Pretty perfume from Fashion Icon Sarah Jessica Parker

I love Sarah Jessica Parker and was anxious to try Lovely perfume after an always fun appearance on David Letterman. I purchased the perfume simply because I trusted something she'd create. According to SJP, she didn't just simply lend her name to the fragrance, but was involved in the creation. She wanted something to emulate her fondness of layering essential oils that would smell pretty and not overwhelm. She wanted the woman to wear the perfume, not the other way around.

It took me awhile to actually order the fragrance and I did so without sampling it. I purchased a 3.4 oz bottle on Fragrancenet.com for $46.19, although it retails for $62.00.

It is bottled in a feminine glass teardrop. There's a gold ring at the top of the bottle, followed by a silver grosgrain ribbon, and a ribbed, round plasic cap. Lovely and Sarah Jessica Parker are placed in gold foil in the middle of the bottle in a simple print font. The perfume is a pale pink. The effect is elegant and feminine, and is perfectly suited to the Lovely name.

I have seen it classified as a flowery scent. I disagree, though. I think it's slightly herbal, almost gender neutral. It's light and clean, and includes notes of mandarin, bergamot, rosewood, lavender, apple martini, patchouli, paper whites, orchid, cedar, white amber, musk and woods. If you have an intense dislike of any of these scents, try it anyway. It's truly a blend and succeeds in Sarah's aim to reproduce the layering of essential oils she favors. It's difficult to detect one strong note. I really dislike lavendar, but do like this perfume.

The fragrance is soft, doesn't enter a room before you, doesn't permeate a room once you leave. It's a linear fragrance and stays much the same from first spray to drydown to hours later.(it's a little "green" at first and becomes slightly fuller/softer) It is an eau de parfum strength so it contains at least 10-30% (typical is 15%) aromatic compounds. I find that I do reapply every 4-5 hours.

I like to wear this perfume to the office and do not consider it a romantic perfume, although my husband likes the scent. I would also consider it a sophisticated scent, but my 12 year old daughter really thinks it smells good. I think that it appeals universally.

The scent is reminiscent of incense in a good candle shop kind of way, not an overbearing patchouli head shop way.

I don't LOVE IT, but I like it a lot. This fragrance is different than anything I have ever worn, and although it's scent is light I receive many compliments. Like SJP, it's an original.

My favorite (love) serious perfume is Chanel no. 5. Angel is another favorite and so is the very feminine/floral Fracas. My favorite fun fragrance is probably Curve Crush (Liz Claiborne). I can't compare Lovely to any of these but they should provide you clues about my taste. Any similarities? Fragrance is so intensely personal and I might like the way a scent smells on someone else, but still not want to wear it myself.

Overall, I like Lovely very much and like it for daily office wear, and running around on the weekends. I plan to replace this bottle when I'm finished. Certainly worth a try at your local perfume counter, and it's priced very affordably.