Sunny scent for snowy days: Aerin Lauder’s Hibiscus Flower

hibiscus
Howdy, dear Posse folks!! Some of you may relate to this: We were snowed/iced in for two days (school out for three) here in my neck of the woods in the Deep South. Going stir-crazy much? But a lot of household chores got done. And one bright spot on my wrist: I sampled Hibiscus Flower, the newest fragrance from Aerin Lauder.

Growing up in Florida, I’ve always had a soft spot for hibiscus flowers, although I can’t really recall them being terribly fragrant (or perhaps not distinctly enough for my young, inexperienced nose). But they were pretty and just seeing them brings a fond smile. So I was eager to give this a test run.

Its notes are listed as lotus flower, ylang, ginger, hibiscus flower, frangipani, white blossoms, coconut milk, vanilla and musk.

Hibiscus Flower ticks many of the boxes as does my beloved Mediterranean Honeysuckle: a pretty scent with a nice tropical-ish getaway vibe, resort-ready. Although the Hibiscus Flower is warmer, more subdued and not nearly as bright and refreshing as the Mediterranean Honeysuckle. I can already see that it won’t have enough oomph to cut the summer heat the way the MH does for me.

Here in the States, this is at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, but yikes! It doesn’t come cheap: $120 for a 1.7-ounce spray; $170 for a 3.4-ounce spray; and a 5-ounce tube of body cream for $60. The only thing that might fit my budget is the rollerball at $30.

It’s a nice scent, and it gave me a bit of sunshine to cut through the snow crazies. But after a day’s wearibng, I found it not as long-lasting as I’d like, and at those price points, I think I’ll just enjoy my sample and be quite content.

So what scent has been lifting your wintry (or hot weather, as the case may be) spirits?

  • DinaC says:

    I recently had a wonderful visit at Arielle Shoshana’s perfume boutique here in the Northern Virginia area, and I purchased Vilhelm Parfumerie’s Don’t Tell Jasmine, which is a full-throttle “sunshine-in-a-bottle” jasmine to my nose. It’s been a nice mood lifter. I’ve also worn vintage No. 5 parfum a couple of times over the holidays when it was really cold. Vintage Arpege as well. I think aldehydes sparkle in really cold weather. And then I also wore Bois des Iles when I wanted the elegance, but also the cozy warmth of sandalwood. All good stuff!

  • March says:

    This weather is NUTS. It was kind of nice today though!

  • Neva says:

    We have winter in Europe, not a specially cold one so far but still, it’s winter. After wearing SL Jeux de Peau, Biehl Parfumkunstwerke mb02 and Ramon Monegal’s Mon Cuir – more gourmandish, honeyed leather and warm woods – some days I feel like wearing flowery perfumes to evoke spring days. Then I switch for a day to magnolia dominated perfumes like Magnolys or Magnolia Nobile.

  • HeidiC says:

    I love hibiscus flowers as well, but like you Ann, I never registered a smell coming off them. I’ve mostly been playing around with vintage skank: Shocking, Ma Griffe, Tabu, Femme.

  • eldarwen22 says:

    I haven’t been wearing a whole lot of Chanel no 5. My winter has been marked by wearing Lyric, vintage Bal, Shalimar and LADDM or Noontide Petals.

  • AnnJune says:

    Jumping on the No. 5 bandwagon.… always perfect! I’ve been wearing the EDP after showering with the soap, but am planning to pick up the EDT in a couple of months to celebrate spring! (Also have the L’eau for summer ; )

  • rosarita313 says:

    Sorry the Aerin doesn’t last but just reading the description is uplifting! Not sure why a lot of us are trending to classics, but I’ve worn Chanel No 5 for the last several days, it just smells perfect right now for some reason. It’s pouring rain here right now – thunder in January is an aberration – and I am tired of our dramatic temperature swings this winter, so today I’m going to wear Yosh Ginger Ciao. I think of it as a sultry summer evening but it has enough depth to take on a chilly wet day. That is unless No 5 reels me in again. Enjoy your day, Ann!

  • MMKinPA says:

    It’s actually quite warm here today, the snow is all melting. I am wearing SSS Equestrian which I tend to wear more in the fall or spring. I have tried several of the Aerins. Thought they were all very pretty but not a one lasted very long so I didn’t buy. (At that price point I don’t want to have to respray all day!)

  • bevfred says:

    I am retro!! I too have been wearing Chanel 5 eau Premiere and for when I want to feel cozy and expensive Ormonde Jayne’s Orris Noir.

  • Rustee46 says:

    I’ve been breaking put the honey scents. Today I was inspired to wear DKNY Nectar Love over a splash of KK Pure Honey. I found it inspiring–snow is still on the ground where I live, but spring is on the horizon

  • shiva-woman says:

    I went retro and started wearing some Chanel N5 classic, Chanel 5 l’eau (which I quite like), and some Ysatis. I wanted to comment on the Hibiscus. I too just love them, and they grow mostly seasonally here in California whereas they are yearlong in tropical climates. I never thought they had a scent until I spoke to a master gardener. Most don’t–but some do. To this day, I wouldn’t recognize “Hibiscus” as a scent unless I had the opportunity to find a real one and do a sniff. But there are a few scented Hibiscus–more to love. I’m not into the Lauder scents except for the original Lauders as I’m not a big floral lover though Honeysuckle “in the flesh” is one of my favorites.