Who Are You Wearing?

Here's a question for you: does a perfume's brand matter to you?

Here's why I'm asking. My sister and I were walking around Ulta, sampling perfumes. I noticed that I gravitate towards classics scents by Chanel, Dior, etc. She was a little less discriminating and sniffed all kinds of products. And the two she kept going back to were fragrances by Gwen Stefani and Ed Hardy. Now, I can support her getting a Gwen Stefani perfume but Ed Hardy? Eek. I think we all have bad associations with Ed Hardy thanks to that douchebag Jon Gosselin.

Anyway...I digress. My point is this: if you just smelled a perfume without knowing who it was by, you'd probably be more honest about what you like and don't like. And you might be surprised with who you might end up wearing.

The other day I received some fragrances to try, notably Forever by Mariah Carey and With Love by Hilary Duff. Normally I would never give these scents the time of day. But I stopped and checked them out. And I have good things to say about both.

Forever by Mariah Carey is a bit too girly for me, but it wasn't unpleasant. It wasn't as strong as I thought it would be and there's something a little musky mixed in with the floral scent. What I love, love, love about Forever is the bottle. Seriously, it's packaged beautifully. The bottle would look great on a vanity.

With Love by Hilary Duff shocked me. I was expecting something ultra-feminine, something flowery and way too girly for me. But instead it reminded me of one of my all-time favorites, Dune by Christian Dior. I likey! And the bottle is pretty which is a bonus.

Bottom line: Don't judge a perfume by it's maker! If you have an open mind, you might just be surprised at what you end up liking.

Disclosure: A press sample of Forever and With Love was provided.