Fragrance #2: Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline

Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline

Here is the "official" description:

Style:  Bvlgari introduces Omnia Crystaline, a delicate floral woody experience.  Capturing the glowing clarity of crystal light, Crystalline illuminates, reflects and reveals a woman's radiance, luminosity, gentle sensuality, and graceful femininity.  A sparkling jewel of light.

Tones:  Bamboo, Nashi (Japanese Pear), Lotus Flower, Balsa Wood

The woman:  For a woman of inner youth and grace with an appreciation for true elegance and luxury.

Now, for my two cents.  

Scent:  I'm going to start simply:  I hated it!  Reading the description, I expected a light, refreshing, natural scent.  What I got was a heavy, very floral, elderly lady scent.  I actually am going to break my own rule and only wear this one for one day because it was literally making me sick and giving me a headache.  I had to wash it off my wrists after a few hours, but I was at work so I was stuck with the scent on my neck.

Wearability:  For me, no wearability.  I did ask some people at work if I smelled like I was walking around in a cloud of perfume and no one seemed to be able to smell the scent as strongly as I could.  The initial smell of the perfume didn't seem so bad, but it seemed all of the nice bamboo and clean, refreshingness of the fragrance wore off really quickly leaving a pure floral nightmare.

Longevity:  Yep, this scent really lasts.  My husband could still smell it on me 12 hours later.  

Reactions:  My husband did not like this one.  Some people at work said it was nice, but they were mostly older ladies.  This is not a fragrance for a woman in her twenties.  

Verdict:  Anyone want a free sample?  I'm getting rid of this one asap.  Next please!

Fragrance #1: Aquolina Pink Sugar

Aquolina Pink Sugar

Scent:  The booklet that came in the sample box describes this one as: "An Italian blend of Sicilian orange and bergamot, with mouthwatering notes of vanilla, and caramel wrapped around a creamy marshmallow center and rounded by intoxicating aromas of sensual woods."  

I smelled:  cotton candy.  I actually recognized this scent as soon as I opened the bottle.  I've walked by or near women wearing this scent and have thought, "Is that cotton candy scented perfume she's wearing?"  While smelling like cotton candy is not a bad thing, is it a very sweet scent.  My husband seemed to like it, "It smelled good" is his final verdict.

Wearability:  In this category, I want to stay away from any fragrance that is really overpowering.  The best test subject for this is certainly my mom.  She's the kind of person who becomes literally sick from walking through the perfume area at department stores.  I had applied the Pink Sugar a few hours before she came to pick me up to go to the gym and when I got in the car she didn't say anything at all about the scent.  I certainly wouldn't call this scent overpowering, you'd have to apply quite a bit for it to get there.  I applied it mostly to my wrists and neck area and it was quite subtle, even when I put on a decent amount.

Longevity:  This fragrance doesn't seem to hold up well when applied to the skin.  I put some on before work and by the time I came home I couldn't smell it at all on my wrists, but if I put some on my clothing it was still lingering a bit.

Reactions:  Other than the people I blatantly asked for an opinion, no one noticed my new smell.  The husband said, "It smells good."  My friend Trista agreed that it smelled like pure cotton candy extract, her boyfriend said it was too sweet smelling, and my mom couldn't smell it at all.

Over all, Aquolina Pink Sugar is a nice scent and especially good if you like smelling like a candy shop or a carnival.  It's subtle and very sweet, definitely a "young" scent.  If you're over, say, thirty-five, this fragrance is much too candy-like.  This would be more age-appropriate for a younger girl, maybe in middle or high school.  I could see a lot of teenage girls being really into this fragrance.  Not age-appropriate for the more "mature" woman.

Verdict:  I don't think this is the one for me. 

How it all began...

I'm the kind of girl who isn't afraid to wear bright yellow pointy-toe pumps with a pink dress. Or lime green eye shadow.  Or earrings half the size of my head.  I'll try most things in fashion at least once.

Yet, at 24, I am still wearing the same fragrance I first splashed on in the tenth grade.  When I was 15. I have been dousing myself in Victoria Secret Vanilla Lace for the better part of a decade, and while it's a very nice scent - not too overpowering, subtle, kind of smells like cake - I think it's time for a change.

So today I headed to one of my favorite stores, the one that makes me feel the most like a kid in a candy store, Sephora.  Trying to tackle their wall of perfume in one day is like diving head-first into a vat of ammonia.  After smelling about twenty fragrances, no amount of palate-cleansing coffee beans could save me.  I was dizzy and pretty confident that I had burned out some portion of my nasal cavity.  

Feeling defeated and somewhat nauseated, I spotted the Sephora Scent Sample Bestsellers for Her.  It's a box that contains ten samples of Sephora's best-selling fragrances, as well as a voucher redeemable for the full-size bottle of whatever sample fragrance you like best.  Jackpot!  Now I could smell some of these perfumes in the comfort of my own home, hopefully minus the nausea. 

Thus begins my experiment.  I will start with a disclaimer that I am not a perfume/cologne/fragrance expert.  I'm a beginner in the fragrance world at best.  People who are really into fragrances are kind of like wine experts, smelling all kinds of things that I couldn't even tell were in there.  I will do my best to analyze the scents, but I can do so only to the best of my ability, which is completely based on personal opinion and my uncultured sense of smell.

The Perfume Experiment:

I will wear each fragrance for two days and I will rate each on four different points.

1. Scent (Musky, floral, fruity, etc.)

2. Wearability (Is it too overpowering?) 

3. Longevity  (Will it wear off quickly or last all day without reapplying?)

4. Reactions (From co-workers, husband, family)

I will wear the fragrances in the order that they are listed in the "scent book" packaged with the samples, which is alphabetical order.  The fragrances will be worn as follows:

1. Aquolina Pink Sugar

2. Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline

3. Euphoria Calvin Klein

4. Givenchy Very Irresistible

5. Gwen Stefani L.A.M.B.

6. Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit

7. Marc Jacobs Daisy

8. Philosophy Amazing Grace

9. Stella McCartney Stella

10. Vera Wang Princess

Let the experiment begin!