Shay and Blue London are an English boutique perfumery established in 2012 and has gone from strength to strength, wining Best Artisan Fragrances in 2012 (Monocle) and the winner of Best New Fragrance House in 2014. Founded by Dom De Vetta and Julie Massé, Shay and Blue specialise in modern, artisan, natural fragrances using real flowers, fruit and spices. Their products are paraben and phthalate free. They do not test on animals and they are certified by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.)
Blood Oranges is a citrus, unisex perfume launched in 2012 and created by Julie Masse. The scent is very fresh as it should be with the 100ml bottle containing three pounds of real fruit. The scent won Best Classic Fragrance in 2016 by Wallpaper Magazines.
This was in my Marks and Spencer Beauty Christmas Calendar and now it's summer it's the perfect time to wear it as it's very fresh and summery, though it would be a good to wear during spring too. I have had another orange scented perfume before Manderine Therapy by The Healing Garden which I liked it and wore it as an everyday perfume to work.
This is a 10 ml bottle with a spray nozzle which I prefer over a roller ball as I find that you get more projection with a spray. The nozzle is strong and emits a rather powerful spray. I like the look of the simple 10ml bottle, although it looks a bit like a room fragrance bottle or aftershave. The perfume is unisex though so looking paired down or like an aftershave matches the brand and the unisex fragrance.
I don't know why but the 10 ml and 30 ml bottles are blue and the 100 ml is in a green bottle. However I know everyone seems to fall in love with the design of the largest bottle. To me it's fairly attractive, has a old fashioned pharmacist vintage vibe but I don't think it's very special or innovative compared to Ghost's crescent moon bottles, Gallop d'Hermes stirrup bottle, Kenzo leaning poppy bottle and DNKY Be Delicious apple bottles.
The perfumery is very much like Jo Malone, producing unisex, modern, natural scents focused on real fruits and flowers and both are based in London. The branding is similar with simple bottle designs and labels and the larger bottles presented in similar boxes. The Shay and Blue box has a clean, classic Breton stripe, bow and of course a blue box, it's pretty but still unisex.
In this perfume the immediate, bursting top note is blood orange. Blood oranges are a cross-breed of exotic pomelo and clementine. The middle note is leather and the later bottom notes or dry down contains musk, wood and amber. It is quite a simple perfume with only five notes. I can smell orange, leather, a bit of pine trees though it's very subtle and some musk towards the end. The orange note smells like fresh orange juice and tangerines, natural, fresh and invigorating. Initially it's full on fresh and sharp and then mellows to slightly sweet and and then slightly bitter. This is the first fragrance I've tried with leather as a note and initially I though it was odd to use in a fragrance. However leather has been used for centuries and Hermes are well known for using leather and and the note is also used in Dior Fahrenheit, I just haven't come across it before as I usually go for fruity floral perfumes. However it surprised me as it complements the orange, making the scent warmer, enhancing both notes and bringing a sense of comfort. Shay and Blue's website describe the bottom note as charred wood but to me it's not smoky at all but fresh pine and very, very light and subtle. There is a slightly musky note towards the end which gives it a hint of sexiness but it's very close to the skin so I can imagine a die hard orange fragrance fanatic could wear this at night as the smell is intimate but it would probably not be musky enough for most people to wear as evening scent. This is mostly a linear perfume where the orange scent remains throughout with only very subtle changes as it wears. This is not a sweet, candy scented orange so some people may find this too masculine a scent.
On me Blood Oranges lasted around 5 hours (on hot days) and wore close to the skin for the last 3 hours. I think the longevity is slightly below average. Shay and Blue also sell Blood Oranges body and hand washes, body and hand lotions and hand creams so you can layer the products to extend the longevity of the fragrance. You can wear this fragrance to work as it's not very overpowering, the projection (perfume trail) is moderate.
The largest bottle of Shay and Blue Blood Oranges contains 100ml and is priced at £55 which is good value for a such a generous bottle. While a 10ml bottle doesn't sound like much it's good for travel and for trailing a scent. The price isn't that bad considering it's a luxury perfume on a price level with Clinque Aromatics Elixir which also sells for £25 for a 10ml bottle. Comparing it to Jo Malone, the starting price is lower with the smallest Jo Malone bottles containing 30ml which sells for £45. Shay and Blue also sell combination gift boxes and samples on their website. If you're a big fan of the scent they also sell Blood Orange candles to scent your home.
To sum everything up, this is summer in a bottle and reasonably priced. I can see it being popular as a daytime scent and suitable for pretty much all occasions and ages.
Stocked in Marks and Spencers, QVC UK (which has lower prices) and on the Shay and Blue website (they offer international delivery.)
This was in my Marks and Spencer Beauty Christmas Calendar and now it's summer it's the perfect time to wear it as it's very fresh and summery, though it would be a good to wear during spring too. I have had another orange scented perfume before Manderine Therapy by The Healing Garden which I liked it and wore it as an everyday perfume to work.
This is a 10 ml bottle with a spray nozzle which I prefer over a roller ball as I find that you get more projection with a spray. The nozzle is strong and emits a rather powerful spray. I like the look of the simple 10ml bottle, although it looks a bit like a room fragrance bottle or aftershave. The perfume is unisex though so looking paired down or like an aftershave matches the brand and the unisex fragrance.
I don't know why but the 10 ml and 30 ml bottles are blue and the 100 ml is in a green bottle. However I know everyone seems to fall in love with the design of the largest bottle. To me it's fairly attractive, has a old fashioned pharmacist vintage vibe but I don't think it's very special or innovative compared to Ghost's crescent moon bottles, Gallop d'Hermes stirrup bottle, Kenzo leaning poppy bottle and DNKY Be Delicious apple bottles.
The perfumery is very much like Jo Malone, producing unisex, modern, natural scents focused on real fruits and flowers and both are based in London. The branding is similar with simple bottle designs and labels and the larger bottles presented in similar boxes. The Shay and Blue box has a clean, classic Breton stripe, bow and of course a blue box, it's pretty but still unisex.
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| Shay and Blue |
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| Courtesy of Shay and Blue |
On me Blood Oranges lasted around 5 hours (on hot days) and wore close to the skin for the last 3 hours. I think the longevity is slightly below average. Shay and Blue also sell Blood Oranges body and hand washes, body and hand lotions and hand creams so you can layer the products to extend the longevity of the fragrance. You can wear this fragrance to work as it's not very overpowering, the projection (perfume trail) is moderate.
The largest bottle of Shay and Blue Blood Oranges contains 100ml and is priced at £55 which is good value for a such a generous bottle. While a 10ml bottle doesn't sound like much it's good for travel and for trailing a scent. The price isn't that bad considering it's a luxury perfume on a price level with Clinque Aromatics Elixir which also sells for £25 for a 10ml bottle. Comparing it to Jo Malone, the starting price is lower with the smallest Jo Malone bottles containing 30ml which sells for £45. Shay and Blue also sell combination gift boxes and samples on their website. If you're a big fan of the scent they also sell Blood Orange candles to scent your home.
To sum everything up, this is summer in a bottle and reasonably priced. I can see it being popular as a daytime scent and suitable for pretty much all occasions and ages.
Stocked in Marks and Spencers, QVC UK (which has lower prices) and on the Shay and Blue website (they offer international delivery.)
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