I feel like Fragrance Friday often ends up just being me ranting about how much I disliked the scents, and I'm afraid this week will be no different. The saddest part? I actually like the celebrity perfume better, which pains me because I loathe Taylor Swift (so many of her songs perpetuate the view that women need to be "rescued" by men, ugh). Anyways. Here are my thoughts.
Yeah, um, I smell sickeningly sweet floral. Like, it made me want to gag, and I only wish I were being hyperbolic. I wore it for a couple of hours in the crook of my elbow, and it did not change/improve in scent at all. I finally went and washed it off because I kept catching whiffs of it as I was typing and it was very unpleasantly distracting. I felt like it was simplistic and heavy-handed and smelled like something you might buy as a preteen in Claire's. Epic fail for me. That being said, it is just my opinion, and your mileage may vary!
$55 for 1.7 oz, $75 for 3.4 oz, available from Nordstrom
I had requested Boyfriend by Kate Walsh as one of my samples from Sephora, but they apparently ran out of it (as well as both of the other samples I chose, what the heck) and gave me Taylor Swift Wonderstruck instead. This is a perfume that is clearly aimed at the middle and high school crowd (unsurprising given Taylor's usual audience), so I had very low expectations for it. From Fragrantica: The fragrance composition is described as a charming gourmand – floral with sparkling fruity tones on a wooden background. The top notes are raspberry, dewberry, green tea, freesia and apple blossom. The heart features sweet vanilla along with sundrenched honeysuckle and white hibiscus. Notes of golden amber, musk, sandalwood and peach are in the base.
Unlike the BCBG perfume, this one is inoffensive. It does smell young, like something a teenager would wear, but it's much less sweet and cloying than I expected. It's not very complex, though more so than the previous scent, but it's also not overly monotonous. The biggest beef I have with it is the bottle, which is just beyond ugly. I don't love it, I don't hate it, but there are definitely better choices out there. For a fan of Taylor Swift, though, it seems very appropriate.
$49.50 for 1.7 oz, $59.50 for 3.4 oz, available from Sephora
Wow, I was really catty in these reviews. I could probably find nicer ways to get my point across, but I have no inclination to try, so I hope you will forgive my ranting. Have you tried either of these perfumes? What did you think?
Image from Nordstrom
BCBGMAXAZRIA (why so much capitalization and no spaces, guys?) was a free sample I got with a Nordstrom order. It's described on Nordie's as follows: "An intriguing mix of kir royal, wild strawberry and black cherry introduces the scent before settling into a sensual and sophisticated note of jasmine, lily, rose and violet. The drydown entices with the luxurious and rare orris, one of the finest and most precious ingredients in nature, accented by musk and sandalwood."Yeah, um, I smell sickeningly sweet floral. Like, it made me want to gag, and I only wish I were being hyperbolic. I wore it for a couple of hours in the crook of my elbow, and it did not change/improve in scent at all. I finally went and washed it off because I kept catching whiffs of it as I was typing and it was very unpleasantly distracting. I felt like it was simplistic and heavy-handed and smelled like something you might buy as a preteen in Claire's. Epic fail for me. That being said, it is just my opinion, and your mileage may vary!
$55 for 1.7 oz, $75 for 3.4 oz, available from Nordstrom
Image from Sephora
I had requested Boyfriend by Kate Walsh as one of my samples from Sephora, but they apparently ran out of it (as well as both of the other samples I chose, what the heck) and gave me Taylor Swift Wonderstruck instead. This is a perfume that is clearly aimed at the middle and high school crowd (unsurprising given Taylor's usual audience), so I had very low expectations for it. From Fragrantica: The fragrance composition is described as a charming gourmand – floral with sparkling fruity tones on a wooden background. The top notes are raspberry, dewberry, green tea, freesia and apple blossom. The heart features sweet vanilla along with sundrenched honeysuckle and white hibiscus. Notes of golden amber, musk, sandalwood and peach are in the base.
Unlike the BCBG perfume, this one is inoffensive. It does smell young, like something a teenager would wear, but it's much less sweet and cloying than I expected. It's not very complex, though more so than the previous scent, but it's also not overly monotonous. The biggest beef I have with it is the bottle, which is just beyond ugly. I don't love it, I don't hate it, but there are definitely better choices out there. For a fan of Taylor Swift, though, it seems very appropriate.
$49.50 for 1.7 oz, $59.50 for 3.4 oz, available from Sephora
Wow, I was really catty in these reviews. I could probably find nicer ways to get my point across, but I have no inclination to try, so I hope you will forgive my ranting. Have you tried either of these perfumes? What did you think?
