Review: Burberry Brit EDP

Before I launch into this review, I need to explain my relationship with vanilla. I like to eat vanilla. Vanilla cupcakes, cake, ice cream, lattes, I'm all over it. But I do not like to smell like vanilla (Maud will try to shank me for writing this) because I associate it with food. And when I smell like sugar cookies, I get confused. I feel like all I'm telling the world is that I spent the last two weeks baking very strong cookies, and that's not really the image I want to put off. Plus, vanilla is often super, super sweet smelling, and while I love eating very sugary food, smelling like sugar all day makes me nauseated.

So keep that in mind as I review the Burberry Brit Eau de Parfum.



First off, I love that the bottle is like a Burberry scarf! Just a little kitschy, but still cute. As for the fragrance, Basenotes breaks it down as having top notes of Italian Lime, Icy Pear, and Crisp Green Almond, middle notes of Sugared Almond and White Peony, and base notes of Amber, Mahogany, Vanilla, and Tonka. I don't get any of those top notes, on me it goes straight to heavy, sweet vanilla with a hint of amber and almond. If that sounds extremely sweet, that's because it is.

My main problem with Brit is that it's not very complex. It starts off as saccharine vanilla, and eventually mellows out a little as the amber kicks in, but that's it (the lasting power is fantastic, by the way). It's pretty much an oriental vanilla from start to finish, and much more vanilla than oriental. There are times when that's what I want from a perfume, like on a cold, rainy day where all I want to do is snuggle in a pile of blankets and watch The Notebook. Brit on those days is like a nice, warm cashmere hug. Unfortunately, those days come around about three or four times a year, which is not often enough to justify my paying $68-$88 for Brit. But, if sugary, amber-vanilla is your thing, and your skin doesn't amp vanilla as much as mine does, then by all means, check out Brit on your next trip to Sephora.

Burberry Brit EDP, $88 for 3.3oz at sephora.com

Image Sources:
Burberry Brit: sephora.com