‘I’m a fragrance expert and was amazed by a £9 body mist I prefer to Sol de Janeiro’

Give Me Cosmetics’ Body Sprays Bundle works out to £9 each and smelled so good my sisters begged to borrow them from me

I’m a fragrance expert with more scents in my collection than I can count, from eau de parfums and colognes to mists and hair perfumes. I’ve tried Sol de Janeiro’s cult classic scents, and got through my bottles faster than I’m proud to admit, but I will admit that £24 for a 90ml bottle is quite expensive.

I’m always on the lookout for mists that can hold up to them without hurting the purse strings quite so much so when I saw Give Me Cosmetics’ Body Sprays Bundle for £36 I was optimistic. It’s got four 200ml bottles inside for less than it costs to buy a single 240ml bottle of Sol de Janeiro mist.

Three of the scents are inspired by Sol de Janeiro but my surprise favourite is actually inspired by a Victoria’s Secret scent that only appears to be available in the US. Botanical Breeze is a blend of sweet green apple, orange and lemon with a base of green tea and coconut. I got constant compliments when I first put it on and my sisters all begged to borrow it. I can see myself reaching for it even more than my Sol de Janeiro mists.

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The spray I was most curious about Caramel Vacay which claims to draw inspiration from Cheirosa 62. I definitely see the inspiration but there’s enough of a difference that I wouldn’t say they’re exactly the same. Caramel Vacay has a sweetness to it but it’s more floral to me which could be seen as a good thing.

I very much get the jasmine and vanilla, even the caramel but I didn’t detect any of the pistachio and almond that people go wild for. Personally I lean less floral with my fragrances of choice but I think it’s definitely a nice and summery option.

Orchid Dreams is inspired by Cheirosa 59 which has vanilla orchid, caramel and I would say it’s very true to that. It’s a spray I’d lean more towards during evenings abroad than sunny days but this one smells the most like the original in my opinion.

Sunset Serenity takes inspiration from Cheirosa 87 or Rio Radiance and is a lovely beachy scent. It’s got mango, grapefruit, neroli and caramel and I’d say is one of the nicest available in this set. Although it’s clear from my preferences that I’ve been drawn into Give Me Cosmetics’ takes on fruity scents. From my collection of Sol de Janeiro I do most often reach for Cheirosa 62 so I would say I’m normally much more drawn to caramel and vanilla scents.

They are body mists so I found myself wanting to top up fairly often but for £9 a bottle that’s not something I begrudge. I think the set is fairly good value.

I can see myself reaching for Botanical Breeze a lot as the weather warms up and I think these would also make lovely gifts. I have three sisters and I can very much see them insisting that they have to borrow them forever.