I was recently in Seoul over the Easter weekend, and I was enticed by the fragrances available there. These are the five I bought, left to right: HOLIBANUM Summer Break, HOLIBANUM Strawberry Haze, After blow Love Potion, After blow Sugar Floral, BiBiANG Luviang
I’ve made a video discussing them (I hope it’s okay to share), but here are the main details and my thoughts in text! (Disclaimer: I am a simple enjoyer of sweet fragrances.)
HOLIBANUM Summer Break
– Purchased in Olive Young Seongsu
– Paid 39,900 KRW (originally 79,900 KRW from HOLIBANUM)
– 30ml per bottle
– Main note: Peach
– Thoughts: I absolutely love peaches and peach fragrances, so I fell in love with this at first sniff. It was sold out the first day that I was in Seoul, but two days later it had been restocked – I was ecstatic! It’s supposed to be like peach iced tea, but the fresh peach scent is more intense than the slight tea scent in it. It specifically reminds me of the sweetness of flat peaches (my favourite type of peach), and it is a realistic and juicy fruit fragrance. Very reminiscent of summer as the name suggests. It is quite strong and long-lasting.
HOLIBANUM Strawberry Haze
– Purchased in Olive Young Seongsu
– Paid 39,900 KRW (originally 79,900 KRW from HOLIBANUM)
– 30ml per bottle
– Main note: Strawberry
– ** Thoughts:** The first time I smelled this, it reminded me so much of white strawberries rather than only red strawberries due to the tanginess of the fragrance. It’s like smelling fresh strawberries at a market. Similar to Summer Break, it is also a realistic fruit scent – it isn’t candy-like strawberry like Flower Knows Strawberry Milkshake, nor is it complex like Burberry Her/Her Elixir. I’ve tried it layered with Chabaud Lait Concentré, and the combination smelled like strawberries and cream.
After blow Love Potion
– Purchased on Lotte Duty Free app
– Paid 25,100 KRW (originally 42,000 KRW from After blow)
– 25ml per bottle
– Top notes: Pear, tangerine
– Middle notes: Cherry, rose, orange blossom
– Base notes: Vanilla, amber, musk
– Thoughts: I sprayed this on my wrist in another Olive Young store, and it turned out to be pretty long-lasting. It smelled great for ages! The cherry note comes out immediately, and it’s not a particularly realistic scent, but at the same time it’s thankfully not a medicinal cherry. (I love cherry, but it’s tricky.) The gentle floral and vanilla notes blend with it nicely. Overall, this is just a very pleasant, light fragrance for people who enjoy sweet scents. I can’t imagine it being particularly offensive.
After blow Sugar Floral
– Purchased on Lotte Duty Free app
– Paid 25,100 KRW (originally 42,000 KRW from After blow)
– 25ml per bottle
– Top notes: Lemon, blackcurrant, peach
– Middle notes: Peony, rose, jasmine
– Base notes: Musk, woody, vanilla
– Thoughts: This was a blind buy, as the words “vanilla” and “peach” just speak to me. It’s more floral than I would usually go for but, like Love Potion, it’s another pleasant fragrance that seems fairly wearable. I do smell the different fruit notes in this perfume, especially the citrus of the lemon upon first spray, and they blend together nicely once again. A lovely spring fragrance. I don’t really smell the woody note in this.
BiBiANG Luviang
– Purchased in BiBiANG Seongsu
– Paid 27,900 KRW (originally 30,900 KRW in store)
– 100ml per bottle
– Top notes: Iced tea, flat peach
– Middle notes: Luv, white peach, muguet
– Base notes: Musk, peach water
– Thoughts: This is a hair and body mist, hence the larger size and lower price point. The brand had a range of these, along with actual perfumes, but this was my favourite among them (peach lover behaviour). Compared to Summer Break, it is definitely more reminiscent of a refreshing, sweet peach iced tea. It also lacks the realistic sourness in Summer Break. As it is light, I enjoy not only spraying it on myself, but also in my bedroom. I’d say it’s a crowd-pleaser of a peach fragrance.
by a823l