Love For Everyone, Almost - On A Cultural Discrepancy: Walmart X Coty Love 2 Love Perfumes For Valentine's Day

The Love 2 Love collection of perfumes, created in collaboration with Walmart, was launched to coincide with Valentine's Day 2014.

Two years later, we take stock and assess the olfactory personalities of the fragrances. But before, let's trace back a bit to the more general commercial and cultural context.

Facts to Ponder on the State of the Fragrance Mass-Market ca. 2014

From WWD (2014):

"Products for men also propel the body-spray category, a subsegment of fragrance, giving retailers reason for hope. Men's body mist sales gained 49 percent over the 52-week period ended Dec. 28, ignited by products such as Axe Peace, according to IRI.

Women's mists are gaining at a slower pace, growing at 11 percent, but appear to be gaining traction. Among the spray logos with double-digit sales increases were Body Fantasies Signature, Calgon, Bodycology, Axe Anarchy and Secret, according to IRI.

These scents are thought to appeal to pocketbooks, as well as those looking for lighter, everyday options.
To bring newness to mass, Luby at Instyle said his firm has a new time-release body fragrance in eight scents that lasts up to 12 hours. Walgreens will launch four of the scents next month."

A Cultural Approach To Shopping Everywoman's Perfumes

The mass-market for perfumes is one of the best arenas in which to give leeway to your instinct for reverse snobbery. This statement becomes even more painfully obvious when you start taking an international and cosmopolitan approach to beauty and fragrance purchases across borders. It soon comes to your realization that, in fact, mass-marketed perfumes and beauty cream jars are more difficult to access from abroad than designer brands...

The perfume mass-market is paradoxically and culturally a mostly local, well, let's say, domestic, or national playing field. The icons of your drugstore shelves in the US will seldom be found elsewhere. I am talking from an European vantage point. Stetson, Chantilly, White Shoulders, Wind Song and such are far out of reach from your shopping arm when you have crossed the pond. Yes, there is Avon and some of their perfumes are multi-markets. Yes, there is Yves Rocher and their scents are distributed worldwide mostly. But we're talking hardcore mass-market, with an overdose of parking-lot authenticity. The kind you're most likely to be able to buy at Target or Walmart. Those "hidden gems" are well-relegated to the exclusivity of a provincial distribution... on a huge, mass scale nevertheless.

I sometimes happen on a bottle of Jovan musk in so-called ethnic food stores in Paris. Alyssa Ashley if I really need to exhume one of their scents, I might be able to thanks to the Internet. But Blue Waltz or Lady Stetson? But Sonia Kashuk Red Promisia or Pink Innocentia? - It's only available at Target (please pronounce Thar - Zhay, if you're really in the know).

If you live in the States, I am sure that reading about the Solinotes range, Bien-Être eaux de cologne, Durance, Le Couvent des Minîmes or Pierre Cardin can set you on edge. They are everywhere, almost, except very far away from you and not within reach of your inquiring nose.

In truth, the paradox is also experienced at home for those cited perfumes. Even from where I am, i.e., in Paris, France, some of those fragrances are well-nigh impossible to find. If you make a trip to the suburbs and to huge hyper-markets beyond the périphérique, then you will discover a new array of scents almost impossible to find in Paris intra-muros. I was this able to find a perfume by renowned perfumer Dominique Ropion, L'Echappée Belle, on such an outing. It took something like 2 years to see it finally appear on downtown shelves.

So, your curiosity as a perfumista can more often than not be piqued by those Drugstore beauties. I was glad therefore to be able to receive the Love 2 Love collection for last year Valentine's Day, which is only available in Walmart territory, which I started exploring very late as sociologically speaking it was another out-of-the-way world, to which you need to drive on top of that.

As it took some time, a year later, I am again seeing V-Day approach as a good opportunity to review the scents. Their common trait is that they were all composed by great perfumers while being very accessible from a price point perspective.

Goal: "Perfectly Paired Fragrances For Perfect Pairs In Love"...

Les Perfume Reviews

Fresh Rose + Peach By Calice Becker For Givaudan

A delicate fruity rose opens up reminiscent for me of rain-wet English countryside. Then more resinous, darker accents appear to the point of suggesting a crème de cassis liqueur, but always with a light touch. This fresh and dewy rose is inflected by cassis buds and white musk making it almost inky then transparent and veil-like, with a floating hologram of sugared plums. The white musks are never heavily soapy; it's more like the trace of a clean morning shower later in the afternoon. A very pretty scent with an authentic brand of sublety. It has a light aura, which nevertheless deepens but which some might find too fleeting. That latter aspect can be remedied to with multiple applications, a good moisturizing lotion and clement weather, none too dry. The drydown is peachy, creamy and powdery making you think of velvety peach skins.

Orange Blossom + White Musk By Maurice Roucel For Symrise

It starts off powdery and a little raspy. It soon evolves into a heady, sensuous and even carnal honeyed orange blossom with fresh, light eau de Cologne accents. The white musk is more about soapy sensuality than prosaic albeit arguably comforting memories of loading your laundry machine. The composition becomes solar, sunny and blond like a field in hay in the summer. Always lurking beneath it all is an animalic note of clean sweat kissed by orange blossom. We are not yet robots, we are humans. Did futurists by the way address the problem of robots and olfaction? How will robots smell, and do they need to smell? But we digress. This is a lovely, summery and clean orange blossom scent with a hint of pungency. Once we smelled the sillage of a gentleman who was wearing an orange blossom scent with a certain clout. This makes us think that some men might actually enjoy this scent.

Jasmine + Sparkling Mimosa By Richard Herpin For Firmenich

This opens up on a fresh, green note hesitating between angelica and newly cut grass. There is a tea-like impression which is not too far removed from the well-known Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. Soon however, it deepens in a more complex fashion, intensifying and offering multivariegated green nuance, more in the directions of galbanum and mastic; a hint of green then yellow banana scent adds fleshiness and suggests overripeness.

This is a green fruity scent with a fresh, tropical personality. For some reason, I think of the Amazon river and Brazil - not the French Riviera where both jasmine and mimosa are lush. An interesting, high-pitched note of salty sweat is what transpires here as the advertized "skin musk." Th drydown is wlightly woody and soft.

Freesia + Violet Petals By Sophia Grojsman And Bruno Jovanovic For IFF

The beginning is almost leathery, slightly dry, aromatic and violet-y - then fades into a note of grape-colored nail-polish. We smell a deep, dark, gray and fruity violet, more woody than sweet. Soon, a more orris-y impression follows which adds an elegant nuance to the perfume. This is a soft violet thanks to the peach note which adds a tender tonality.

The composition hovers between the colors purple and gray which confers it a sophisticated signature. It makes you realize that perfumers can play upon synesthesia and a range of rarer colors to convey a sense of distinction. This might be a violet perfume slightly influenced by the venerated Iris Gris by Fath. The drydown is creamy, woody, with a slight nuance of floated woods and a hint of abstract gourmandise. This composition is probably the one which comes across as the least casual and dressiest. It is also the most inscrutable of the four in terms of its apparent personality, which is a compliment in perfumery where mystery is an intangible yet certain quality.

We think that seeing great perfumers visibly lending their names and more importantly their expertise to the fragrance mass-market is an interesting experiment which is beneficial to all parties involved. The perfumers received a challenge, a responsibility to fulfill, marketed their names, and the customers can find seriously composed perfumes relying on centuries-old tradition at an incredible price point, less than $10 for the eaux de toilette and less than $7 for the body mists, thanks to the economy of scale.

The most V-Day-like perfume of the quatuor to our mind is Freesia + Violet Petals, if that's what you're looking for. From most simple to most complex on the perfume-personality scale, we'd say: Jasmine + Sparkling Mimosa, followed by Orange Blossom + White Musk, then Fresh Rose + Peach & finally Freesia + Violet Petals.

Read more at http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/2016/02/walmart_coty_love_2_love_perfumes.html#rXLHrIhjk11mqYum.99

Bargain Fragrances: Aspen by Quintessence/Coty (1989)

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 win a 5ml decant of Aspen, shipped anywhere in the world, FREE!

Summary: Created over 25 years ago as an affordable response to the groundbreaking Cool Water by Davidoff, Aspen by Quintessence (now Coty) offers fresh citrus over a base of mossy herbs and cedar, and still smells as great today as it did in 1989.

Perfumer: Unknown

Try this if you like: Sweet, aquatic citrus aromas; shower-fresh scents; a burst of lemon; green fougere aromas.

Reminds me of: Cool Water by Davidoff, Creed Green Irish Tweed, Michel GermainSexual pour Homme, Façonable, Animale for Men, Jo Malone Lavender & Amber, Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte, Giorgio of Beverly Hills Wings for Men, and Swiss Army.

Pros & Cons: As so many have noted, and there is a lot of love expressed on the Fragrantica review page, Aspen is basically a sniffalike of 1988's Cool Water minus the tobacco and aquatic notes; even more interesting is its similarity to Green Irish Tweed by Creed but without the depth. Looking at reviewer's comments, many seem to find it preferable to its alternatives.

One reviewer suggested Aspen is "as cheap as it is, as cheap as it smells...synthetic C.R.A.P. - gave it to my son he likes it..he's 11...," and another concluded "There's simply no versatility in this fragrance. I can't think of any occasion where I would even attempt to go for this scent. It's too piney & too synthetic smelling for me to feel secure enough to wear this among other people. I would feel like a walking air-freshener, wearing this."

Others have waxed poetic: "Aspen scores full marks on delivering an interpretation of the ‘crisp, mountain air’ promised on its packaging. It opens with a wet, citrus-y freshness that reminds you of the clean smell of the suds in the shower soon after you’ve stepped out of it."

As a fougere (herbs, lavender, moss), Aspen feels fresher and more modern than others in its genre, but as a response to Cool Water, there are many other offerings that smell almost identical. So there is nothing at all remarkable or innovative about Aspen.

However, the floral (jasmine and orange blossom) and juniper midrange show up most prominently as the scent relaxes, especially in my ca 2015 bottle. The mint offers a bracing freshness that makes it ideal for warmer weather. And wow, that price tag - I scored a 4 oz bottle on a popular auction site for $6 shipped and I'm surprised by how often I reach for it.

Aspen offers only average longevity and conservative sillage.

Notes: "Top notes are bergamot, galbanum, green notes and lemon; middle notes are coriander, cyclamen, geranium, jasmine, lavender, juniper and orange blossom; base notes are amber, cedar, oakmoss, musk and balsam fir." Fragrantica.com

Designer’s Description: "As compelling as the land that inspired it. As natural as the man who wears it. Aspen - a man's cologne; follow your natural instinct."

Number of times tested: 100+ times over the last 25 years.

Number of sprays applied for this review: 1 spray to the back of my hand from abottle I purchased in 2015.

Fragrance strength: Cologne

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Aspen is really somewhwere between linear and average. Nothing really changes but the as the citrus relaxes, the florals bloom. I don't detect any oakmoss here and even the woods are quite subtle. The mint is most noticable during the initial development but by no means would I call this a "mint aroma".

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) Pretty decent considering its price: I get about 3-5 hours with only a few sprays.

Wikipedia Commons

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) Aspen is a quiet scent and as such would likely work well for an office environment.

Note about the packaging: Aspen is still as it was in 1989 - an emerald green rectangular bottle with copper lettering and cap housed in a copper and green paper box with images of aspen leaves.

Where can I buy it? A 2 oz Cologne spray can be found online for as little as $10 USD.

The Bottom Line: I received Aspen as a gift a year after it launched from a friend of a friend who I barely knew and rarely saw; she took it upon herself to find me an alternative to my signature CK Eternity because it had caused her allergy problems. I have to say, I was pretty floored that someone would expect me to change my scent (as I didn't find it at all similar to Eternity) but understood that breathing was her top priority. When I first used Aspen, long before Cool Water was on my fragrance radar, I found it incredibly sweet with an unusually spicy accord lurking somewhere in the background. It didn't at all seem so "piney" to me (compared to my RL Polo) nor did it seem all that woody (compared to Azzaro Homme). I remember thinking of it as a minty citrus. It has been 25 years since I owned a bottle of Aspen and upon recently revisiting it, I was surprised to find it exactly as I had remembered it; even the box and bottle remained the same. In terms of the composition, I find it nearly impossible to pick out any of the individual notes aside from the florals and sweet juniper. I still don't find it woody, nor do I find it mossy. I can't discern the lavender or the amber but for a slightly sweet base in the drydown. I must report, however, that I did receive not one but two compliments while wearing Aspen. The original advertising for Aspen makes me laugh - "As compelling as the land that inspired it. As natural as the man who wears it. Aspen - a man's cologne; follow your natural instinct." Natural? What is natural about it? Since first owning Aspen, I have worn a number of "designer" and niche offerings that are basically the same composition (see "Reminds me of" above). As I no longer wear or own any of those scents (with the exception of an ongoing favorite, Wings), Aspen is a nice stroll down memory lane for those times when I want to re-experience this style of aroma...for about the price of a movie ticket.

Have you ever been curious about Aspen? What have your experiences been like with this Cool Water alternative? Tell us below for your chance to win a 5ml decant of Aspen by Coty, shipped anywhere in the world, free!

Breaking News: Coty Prestige Acquires Escada, Gucci, Boss & More!

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

On January 12th, 2016, Coty Inc confirmed that it will acquire ten fragrance licenses from the Procter & Gamble group pending regulatory approval and transaction completion, reports Businesswire.com. Established in France in 1904, Coty is a global leader in the fragrance industry with such brands as Calvin Klein, Davidoff and Marc Jacobs.

Coty intiially garnered fame for groundbreaking fragrances such as Chypre, L'Aimant, Muguet des Bois, L'Origan, and Emeraude, now widely considered as forerunners to similar masterpieces of the time. The beauty company was one of the first to market perfume to mass audiences in bottles that allowed fragrance to be affordable and accessible. The strategy was a huge success, and Coty helped make perfume the international mass-market product it eventually became. Today, Coty's brands are found in over 130 countries worldwide as part of its Prestige division and they also continue to produce affordable classics such as Aspen, Gravity, Exclamation and Stetson.

The ten licenses acquired by Coty in this agreement are Hugo Boss, Gucci, Lacoste, Bruno Banani, Escada, Mexx, James Bond, Gabriela Sabatini, Stella McCartney, and Alexander McQueen.

Coty has been praised for its range of innovative products, consistent creativity in aroma and packaging, and compositions developed by top perfumers; they have also been criticized by many modern fragrance lovers for creating products that suffer from poor longevity. The latter may be due to recent restrictions on certain perfumery materials.

We'll keep you updated on this exciting acquisition by Coty.

Bargain Fragrances: Gravity by Coty (1992)

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 win a 30ml bottle of Gravity, shipped anywhere in the world, FREE!

Summary: A smooth blend of citrus and woods, Gravity spoke to a new generation of men's perfumery boasting fresh topnotes, airy floral midnotes and subtle, oriental basenotes. 1993 FIFI Award Winner for Men's Broad Appeal.

Perfumer: NA

Try this if you like: Citrus used as an accent rather than a main player; violets;pepper (although oddly I'm not a fan of pepper and don't mind it here); the merest touch of vanilla.

Reminds me of: Gravity offers echoes of violet-tinged soapiness found in scents like Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene and Narciso Rodriquez for Men but with a base of vanilla and woods that recall Versace Versus.

Pros & Cons: It is a challenge to pin down a definitive list of notes for Gravity: Some websites list lime while others list orange; some list leather, and others omit this and list woods. What I perceive more than anything else is a dry citrus over sage, violet and peppery nuances in the midnotes, and a drydown of woods with the tiniest hint of leather and vanilla after the 2nd hour.

A cologne strength, drugstore scent, Gravity offers surprising complexity and development. No, this is not a contemporary, niche offering, but in a blind test I would wager that its bargain bin status would elude most. The longevity of Gravity is only fair. Considering the current offering of 2015 men's colognes, Gravity does not at all feel dated, but rather relevant. I'm not at all sure it is still in active production.

Notes: NA, but after surveying the internet, we've surmised that the composition contains mandarin, sage, vanilla and woods. Other notes might include cloves, pepper, freesia, violet, or leather.

Designer’s Description: "More than a fragrance, it's a force of nature. Gravity. The force that pulls you closer."

 

 

Number of times tested: 10 times over the last 1 month.

Number of sprays applied for this review: 2 sprays to the back of my hand from a 30ml bottle I purchased online (ca. 2015).

Fragrance strength: Cologne

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Here's the thing about Gravity: It starts out as a rather mature citrus scent, morphs to a peppery floral and ends with a "where did you come from?" vanilla edge. I'm constantly fascinated by the development of this one. 

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) Gravity lasts about 3-4 hours on my skin; this one could be applied lavishly to maximize longevity.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) It was a toss up between average and a lot; although the scent packs some punch in the opening, the drydown arrives quickly and the entire experience is quiet by the 2nd hour.

Note about the packaging: Newer bottles are rectangular in shape with a smaller-scale rectangular cap while original bottles feature a uniform body with rounded edges. The bottle is a dark cobalt blue and housed in a dark blue cobalt box.

Where can I buy it? A 30ml Cologne spray is as low as $8 USD at discount sites.

The Bottom Line: Having launched as a drugstore scent during a time when I only cared to wear designer labels, I overlooked Gravity in favor of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Chanel and Kenzo. In my quest to test all things bargain for this column, I decided to check out Gravity,  fondly rembering friends who wore it back in my college days.   When it arrived in the mail a few weeks back, I admit, I wasn't all that enthusiastic. However, once I sprayed it on (along with 1 or 2 other bargain scents), I had forgotten all about it until I noticed that the back of my right hand smelled quite nice. "What is THAT?" I kept wondering? And then it hit me - it's Gravity! Huh! Well, what a surprise. I immediately asked one of my co-editors to add the scent to the Fragrantica database so I could tell you guys all about it. It took a few wearings for the aroma to fully register and I can't say that Gravity smells all that much like anything else I can think of. Somewhere in my third wearing I recalled the soapiness of Grey Flannel and something that reminded me of violets. The opening is very retro - there's a late 70's, early 80's dark, herbal accord. But where many of these classics descend into carnations, animalics and musk, Gravity heads in a different direction altogether. There is something slightly airy and slightly peppery about the midnotes just before they start to sweeten, I sense the same effect in Davidoff's Echo, another bargain fragrance I reviewedHERE (CLICK ME). There's that same "could be leather" vibe going on. And then there's vanilla...and it's strange because there really is no hint of it at all at the opening.This is where I most enjoy Gravity and where it reminds me a bit of Versus by Versace which ironically launched just a year before Gravity. If dry, herbal vanilla appeals to you, then I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by Gravity!

I'd love to read your thoughts about Gravity! What have your experiences been like? Which notes are most prominent in your opinion? Have you tried any of the flankers such as Gravity Pure, Infinite or Zero? Any other Coty scents you can recommend?

Leave a comment below for your chance to win a 30ml bottle of Gravity,
shipped anywhere in the world, FREE!

Sand & Sable by Coty (1981)

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: A dusky gardenia with musky and green accents, incredible longevity and powerful sillage, this drugstore classic is sure to please anyone looking for something similar to Michael by Michael Kors but at a fraction of the price.

Perfumer: N/A, please tell us in a comment below if you know.

Try this if you like: Gardenia, tuberose, night blooming jasmine, and white florals in general.

Pros & Cons: After nearly 35 years on the market and an explosion in global perfumery since, Sand & Sable doesn’t seem nearly as edgy or as groundbreaking as it once did. That being said, and considering the price, the overall quality of S&S is rather impressive. No, it is not complex nor is it all that “natural” smelling (nothing subtle, clean, or fruity here). However, its similarity to other floral bombs is undeniable. Some have complained that the fragrance is too “synthetic” for them, too “one-dimensional”, or that the peach note was too much. Others express an appreciation for the musky aspects of the fragrance (although musk is not listed as one of the notes). Generally, this one seems to take people by surprise.

Notes: Tuberose, gardenia, jasmine, rose, green notes and peach.

Reminds me of: Michael by Michael Kors, Fracas, Blonde by Versace, Marc Jacobs(first scent), Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia, Jovan Island Gardenia, Tocca Florence,Child, Tuvache Gardenia.

Designer’s Description: N/A

Number of times tested: 10 times over the last 2 months.

Number of sprays applied for this review: 2 sprays to the back of my hand from a 30ml bottle I purchased online (ca. 2015).

Fragrance strength: Cologne

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Not much change or progression here; the peachy vibe I get at the opening does calm down and the drydown strongly recalls coconut-floral sunscreens (not that this is a bad thing in my humble opinion).

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) I found that Sand & Sable stuck around for about 8 hours with only a single spray; that says a lot for a cologne concentration. I could even smell it lingering on my hand after some time in the swimming pool.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) Sand & Sable is undeniably powerful upon application but within an hour it calms in keeping with similar floral EDT’s. This might be a good one to spray into the air and walk into.

Note about the packaging: Currently, Sand & Sable is presented in a simple transparent glass bottle with cream-colored plastic cap. The bottle is packaged in a cream and white paper box with sand pattern.

Where can I buy it? A 30ml Cologne spray is as low as $8 USD on online auction and discount sites.

The Bottom Line: Sand & Sable was one of those fragrances launched during my childhood that was worn by many and advertised often. Oddly enough, I never made an effort to actually sample it until recently; this is another case of awe at what I’ve missed due to my fragrance snobbery. When I finally tested it I recognized it immediately as the aroma of teachers, nurses and friend’s mothers of years past.

Like the advertising imagery and the “Sables” of the name (unless sable here is meant to refer to the animal fur), S&S evokes a beachy vibe to me, likely because of the preponderance of 80’s and 90’s sunscreens that capitalized on jasmine and coconut. And even though vanilla and coconut aren’t listed in the composition, both notes definitely make a mystery appearance, likely an effect of the white floral notes. Somewhere in the midnotes a bit of rose peeks out while the peach note adds that subtle fruity edge so many treasure in actual gardenia petals.

Since the launch of S&S there have been way too many sniffalikes to even mention, many with finer ingredients or gentler approaches but one has to wonder how something so inexpensive and simple has managed to stick around for so long. The first time I sniffed Michael by Michael Kors I immediately thought “Sand & Sables!”; Michael has a richer aroma overall with more complex basenotes (I always detect a spicy incense).

If tuberose or gardenia intrigue you, I can’t recommend this highly enough, especially for the price. Heck, if you aren’t wowed by it on your skin, S&S would undoubtedly make a great linen or room spray.