Hugo Boss Boss Orange Eau de Toilette

Hugo Boss: Orange is a designer brand fragrance that has been heavily marketed with leading lady Sienna Miller providing the face of the campaign. It is best described as a summery fragrance and gives the impression of a sunny, fruity fragrance.

Hugo Boss: Orange is available to buy from most beauty and fragrance retailers. Going on the current prices from Boots, you can buy a 30ml bottle with 50ml body lotion for £26.00, a 50ml bottle costs £36.00, and a 75ml bottle costs £46.00. This is reasonable enough for a designer brand fragrance but I am really disappointed with the price I paid for a fragrance that is so unpleasant.

The bottle is made of clear glass that allows you to easily see how much perfume is left inside. The glass has a blocky ribbed effect running down the front and back panels. The bottle itself has a tall, thin shape and the spray pump is covered by a very cheap feeling plastic lid.

Product description: "Boss Orange is a captivating scent that opens with an uplifting burst of crispy apple and bergamot, giving a delicately feminine first impression. Meanwhile, the subtle heart notes of the scent, composed of white flower notes and orange blossom, create a carefree, light hearted edge. The base is characterised by notes of sandalwood, olive wood and creamy vanilla which combine to create a real sense of depth, adding layers of light intensity. The resulting scent is vivacious, free-spirited and soulful."

Sounds dreamy, doesn't it? I bought this perfume thinking that it would be well suited to my love of fresh, fruity scents and that the vanilla would give it an edge of sweetness. Sadly I have been very disappointed with the smell that this perfume gives off. When it is applied, the scent is quite strong and seems chaotic. None of the notes seem to blend and complement each other, and I get a very sharp tone coming through which smells sour. I am unable to pick out any of the individual notes, although my other half neatly observed that it was orange blossom scented, not orange fruit.

The overwhelming aroma that is given off is sickly and sour. It is not at all soft, fresh and fruity like I had imagined. Maybe there are just too many elements to this perfume but something is really not right here. It is very unpleasant and does not give me that comfortable, confident feeling that I expect a good perfume to give me. I like my perfumes to be a statement, and this really gives the wrong impression!

It does last for several hours, but after the initial powerful blast has worn down you are left with a residual scent that seems like it has gone bad. The woody notes come through a bit more but you still have the army of fruits trying to fight for their place in your nose.

I was severely disappointed that this perfume was not at all what I was expecting. This is not the carefree, light and fresh summer fragrance that I wanted. I have tried it again and again to see if I can get used to it, or if the perfume needed a better chance to develop on my skin but the results are always the same. I really cannot understand why this is so popular, and I would certainly not be able to recommend it to anyone.

Summary: I am truly baffled as to why this is so popular, total failure in my opinion