Quickie reviews of three new-ish department store fragrances: Vera Wang Princess Night, Swarovski Aura and Ferragamo Signorina.
Vera Wang Princess Night
Princess Night is the fifth flanker in Vera Wang's ever popular Princess franchise. It came out last December, so I'm late, and I know all of you have been holding your breath through the winter, waiting to hear what I think of it.
All that is required from this series, I think, is that they be reasonably competent — nobody is looking for brilliance, I hope, from a flanker to Princess. And Princess Night qualifies as competent: it's sweet and fruity, as you'd expect, but in keeping with the "evening wear" theme, it has a somewhat darker and heavier gourmand base than the other fragrances in the series, with plenty of creamy vanilla. It's attractive and wearable enough, and if I were forced, in some dystopian alternative universe, to choose a Princess, I'd probably pick either this or Rock Princess. So far, that has not come to pass, and I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Vera Wang Princess Night is available in 50 or 100 ml Eau de Toilette. The notes include wild berries, watermelon, raspberry, jasmine, orange blossom, plumeria, rose, sugar, creamy woods, musk and vanilla.
Swarovski Aura
I'm even later with Aura, the debut fragrance from Swarovski, than I was with Princess Night. It also came out last year, although I don't think it officially launches in the US until later this month. I've yet to see it in a store in the US — has anyone else spotted it?
Aura is supposed to be “an incandescent fruity floral which is centered around a prism of energy”, and that's a reasonable enough description, I guess — it's a soft and airy abstract fragrance which does not smell of any particular fruit or flower. The fruits, if they are fruits, are mild, and despite the airiness, it's remarkably diffusive, almost loud. It's also very clean, and it's heavy on the pink pepper and white musk. It is pink, and it smells pink, but it's clearly geared towards an older and more sophisticated market than the Princess Night. It almost reminds me of a functional product, but it's not quite clean enough to be a dryer sheet and it's not quite fruity enough to be a shampoo. Whatever it is, it's just not my sort of thing — I was happier wearing the Princess Night.
Swarovski Aura is available in 30, 50 and 75 ml Eau de Parfum. It was developed by perfumers Olivier Cresp and Jean-Pierre Bethouart; the notes include lychee, rose, tuberose, pink pepper, amber, benzoin and white musk.
Ferragamo Signorina
Signorina is the latest from Salvatore Ferragamo, and it's supposed to be an "olfactory celebration of chic girls" and to be "fresh, sophisticated and subtly cheeky". Victoria reviewed it at Bois de Jasmin a week or so ago, and I'm tempted to link to her review and say "what she said", because it's all true — Signorina is a cheerful and undemanding fruity thing with a slightly gourmand base. It isn't as candied as Princess Night, and it's almost certainly geared a wee bit older than that; it isn't as abstract or loud as the Aura, and it's almost certainly geared a wee bit younger than that.
Like Aura, it is pink and it smells pink, and they also share the same dollop of pink pepper. Unlike Aura, it did not bother me to wear it. It's pleasant and inoffensive, and easily qualifies for office wear. It isn't memorable, in fact, of the three under consideration today, it's easily the least memorable — I'm sure I won't recognize it next Tuesday. But it's fine, and if fine is what you're after, it's worth a shot.
Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina is available in 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum and in matching body products. It was developed by perfumers Sophie Labbé and Juliette Karagueuzoglou; notes include blackcurrant, pink pepper, jasmine, peony, rose, patchouli, panna cotta and musk.
I’ve successfully avoided VW’s princess line, but i found myself liking – not loving, but liking – Signorina (thanks to the sample pushing SA at Nordstrom’s who insisted I try it). It’s a very pleasant scent, not overly fruity, with a pretty musky drydown. It’s perfect for office wear, and while I won’t be buying a bottle (unless that winning lottery ticket comes through and I can buy a condo or something to house my already-too-large collection) I can certainly recommend it for those looking for something more sophisticated than the typical fruity floral.
I would agree with all that. It’s in the same class, to me, as Gucci Flora — nothing spectacular, but still, a cut above the competition.
I haven’t tried any of the Princesses or the Ferragamo but you can’t move in the UK for samples of Aura! I have tried it and once was enough. As you say, Robin, for something so sheer it has rather a lot of presence. As far as the scent goes all I could think of was ‘scented pantiliner’ – the same sweetish ,powdery, musky…thing going on. No thanks!
Scented pantiliner, ack. But that might be it. It called to mind Angie calling Lanvin Rumeur “a thin, pink acrylic nightie that unravels in the wash”.
I hated Aura, and, reading your review, I actually recalled Rumeur – they’re both so cold and unpleasant.
Exactly!
Signorina’s bottle reminds me way too much of the Miss Dior Cherie.
They’re clearly after the same demographic, so makes sense.
And that princess bottle can be used as a heel buffer–really disliked the texture of it when I held it
Agree — the glitter is too chunky. Wonder if it eventually starts to flake off.
I was very disappointed by Aura, seeing as it’s from Clarins I thought they would do something a bit more daring a la Mugler.
Oh, I don’t know…they don’t do daring all the time (David Yurman, Azzaro) and even Mugler doesn’t do daring all the time — you could argue that Mugler has never again been as daring as his first, Angel.
Aura might be just what the people from Swarovski wanted. Always hard to know how things end up the way they do.
That is very true, Angel ended up the way it did because Mugler was insistent on his vision. Very fair point 😀
Also have to wonder to what extent it ended up the way it did because they had nothing they had to “best” — they were working with a blank slate. Everything they’ve done since then, they’re trying to recapture that success. I think that’s a big burden.
All Princesses are lame. The first one was bad..I haven’t sniffed all of them but feel like I don’t have to. I don’t like one scent by VW.
Saves time & money then!