Kissing You

Kissing You is built on a single clear idea and does not stray from it. Almond opens the fragrance alone, sweet and marzipan-like, with none of the citrus or green material most compositions use to clear the way. It is an unusual choice for an opening note and it makes the first impression instantly recognisable. The heart brings tuberose, iris and jasmine together in a creamy white floral accord. Tuberose is the loudest of the three, iris adds a powdery coolness that keeps it from turning heady, and jasmine fills the gaps. It is a soft, slightly retro floral shape rather than anything sharp or modern. The base is where the fragrance earns its keep for the money: sandalwood, vanilla, coffee and tonka bean form a warm gourmand floor, and the coffee is the detail worth noticing because it adds a bitter edge that stops the vanilla and tonka collapsing into plain sugar. Performance is the honest limitation. This is a 30 mL mini eau de parfum from the brand's travel range, and it behaves like one: around three to four hours on skin with soft projection that stays close after the first thirty minutes. Reapplication is part of the deal. Wear it in autumn and winter, where the almond and coffee read best, and treat it as a handbag fragrance rather than a signature. At single-figure money it is a fair trade.