Illuminate For Women

Illuminate chases Jennifer Lopez's Glow, the 2002 celebrity scent that became a genre of its own: clean, soapy, just-out-of-the-shower freshness that millions found irresistibly comforting. The dupe opens true to type - a soapy neroli and orange blossom lifted by a tart grapefruit, bright and squeaky-clean. The heart softens into a transparent white-floral bouquet of rose, jasmine and a touch of tuberose, pretty but never heady, keeping that laundered, skin-clean character intact. The base is where Glow lived and where Illuminate follows: a clean musk wrapped around soft sandalwood and a powdery iris, with a little amber and vanilla rounding it out. Where the original was almost defiantly soapy and clean throughout, Illuminate leans the vanilla a fraction sweeter, giving a slightly cosier finish, but the overall feel-clean signature is faithful and immediately recognisable. It loses none of the appeal that made Glow a staple - this is fresh, soft and easy, the scent equivalent of clean sheets - and at budget money it is an easy yes for fans of the genre. A versatile everyday floral-musk for spring through autumn, suited to casual days, the office and relaxed dates. Longevity is moderate, settling close to the skin after a few hours, broadly in line with the original.