Playboy is Back!



The drinks

Last Wednesday, I went to the newly-opened Playboy Club in Mayfair to celebrate the launch of the the bunny-brand's new fragrances for men and women. The club itself is Austin Powers-tastic - think plush sofas and red-strip lighting. Apparently an annual membership will set you back around £1500 and after spending an evening soaking up the atmosphere (and bunny-themed drinks), I'm kind of tempted, well if I had a spare £1500, which I don't.

After sampling the new fragrances (more below), enjoying a delicious meal (fish and chips), we were treated to a catwalk of bunny outfits throughout history. Check out the pictures below...



Me and bunny



The Fragrances

Seeing as there are two scents, one for her and one for him, I decided this would be a good review for E and I to share. Read our reviews below...

Play it Rock for Women EDT, £12.95 50ml: The press release calls this fragrance 'capitvatingly sexy yet ultra-feminine'. I guess this means it's the personification of the Playboy Bunny but sadly it doesn't translate that way for me. Yes, it is an unequiovacally feminine fragrance - think top notes of blood orange and apple candy, a floral heart of frangipani, orange flower and passion flower, and finally a vanilla and patchouli base. But sexy? Not so much. When it comes to alluring, sensual fragrances I think of deep, woody notes and musks. This is the polar opposite, all sweetness (dare I say a tad sickly? To me at least) and light. I have to admit that this is a fragrance that improves the longer you wear it - the vanilla base is the most enduring scent for me and does last a while on the skin. On top of that, the bottle is understated and actually kind of cute. It certainly wouldn't look gaudy or tasteless on a woman's dressing table. The truth of the matter is, at under £15 this  is a perfume bargain. And while I always like to reiterate the fact that fragrance is totally subjective, I can easily see this sweet scent appealing to young girls, aged between 13 and 16. I don't think we need to worry that a teenage girl buying this fragrance will in turn be buying into the bunny mantra (if indeed you are concerned) - the red and silver packaging is innocent enough, and the bottle, with its subtle bunny-ear cap is simple and generic. As always though, if your perfume preference lies with light, sweet scents then I would implore you to pop into Boots and test this out for yourself. For me though, this is a fragrance that is definitely less Rock, more Pop. Sx

London Playboy for Men, £9.95 100ml: It is hard to find a great deal to say about Playboy's new fragrance for men. I certainly don't dislike it, but then there doesn't seem to be a great deal going on here to rave about either. It is a pleasant enough scent but everything about it strikes me as being underwhelming, even down to the design of the bottle. London Playboy brings to mind every bottle of aftershave I have received as a present from an auntie who has no idea what I like, knowing only that I am a male aged 18 to 25 and that is it. The fragrance is fine, a bit talcy,  but it just seems like it has been engineered to be a safe bet on a budget and suitable for men in the most generic sense. Unfortunately, when you can pick up a half-decent fragrance without paying too much more than this, why would you bother? I can't help but feel a real sense of irony that London Playboy is so unremarkable, given that mentioning the name Playboy when somebody asks what you're wearing would be such an interesting conversation starter (for guys anyway). So aunties of the UK worry not, when your nephew's birthday rolls around again this year, you can rest assured that your demographic is well catered for. E

Play it Rock is available now from Boots, London Playboy is available exclusively at Tesco from 5th July Sx