Fairy Platinum Washing-Up Liquid

Fairy Platinum Washing-Up Liquid - Procter & Gamble's relatively recent addition to the iconic Fairy range - promises "Fairy's best ever cleaning" and comes in a space age silver bottle. The liquid itself also departs from the familiar deep green hue of the original, being a brilliant electric turquoise-blue.

The scent is no less exciting, and - while there is a hint of the unusual plastickiness of the original version - Platinum takes an unexpected route, one more akin to something you might wash your hair with. The detergent explores the 'ultra-fruit' theme familiar to fans of the Herbal Essences shampoo range, and there's something crisp and mouthwatering that I'm sure I've smelt before in the orange flavour L'Oreal Kids.

The overall impression is that of a juicy melon, albeit one with the cleaning power of a leading dishwashing brand - surprisingly exotic for something you scrub dishes with, and certainly exciting enough to encourage me to do the washing-up. Forget the "built-in soaking action" - take this into the shower with you... it's delicious!

Nivea Creme Soft Liquid Handwash

I don't always put a great deal of effort into choosing hand wash, and I can't say I was expecting much from my recent purchase of Nivea Creme Soft Liquid Handwash from the local pound shop. The plain bottle design and branding as "creme soft" didn't suggest any particular smell at least, and I anticipated another generic 'fresh' floral scent.

And this is basically what the fragrance is - nice enough when smelled directly, if unsurprisingly a little synthetic. Products like this are designed to be functional however, and it is the gentle aroma perceived while using the soap for its intended purpose (hand washing) that caught my attention. The hand wash brings to mind a rose. Not the dense, sumptuous rose that is the staple of full-bodied floral fine fragrance - instead one that is sublimely fresh and unpretentious, with a touch of greenness reminiscent of rain-soaked petals smelt in the outdoors.

Perhaps don't rush to throw away your bottle of Rive Gauche just yet, but if like me you can't resist having a sniff when you pass through a rose garden, then Nivea Creme Soft might be worth a try. A genuinely enjoyable scented hand wash that says 'fresh' in a wholly pleasant and unassuming tone - certainly £1 well spent!

Dove Beauty Cream Bar

Developed in the Netherlands after the acquisition by Unilever of a soap factory there in 1955, the Dove Beauty Cream Bar has enjoyed huge success, both in the US (where it was launched) and internationally. While some may attribute this to clever advertising drawing on the soap's reputation as a skin-friendly pH balanced product, I would instead (perhaps unsurprisingly) put it down to the perfumers...

The scent - which comes in the form of a wonderfully creamy bar - could be described loosely as a muguet. Close up it is musky, with a slight pepperiness reminiscent of geranium. I can pick up a hint of violet as well - perhaps to be expected as an ionone is amongst the ingredients listed (alpha-isomethyl ionone to be precise).

It has been a few years since I last smelt Dove soap, and there's a vanillic aspect that seems more prominent than I remember - slightly sickly and synthetic. On skin however it still smells irresistible - clean and somewhat lacking in warmth, with an elegance akin to that of a staircase made out of white marble. Definitely recommended and one that I hope will not be disappearing anytime soon.

Neutrogena Fast Absorbing Hand Cream

I'll begin with the surprise that led me to create this blog, the unexpected discovery of a delightful scent in a seemingly everyday product - Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Fast Absorbing Hand Cream.

Of course not everyday in the sense that it isn't an exceptionally good moisturiser - I can certainly always count on Neutrogena's glycerol-enriched 'Norwegian Formula' products to deal with a bad case of dry hands where other moisturisers fail. Instead it is the understated packaging design (and wonderfully utilitarian pump-dispenser for the 150 mL bottle) that may mislead with regards to the inexplicably rich fragrance within.

The scent, to my mind, evokes the slightly austere but nonetheless reassuring creaminess of Arpège (Lanvin) - Hubert Fraysse's reworking of André Fraysse's 1927 classic aldehydic floral. Though understandably not as vivid or assertive as Arpège, the hand cream borrows the perfume's dry powdery smoothness, using notes such as tuberose (and even the slightest allusion to that ethereal sparkle only aldehydes can impart...?) to magnificent effect.

Definitely a lotion to apply before bed as part of a luxurious nightly moisturising routine, and certainly impressive considering you can buy it for less than £5!