Summer Perfume Review: Hamsa by Celine Leora

I know technically, it is not summer yet but it certainly feels that way here. The mornings are cool and pleasant while the mid-day temperatures creep towards 90. Yet the breeze still maintains its freshness, which allows for weather enjoyment rather than dread.

Despite the fact that I am not a warm-weather perfume lover, preferring to stick to summer ouds, I ventured into cheap-but-good territory with Celine Leora's Hamsa.

(photo via hamsa-perfume.com)

Yes, it is because of the name and hamsa symbol that I first got interested in this perfume, but the bouquet captured my interest as well. The Hamsa website described it thus:

White Lotus:

The fragrance of the lotus flowers essence is seen as a spiritual elixir. It helps in meditation by calming the mind; promoting peace, serenity and improving concentration. Additionally, lotus flower essence can hasten recovery from illness.

Frankincense:

The fragrance of Frankincense is known to increase spiritual awareness, promote meditation, and boost mood. Frankincense has also been used by many faiths to anoint newborn infants, initiates, and members entering into new phases of their spiritual lives.

Black Currant:

The fragrance of Black Currant inspires heightened sensuality.
It can enhance physical awareness by increasing sensitivity of
the senses. Black currant has also been beneficial in treating auto-immune disorders, hair problems, nail problems, Premenstrual Syndrome and inflammatory disorders.

Coffee:

The fragrance of coffee has a calming effect while at the same time it stirs activity in the brain. Coffee aromas can work to help reduce depressive symptoms, respiratory issues, stings, fever and can be beneficial against general nausea.

Black currant is one of my favorite smells and tastes. While this note is prominent in many perfumes, such as the one-of-a-kind Enchanted Forest by the Vagabond Prince, it is not always well done. Here, the currant lends a fresh burst of light fruit to the composition, and stays throughout the perfume's development.

I do not detect any coffee or frankincense in Hamsa, but the white lotus is prominent. This is the ingredient that makes many think of shampoo when smelling Hamsa, but it is not unpleasant.

Overall, the smell is light, airy and a bit fruity. For the excellent price being advertised, I would say this is a great summer fragrance for women. The bottle is hefty and classy and the hamsa symbol is gold-colored applique, which is unusual on a bottle of this price. The little blue "evil eye" is on the bottle and the box, which makes this a sophisticated gift.