Citrus Lemon & Petitgrain

This is an oddly refreshing mediterranean budget perf, it reminds me of room sprays, shower gels and everything in Spain and Italy. Not only lemon though, herbal and slightly grassy or basilic. It's probably more on the masculine side but I think in such summer heat we have now the key word is 'fresh'.. And this one is, indeed, fresh.. It is somewhat reminiscent of Light Blue, but somehow it reminded me also of Les Cascade de Rochas Songe d'Iris as well - maybe notthe same notes, but the same kind of vibe. Perfectly balanced, none of the notes overpower the other. Lasting power is average, the bottle design is lovely with the wooden cap. Happy to have it!

I have a story with this one. Long and dramatic. Scroll to the end for scent review. So I live in Ukraine, and as all of you know, at the beginning of 2022 russia invaded from all directions and started destroying our country. As I live near Kyiv, after about a week of this madness I decided to leave my home and stay with relatives in the west of the country. I only took the stuff that seemed most important (warm clothes, laptop, cats) but did not take any fragrances. Which I really regretted!!! Guys, if you ever face a situation where you have to flee your home in a rush with only a few things, make sure you take a fragrance. It might save your mental health. Anyway, so I stayed in this small town in the mountains, in an old house, in a weird smelling room, and I had no fragrance. During this time my dad joined the army and he was wounded in combat, so he needed a surgery and was transferred to a hospital in a city not too far from where I was. I took a train to visit him. It was a large city, and on my way from the train station to the hospital I decided to check out a cosmetics store, just because I missed shopping. And I'm like, I MUST get a perfume today! So I approached the perfume section, (I lost my job due to the war, so I was on a budget) and I noticed these really simple and cheap Colabo scents. They stood out with their simple design and simple titles. I tested a few and I really loved how minimalist the citrus was, so I bought it and it cheered me up for the next few months until I moved back into my home and got hold of all my stuff. I always carry a bottle of perfume with me since then. **** SCENT REVIEW Simple minimalist woody citrus scent. It's a punch of bitter lemon zest at the beginning, quite artificial, that then smooths out and becomes sweeter and woodier. Quite short-lived. I prefer it as a room scent, though it smells less sharp on my skin. Pros: simple, fresh, cheap; Cons: artificial lemon, poor performance, reminds of air freshener.

Szukałam czegoś intensywnego, orzeźwiającego zapachu cytrusów. Rzeczywiście przy pierwszym niuchnięciu czuć ostrą cytrynę (trochę sztuczna, ale szczególnie mi to nie przeszkadzało). Niestety ta cytryna wietrzeje strasznie szybko (dosłownie w kilka minut?) i zostaje lekko wyczuwalny, bliskoskórny drzewny/ zielony zapach. Nie o to mi chodziło, więc będę używać jako odświeżacz albo zapach na przejście się do spożywczego. Miałam ochotę wypróbować inne zapachy tej marki, ale z obawy o trwałość raczej zrezygnuję.

This one was obviously 'inspired' by DG Light Blue and the likes. I have (re)learned to appreciate this type of simple, refreshing, summer-friendly fragrance since moving back from the UK to southern Europe several years ago. For example, this plain 'Citrus' wouldn't work at all in gloomy Manchester, where summer temperatures rarely exceed twenty-something C. But down here, when the mercury in the thermometer reaches 40 degrees, this is salvation.

This was a gift with sentimental value. Oddly enough, I find myself reaching out for it on hot summer days. It is reliable, it lasts well on my skin and I do not find the ressemblance with DG Light Blue. It has a thing of its own going on. I recommend it, a great budget perfume.