I buy at least ten fragrances every year whether they are a treat for me of a gift for someone else. I am also often given bottles of perfume and currently have about 20 bottles I am using. What I look for in a perfume is primarily a rich, classy floral smell. It is also very important to me that I like the bottle. I want something feminine, classic yet not too old fashioned, a bottle that will look good on my dressing table. The box is not very important to me despite being the thing that will often first attract me to a particular perfume. I want a perfume that looks and smells expensive. I am a fan of Chanel perfumes but at £50+ a bottle I can only afford one of these occasionally. Therefore I get quite excited when I find a perfume that has the sought after expensive smell and look but doesn't cost the earth.

That is how I would describe Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. The actress is famous for portraying Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. She released this, her debut fragrance in 2009. Since then she has released a range of perfumes including Covet and SJP NYC. There are also other Lovely products such as shower gel and body lotion. The box is attractive and understated, baby pink with gold detail and lettering. There is a list of ingredients including Jojoba. I think the box is a bit more important if you are giving the perfume as a gift and the packaging for Lovely is rather lovely! I would describe the glass bottle as tear shaped with a hint of pink. A classy pink, like pale pink champagne. The lid is round plastic with vertical grooves. Hard to describe but when on the bottle it gives a classic look. The top of the bottle is made of gold coloured metal and has a small ring of beige ribbon around it. The overall look is simple, elegant, classic and feminine. The spray pump works exactly as it should. The perfume itself I would describe as rich, expensive, classy, classic and feminine. The heart notes are paperwhites, creamy orchid and patchouli. The top notes are lavender, apple martini and bergamot. The base notes are white amber, sultry woods, musk and cedarwood. It is exactly as describes on the bottle: Lovely. It is also long lasting and people compliment me on the smell hours after I have applied it.

In Boots a 30ml bottle costs £25, 50ml costs £30 and 100ml costs £42 which I think is a reasonably price to pay for this perfume. It is worth watching out for offers though as I have seen them for 1/3 off a few times, which is obviously even better value for money.

In conclusion, I have bought this perfume several times and will continue to do so as it has an expensive smell and look but at an inexpensive price.