I've recently gotten into perfume and fragrances, so you'll be seeing a few more of such posts over here! After giving a glowing review of Tokyo Milk's Honey & the Moon No. 10 eau de parfum, I felt it would be apt to compare it to a different form of fragrance/scent - solid perfume sticks.
Ever wondered how solid perfume sticks compare to spritz-on eau de parfum, eau de toilette or eau de cologne? I've always wondered how effective solid perfume sticks were as scents/fragrances, but have never tried them before. Recently, I was one of the lucky readers who won a prize from the Watsons Glow 3rd Anniversary giveaway, and the prize was (you guessed it) Absolute! Solid Perfume in Noblege 5, by Nicka K New York.
According to the Nicka K website,
Absolute! Solid Perfumes embody the spirit and passion of New York, a city that never sleeps. Escape the everyday with evocative scents, both refined and seductive, and each with a different city secret to discover. Parceled in beautiful, boutique-inspired packaging, our addictive perfumes are perfectly sized to slip into your purse and transform your world.
Does Absolute! Solid Perfume live up to its claims? Find out after the jump!
Packaging
Absolute! Solid Perfume in Noblege 5 has lovely outer packaging. Its cylindrical shape and brown-grey hues remind one of a very fat cigar. Classy, chic and urbane are the three words I'd use to describe it; perfectly in line with the image of New York.
The little message on the back is very fun and reminiscent of city news. Nice touch to add to the whole feel of the packaging.
Impressed with the outer packaging, I opened it to find a sleek, black plastic case (2.5cm x 2.5cm x 6cm) decorated with classy swirls. It was love at first sight. I'm sure you can tell how photogenic I think Noblege 5 is from the way I take so many photos of it. But honestly, I'm pretty impressed with the aesthetic appeal of the design. It's also quite sturdy, and the size is just right for slipping into your handbag or purse for a quick touch-up.
The solid perfume stick contains 8.3g of product and comes encased in a tube with a plastic lid to protect it. Hygienic and fuss-free, just the way it should be.
Scent
While the packaging is very attractive, I had my reservations about the scent. I've only worn it once and I'm not sure if I want to repeat the experience. Noblege 5 opens with heady floral bouquet with a strong note of vanilla and hints of muskiness. Perhaps floral notes are not my preference, but the scent seemed a little too cloying and sweet for my liking. I also could smell a very distinctive sort of "waxy" smell, like that of scented candles. This is no surprise, as the main ingredient of a solid perfume stick is wax. Perhaps this boils down to preference again.
Another thing I noticed is that the scent does not really age. While most spray-on perfumes I've tried have very obvious transitions between the head notes, middle notes and base notes, I did not perceive a noticeable difference even after a few hours of wear. Only after close to 6-7 hours of wear did I notice the receding of the floral notes, with the musky base notes remaining. This could be because of the way the wax interact with our body chemistry - perhaps spray-on perfumes in liquid form have a more potent interaction with the body chemistry of the wearer.
Personally, the scent did not suit me, mostly because of the floral notes, which are not to my preference. Moreover, I felt that the scent hardly aged, and smelt rather artificial in comparison to scents that use distilled essential oils, such as those from perfume house Penhaligon's (available in Singapore), which I will be blogging about soon.
As a disclaimer of sorts, I've only worn Noblege 5. There are 7 other scents available for purchase, and while I was at Watsons the other day, I tried a few. I actually liked one or two, so perhaps my dislike of Noblege 5 is a personal perference.
Ingredients
Pricing and where to buy
You can buy Absolute! Solid Perfumes for S$19.90 each at most Watsons' outlets. It's not the most expensive perfume, and the price does match the quality. The only thing I dislike is the scent, which is the most important part of buying a perfume, so I can't recommend this due to my personal preference.
In any case, be sure to try on the scent testers before you buy perfume of any sort - while it may smell nice on its own, there is no guarantee that it will smell nice on you, as perfume always interacts with body chemistry and smells different on different people.
Let's Break It Down
Product Name: Absolute! Solid Perfume in Noblege 5
Product type: Solid perfume stick
Amount of product: 8.3g (0.290z)
Price per product: 19.90 SGD
Comments: Slick, urbane and hygienic packaging, heady floral scent with vanilla and musk, lasts for about 7-8 hours before only base notes remain
Where to buy: Watsons
To buy or not to buy: Speaking from personal preference, I would not buy this particular perfume again. The scent doesn't suit me even though I love the packaging. Perhaps if I had used another scent in the same line I might have felt differently. I'm still undecided on the merits of solid perfume - if anyone could recommend a good one, I may try to get it and do a review/comparison post. I still approve of this product because 1) I have not tried other scents in the line 2) I love the packaging, but it gets a low rating from me as of now.
Product approved 2.5/5.
Disclaimer: I was not paid, sponsored nor influenced by external sources when reviewing this product. My opinions as expressed in the review are solely my own.
