Silk, Lace & Chocolate

Finally, a chocolate I can wear! 4160 Tuedays' iteration doesn’t arrive with the brute-force sugarbomb heaviness that so many so-called gourmands do. No syrup-soaked synthetic cocoa butter, no cloying fog of thick candy-floss musk. Instead, it breathes. Airy ribbons of truffle-dark chocolate, somehow cool and soft at once, folded into the silk of a real, elegant Tahitian vanilla, slightly floral nuance. Ganache but whispered. You get the strawberry, yes, but not bubblegummed into submission like so many failed “fruity chocolates” of the 2010s. This is strawberry cream, not so much jammy as folded into white chocolate, with a creamy-smooth, delicately tart sweetness. More like skin than dessert, this is the flushed-cheeks kind of sweetness that glows pink, not neon red. But the real genius here would have to be that bergamot. Thar clean, ephemeral touch of brightness really just manages lifts the whole composition above the mud of cliché. It flickers gently through the richness, like a glint of silver on velvet. Prevents the descent into stickiness. A gourmand, yes, but silk-spun, fondue-laced air rather than food. Creamy without being creamy-sick. Deep, but not heavy. I’ve long had a tragic relationship with chocolate fragrances. Promises of velvet and heartbreaks of wax. Unventilated musk, oh dear. Not this. This is the first one that knows elegance with a sweet tooth. Like someone who knows when to stop stirring the ganache, who lets the perfume rest in softness, not excess. To lean close to someone and let them smell not dessert, but something quietly decadent? Sign me the fuck up. Chocolate, done right. Finally.

Good grief, this is good. I bought 100ml direct from 4160 Tuesdays in their New Year sale - my first scent from this house. It is currently £45 (50ml is selling for £60 - oh dear, it made more sense to buy the larger bottle...). It arrived today, beautifully packaged and with a small free sample of Captured by Candlelight; I think I am going to like that, too. On the literature which accompanied the fragrance, the listed notes are: chocolate, strawberry, bergamot and vanilla, the last of which has been omitted by Fragrantica. I am sure I can smell patchouli in here, although it's not listed. This is rich, warm, creamy, spicy, gourmand chocolate heaven. It is not sweet; the bergamot tempers any sweetness from strawberry and contributes to the fragrance's spiciness. Vanilla is imperceptible to me, but may be causing the creamy aspect I sense. I have other chocolate perfumes: Montale's Chocolate Greedy (which I love), but SLC is creamier and slightly less "dusty"; Al-Rehab Choco Musk (a solid "like" and sweeter and quieter); Thierry Mugler Angel Le Gout du Parfum, which I also love (but is unmistakably Angel, an inescapable heritage). 4160 Tuesdays Silk, Lace and Chocolate is now my favourite chocolate fragrance and should assuage my cravings for the edible stuff. Sillage is moderate - not sure yet about longevity, but I suspect it will be good.

I confess I sampled 4160 Tuesdays Silk, Lace & Chocolate a few times casually before realizing it was right for me. A gourmand lover, I can be both easily receptive to and picky toward gourmand fragrances, and admittedly this one seems to have a bit of a mixed reception. Still, Sarah McCartney excels at gourmands (or at least semi-gourmands), and it's no surprise to me that she does well with this. SLC involves a relatively simple blend of chocolate, strawberry, and bergamot. The first two are obvious and make up the bulk of what stands out, at least to me, a dessert duo that walks the line between refreshing and decadent. The bergamot, however, is perhaps the key ingredient, as it lifts up the blend from being a heavy gourmand to something more in the middle. Certainly apt for cold weather but not so dense for a little warm weather to be prohibitive, SLC is a well-blended gourmand. It's in the usual price range for 4160 Tuesdays fragrances, $135 for 100ml and $90 for 50ml at Perfumology and Luckyscent in the US. 8 out of 10

Lol@raw umber, here is what I think of this scent... I am generally not a lover of chocolate scents so I approached this sample with caution. Very pleasantly surprised here. On the first sniff I am immediately transported to a York chocolate factory where the master chocolatier is preparing fresh dark chocolate truffles with fresh strawberry cream fondant filling. Mmmmmmmm.....absolutely delicious...yum yum yum. Makes me want to eat those truffles and I don't even like dark chocolate or fruity fillings. Chocolate strawberry note lingers for a good while and eventually dries down to a yummy base very similar to the Sexiest Scent but sweeter. Longevity is very good too. This is one chocolate scent I would definitelly shell out for.

What a gorgeous perfume. For times when you want to feel cosy and a bit decadent! First off, this chocolate is not bitter or sweet, but beautifully creamy. The vanilla adds to the deliciousness but the touch of bergamot stops it from becoming sickly and too rich. The hint of strawberry brings to mind that lovely aroma of when you take the lid off a tin of chocolates...strawberry cremes, toffee fingers, creamy fudges. I can't stop inhaling it! This is the first FB I have bought from 4160 Tuesdays; This is one I plan to rebuy and get a big backup of because I don't want to be without this!

Gosh this such a delicious chocolate and strawberry fragrance. Definitely one to wear for a romantic occasion. Please dont assume that this is a sickly sweet or heavy cloying fragrance. Its beautifully smooth and balanced. The strawberry note is very real life. There is also an almost a boozy note but it could all be imagined by me. I love gourmand fragrances and this is definitely in my top 5 chocolate fragrances. Moderate sillage and longevity. Its another man magnet.

A chocolate-covered strawberry. First thing to come to my mind on initial blind-sample spray despite my typically-horrible sense of smell. I generally stay away from strawberry fragrances but this one got me in a choke-hold. There's a thick layer of chocolate (not too dark) on top of a ripe sweet strawberry. While not exactly photorealistic, it is gorgeously delicious in cold gloomy weather. Moderate projection. I get roughly 4-5 hours of wear.

very interesting. i've about used up my sample - this has grown on me. Silk, Lace, & Chocolate reminds me of good quality Japanese pencil erasers from the '70s - which is not a bad thing! initially, something biting and almost burnt is there, but very quickly, i'd say after about 15-30 minutes, the chocolate and strawberry meld to form a soft, fruity, powdery cloud.

Longevity update: THREE days on clothing and still going strong. Incidentally, I left a comment on 4160 Tuesdays Facebook page about the perfume and mentioned that I thought I picked up patchouli. Sarah replied immediately and said that there is definitely no patchouli in here, but that the vibe could be coming from the cocoa, which does make sense.

this one smells like chocolate covered strawberries with bergamot tea!! i love it so much especially because im already a huge fan of scents with bergamot. the chocolate definitely adds a creamy sweet addition to the scent.

This smells like the first bite into a chocolate covered strawberry. Delicious and sexy. Absolutely love it, but not sure what occasions I’d wear it for, other than spraying myself before slipping into bed.

For me Silk, Lace & Chocolate is absolutely delicious! Very sweet & yummy The strawberry balances out the chocolate really well I wouldn't recommend blind buying & definitely not for non gourmand lovers

Smells legit like the Strawberry Creams in a Christmas tin of Quality Street sweets. The chocolate is dark and rich. Delicious. Christmas in a bottle!

This made my eyes roll back- wow. Chocolatey but the bergamot keeps it from being overly sweet or childish. Delicious.

Quiet, delightful scent. Excellent mix of strawberry and chocolate.

So my initial thoughts were chocolate ..., cedar? ..., tart ..., strawberries with no sugar. I am beginning to think that there will never be anything that I can dislike from this house. Over the Chocolate Shop is a favourite of mine and I quite like Rhubarb & Custard. I was worried that the strawberry note would come across here as imitation flavouring. It does not. I gave this fragrance several hours to do its thing. There are elements of Over the Chocolate Shop, (the notes that are used for chocolate at 4160 Tuesdays.) There is no sweetness, those strawberries are tart. I mulled over the name of this fragrance and think that perhaps lace could be renamed tweed. There is nothing frilly about this fragrance to my nose. Verdict? A cool weather love for me.

Got this about a week ago as a blind buy. On me, it has none of the chocolate, sweet or spice smell. Just synthetic and messy with some powder, nor is it long-lasting on me. I got about 3 hours, where as the Angel Comet blind buy I finally tried (after having it a few years sitting around), was still noticeable, though barely, 16 hours after 1 spritz. So very disappointed in this. I have got to stop doing blind buys or find out why so many have not smelled very nice on me. I guess the one I need is called "over The Chocolate Shop". Time to start saving up again! LOL and smh @ the same time. ;)

Pure chocolate limes! Like opening up a bag of these sweets from my childhood! And then come juicy strawberries with a hint of something alcoholic, like a syrupy sweet and very fun cocktail. There are also marshmallows and something warm and woodsy in the base. I'm not usually into fragrances that smell like candy, but this is an unusual fruity gourmand and I'm a fan. It completely disappeared in the high heat of the summer, but is gently lasting in the cold. It didn't go down well with my man, he said it smells like flat cheap off-brand cola, but what does he know??!

I picked up a sample of this a few years ago and initially hated it. In my notes, I wrote down, "Chocolate scratch n sniff sticker." Today, on a lark, I tried it again, both on a blotter and on my skin, and my experience couldn't be more different. The high-pitched fake-chocolate smell is gone; this is now real milk chocolate with a strawberry cordial filling, and a sprinkling of bergamot on top. Despite the notes, it's not cloying or overly sweet; it's a soft, introverted gourmand. Maybe a touch too soft and introverted, though, because I stop being able to smell this after an hour.

This definitely smells just like the strawberry cream Quality Street, especially when you first spray it. My issue with this scent, however, is that it is very powdery and light, and has an apparition like quality to it when it dries down. When I wear this, I think I can catch whiffs of it at times, and I find myself moving towards the scent so I can smell it properly, but it's just so damn elusive that it escapes me, leaving me wanting more. I have a travel spray of this and will use it up, but I won't repurchase. The scent bubble is just not strong enough for my liking.

Literally smells like the strawberry chocolate in a box of quality street when you first spray it. It's nice but not really for me I don't think. It's a very rich cocoa but also quite fruity and on the initial spray I thought it was a bit overwhelming but after dry down its more mellow and actually feels a bit festive. After a few hours I can't really smell it much at all. So in summary it's starts off with an explosion of strawberry chocolate but quickly turns to a subtle festive vanillary fragrance

I agree w/ the review below this smells like sweet tarts mixed w/ bakers chocolate. Ok but again not compelling, rather juvenile. Edit: 2/29/22 I forgot to mention performance w/ this perfume was poor. Very weak. Not a very good value for money. Although I maybe "nose blind" to the aroma chemicals used in her perfumes but I wasn't real impressed w/ any I sampled. My husband also thought the performance was poor as well.

This just doesn't work on me. I do not get any strawberry. On my skin it pulls woody chocolate, on my clothing it's just lime. It isn't sugary sweet and the chocolate is a light chocolate. You are wearing a silk shirt and mixing up one brownies. As you open the powdered chocolate it poofs into your face. That's the kind of feeling I get. Hours later and I am only getting woody limes.

254 The opening on skin is a beautifully fruity sweet and tart berry with faint cocoa. On fabric, it’s mostly cocoa and the other notes fade away to my disappointment. I do smell a faint wood note at the end like others have mentioned. I don’t think we’re being told what all the notes are in this one... 7/10-lovely opening, but fades fast. The rest is weak cocoa...

I love this chocolate base perfume but it smells terrible on me. Just my chemistry. It does make me think of a coffee and chocolate dessert shop where someone walks by with perfume on. It just doesn't smell good on me though.

This scent is ok. A bit of a scrubber. I see how someone could like it? Kind of? But it's really not for me. I purchased a sample. I agree with the waxy chapstick comparison.

kisnatek is spot on - this is exactly what I am getting. I really wanted to like this fragrance (especially I just blind purchased it..) - but no, not my cup of tea. I am into gourmand fragrances and I quite like 'over the chocolate shop' from 4160 Tuesdays. So I thought - well, let's get this just based on the notes! Well.... it loses its fruity and chocolaty notes only in a few seconds and turns into plastic, synthetic smell on my skin.

Not really a fan of this one. I didn't smell chocolate, but an old dusty smell. As in an old mansion that hasn't been lived in for years with the white sheets on the furniture. Maybe that's what they were going for...a Victorian kind of smell. Not my taste. Medium Sillage, Low Longevity

Very sweet, fruity but not gourmand at all on me as there is a waxy, chapstick note that makes it inedible. It veers further from food as it wears. Not interested in strawberry LipSmackers, thanks. Review of sample from LuckyScent.com

There's too much cedar in here. Ruins it for me. I love the lemonade, chocolate, strawberry notes but the cedar ends up overpowering everything else for me. Shame.

This wasn’t a gourmand to me, no chocolate or other delicious notes I could sense. It was somehow powdery/woody, quite vintage style. Sold my bottle immediately.

cacao powder in grandma's pantry pulls a bit dusty and mature on me just doesn't work on my skin as i don't get any of the pretty edibleness everyone else got

Bergamot ruins it for me...too harsh. I can also smell ceder wood. Not to my liking, I was expecting something creamier and more chocolatey.

like a piece of leather with artificial strawberry juice sprayed on it

Completely misnamed. All I got was kerosene.

I've recently discovered this lovely fragrance. I think it's almost impossible to review this perfume without contrasting it with Over The Chocolate Shop (which I've worn for several years, and is one of my favourite fragrances from 4160 Tuesdays). Silk, Lace And Chocolate is definitely milk chocolate, where Over The Chocolate Shop is bitter dark chocolate and cocoa. S, L and C has fruity strawberry and citrus notes (though on my skin, these are not nearly as prominent as some reviewers describe); these are replaced by bitter coffee in OTCS, which give a deeper, darker atmosphere. On me S, L and C starts fairly sweet, but becomes less so; it also loses most of its fruit notes; OTCS does the opposite, and loses a lot if its bitter notes and sweetens after a hour or so. What could have been a potential disaster with Silk, Lace and Chocolate is that I can detect a faint amount of modern musk (and anyone who has read some of my other reviews knows how much I dislike modern musks). However it is far from overpowering, not unpleasant, and helps stop the fragrance becoming too sweet. Strangely, after S, L and C and OTCS have been on my skin for a few hours, they settle into being quite similar. I love both, but if had to pick a favourite, Over The Chocolate Shop has the edge, as I love the bitter coffee and cocoa notes. But I love Silk, Lace and Chocolate too.

Like Zorrita below, this scent was surprisingly very woodsy on me. There are only 3 notes listed above, and I only get 1 of them; 2 out of 3 are no-shows. Definitely no strawberry, the opening I get is initially a pleasant waft of chocolate and lemonade. Then quickly, along comes a wooden baseball bat that knocks them both out of the park and soundly beats into submission any other notes that might have mistakenly thought to show their faces. I know there are no woods listed in the notes, but that is the dominant scent on me. For about an hour I get a strong, dry sandalwood that gradually fades into indistinct sawdust. I love sandalwood, but it's one of those beautiful notes that begs to be balanced by sweeter or brighter scents. The balance is off here, and all the other notes catch a serious beatdown from that sandalwood bat. The only way I can envision this as a romantic scent is if the romantic occasion is a young couple in love, taking a trip to the carpenter shop to custom order a hand-carved wooden bed they hope to share for many years to come. In that situation the scent of sawdust, cut lumber, and cheap chocolate might qualify as romantic. I enjoyed trying the sample, but not a full bottle buy for me, especially at niche prices.

The opening seems more woody than rich, dark chocolate so I was a bit puzzled. Add to that the strawberry and you almost have the Perfect Cold Summer day scent(?!) I would have much preferred if they went down the Raspberry route with this; the smell of raspberry with it's sweet/sour/tangy fruity notes goes far better with chocolate (and any woods) for me. It turns into that particular Thornton's chocolate bonbon, the Strawberry Dream which I can appreciate many will find really nice and delicious but sadly not my preference as stated above. I'll give a mark over the norm when I dislike a scent because had I liked strawberries then this would have been an interesting woodsy going into chocolate transition, which can be better as a signature scent rather than just hitting you with a shelve load of Open chocolate boxes! My rating: 5/10.

Deep Chocolate with lime & some sort of strawberries maybe! not cloying and definitely not a candy stuff but it seems after a while the sweet turns into something artificial! I don't know what's the problem with this house! some of their fragrances's names sounds quite appealing that makes me really love it before smelling it.. but when i sniff their fragrances i end up disliking it at max! i don't know what's the problem with them and my nose, is it that they use cheap ingredients! or maybe they mix up things wrongly or badly that they leave chaos behind! this happened with "Dark heart of Old Havana", "Maxed Out", and now this one here! the first one is a sleepless saliva, the second smells like an arm pit now, and the third one is un-describable! WiERd!

I just put this on for the very first time and it it smells strongly of cedar/wood chips (not sure if cedar is the right word but it's some sort of woody scent!) and reminded me of when I was little and put the bedding into my hamster cage! If I try really hard, I smell a little strawberry type note in there but the woody scent is so overpowering that nothing else stands out. I'd feel embarrassed to wear this as a perfume in public. I went back up to read the main notes and I don't even see the woody note in the list. I can't believe it since it's so strong to my nose. I got my sample from luckyscent.com so I know it's not a dupe or else I'd be questioning if this is the same perfume I've been reading wonderful reviews about!

I got a sample of this ages ago but have only just now given it a try, on the back of my hand. My immediate reaction was - no, just no. Strong dark chocolate scent very rapidly morphed into something dusty with an underlying acrid vibe that is really unpleasant. I agree with Snicole82 on this one. Glad I can wash it off (it took a couple of goes, so clearly the staying power is pretty good). Funny how these scents are either immediate love or hate for me. So far, out of many, I've only loved two (Tokyo Spring Blossom; New York 1955). But Rosa Ribes (not yet listed on Fragrantica) is not bad at all.

After Testing it again... This is like the strawberry sugars lime daiquiri on a plate of milk chocolate. More of strawberries with splashes of sugar limes on a mild plate of melted milky chocolate. The "Crimes of Passion" line is made of allot of strawberries and berries in general, i wonder why! In my opinion, "Maxed Out" is the best of this line so far and thank GOD it doesn't have that strawberry-berries vibes. & regarding "Dirty Honey" & "Inevitable" i have nothing to say! couldn't realize what both are about!

Yummy! Deep, dark, rich chocolate with a succulent bergamot tang on top. The strawberry is tucked away in the background and only pops out once in a while. There's something boozy about this too. It has a whiff of Irish Coffee about it. To me, this is a much more reasonably priced version of Guerlain's Gourmand Coquin. This one is richer and less powdery without the vanilla to soften it, but it has the same boozy chocolate feel without costing insane amounts of money. It's linear and lasts for hours upon hours.

A very beautiful gourmand scent, dark choclolate with the slight metallic note that sophisticates it, it is like a chocolate wrapped in tintfoil. Longevity, a quality that is nearly as important as a composition to me, is great. It is not annoying, but my shirt kept the scent after I wore it and left on the shelf - woa the chocolate was still there, very delicate yet strong.

Smells like the strawberry creme' in quality street to me. The strawberry and chocolate work well and one doesn't overwhelm the other. I don't get the waxy scent some reviewers mention but while its a pleasant scent and it does what I think it is trying to do I don't really vibe with it in a perfume, veering too sweet for my tastes. Couldn't wear it constantly.

Smells exactly like the Strawberry Delight's in a tin of Quality Street and that's enough for me to add this into my Christmas scent rotation. I really love it because it reminds me of Christmases long gone by and that just adds to its charm. Performance is moderate at best and although I wish it lasted longer, I don't care. It's a beautiful festive gourmand.

Try a sample of this perfume if you found Over The Chocolate Shop too cloying. The strawberry and bergamot keep this perfume balanced and fresh. It's like a fine veil of dark chocolate on your skin. Can be worn year round, even during spring and summer if it doesn't get too hot or if you spray lightly. Leans feminine. Moderate sillage and longevity.

A beautiful gourmand fragrance. All the notes are present and blend well to create a mouthwatering sensation of melted chocolate pouring over fat, juicy strawberries. There is a dash of something alcoholic that reminds me of a cocktail, and this elevates the fragrance into naughty territory. Wear it when you want to be adored.

just bought this and, as the company had just sold their last 50ml, the nice lady sent me a 100ml instead for the same price!! On me this scent smells like chocolate and incense, I don't get any fruit at all. It reminds me of Matthew Williamsons Incence but with chocolate. I like it but would prefer it less woody. Zorrita

If you want to smell like a sweet, chocolatey snack, this fragrance is for you! A true gourmand with a soft sillage, but decent longevity. A delicious, linear smoky chocolate with fruity nuances. Great for cozy, autumn or winter evenings. With more uses, I think this may easily make its way to my top 10 of all time list!