with summer drawing to a close, i felt it was as good a time as any to review some of the seasonal limited edition scents released by Sucreabeille before they retire. these eye-catching bottles are filled with a fun vibrancy that screams summer, and they smell as good as they look.
just a quick note that i had purchased these in the summer 2019 collection; since that time, Pele has been renamed to Amazonia (but remains the same formulation) and an additional two scents (which i weren't able to pick up this time) have been added for summer 2020.
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Pele/Amazonia (pear, fig, blueberry, ylang ylang) is one of many good examples of why perfume should not be assessed only in the bottle, and needs to be worn to best appreciate its true character. i was initially extremely apprehensive about this from my first sniffs from the bottle, but what started out as an overpowering blueberry turned out to be a well-balanced flormand worthy of its name and description.
in the bottle, this is a pure blueberry blast of fruity fresh sweetness, with the tartness of the fig providing a slight edge and just barely saving it from being too one-dimensional. thankfully, on application, the scent develops much better - the sweetness tones down considerably and blends well with the pear to give a more balanced and mature perspective to the blueberries, against a light and sweet backdrop of ylang ylang. consistent with my experience of most scents from this house, Pele/Amazonia had a low throw of about a foot from skin, and lasted for about three hours of wear.
the scent is described by Sucreabeille as being intended to be worn "whenever you need to remind yourself that you are a strong, phenomenal human who can face (and win) any battle life throws at them". i will confess that most of my confidence-boosting perfumes usually tend to lean more towards the woody, smoky, edgy gunpowder-smoke-metal type, but Pele/Amazonia helped broaden my views about scents that evoke true fortitude - strength is not just in one's armour or weapons; it's best demonstrated in one's will to keep trying, to get up every time one is knocked down, and to persevere no matter what. 7.5/10.
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Siren Song (the spray of the ocean on your face on a cool summer morning, a ripe kumquat plucked straight off the tree, crisp cotton sheets drying on a line in a field full of daisies) is what i want all my laundry to smell like from now on.
in the bottle, this is dominated by the tang of fresh kumquat and comes across as a very fresh and clean scent. the salt note comes across a bit more on application, though the rest of the notes aren't as easily discernible on their own, as they blend smoothly together to contribute to the overall impression of fresh clean laundry that you just want to bury your face in.
the detergent companies honestly need to figure out how to make their products smell this good, because putting this on just magically refreshes and perks you up with the excitement to start a new day. even though the scent had a low throw and lasted only about three hours of wear on my skin, i was very pleased that a few dabs of the perfume oil on my collar and sleeves were enough to preserve the joy of this fresh scent from morning into late afternoon.
Siren Song is aptly named; this scent is as alluring as the siren's song and was one that i couldn't help but keep going back to sniff multiple times over the course of its wear. it's a perfume perfect for any occasion, and a no-brainer to add to my collection of "grab-and-go-when-unsure-of-what-to-wear-that-day" scents. definitely regretting not having picked up a larger size of this one, though it gives me something to look forward to in summer 2021. 8/10.
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The Huntress (grass, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, honeysuckle) is hands-down my favourite of this collection.
this is a lush and fresh grass both in the bottle and on my skin, with a truly stunning combination of the jasmine and honeysuckle blended with it to evoke the imagery of a sun-dappled clearing in a forest. the supporting citrus gives this scent a unique personality as well, and i love how the neroli comes into play to lend a sweetness to the overall perfume. as with most of Sucreabeille's scents, this one had a low throw of about a foot, and i thoroughly enjoyed the four hours of wear i got from this one.
The Huntress is confidence in a bottle with a wild untamed ferocity beneath the surface. this scent immediately brought to mind one of my favourite League of Legends characters Nidalee the Bestial Huntress, who can transform at will from a spear-wielding warrior to a sleek and deadly big cat (and will "show these house cats real claws" in battle). while The Huntress isn't an overtly animalistic scent, it perfectly embodies its namesake by showcasing both the strong human form of a huntress and the untamed ferocity that she can unleash on any unsuspecting fool that strays into her territory.
just one look at the official scent description is enough to take your breath away: "You lie in the forest, waiting. You see your prey lurking in the distance. The air smells of grass, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, and honeysuckle; it’s delectable and soothing. You breathe deeply, calming your senses, keeping your eyes steady. He edges closer, within striking distance. My what beautiful eyes he has. Too bad he won’t have them for much longer." 9/10.
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last but not least, Tempest (spring meadow, rain, summer storms) takes a very realistic depiction of a rainstorm and gives it a remarkable personality to make it into a surprisingly wearable perfume.
the first sniffs of this feel remarkably like i've just uncorked a storm in a bottle and released it on an unsuspecting world. this scent is just wet humidity on a base of drenched grass and with that slight crackling of the huge dark clouds that now span across the sky. i never thought it was possible for this to get even stronger, but on my skin the dam bursts and the rain just comes down in sheets unceasingly. the grass struggles to lift its head under the downpour; this isn't the sweet freshness of a meadow in the sunshine, but a darker, more earthy carpet of greenery that goes very well with the strong petrichor featured.
notwithstanding the realistic expression of a rainstorm that this brings, wearing Tempest makes you feel in no way like a drowned rat (or as we would say it here, 落汤鸡 - 'chicken that fell in the soup'). instead, you've become Storm from the X-Men, eyes glowing white as the world darkens around you with the tempest you've called. compared to the rest of the collection, this is a darker and slightly more moody scent with so much power lurking beneath, just waiting to be unleashed at your command.
like the monsoon storms that are part and parcel of Singapore's weather, this one lasted over three hours on my skin (though it had quite a personal throw). Tempest is a phenomenal scent true to its name, and one that i'm going to enjoy reaching for on warm sunny days. 7/10.
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this review is of products that i had purchased with my own money. i wasn’t asked to review these scents as a condition of receipt and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Sucreabeille and as always, all opinions remain my own.
the scents from the summer collection are available here, though i understand that Sucreabeille will be retiring the line for a while (hopefully only temporarily), so if you’re interested in trying these out, you might want to pick some up before the second week of september rolls around. prices are US$6 for a 1ml sample, US$12 for a dram, US$16 for a 5ml bottle, US$20 for a 10ml rollerball and US$45 for a 1 oz bottle (before shipping).
all information correct at time of publishing.
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