different effect. 







Candy Florale’s extra notes are limoncello in the top, peony in the heart and honey in the base next to the caramel, musk and benzoin. To me, the limoncello and peony really create a new personality for this flanker than doesn’t completely stray from the original. The original is still there underneath, but it’s just much fresher. 


You can purchase a full size bottle of Prada's Candy Florale at The Fragrance Shop for £38 for 30ml, £51 for 50ml and £67.50 for 80ml. At the time of writing, you can also claim a free Prada Candy L'Eau candle with the purchase of any of the Prada Candy range!

You can receive £5 off a bottle with a Discovery Club voucher at The Fragrance Shop only.



Ghost - Eclipse







Eclipse by Ghost is a fruity floral that is hard to dislike, but equally as hard to be bowled over by.

Whilst I don’t mean that in a bad way, this perfume is one of those that reminds me of others. Most notably, there is a similarity between Eclipse and Dolce & Gabanna’s Light Blue. By similarity, I mean that Eclipse is sort of like a sunset version of Light Blue. Maybe that is because of the lack of woody notes in the composition and the inclusion of more juicy fruit notes like peach and blackcurrant.







Alongside the peach and blackcurrant in the top notes, there is also apple, marigold, bergamot, lemon and orange. In the heart is lotus flower, rose and freesia. The base is made up of amber and musk. The most dominating of the notes to me though is the lemon. It’s quite citrusy and I think that is why it makes you think of Light Blue.







Sadly though I find the longevity to be quite poor and the sillage poor also. However, if an exotic fruity floral that makes you think of the end of Summer holidays that sits close to the skin is up your street then you may be interested in this scent!


For a full bottle of Ghost's Eclipse, you can buy one from The Fragrance Shop for £24.50 for 30ml, £33.50 for 50ml and £46 for 70ml.

Again, you can use the £5 voucher included in The Discovery Club box at The Fragrance Shop only.



Paco Rabanne - Lady Million Eau my Gold!







On a slightly humorous twist, the one fragrance included in this box that is actually designed around the “gold” theme didn’t really strike me as “gold.”

Whilst I do rather like Paco Rabanne’s original Lady Million, this one for me is a little too generic. It doesn’t strike me as new, instead seeming a bit “been there, done that.” It is the kind of fragrance that you are likely to smell on a night out, only worn by half of the nightclub.







That doesn’t mean that I think this fragrance is bad, it’s just too same-ish for me to take more notice.

I do however think that a lot of women will enjoy this scent, so I think that it will sell well on that premise. 







The top notes include bergamot, mango, neroli, grapefruit and orange. The heart consists of orange blossom and violet and the base is made up of amber, sandalwood, musk and cedar.

Straying slightly from the fragrance itself, though, when I saw this perfume advertised on the TV I was happy to see that it featured a song that I do really, really love. The advert plays the track ‘All Night’ by Parov Stelar which is a big favourite of mine, especially when I need some background music when I’m getting the cleaning done. So kudos, Paco Rabanne, for the great song choice!






It’s just a shame that the most memorable element of this fragrance for me is the advertising song from the advert.


You can buy a bottle of Paco Rabanne's Lady Million Eau My Gold from The Fragrance Shop for £44.50 for 50ml and £60 for 80ml. At the time of writing you can also claim your free Paco Rabanne clutch bag with the purchase of this fragrance or the original Lady Million!

Once again you can receive £5 a bottle with the voucher included in The Discovery Club box at The Fragrance Shop only.


As mentioned in the opening part of this post, the reviews of the two male samples are on there way! I will update as soon as I have them.


So there we have it! The Summer Discovery Club by The Fragrance Shop!

If you would like to subscribe to The Discovery Club, head on over to The Fragrance Shop website and register your details. For only £5 a quarter you get to test out some great new fragrances and you receive money off vouchers for each one!

Are you already subscribed to The Discovery Club? What are your favourite scents included in this edition?
Let me know in the comments below!

Zoe. @Beautifinous


*This Summer box was provided to me by The Fragrance Shop as a press sample. This has not influenced by review in any way and all opinions are my own and honest.

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