Swarovski Aura edp

Dear readers! My reviews are based on my own opinion, perception and experience of the product mentioned in this blog post. Your idea on the same product can be different, and it is fine, of course it is!

I have always loved perfumes. Always. Seems like I've been born with it. I love all of them- fruity, floral,  oriental, spicy...Some I love more, some less. 

This is to tell you about my Aura by Swarovski, the one I quite like.

It was launched by Swarovski  in 2011 and created  by Jean-Pierre Bethouart and Olivier Cresp (Firmenich). Top notes are rose and litchi, tuberose is the middle note; and we have musk, benzoin, amber and pink pepper at the base of the fragrance.

The Aura's packaging is elegant, can easily go for a dressing table decoration. It has a very sleek and linear bottle and a Swarovski crystal crowning the top of the bottle. Great job with the packaging, if you ask me! I personally  don't display my perfumes. I have quite a number of them, thus preserving my perfumes in their original state is so much more important than displaying them :) 

The juice itself is pale pink, does not stain your t-shirt, can be sprayed directly on clothes. At least, I did not have this problem

I am rather pleased with the staying power of Aura. I usually make 4 sprays of this perfume. But again, I love to leave a trail of perfume behind me. I love to feel my perfume on me throughout the day. If you are more of a lighter user, 1-2 sprays will be enough. It lasts on me, but then, perfumes tent to last on me. Should I choose to wear it all the day- I might want to refresh it after about 6 hours of wear, not before.

Please, keep in mind that Aura can be a tricky perfume to wear. It can cause a headache. A HUGE one. It can be rather unpleasant. Or it can make you to fall in love with it immediately. This is one of those perfumes that you love or you hate. Aura definitely urges you to make up your mind: like me? Or like me not? Decide asap! I decided right  after I sampled it- this baby is coming home with me. Now.

To me, Aura is a floral-musky perfume. The top notes are definitely fruity, though. The pyramid of Aura says that litchi is the fruity ingredient from the top. I don't smell litchi, I just don't. I smell pink pepper. Lots of it! And roses. And I HATE roses. But somehow here the rose accord does not make me feel unwell, it is not overpowering, it is not suffocating me. It is a "good" rose. It is gentle to me. It is not having this typical intense rose-like and  almost oily smell. It is a light rose smell. When the roses fade the tuberose and musk step forward. And they stay, and stay. It develops on me in a  wonderful musky-peppery perfume, a bit powdery one.

Is it a must-have? Well, I do like it. Will I be re-purchasing it? Honesty, I do not know. It is beautiful, but nothing THAT special, to my mind. A lovely perfume, no doubt. A great gift, no questions here. It is just not unique. Not the one that captures me and never lets go. 

I urge you to test it before buying! This is not a perfume to knock ME down, but it might very well knock YOU down. It is a stunning and a feminine perfume, for sure. It is just so versatile. It can be  used as an office perfume as well as an evening or clubbing perfume. 

Now am going to break down Aura for you, guys:

In terms of price, it is in the middle. Not as pricey as some of the niche fragrances, but this baby does not come cheap. 30 ml of product can cost up to 65 €. Price/quality relation I would rate as 3 on a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent), since I am not quite sure if this perfume worth the money you pay for it.

In terms of age, Aura can be worn by women of all ages. Probably best suited for women 20-50 years old.

Aura has a good staying power, no need to refresh it during the day!
It is such a multifaceted scent that you can wear it with a pair of your Converse and a trusted pair of jeans or with a LBD and sky-high heels.

Testing, testing and testing is the key. I would not recommend buying it without a prior test on the skin; ask for the sample from the sales assistant if possible. You might want to wear it for a day or two before committing.

P.S. I am advocating for NOT dividing scents into groups like evening or day-time fragrances, winter-time or spring time appropriate ones, etc. I can easily wear a heavier fragrance in the morning and go for a lightest in my collection for an evening out. Moreover, it is common for me to wear fragrances that are marketed for men. After all, it is completely up to you to decide when and where you wish to wear a particular perfume! Having fun and enjoying the scent you wear is ALL that matters.