When it comes to perfume I'm pretty set in my ways. As a schoolgirl I went through a mad Charlie Red phase (my friends associated that smell with me) and I loved Cacharel's Anais Anais for a while because it was cheap enough for me to buy it for myself (and you can check out other hideous products of yore here). Then I discovered the wonderful Chanel Mademoiselle and have been loyal to it ever since.
There came a time, however, when I realised that I couldn't wear this luxury perfume all the time - it's far to precious for that - I needed a scent for the day. Roll-ons are obvious day perfumes; they are bag-friendly and are generally not overly strong. I've tried one from L'Occitane that I quite like but it wears off too quickly for my liking and I feel like I have to use loads of it.
Jua is a new perfume from Trilogy. I was excited to try it since it ticks all the boxes I desire for a day-time scent and it has not one but two bonuses; it's made from all-natural ingredients and it has been developed with So They Can, an Australasian charity based in Africa.
The name of Trilogy's perfume oil is quite poignant. Jua means 'sun' or 'sunshine' in Swahili, fitting because of the its base ingredient is Tanzanian sunflower oil which is hand-pressed in Kenya and Tanzania as part of a So They Can project, the aim of which is to build self-sufficiency while alleviating poverty within severely disadvantaged communities. Jua's sunflower oil base is from the first batch of oil pressed by So They Can's women farmers.
I was intrigued to read that Jua shares a top note with my beloved Coco Madmoiselle - bergamot - and Coco M has bourbon vanilla as a base note; Jua has vanilla. Beyond those minor similarities the two can't be compared, but don't get me wrong, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Advertised
Jua's USP is that it is made from all-natural ingredients and this is no mean feat. Designer perfumes are made with some synthetic ingredients which widens the range of notes making it easier (for want of a better word) to hold the fragrance and make it last for longer on the skin. What Trilogy have managed to do with Jua - by creating an all-natural perfume - is an admirable achievement.
But does it smell nice, I hear you ask. Well, yes...but it's not really for me. The vanilla base note is strong and sweet and after half an hour that's all I can really smell. The scent itself settles to quiet a faint, sweet smell and it would be perfect for someone, maybe younger, who likes very sweet fragrances.
The price echoes this - it's €15.95 for a 7.5ml roll on. I think this is ideal for your teenage sister/cousin/daughter who is a fan of those typical 'Body Shop' type scents.
Have you tried Jua? Are you a fan of those sweet fragrances? And do you like the idea of a handy roll-onin your handbag as much as me?
