Royal Arms Diamond Edition

This perfume is surprisingly lovely. It has some of my favourite notes like Rose and Lily of the Valley, but I admit that it's very heavy on the violets. This is a rich interpretation of everything quintessentially British Country Garden and it does it so well. As a lover of patchouli, I can quite emphatically say that this patch is very well behaved and hardly noticeable, so will appeal to those of you who are not so keen on it. The florals are done beautifully and arranged so that each individual flower has its chance to shine. My criticism of this perfume is that It was very short lived. That was a shame and I think I may have to use it as a layering perfume. I do think that some of the most discerning and classic fragrances come from British houses which are so under rated worldwide. This is most full bottle worthy and I think, a very safe blind buy. Rose, violets and lily of the valley, what's not to like?

What a surprise! With a name like Royal Arms--whether the Diamond edition or not--I'd assumed that this would be a gent's cologne. Far from it, in fact! The first word out of my mouth upon donning this lovely floral bouquet was 'Rose'. Then I began to notice some similarities to Bvlgari pour Femme--the sweet violet facet of the fragrance was shining through. A few minutes later, the iris became more marked. This is a very appealing perfume. I'd love to have a bottle! I presume that Royal Arms Diamond Edition is a limited edition and probably no longer available, but I am happy to have had the opportunity to wear this generous-sized manufacturer-carded sample.

I really like this perfume, but it's definitely very powdery. A friend came to stay at a time when I was in the habit of spraying a tiny drop on pillowcases, and the next day he remarked that the bed had an old-lady smell like the stage make-up at his theatre school. The violets are noticeable, too: it's the sort of scent you'd associate with a Dickensian great-aunt. Not that I mind that!

I love this perfume. It has three om my favourite notes, violet, iris and rose. I can't really smell anything beyond those three notes, and I don't mind that at all. On me it smells like hairspray for the first 15-30 secs. but then the scent opens and the violet, iris and rose take center stage. Powdery and gorgeous. From today and for the rest of the week I am going to wear this Diamond Jubilee perfume as a Platinum Jubilee in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne and the four day celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

On my skin Royal Arms smells like a diluted version of Nuit de Longchamp (Lubin). Nuit de Longchamp is more interesting and has more longevity.