Stayin' Alive Liquid Perfume

The name Death, Decay and Renewal is quite a serious-sounding title for a range of perfumes - one that has inspired an array of different reactions from Lushies worldwide. Some claim the name makes them think of festering garbage bags while others envisage the sickly sweet smell of formaldehyde and old-fashioned funeral homes. Whatever you get from the name, I can guarantee the range of perfumes that sit under it are far more diverse and interesting than you could possibly imagine.

Stayin' Alive is probably the most playful sounding perfume - a golden brown coloured liquid incased inside a range of different sized glass bottles. The design sports a fandango-pink background and has the name of the perfume written in 60's-inspired font. 

Made from a combination of vetivert, sandalwood and olibanum oil, this perfume gives off a very smokey, incensey smell. Unlike Breath of God, which I find too overpowering, this perfume has a lovely gentle woody smell - it reminds me a little of burnt rice pudding or that caramelised aroma you get when you torch the top of a creme brûlée. 

The olibanum oil offers a lovely fruity, spicy aroma that intertwines with the woodiness of the sandalwood and makes a wonderfully complex and multi-layered offering. It has a sticky sweet orange aroma with a pinch of lemon that nestles underneath the other ingredients. Alongside the vanilla absolute, these ingredients soften the harsher notes and give this fragrance a warm, comforting sweetness that resonates on the skin.

When I first applied this to my skin, I found that I could detect two completely separate smells. Firstly, the heavy, smokey aromas of the oils made their mark and were initially rather domineering. As well as this, there was also a definite layer of vanilla and sweetness. Over time, the smell of the oils dissipated quite a bit and I was left with a warm, well-rounded sugary, fruity smell. This perfume isn't the most long-lasting one I've tried from Lush, but it does have a few hours worth of wear. 

What I loved about this perfume was that it was not as heavy as I was expecting, especially with three rather dominating oils to contend with. Lush have balanced this perfume nicely so that it's got a distinctively strong aroma, but not one that's going to be too heavy for those of us who enjoy gentle fragrances. 

Stayin' Alive is probably one of my favourite perfumes from Death, Decay and Renewal and one I can see being very popular with other Lush fans. I can see this perfume being the one that bridges the gap between those who like the simpler, lighter scents and those that go for the pungent type. Priced at £25 for a 10ml bottle, this happens to be one of the more expensive ones in the new collection. However, it is a wonderful offering from Lush and one I think is worth the price tag. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Madagascan Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austro-caledonicum vieill), Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Olibanum Oil (Boswellia carteri), Anise Alcohol, Citral, Farnesol, Isoeugenol, Limonene.

Vegan: Yes.