Pure Grace
by Philosophy

Truly the most revolting fragrance I have ever had the displeasure of trying. If you wish to smell of a laundromat buy this.

13rd December, 2011. (Last Edited: 23rd December, 2011.)

Philosophy PURE GRACE is a serious shower-in-a-bottle in the bottle scent whose sole purpose appears to be to make the wearer smell as though s/he recently showered. No surprise really, since it's printed right there on the label: “nothing smells better than soap and water clean”. As I recently bathed, it all seems a bit redundant to me. The philosophy here is one of inoffensivity: don't rock the boat and by all means avoid drawing the attention of the perfume police to you! Very much in line with the output of the house of Clean, PURE GRACE smells like a middling hotel soap with a sliver of vetiver thrown in for good measure and reminds me in its personal-hygiene-obsessed intention of breath mints or scented deodorant (both of which I shun). I prefer to start with a clean body and then layer on top a bona fide perfume. That said, since I have it, I might wear this fragrance now and then, when I know that I'm going to be in a congested public setting, such as today, when I'll be at the library surrounded by people some of whom really could use a good lathering... Perhaps my just-showered-smell will inspire them to raise the (soap) bar and finally suds up! On ne sait jamais...

Update: okay, after about an hour, I could not even smell PURE GRACE anymore. This is definitely much more of an unperfume than a perfume. There are better choices for public-friendly fragrances, it seems to me. TRACY and CERRUTI 1881 are good examples of very clean-smelling scents with a bit of perfumic integrity and depth.“Nothing smells better than soap and water clean”? Au contraire. For example, perfume.

8th July, 2011.

This scent smells even better on me due to body chemistry. I always get complements when I wear this scent. Sometimes I wonder if it is the same scent when I start to put the lotion on because it smells different in the bottle, then it settles in and I spray some parfume and ready to go. This is one of those scents you can wear anytime, especially if your going to be really active like waiting tables, being outside for the kids games etc. Any age. Great scent.

23rd February, 2011.

Soap-and-water scents appeal to me: this one makes you go, "Awww how pretty!" as soon as you spritz. Really cool how that soapy, clean note starts and stays: can't decide if it is a pervasive top note or a really early heart note; and, heck, could swear it stays right through to its base note, to boot! Doesn't last very long, but I really enjoyed how the showery, clean scent developed and swelled when I worked out in the heat a bit: it somehow made the sweating more tolerable. I guess because I still smelled clean.

2nd June, 2010.

Let me begin by saying that I never thought I would ever like a fragrance like Pure Grace. I don't like soapy smells, and I was just against "clean" smells in general. I dislike Amazing Grace. And yet, I love Pure Grace. I wear it everyday. Not only is it completely inoffensive, but it smells clean in a way that is intoxicating. It doesn't smell like a fragrance or a soap really, more like warm, washed, wet skin. Is that weird? Maybe it's the jasmine. I hug my boyfriend, and he won't let go because he says I smell so good. I really couldn't love it more.

30th October, 2008.

Sometimes the only thing that you want is to smell as though you've been washed, scrubbed, dry-cleaned and sealed in a crisp new box. This is that perfume.

29th September, 2008.