Floral Street But On King Street

I am always on the look out for new perfumes and particularly intrigued where the founder is female. Having spent my entire corporate career in a male dominated environment I have made the active decision to support female entrepreneurs.

I am not quite sure where I heard about Floral Street but boy am I glad I did.

Covent Garden

My initial lure to the Covent Garden store was as part of a quest to find scented cards. I am addicted to all forms of stationary but cards and notelets are by far my thing. I have searched high and low for the perfect multi-celebration, cross gender and affordable item. I now have it.

Scented Notelets

At the time of my visit Floral Street produced scented cards in two scents, Wonderland Peony and Ylang Ylang Espresso. They have now added London Poppy to the collection so I feel another visit coming on.

With regards to the two notelets I purchased, the Wonderland Peony card has, you guessed it, a peony on the front. It is pink and white in colour, feminine in nature. The Ylang Ylang card has more of a masculine feel due to the shades of purples and blues.

Scented Cards, Note Books and Travel Sized Perfumes

Now, I was sceptical about the quality and longevity of the scent on paper. Three months down the line and I am still smacked in the face by the sweet smelling cards whenever I open the packets. I am not sure how others attempt to preserve the fragrance but I have left the cards in their cellophane sleeves and have tucked them away in a draw out of direct sunlight.

Whilst I visited Floral Street for the cards it was only a matter of minutes before I had smelt my way through all eight of their perfumes. Not wanting to make an impulse purchase, I googled the brand whilst in store and low and behold, they had a sample box of all eight fragrances. I purchased them online, left the store and awaited their arrival with the knowledge that once delivered, I could take my time to study each of the scents and trial them on my skin.

The Perfume Range

For completeness, I received London Poppy, Wonderland Peony, Neon Rose, Wild Vanilla Orchid, Iris Goddess, Chypre Sublime, Black Lotus, Ylang Ylang Espresso.

The Full Range in all its Glory.

Clearly I have a favourite fragrance, Wonderland Peony. This fragrance surprised me at first as I did not expect the zesty top note of lemon and a scent that was very familiar yet I could not place it. On reading the description I discovered that the smell was guava. A smell of my childhood; my mother had a serious addiction to guava jelly, it’s a Barbadian thing.

As time progressed I could pick up the vanilla, raspberry and peony notes as well as the woody undertones created by the cedar wood. Whilst peonies are not traditionally grown in Barbados, the combinations of these notes reminded me of the island. I really wish that this fragrance came in candle form; I would be floating on air if my apartment smelt of Wonderland Peony.

Wonderland Peony Perfume and Body Cream with White Rose Candle

Now for the rest of the range.

London Poppy – this fragrance has strong notes of citrus which creates an element of freshness . The neroli combined with the apricot blossom creates a sweetness which always requires an anchor. In this case the anchor is in the form of cedar wood and amber. The overall impact of the fragrance is that of a modern world and youthfulness. It is a fun summer fragrance with a fruity cocktail-esq quality whilst at the same time being flirty with a strong undertone.

Neon Rose – They could not have come up with a better name. This perfume is rose on steroids. In my humble opinion, whilst the most dominant note is rose the apple blossom and peach nectar make this perfume. It is summer in a bottle but with a twist. The Sichuan pepper, white cedar wood and crisp amber gives this scent a real attitude, it’s spicy yet floral.

Wild Vanilla Orchid – on first spray this scent reminded me of the carbonated children drinks. In time the sweet top notes wore off to reveal the vanilla bean and sandalwood. This was my least favourite of the range as I am more on the musky, dark fragrance side of the spectrum.

Iris Goddess – now this was a complete surprise. The website describes it as alluring, exquisite, dazzling and flawless and I cannot disagree. The chilli pepper and liquid musk make this scent, its depth never seems to end. I discover something new with every sniff. I mean, if there were ever a date night fragrance, this is definitely it.

Chypre Sublime – I said that Wonderland Peony is my favourite fragrance in this range, this is a very close second. It contains a lot of my favourite notes and, unlike the other fragrances, it is multi-occasional and can be worn day or night. The stand out notes are damask rose, patchouli and benzoin. It’s grassy, yet slightly powdery whilst being exotic.

Black Lotus – aptly named. This is a strong heavy fragrance which can be used by both men and women. Reminiscent of oud, it has an Arabian nature. Whilst I appreciate the peppery nature and strong leather note, it overpowered me, I mean, I want to wear the fragrance, not allow the fragrance to wear me.

Ylang Ylang Espresso – before starting I should probably let you know that I am not a coffee drinker. In fact, the smell of coffee early in the morning has been known to make my stomach turn. If only, as in this case, baristas thought to add rose and jasmine to coffee, I would form a new addiction. This is a playful scent, so much more than the name alludes to. The espresso and coffee beans provide the depth and the rose then lifts it up with the forever helpful Jasmine rounding it off.

Coffee Game Changer

In summary, this perfume house has something for everyone. One common factor throughout, these scents are perfect for strong, modern females.