Review: Fragrance Samples

I love when my Ulta catalog arrives in the mail. It's like when you're a kid and you get that huge Toy's R Us catalog around Christmas time. I love to sit with a nice latte and make a wishlist of all the products I would like to buy. I don't get to go to Ulta much, It's really far away. But I am going there soon to go on a shopping spree to celebrate my new job! -I will make a haul post afterwards, so keep an eye out.-

When my latest Ulta catalog came, a bunch of fragrance samples fell out. They all smelled so nice, so I thought it might be nice to show what's new, as well as give my opinions on the scents. Obviously I'm not a fragrance connoisseur, but I can still say whether a fragrance smells fresh, modern, and lovely, or smells like my grandmother's house.


By the way, the beautiful Urban Decay Naked Palette - and Naked 2 - is only $50 right now, plus you get a free deluxe sample of Urban Decay's eyeshadow primer potion. I know what I'll be buying! I am one of the few girls who still has not been able to get her hands on either palette, so I am going to be so happy when I get one! I've been eyeing the Naked palettes for a long time, but have never been able to afford the cost, until now. Yay! 



OK, back to business.
Givenchy Very Irresistible 1.7 oz $69.99
Ulta's website states:
A rich floral fragrance with top notes of rose and star anise, with softer notes of jasmine, verbena, and musk.
It's definitely floral. It's also quite powdery. Smells slightly of talc powder. I do smell the scent of rose, but that's about it. I would say it's a very pretty scent, very girly. And I like that it is quite subtle, and not overpowering.
Calvin Klein Down Town 1.7 oz $65.00
Ulta's website states:
A classic, with notes of green pear, watery plum, and gardenia petals.
What's the difference between a plum and a watery plum?! See, this is why I'm not a connoisseur.
To me, it has a strong citrus scent, with a hint of floral. I like it, it is not as feminine as Givenchy's fragrance, which I actually prefer. I like the scent of citrus over the scents of flowers. I also like that this fragrance isn't overpowering either. Some fragrances are so strong you can smell them before you even open the sample!


Marc Jacobs Honey 1.7 oz $72 3.4 oz $92
Ulta's website states:
A sunny and delicious floral, with a sparkling golden touch.
The bottle is so cute I can't even stand it. The scent is strong, as well as hard to explain. There is the floral scent, but it is also very sweet, with a hint of citrus and honey. I like it, it is very interesting. Not like other fragrances I've used in the past. Out of all of the samples, I think this is the one I would buy. If I could stomach the cost of course.
Prada Candy 1.7 oz $68.00
Ulta's website says:
Top: Sicilian mandarin and organic lemon. Middle: The floral scent of sweet pea. Base: White musks, benzoin and caramel.
The description is waaaay longer, but I didn't want to be typing all day. If you want to read it for yourself, visit Ulta's website.
Anyway, I'm sadly not that big of a fan. It has a strong citrus scent, but it is also slightly tart, probably because of the lemon -By the way, can you really tell if a lemon scent is organic or not? I guess that's important to some people...-. It's an interesting scent, but I don't really like the tartness, it's almost on the verge of sour. Not very appealing.


This sample I actually received separately, the same day. It's also sold at Ulta.
Viva La Juicy Noir 1.7 oz $70.00
Ulta's website states:
Scents of ripe berry notes, honey suckle and sandalwood.
I also had to abbreviate the description for this fragrance. It was less like a description and more like a narrative. Check out Ulta's website if you would like to read the whole thing.
I think they broke my sample, because I literally just opened it while I was typing this up, and I can't even smell anything. I know I like subtle scents, but this is ridiculous. From what I could pick up, it smells very sweet, but not overpoweringly so. Feminine but not so girly that I feel like Barbie.

Thanks for reading!





Have you used any of these fragrances? What's your favorite fragrance? Let me know in the comments.



I was not asked to review these fragrances. All prices and descriptions were found on Ulta.com. Prices were for the larger versions of the samples shown.