Review: So... Fragrances *

I won't lie, I have an extensive makeup and perfume collection. If I didn't buy anything else for another 5 years, I'd still have more than enough stuff to go through. That said, I love a LOT of variety, particularly when it comes to scents. I have certain ones that I'd wear during the day, others at night, and a few that are versatile enough to go from day to night. I even have specific ones for work, as some of my workmates can be sensitive to certain smells.

I tend to avoid cheap perfumes, however, because who hasn't, in their youth, bought cheap perfumes that ended up smelling pretty nasty, or having them act like imitation perfumes - a poor version of the original?

So, when I was given the opportunity recently to trial a few very affordable perfumes, I was initially sceptical, and while I don't want to ruin the ending for you, I will say that this has been quite the eye opener!

I took this So...? Sexy body spray with me to the Hunter Valley, and while I liked the scent, I was very disappointed to find that this didn't last for long on my skin. Given that the last time I used any body spray was well over 10 years ago, I wasn't certain if it was meant to last for long, but I would imagine it to be quite a light scent.

From what I could glean at first sniff, it's quite a musky scent, and I picked up sandalwood, followed by rose and jasmine. It's also meant to have blackcurrant and mandarin in it. Packed into an aerosol spray, this would be a good starter fragrance for a teenager.

So... Sinful starts off smelling quite creamy on my skin, which makes sense, as it has notes of French vanilla pod and chocolate praline, which I couldn't quite place until I looked it up. When it dries down, it ends up giving off a woody scent with a hint of jasmine. It's also meant to smell like strawberries, but I get more of a chocolatey scent than with a floral/woody base.

I have found this to last for over 11 hours on my wrist, making it a great and affordable work perfume for me. It's not a scent that is very strong, and definitely not overwhelming, but does wear well.

This is a brighter and sweeter scent and my favourite of the lot. So...? Sensual, to me, smells Summery and beautiful. It's a very sweet and refreshing fragrance that smells of mandarin and rose, with the slightest bit of patchouli. As someone who's not a big fan of patchouli, liking this one really caught me off guard a little. This one also definitely smells more like strawberry than So...? Sinful

So... Kiss me is an uplifting scent that smells immediately of a fruit basket, and in a good way. At first sniff, I found quite a pineapple-like scent with bits of blackcurrant. It then dries down to a woody type smell. Quite pleasant, and something I can imagine wearing at something fun, like a festival, or carnival.

On the whole, I will surmise that they aren't very strong scents, but you can overcome that by spraying it liberally, which would also make it last longer. I also think that these scents, when mixed with my own skin chemistry, would be most suitable to day wear. This may also be a good brand to start off with for teenagers who are experimenting with their preferred scents, whether it's citrusy, floral or woody.

I will admit - I used to walk by these without a second glance, but there are now a couple of others in the range that I'd really like to try out! These fragrances can be found at Priceline, Big W and Target, as well as a number of other pharmacies. I believe that they retail at $4.95, $14.95 and $24.95 for the body spray, 30ml and 100ml respectively. At these prices, for the amount that you get, it's quite the bargain!

Have you ever given them a go? Which one would you be interested in trying?

*These products were kindly provided for my consideration.