Mainstream Monday: Sniffing a Popular Perfume
So, I’m not going to regurgitate the copy of DKNY pureDKNY Verbena. I sense tons of green-washing. Of course this irks me because for many years now I’ve been supporting indie and natural brands and perfumes. These indie brands make the best sustainable choices that they can on their budgets. Many of them walk the walk and talk the talk. When I see a big mega-corp do it and brag about their stupid recyclable packaging, I get angry. – I’ll avoid all caps but I want to say all of your damn packaging should be recyclable, especially at your huge scale, so shut up and stop trying to make yourself feel less guilty.
Ignoring the feel-so-good about your consumption green-washing, I’ll now review the fragrance for what it is…a mainstream, designer fragrance.
pureDKNY Verbena opens with a honeydew melon, freshly crushed basil and shampoo-ish florals. The scent is a clean green floral. With time I get lemons and cucumbers in a salad of peony petals. It’s paired with a glass of iced green tea.
The scent is very sharp in the opening and like DKNY Be Delicious and Clinique Happy, this perfume leaves me with a headache. These mainstream clean-citrus-florals do that to me. I’m not saying this is a bad perfume or that it will do that to you, but geez, for some reason I don’t get along with these things. I blame the peony. When all else fails, I blame the peony.
-This fragrance with its packaging and watery floralness is sort of a 90’s throwback. I felt like I should say that.
Notes listed include verbena, honeysuckle, peony, jasmine, white amber, sea moss, and vetiver. Launch date 2011.
Give pureDKNY Verbena a try if you like watery floral perfumes or perfumes like INeKe Chemical Bonding, Clinique Happy, By Kilian Water Calligraphy, NEST Passiflora, and/or Heeley Sel Marine. I view pureDKNY Verbena as a feminine fragrance suited for day wear or for wear in warmer climates. It’s soul purpose for existence is to be clean and fresh and pretty.
Projection is average and longevity is below average.
pureDKNY Verbena comes in 3 sizes with prices ranging from $45-$85 at Sephora. You can also find it discounted on Fragrancenet.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Sheer watery floral. So inoffensive it gave me a headache 😉 It’s not bad but for some reason my body hates this sort of thing.
Want more reviews? Try…
Fragrantica – Member reviews
Allure – quick review
Hard to believe Donna Karan makes one of my favorite fragrances– Black Cashmere. I hate this one and the vanilly pureDKNY one I could barely smell.
Clinique Happy and all of its flankers make me anything but happy!
I know! Black Cashmere is nothing like these DKNY things! Black Cashmere is gorgeous.
Happy to know that I’m not the only one! I can respect Happy (and its flankers) as a composition but I can’t stand wearing them. Now Aromatis Elxir, that’s more my speed 😉
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