I’m back from China, and there’s so much to look back on that I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. The trip wasn’t about perfume, and I was really intentional about not seeking out perfume everywhere I went, but it was still all around me. ⠀⠀
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During a sweltering hot day, we walked around a trendy new shopping area in Shanghai and stumbled across the Amouage store. They didn’t have the newest perfume and of the three that launched last year, Outlands was missing. The sales associate couldn’t speak English but she took us through some of the scents, and I threw in what I knew about my favourites. We walked out with 4 unmarked blotters, and went to lunch. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Over tapas, our noses kept coming back to what we had smelled, and I tried to identify what was on the strips by memory. The only one I could pinpoint with accuracy was Guidance, thanks to a gorgeous sugared rose whose sweetness was augmented by a syrupy juicy pear. This shone in Shanghai heat in a way that Guidance never had on my skin. We loved it and couldn’t stop smelling it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I realized that it was Guidance because it smelled like a new release that was in my collection at home – Lancome Idole Power. This Idole has become one of my favourite finds of the year, and because of it, I understand the hype around Guidance. Guidance is more textured with many layers – the opening is something I need to get my nose around, but Idole goes right to the heart of the fragrance with its fruity rose combo. Is this inspired by Guidance? Most definitely. If you liked the Guidance DNA, you might like this even more.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Perfume shopping in Shanghai is excellent, with lots of brands being available. They clearly love their perfume, and every hotel we stayed at was scented. Going from a perfume desert to a landscape where scents are celebrated was one thing, but shopping is hard when you don’t speak the language, and even the most touristy areas were not ready for English speakers. More soon.
