Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Fragrance Madness: Round One - Juicy vs Poppy Flower

The Contenders:

Juicy Couture (Original)



vs




Fragrance Notes:

Coach Poppy Flower
  • According to the booklet accompanying the gift set, this fragrance smells like blah blah blah blah blah. They list over 10 things. It's really ridiculous. The few that stand out: Apricot skin, wet ivy, lychee, sugared raspberry, and jasmine petals. The only thing more complicated than this long, drawn-out description is the hat the model is wearing in the accompanying picture.
Juicy Couture
  • Tuberose, princess lily and caramel creme brulee. Aside from the fact that it simultaneously sounds delicious and feminine, the description alone puts it ahead of it's competitor. (I love me some tuberose.) Sephora describes the woman who would wear this as "flirtatious, charming, decadent, irreverent." 


What You Get:

Juicy Couture - a 1.0 oz of Eau de Parfum Spray
Coach Poppy Flower - a 1.0 oz of the Eau de Parfum Spray

My Bourgie Review:

Coach Poppy Flower
This fragrance is much too sweet. When I originally sprayed it on my wrists, the scent overpowered the room. Smelling it again today was even worse than two weeks ago! The fragrance is layered with fruits and florals, sweet on top of sweet, and is headache inducing. I tried to give it an hour. Two hours. Three hours. It really only got worse. I had to wash it off!

The description states, "The Coach Poppy Flower woman is a sophisticated romantic. She is fashion-driven with a youthful spirit and is never afraid to express her personal style." Translation: She is an old lady who is desperately holding onto her youth by attending various free local music festivals and twirling around drunkenly. You know the one.
Score: One sniff  

Juicy Couture
When I first saw this was in the box, I admit - I was a little disappointed. I see Juicy Couture everything EVERYWHERE! I thought it could not possibly smell good. I figured it would smell like one of those Victoria's Secret scents that smells like a Bath & Body Works scent. (I refuse to refer to these smells as fragrances. Refuse.) I sprayed it on, and was originally underwhelmed. I didn't get a headache or feel the urge to dry heave as I did with the Poppy Flower, but it didn't blow me away. Then, after about 30 minutes, the fragrance really started to gain some character. By the end of the day, I loved it!

This fragrance is simple and perfect for everyday wear. It's not overpowering, so the beauty is in the subtlety. 
Score: Four sprays and a trip to T.J. MAXX*
Winner:



This was a pretty simple decision. Juicy made me want to go out and buy a bottle (which I did). Poppy Flower made me want to take a shower and an aspirin.

Juicy Couture advances to Round 2 in Fragrance Madness!
*Umm, hello? The T.J. Maxx near me was selling the 1.0 oz of eau de parfum for $29.99. Nordstrom is selling the same fragrance (but a 1.7 oz) for $69. You could buy two from T.J. Maxx and still pay less! And I see you over there turning your nose up at T.J.'s. Someone needs to take some lessons on being bourgie on a budget.

Fragrance Madness!

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I spent the last two weeks trying out the 12 fragrances in my Sephora Fragrance Sampler. (As I've noted in past posts, it's important to sample a fragrance for at least a few hours before deciding that you like/dislike it.) Clearly, my nose is both indecisive and bourgie, and so I have not reached a final decision. Let's see... 12 is an even number... I need to eliminate fragrances I don't like... FRAGRANCE MADNESS!


What I will do is sample the fragrances again, and eliminate the ones I dislike until I pick the one that I want to redeem for the full-sized version. Here's where I need your help: If you think I've made a bad decision, or you think that a certain designer has a better version of a certain fragrance, tell me in the comments!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Bourgie Gifts

Those of you close to me have probably already heard me raving about this awesome gift my sister bought me for Christmas. For those of you who haven't, I'm going to share with you one of the coolest gifts I've ever received, and will add that I highly recommend this as a gift idea.


From left to right: Refillable fragrance atomizer (with funnel),
12 fragrance samplers, and voucher/info on each sample provided.
What Is It?
Sephora sells several types of fragrance samplers (Remember: We say "fragrance," not "perfume.")  - some for women, some for men. The one I received is the Fragrance Deluxe Sampler. This sampler has the following fragrance samples (listed in the order that I've tried them):

  1. .05 oz Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum
  2. .05 oz Coach Poppy Flower Eau de Parfum
  3. .04 oz Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette
  4. .05 oz DKNY pureDKNY Verbena Scent Spray
  5. .05 oz Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioa Eau de Parfum
  6. .05 oz Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette
  7. .03 oz Givenchy Very Irresistible L'Intense Eau de Parfum
  8. .05 oz Prada Infusion D'Iris Eau de Parfum
  9. .05 oz Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir Eau de Parfum
  10. .05 oz Versace Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette  
  11. .05 oz Clinique Happy Eau de Parfum
  12. .06 oz Gucci Guilty Eau de Toilette 
How Does it Work?
You get to sample a dozen fragrances. A dozen. I recommend putting one on in the morning, and wearing that fragrance all day. You could be surprised; some fragrances smell much better on your body as you move throughout your day.

Once you pick your favorite, head over to a Sephora store near you, and trade in your certificate for a bottle of the fragrance!

Why This is an Amazing Gift
Many people seek different fragrances when they are going through a change in their life, as well as when the seasons change. If you gift this to someone during the December holidays, this enables them to select a new fragrance for the new year - or at least to try something different (which may also be a new year's resolution). If you give someone you love one of these sets for Valentine's Day, it's a two-fer: They get to pick a fragrance to take them into Spring, and you get to cozy up and smell them wearing something different every day (for almost two weeks), and will hopefully get to help them pick the one you like the best.  

Selecting a fragrance that someone else will like is a daunting task, but these Sephora gift sets allow you to give them two hands full of fragrances, while allowing them to choose the one they like best. 

Coming up next... 
Reviews of each of the 12 fragrances. Stay tuned!