Hot Blue For Women

Hot Blue opens on an exuberant fruit basket - tart rhubarb, ripe strawberry, juicy pineapple and raspberry brightened with blackcurrant and lemon, the unmistakable tropical-sweet signature of Escada's summer flankers. A soft floral heart of rose, orange blossom, melon, peach and violet keeps it from being purely candied, before a creamy base of vanilla, caramel, musk and a touch of sandalwood and milk rounds it off. Escada's original was a linear, easy-going fruity scent that faded after about five hours; Perfume Parlour's interpretation keeps the same straightforward sweet-fruity arc and, because it's an oil-based formula, tends to cling a little longer, though it reads a touch more synthetic and one-dimensional than the genuine essence. It's an unpretentious, uplifting summer crowd-pleaser - and a welcome way back to a limited-edition Escada that's otherwise hard to find.