I never really intended to collect perfumes, but when I look at how many I have, I realise that I'm never going to need this many! I fell in love with another of Dior's perfumes, Hypnotic Poison, but after my boyfriend bought that for my last birthday, was directed towards this one with the aid of a sample.

I liked the sweetness of the sample and although I hated that advertising campaign that came with this particular fragrance, I wasn't going to let that put me off.

Perhaps I should have been put off.

We are drawn in by this rather arrogant woman, strutting about, pouting and rejecting all the usual items that people associate with success, the things we are apparently meant to strive for. Instead, she claims all she needs is this perfume. Personally, I have never seen perfume as a need, and all it does is make you smell nice, so for me this advert was simply a waste of time. If I really love a smell, I should buy it for that alone.

I'm not really the sort of person to feel comfortable buying myself these luxury items, and even less so when they don't draw me in completely. However, by chance a family friend was determined to treat me. It was either I suggest something or gold earrings, and personally I don't wear earrings, so I put forward perfume as an alternative. This wasn't the only one I had been eyeing, but this is what I got.

Packaging

This perfume comes in another standard looking box, but the one thing that does make it a little more individual, and seems to jump out at me is the name. The lettering for 'j'adore' in lowercase is playful, as though handwritten by a child.I find this a little odd, given how it was advertised, but alright, it is also gold coloured and the box has that golden touch. There is also a small golden Dior logo and Dior written more formally at the bottom, plus of course the 50ml.

As always, I keep my perfume inside its box. It is a bit of a shame not to show off this particular bottle on my shelf and be more of an envy of others, if that's what you like to do, but as I'm not sure yet whether sunlight exposure does have an effect on the quality of the perfume and perhaps I won't know, I'd rather not take the chance. As I say it is a shame in this case, because the bottle is truly glamorous.

Again a nice glass bottle with a slender, lengthened tear-drop sort of shape and a glass spherical top like a pearl to finish it off. It has a kind of gold threading which is also quite attractive and adds to the golden theme of this bottle. In all it looks like a rather expensive design.

You can see inside the transparent glass part of the bottle, the yellow coloured liquid (perhaps here I am supposed to have said gold, but I'm pretty sure it's yellow. Nonetheless, the colour works well. You do know you are buying the right amount by the measurements, but I do tend to feel slightly cheated when I see how much of what is inside the box is thick glass from the bottle. On the other hand I guess this makes it fancy.

Spray

A reasonable amount can be applied with this bottle. On application, I am probably a bit on the mean side, so always trying to press as gently as possible to release as little as possible of the fragrance. The spray is finer and better spread than some of my other perfumes, which I do like, although I guess it also means quite a bit must evaporate on each application.

Scent

I'm not too good at picking up on specific smells in perfumes, and I guess this is an art that takes time. On first application, I found this perfume to be rather sweet but with a tangy sort of twist to it. After a few minutes this softens right down and I am left with the sweetness, that seems almost herbal to me. I had expected this to be rather strong, but it wasn't at all. A lot of people notice fruity tones in this perfume, but I have to admit that I myself don't get this. Perhaps that is more about me though. The fragrance is not at all what I expected from seeing the advertisements. It is much gentler and more 'feminine' than I had imagined it would be and perhaps the playful wording on the bottle is more appropriate in my mind. I don't know why they chose the gold theme for this particular bottle because for me it doesn't really match up to what you are smelling, but perhaps they just know better what sells, as it certainly does!

Endurance

Anyway this fragrance is much more subtle than some of my others, and in a way I like that, because I don't like overpowering scents that eventually give me a headache anyway! On the other hand this also doesn't really fit well with how it has been advertised in my mind, but nevermind. It is nice in it's own right. However, it took barely a couple of hours on testing before I could barely smell the fragrance any more. I don't agree that you should have to re-apply perfume, especially more than once as you would probably need to with this one, when out, so for me this is very disappointing.

Recommendations

Since this perfume is subtle and not that long-lasting, I would not recommend it for all day events unless you plan on taking it with you. And personally I would not want to be carrying this fragile little glass bottle with its narrow neck around in a handbag all day. Instead it is probably better suited for a short evening out or appointment of some sort. Or as a nice fragrance to wear at home when entertaining. It is probably better suited to an indoor environment as it is more likely to get noticed this way.

Conclusion

I do like this perfume, but perhaps it wasn't the best choice I made that day. A sweet and not unpleasant fragrance, it is a nice touch and comes in a luxury bottle, but it simply does not last long enough or make a big enough impression on me.