Mainstream Monday – Sniffing (Two) Popular Perfumes
A month ago, I went through and organized perfume samples. I have a lot of stuff that I should review, stuff I may review and stuff I’m never going to review. I thought I’d give two scents that were free with a Sephora purchase a try. I’ve been neglecting my Mainstream Monday feature but that’s mainly because I’m lazy and haven’t been to a department store in a very, very long time. So, here’s my quick impressions of these two:
Philosophy Live Joyously
Philosophy Live Joyously with notes of tangerine, pink peony and patchouli. Launched in 2014.
The first few wears of Live Joyously drove me crazy. This citrus floral reminded me so much of something that used to be popular, but I couldn’t place it. Finally, on the fourth wear it hit me, it reminds me of Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely. It’s like a musky peony with a glimmering citrus opening. It smells nothing like the notes listed. It eventually ends up as a musky, woodsy floral with lavender that is like a hybrid of SJP Lovely and Narciso Rodriguez for Her.
I can’t think of one reason why I’d buy this over Lovely, but that’s me. I do think it’s worth trying if you like the idea of a more floral Narciso Rodriguez.
Projection and longevity are average. It wears more like an EDT.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A mash-up department store fragrance. It’s not bad, it just reminds me of other stuff that I felt like didn’t need to be fooled with.
CLEAN Skin
CLEAN Skin with notes of honeydew, lotus blossom, fresh air accord, dewy petals, aquatic notes, blue rose, musks, amber wood and vanilla. Launched 2012.
First off, it’s hard for me to really get behind any fragrance that has “skin” in the title because it seems sort of serial killer-ish or something. Like I’m going to have to call this “Skin” and that’s gross.
Person: What are you wearing?
Me: Skin.
I mean that’s so Buffalo Bob.
Skin opens as a “fresh” dryer sheet accord that is like a blend of “fresh air” aromachemicals and lily of the valley. It has melon too, because it really wants to convince you it’s a dryer sheet. It’s not. It eventually becomes something like J.Lo Glow body wash. It’s a clean “shower fresh” floral, like a talcum-y rose and lily of the valley with humidity. The dry down is a powdery musk with that same talcum-y rose.
I should technically hate this, but I don’t. I’ve always liked J.Lo Glow because it reminded me of headshop musks and stuff like TerraNova China Rain. I could live without its dryer sheet opening, but that’s sort of this brand’s shtick. I do think this is a much better functional fragrance than a perfume, but once again, that’s this brand’s shtick! This is for people that want to smell like clean laundry. And people want to smell like clean laundry; it’s the American way! (Thanks, Estee Lauder White Linen).
Projection and longevity are below average. It really does wear close to the skin almost like a perfume oil.
Victoria’s Final EauPINON – Like if your local headshop started to make dryer sheets. I’m going to stick to my boring celeb-o-scent when I want to smell like clean skin, or I’ll shower. Or I’ll wear something like Egyptian musk.
I probably could have skipped sampling and reviewing these, but I do try to keep up with what is going on in the mainstream/designer world. I get sick of overpriced niche stuff so testing anything under $100 is refreshing. But, it’s not really refreshing to test mainstream things that remind me of other things that are in the same price range or cheaper. We win some, we lose some, right?
Overall, these get filled under “meh” or “if you see it as a discounter for like $10, they’d make a good room spray”.
The 2 oz bottle of Live Joyously retails for $56. The 2.14 oz bottle of CLEAN Skin retails for $72. Both are available at Sephora.
*Samples obtained by me. Product pics from Sephora. Post contains affiliate links. Thanks!
This reminds me that the other day I found a sample of CLEAN Original that I had hanging out in a pile o’ samples and gave it a try. It smelled exactly like cheap soap. It made me smell like I had just scrubbed down with some Irish Spring or something. My husband said the same. We were baffled as to why we’d ever want to pay $50+ for a bottle of the stuff when I could just go buy a 3 pack of cheap soap for like $7.
That’s kind of my overall impression of the CLEAN brand. Idk, I’ve just not been impressed.
That entire aesthetic doesn’t click with me at all. In fact, one of the vilest perfumes I’ve ever tried was by CLEAN (and has since rightfully been discontinued). But, apparently people like this aesthetic because they are carried by some major retailers and people tend to like “clean”.
I’m like you. If I want to smell like soap (which sometimes I do), I’ll use old school Ivory or Irish Spring soap/body wash. If I want to smell like tanning lotion, I’ll use Bain de Soleil or Coppertone.