Precious Moments Betty Barclay 2014 Eau de Toilette

There are days when everything just feels off. The kind that signal gray, cold weather with the first glance out the window. Precisely for such days, Precious Moments is my favorite.

PM starts off fruity-fresh with lots of currants. I can also detect something green and floral-fresh. Over time, the scent becomes sweeter. However, the sweetness here is well-moderated; I don't get headaches like I do from LVEB and its clones. Si also gives me headaches. In fact, Si far surpasses LVEB in terms of sweetness, which is hard to believe, but it’s true. ;-) The lovely freesia lingers for a long time and gives the fragrance a pleasant freshness. Although I wouldn’t necessarily describe the scent as fresh. But compared to the previously mentioned fragrances, one could indeed say so...

The base is soft and still quite sweet; I wouldn’t have picked out caramel on its own, as I always think of Candy by Prada when I hear caramel. The sweetness reminds me a bit of soft butter fudge, which also leans towards caramel. I don’t find it particularly musky; I can detect a hint of clean musk, but it doesn’t bother me since it’s not animalistic. I also don’t smell vanilla, but rather a delicate woodiness.

I think BB has launched a lovely fragrance here that jumps on the LVEB bandwagon. Only, it’s a thousand times more pleasant for me. I find the bottle absolutely beautiful: I really like this square shape, and the bow adds a playful, girlish touch that suits the fragrance well. This means it’s not just for girls; I, at 46 years old, enjoy wearing it very much. The longevity is a good 4 hours, which I find acceptable. Some expensive fragrances don’t last forever either, and anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like scents that stick to me like glue. 4-5 hours is the ideal longevity for me; anything more just annoys me.

I think BB generally makes beautiful fragrances, and this one is no exception.

.... around noon, I rushed into the Manor to confirm once again that I really cannot avoid treating myself to the edT from Narciso Rodriguez, which has long been an essential part of my collection and an expression of a longing of a part of my personality.

Passing by a display stand, I grab a pretty little bottle, half on the go, as I still want to enjoy the sun a bit and don’t have forever. I spray it on my forearm and stand frozen in place.

... I no longer perceive the harsh store lighting. The hurried steps of midday shoppers are just a distant echo. Before me is a light green flower meadow with thousands of small pink and white flowers, above them lemon butterflies in their pale light yellow, everything light, floral, and warm, everything stands still for a moment. A warm spring meadow, you can hear the birds chirping in the distance, the warming rays of the spring sun on my face.

I pull myself out of this daydream, the edT from Narcisco sprayed on my wrist, mission accomplished, I want to catch a few real sun rays.

I lie on the meadow in front of the Globus on Bahnhofstrasse in whatever the name of the square is in the middle of Zurich. My head on my brown handbag, the sunglasses obscure my view as I observe the rushing people in typical Zurich tempo, screaming children, too much noise and haste. Still, for a little sun and even less time to find a better spot, this has to suffice.

I sniff at my fragrant wrist and decide that I must have the edT. The black bottle matches my all-black outfit today, the boldness suits my somewhat boyish nature, which alternates at regular intervals with a playful, girlish side.

Then, I want to make a call, shielding the sun with my arm again...

... again I am away. Everything stands still. The world has stopped turning. Everything is wrapped in cotton with a lot of light, floral sweetness. I smell the flower meadow that had already captivated me in the store, again bright yellow, butterflies dancing in the mild floral breeze, I am far away from here, carried away by this scent.

In a trance, I find myself again, holding the edT from Betty Barclay, Precious Moments, and only now do I realize how aptly the name is chosen.

(Recommended for anyone who really loves sweet, playful fragrances. It starts off very sweet, green leaf - aha - hence my association with the spring meadow. The sweetness, probably raspberry, the peony and freesia are found in the little flowers, and when I sniff it now - it becomes powdery (musk?), sweet, light, no very light vanilla.... Precious Moments simply)

Those who know me know how incredibly much I love to browse and shop at Müller. And I find it hard to leave the store without buying some fragrance. Most of the time, however, it tends to be something inexpensive. Just like in this case.

I am a huge fan of Betty Barclay fragrances. Not all of them are really my thing, but I can't say I dislike any of them. So yesterday, I sniffed "Precious Moments" and was positively surprised from the very first moment. Floral and sweet, yet not heavy or intrusive at all. Just understated and delicately feminine. Perhaps they haven't reinvented the wheel here, but I definitely caught a pleasant all-rounder in a totally pretty presentation.

Upon arriving home, then the big shock!
Dazed by all the (once again!) scents lingering in the air at the drugstore, it seemed my nose had played a nasty trick on me. (I really should learn from this, damn it!). What had seemed so delicate and pleasant before now suddenly made me wrinkle my nose. The intensity of the floral sweetness scratches at my nose and throat. The fragrance seems to envelop and overwhelm me, despite just a single spritz. Not that the scent has suddenly turned into total horror. No. But I am disappointed. It suddenly feels no longer rounded and delicate to me, but rather imposes itself in a way that I cannot approve of.

Let's see how long it stays in the collection.

At the same time, I feel sorry once again for how harshly I criticized some other fragrances I tested that day (see my statement on "Seductive"). There is a high probability that I would have suddenly liked those perfumes at home. But I am fair and gladly give second chances in this case.

You are not the grande dame for the grand entrance. You are too insignificant for that.
You are not the housewife or worker in everyday clothes; you are too lovely and too sweet for that.
You are the lovable little girl in the pink dress, who hops by me cheerfully, smiles at me briefly, and then continues on her merry way. You bring me a moment of joy, nothing more, but above all, nothing less. That is worth something.

In other words: The scent is wonderfully floral-sweet, transforming over time into a floral-powdery fragrance. It’s not a big deal, but it’s fun. Longevity is okay; Tender Blossom from the same brand, for example, fades faster. For the price, it’s totally fine.

Whenever I watch Big Bang Theory, and Amy says Shaldon smells so good like baby powder, I always spontaneously think of this perfume.
A nice, harmless pink baby powder dream. Sitting comfortably with a cozy blanket on the couch and a cup of tea to go with it. Sunday. That's roughly my association.
I think it's more suitable for cool days; in summer, it would be inappropriate, in my opinion.