Gin Blossom Love & Toast for women

Reminds me of my favorite summer drink.....a vodka tonic! It doesn't smell like the drink but the scent is the interpretation of what I taste. The bottle lists: Citrus Zest, Spring Dew, Mandarin Blossom, Verbena Leaves....obviously mostly conceptual.....Spring Dew? Initially I mostly smell the citrus zest...orangey-lime, then the verbena becomes more prominent,creating a creamier...or softer effect. The Mandarin Blossom is also evident and gives a nice sweetness overall. This is a fresh, well blended spring/summer scent....not too girly but definitely not masculine. I received this for my Birthday the other day...my hubby picked out and I had not smelled it prior....I was pleasantly surprised. Strength and staying power is ok to good on me. I have to agree with midsummer on that strange "metal/old rubber" scent that some of Margot Elena's creations morph into....also reminds me of musty, old newspaper. I don't get that on this particular scent but some of the others like Arsenic and bulletproof do that for me. I've found that some of her creations start out beautiful and fairly quickly fade into something not quite as beautiful as they started.....what a pity. I still enjoy each of these little gems though and they don't break the bank.

Love & Toast GIN BLOSSOM is a very refreshing mixed citrus fragrance with orange as the dominant note. I gather that the name of the perfumes of this line (yet another created by the boundlessly energetic Margot Ellena!) are determined using a random word generator. GIN BLOSSOM? I think that the name may deter many from trying this pleasing citrus cologne, which strikes me as entirely unisex.

Another all-natural line from Margot Ellena, Love & Toast is comparable in price to Pacifica (another inexpensive all-natural house which indiscriminately labels all of its wares as "perfume" though they are obviously colognes and edts) but somewhat more sophisticated, to my nose.

Anyone who is looking for a good but inexpensive everyday citrus scent should give this one a sniff. I promise you won't smell as though you've been out on a gin & tonic drinking bout.

I wanted to love this much more than I did. The opening notes are just like a fresh gin and tonic on a hot summer day. However, as the scent dries, it loses its depth. Something highly artificial and cheap smelling comes to the foreground (it's always the same smell in Margot Elena's scents - something between metal and old rubber). If only that initial fresh breeze lasted for longer!