Shanghai Tang was one of the collections that I wanted to try for a very long time so I was thrilled The Perfume (fairy godmother) Society included them in one their recent discovery boxes, the “Sharing Collection”, which included perfumes for both sexes. Needless to say I tried them all myself and although sharing is caring I am not parting with any of them until I try them first. Naturally I started off with the “men’s” perfumes of the Shanghai Tang collection.
According to SHANGHAI TANG, their fragrance collection is a sensorial journey that spans from Europe to China and it was named after the Silk Road, the lucrative Chinese silk trade which is 4000 miles long. The compositions created by Carlos Benaim for Shanghai Tang convey his exciting experience from amazing journeys through China. He used characteristic raw materials for each of the fragrances, reflecting luxury and glamour of ancient Chinese tailoring skills.
Jade Dragon
Jade symbolizes nobility, perfection, constancy, and immortality in Chinese culture. This perfume has a very fresh and aromatic vetiver in its heart accented with juicy bergamot, bright green tea leaves and lush creamy jasmine. Very earthy, aromatic and bright, it’s a very versatile and long lasting perfume that can very easily be worn by both men and women.
Mandarin Tea
Mandarin oranges symbolize abundance of happiness and prosperity in Chinese culture. The bright orange colour of the fruits also symbolizes 'gold', hence it has an auspicious meaning to bring in good luck and wealth. Vibrant freshly peeled mandarins with crisp bergamot are combined once again with bright green tea leaves and the slightest hint of neroli blossoms to create an exhilarating and uplifting scent that projects light and happiness.
L’Orient
This one is the boldest of them all, a powerful blend of spices, pink pepper, elemi, earthy vetiver, leatherwood and cedarwood oil which has been use for centuries in Chinese medicine and daily life. It’s a lovely tribute to the spice trade and it brings to mind images of old Chinese spice markets and the trade routes used to bring this precious cargo to Europe.
I find it to be quite versatile as well, if you like your perfumes spicy, it can be easily worn by either sex.
The bottles and outer carton feature the Chinese symbol SHÒU denoting longevity and are truly beautiful.
All Shanghai Tang perfumes are available in Harvey Nichols and of course you can try them if you purchase The Perfume Society’s Sharing Collection discovery box.