Vera Wang Glam Princess

I feel like reviewing random beauty products from my stash. I'll start out with this one since it's going back to the store this week!


I really like the original Vera Wang Princess. The name cracks me up, I always read it as "Vera, Wang Princess." I know the bottle is super girly-girly and so is the name, but it smells really good on me. So, thinking because I liked the original so much I'd like the others, I purchased Rock Princess and Glam Princess. Neither are anything like the original, but right now I'm going to focus on Glam Princess.

Just from reading the notes I knew I had to have this. The list of notes? Guava, Pear, Honey, Vanilla Orchid, Marshmallow Accord, Cedarwood. I'm not much of a fan of fruity scents, but the vanilla orchid, marshmallow and cedarwood are right up my alley. I love gourmand and woodsy scents, so a scent combining vanilla and cedar seemed perfect for me.

When it arrived I could smell a perfume smell coming from the box before I even opened it. I'm wondering if the set I ordered was a return because it seemed used. The bottle wasn't full to the top like I'm used to and the lotion didn't have a safety seal and has some lotion around the inner cap as if it had been squeezed. Hm.

The bottle is cute in a ridiculously tacky way:

It's a clear glass heart with gold metallic spray in a gradient effect and it's printed with pink scribbly stars. The top is a gold toned with no true cap- instead it has a removable crown and rhinestone-studded ring that can both be worn as jewelry if desired.

Despite the fact that it looks like it was designed by a lovesick 13-year-old, it's still cute... Probably because it does look like it was designed by a lovesick 13-year-old. Girly, cheesy, tacky but still a little bit glam.

I've worn the scent a few times now and had the same experience each time.

The minute I apply it I get a sweet fruity-floral scent- I don't smell pear but perhaps I do smell guava. It's not a rich, true guava scent, it's more of a thig, high-pitched imitation of guava. The scent is light, slightly crisp but not in a fresh-crisp way, more of an apple-fruity crisp way. It's not a strong scent at all, it is very weak and I can't smell it unless I have my wrist to my nose.

The best way I can describe this scent is generic. It doesn't really smell of anything specific. What it really smells like to me is that generic perfume smell you would encounter while walking through the perfume section at a department store while all the sample ladies are trying to spray you. It smells indistinguishable from the sea of mass-produced fruity-floral celebrity fragrances that I'm constantly bombarded with in the perfume department.

And, actually, it reminds me of a very, very watered down version of Britney Spears Fantasy, which I actually liked (shut up!). I am a sucker for 'cupcake accord'.

After wearing the scent for about an hour, it completely disappears. For a minute or two, with my wrist directly to my nose and if I sniff really hard, I can sorta smell something like marshmallow, but only fleetingly. It doesn't evolve much except for the sharp fruitiness of it that dies down eventually. And then, suddenly, poof! Gone. No scent.

I never smelled any vanilla orchid, no cedarwood, no marshmallow. Well, maybe a little marshmallow, but just barely. I can tell that there's something vanilla-esque somewhere in there but it's weak and thin and barely detectable.

What I had expected was a woody vanilla and cedar with some fruity top notes but all I got was a nondescript, weak, disappearing generic hairspray scent.

That's really the only word that comes to mind when trying to describe this. Generic, generic, generic. Not at all glam. Vera, I am disappoint.

So, I'm going to do something I rarely do. I'm going to return this. It is weak and fades away completely within an hour, it doesn't even smell like a real fragrance and on top of that, I think my set was already used when I received it. Someone else must have had the same experience.

The details of the set (from Sephora.com):

Glam Princess Gift Set ($90 Value)

This fun, flirtatious addition to the Princess line is for the boldly brilliant girl who is ready to celebrate and rule the world in the most glamorous way. She introduces herself with guava and juicy pear, reveals her beautiful heart with liquid honey and vanilla orchid, and offers sweet depth with marshmallow accord and cedarwood.

This set contains:
- 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
- 5.0 oz Satiny Body Lotion
- Gold Pouch (6 x 4.5")

Notes:
Guava, Pear, Honey, Vanilla Orchid, Marshmallow Accord, Cedarwood.
Style:
Feminine. Vibrant. Charming.

I may as well describe the body lotion while I'm in a reviewing mood.

It's a thin, light textured lotion that absorbs very quickly and leaves behind a trace of fine gold shimmer. It is scented with the Glam Princess fragrance and oddly enough, seems stronger than the perfume itself! It does not seem the least bit hydrating or moisturizing, but it does leave my skin smooth. I think it may be more for cosmetic purposes than actual moisturization. Layering the perfume with the lotion marginally increases wear time, but it still disappears after an hour or two.

Lesson learned. Just because I liked the first in a series doesn't mean I'll like the sequels.