Hello there!
Today’s a bit different from our usual reviews because we have a historical recount accompanying the review. We’ll be doing a review on a perfume called Singapore Girl, which was largely popular back in the 1960s and 1970s. And stay tuned, because we have a giveaway of the perfume in store!
Image taken from the National Archives of Singapore and IMDb
So, the company was initially known as the “Perfumes of the Orient” in 1962, which was founded by the lady on the left, known as Christina Lee and Jeffrey Stone (right), who inspired Disney’s Cinderella’s Prince Charming (wow, I can clearly see why, although it’s hard to imagine Prince Charming with a hairy chest, but then again, who knows, he never bared his chest, after all).
Afterward, they got divorced, and she got remarried to an Indian magnate (Dr. Dadi Balsara), and the perfume company was rebranded to “Perfumes of Singapore”. The company had a scent series called “Girl”, released in 1960s, of which Singapore Girl was one of them.
Image taken from Wikipedia
The perfume was a hit amongst both locals and tourists alike, so much so that airlines were clamouring for the perfumes to be sold onboard. In fact, the Malaysian-Singaporean (MSA) Airlines sold Singapore Girl on board. Amazing, huh? This perfume predates even Singapore Airlines.
Sadly, this perfume was discontinued in 2006. However, in 2014, the iconic perfume was revived by Singapore Memories.
And so, here we are, in 2021, enjoying nearly the same smell that many girls our age (at that point in time) were clamouring after.
Picture of Singapore Girl™
The first thing that struck both Kiki and I when we saw the perfume was how absolutely gorgeous it is. I don’t know about y’all, but I keep empty perfume bottles even after I’ve finished them, just because of their design. And I can foresee that this bottle will be a gorgeous addition to my collection.
It’s got this gorgeous ombre hue of deep blue, and it’s capped off with a leather perfume cap, which I absolutely love, because it adds a touch of masculinity to the otherwise pretty feminine bottle. The logo of Singapore Memories is also embossed onto the bottle itself, and the design of their logo is really intriguing for me, because it’s got the oriental Chinese pattern that is still engraved into the chairs of my home (my parents really love Chinese Rosewood furniture, and they all come with that pattern - oh my GOODNESS I found a picture of it!)
Image taken from China Furniture Online (left) and the other is by em.olts (right)
Yes, those are the exact same chairs I have at home, and they’re a part of Singapore Memories’ logo. So yes, I would say that it’s really on brand, because that pattern is really nostalgic. Alongside that pattern, they feature iconic Singaporean landmarks, such as the Merlion, the Art Science Museum and the Singapore Flyer.
Okay, so before we begin reviewing the perfume, let me share with you what we’ve learnt. Essentially, perfume has three notes, top, middle (also known as heart) and base. Top notes are what you smell when a perfume is spritzed. For Singapore Girl, the top note is the smell of lotus.
When we first spritzed the perfume into the air, the first thing we noticed was its flowery scent. Not surprising, considering that it was inspired by orchids. It’s got that sweetness to it that is immediately recognisable as a lady’s scent. In fact, it was almost too sweet for me in the beginning, because I prefer muskier scents. Kiki, on the other hand, liked this perfume right from the get-go.
The middle notes come after the top notes dissipate and act as a transition between the top notes and base notes, because if the top notes fade and you immediately smell the base notes, it can be quite jarring. For this perfume, the middle notes are water lily.
So over time, as the scent settled, I found myself liking the scent more and more, because it grew more and more musky. Eventually, the base notes of this perfume appeared, and it’s actually the smell of teak wood, so it’ll definitely be a deeper, richer scent as compared to what I initially smelled.
I quite liked this transition, and the perfume got better and better over time.
It lasts quite long as well, with my initial spritz lasting me throughout the day. And look at the thoughtful packaging, it’s got the iconic batik prints on it!
So, both Kiki and I gave it a 4 out of 5, because this scent isn’t one that the both of us would wear. For one, like I mentioned before, the top note comes on too strong for me. Kiki gave it a 4, because “it smells good, but it’s not a scent that I personally like.” It’s an alright perfume for everyday wear, or for special dates (to the national museum… you know… smell like nostalgic Singapore as you see old Singapore).
So there you have it, our review of Singapore Girl!
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