A Scented Love Letter From Michael Bublé

I've always had the idea in my head that celebrity perfumes are... well, just a little bit tacky. When I heard that Michael Bublé had released a fragrance for women, I must admit, I rolled my eyes a little. But then I saw that the Thirty Plus Bloggers collective was getting behind it, and suddenly my interest was piqued. So much so, in fact, that when I was asked if I would like to review a sample, I said yes straight away. After all, we're talking about highly intelligent and discerning women here. There had to be more to this than just another star putting their name to a product.

Oh, there's so much more. I'll get into the details of it in a bit, but first of all you need to know this: By Invitation is a complex, finely crafted and beautiful perfume, far more sophisticated than I would have expected from a celebrity offering. As for the packaging, if it doesn't knock your socks off, I don't know what will.

The fragrance was originally conceived as "a scented love letter" to Bublé's female fans, and the man himself has been hands on in every aspect of its creation, from the concept behind it to the finer details of the design. Talking about the original inspiration for the scent, Bublé said, "It's no secret that I'm a hopeless romantic. It's in every note I sing and every song I write. The idea was to create a special 'invitation' to fans into my new world of fragrance. I'm inviting women to enjoy a beautiful scent that represents my personal taste and imagination. By Invitation is what I'd call 'love in a bottle'."

Oh Michael, stop it!

Bublé collaborated with leading French perfumer Karine Dubreuil-Sereni to create his debut scent, and gave her free reign to work with the finest ingredients in order to make his vision a reality. The result is a gloriously dreamy, feminine fragrance - just what Bublé's ideal woman would wear. 

As well as the fragrance itself, Bublé was also heavily involved in the design of the packaging. Bloggers are well known for their love of good packaging, and when it comes to perfume, I think it's really important. Wearing scent is an experience, whether it makes you feel glamorous or girly, sexy or sassy, and if the bottle doesn't reflect what's inside, it can take away from that experience. The packaging of By Invitation, in my opinion, is a triumph. A luxe cream and gold box houses the most stunning gold bottle - it is without a doubt the best looking thing on my dressing table right now. Elegant and luxurious, the round glass bottle has a pleasing weight to it and is suspended within a band of textured gold, reminiscent of fine jewellery, while the pull off cap is designed to resemble old-fashioned perfume atomisers. The whole thing is part classic, part contemporary and entirely Instagrammable. 

 

And the fragrance itself? Described as a crisp, floral oriental, it's unashamedly feminine and I'm completely in love with it. It's a little sweeter than I'd normally go for, but I'm actually thoroughly enjoying wearing something a bit different. The first spritz is light, fresh and zingy - a little like a sparkling fruit cocktail - which comes from the top notes of red fruits, lemon and bergamot. Then, as it settles, the floral heart notes of rose, jasmine, lily of the valley and peony come into their own. I've always loved floral fragrances, particularly rose and jasmine, so I'm in delightfully familiar territory here. At the base, however, the warmth of amber and cedar wood combined with patchouli and a delicious hit of vanilla praline lends an irresistible twist as well as a sophisticated depth to the fragrance. It wears beautifully over time and lingers all day, without being remotely "in your face".

By Invitation is available to buy from Michael Bublé Perfume or The Perfume Shop and, if you ask me, at a great price point. The 100 ml bottle is £55 and the 50 ml is £39. Apparently, Bublé's aim was create a whole new category with his debut fragrance that sat somewhere between higher end and more affordable brands, which is something I can definitely get behind. The perfume is also available in a 30 ml size and there are additional products to compliment it, including a shower gel, body lotion, purse spray and candle.

So whether you love the idea of smelling like Michael Bublé's dream girl, or you think that's cheesy AF, it doesn't really matter. I'm pretty confident that any fan of feminine, floral or sweet fragrances will love this. Personally, I started off a cynic, and have been thoroughly seduced. Bublé, you old charmer!

Are you a Michael Bublé fan? Will you be trying out By Invitation for yourself? And what do you think about celebrity fragrances in general?

Kate x

This post was sponsored by Michael Bublé Perfume. All opinions, as always, are my own.