Fancy Nights by Jessica Simpson (2010)

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

This is another in a series of bargain fragrance reviews, scents that may be found online or at discount stores for US $25 or less. Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!

Summary: Another understated gem from one of my favorite perfumers, Steve Demercado, Fancy Nights is like Shalimar meets Prada and quite unlike any of the other flankers in the Fancy series. With heavy patchouli, amber and vanilla, Fancy Nights is an oriental explosion.

Perfumer: Steve Demercado.

Try this if you like: amber or patchouli in general; louder scents; longlasting scents; something slightly dirty/earthy in the drydown.

Pros & Cons: Fancy Nights could have been launched as an expensive niche fragrance and surely would have found an enthusiastic audience. Rather, it was targeted to a young, female population and due to being an ambery, patchouli bomb, also bombed on the fragrance counter shelves. Nowadays, it may be found for next to nothing and seems to be on every discount site. Heck, even the deep emerald green bottle is kind of groovy. Unfortunately, Fancy Nights is a little bit like expecting a complex symphony only to hear a chamber quartet; there is something missing here, namely midnotes.

Notes: “Fancy Nights is a fragrance by Jessica Simpson. This deeper, more provocative and opulent perfume introduces bergamot, Egyptian papyrus, Indonesian patchouli, Bulgarian red rose and night blossoming jasmine. The fragrance is available as 50 ml edp in a datk green flacon decorated with golden embellishment. Fancy Nights was launched in 2010. The nose behind this fragrance is Steve Demercado.”—Fragrantica.com

Reminds me of: As I mentioned, this was clearly inspired by the current Prada by Prada in the rectangular glass bottle and pink box. There is a citrusy vanilla accord floating through the opening that also reminds me of Shalimar’s delicious topnotes (well, let’s face it, maybe I should have said Emeraude); any comparison beyond that is unnecessary. Sadly, I’m a little disappointed to explain that the closest sister is the current reformulation of Dior’s Addict; I’m sad because I lost the delicious vanilla buttercream notes of the original Addict and find that I prefer to wear Fancy Nightsover the new Addict…not to mention that Fancy Nights is far more affordable.

Designer’s Description: Discontinued; not available.

Number of times tested: 50+ times over the last 12 months.

Number of sprays applied for this review: 2 sprays to the back of my hand from a bottle I purchased.

Fragrance strength: Eau de Parfum

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex) Fancy Nights is almost linear, but I find the papyrus weaves in and out, and the sandalwood and vanilla bloom after the second hour once the patchouli relaxes.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) I get around 8-10 hours from only two sprays, albeit the fragrance softens greatly after the first couple of hours.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) This one has gotten noticed and I find it a little overwhelming upon initial application.

Note about the packaging: Same bottles and boxes as the other Fancy scents, but this time the bottle is a deep, emerald green with gold writing.

Where can I buy it? I found my bottle online at $8 for a 100 ml EDP spray (NOT a tester!).

The Bottom Line: Thank you, Parlux, for working with the Jessica Simpson licenseto bring out a diverse line of affordable fragrances that all seem to smell just a little bit familiar! I had the pleasure to sample a few of the scents that launched prior to Fancy Nights and was left unmoved. But I just so happened to be in TJ Maxx (a North American discount store) when I found a large bottle of Fancy Nights for a mere $14.99! I sprayed it on and immediately went back to make sure I had sprayed Fancy Nights. Yes!!!! I was delighted to have found a less expensive version of Prada.

As I walked through the store, constantly sniffing my hand like a lunatic, the scent began to morph and moved from Prada to Addict, from patchouli to vanilla. I decided I had to have it and got online immediately. Score! Eight bucks! Ironically, the next time I was in that TJ Maxx I found another large bottle, this time priced at $6.99! I bought that one, too!
So let’s recap: Prada sniff-alike? Check. Heavy patchouli, amber and vanilla? Check. Slightly skanky papyrus note? Check. Enormous longevity and sillage? Check. Less than $10? Likely!