FRAGRANCE | Cheap thrills: Christine Lhuillier Parfumerie's Black Leather and Black Bamboo

A Christine Lhuillier kiosk at Glorietta.

I'm a sucker for fragrances, be it something boozy and spicy like Penhaligon's The Uncompromising Sohan, something dark and warm like Burberry London, or a light and fresh juice like Penhaligon's Castile. Admittedly most of them don't come cheap. Believe me, it's not like I intentionally seek out only expensive fragrances because there are also some that don't work with my body chemistry, no matter the brand or how pricey they are. That or I simply don't like them.

Proof of this is how I discovered Christine Lhuillier Parfumerie, which carries a wide--and I mean wide--array of fragrances that include body sprays, EDTs, EDPs, and room sprays. It's no prestige brand by any standard, and you can find them at kiosks at different malls. There's some effort, however, in their branding and presentation. Their kiosks, for one, aren't your run-of-the-mill counters because theirs sport a distinct shabby chic design.

I first stumbled upon one at Glorietta and was glad that they also opened at Century City Mall, which I happen to frequent. Aside from regularly getting room sprays, I also sampled their EDTs and ended up buying two at just Php 350 apiece (their EDPs are at Php 450). So how are they? Here's a rundown.

Black Leather
This one starts with a sharp alcohol blast, which is forgivable given the price. As the alcohol dissipates, a sharp synthetic smell that I can't make out what is revealed. The sharpness lingers for quite some time before giving way to a soft and slightly warm drydown.

The leather here is not as pronounced and is easily overpowered by that same sharp synthetic note I mentioned. Although projection is weak after that sharp alcohol assault in the opening, Black Leather stays long enough on my skin. Overall it's still a fairly decent fragrance considering how inexpensive it is. But will I get another bottle? I probably would try out other ones from Christine Lhuillier's line first.

Black Bamboo
This fragrance also opens with a strong alcohol blast but you can already smell a fresh, grassy, green note early on. It must be the bamboo. Unlike Black Leather, this one develops rather quickly, with that same green note dominating the drydown but now with a very light touch of sweetness and a faint smoky accord around the edges.

Black Bamboo feels fresh and never sticky, which makes it a perfect dumb reach for warm days. It has decent projection, and longevity is quite impressive for such an inexpensive fragrance that I sometimes still catch whiffs of it in the afternoon. I must qualify, though, that I use a lot of sprays here. Maybe because it's so cheap that you can afford to be this carefree in using it. Overall I like it and would probably get another one in the future.

You gotta appreciate the efforts this brand puts in adding whatever "premium" touches it can afford in presenting its product. For one the EDTs and EDPs come in glass bottles, no matter how light they are (only the body sprays and room sprays come in plastic bottles). What I find tacky, however, is the velvety pouch they use in lieu of boxes. But it's still no big deal because again they're very cheap.

Ready to try one?