After a series of questions plumbing my preferences on things like jewelry (gold and diamonds, or leather and studs?) and clothing (soft and silky, or revealing to show my tattoos?), the Playboy Fragrances’ website quiz pegged me for Playboy Play It Lovely. To be fair, it may be that none of the Playboy fragrances is capable of capturing my true marvel. But after smelling Play It Lovely, all I can say is, Really?
Play It Lovely was released in 2010 with two other fragrances, Play It Sexy and Play It Spicy. It has notes of citrus, blackberry, juicy pear, cherry baby orchid, belle-de-nuit, tuberose, amber, patchouli and tonka bean. In a nutshell, it smells like peach shampoo, only not as nice.
Play It Lovely is built on the white flower-fruit model, with a tepid oriental base. It opens with citrus and peach that if applied heavily combine to smell like sour pineapple. When the pineapple fades, a musky-clean peach tinged with thin gardenia and tuberose steps up, and the fragrance pretty much stays that away until it disappears four or five hours later.
Play It Lovely’s base notes integrate with its heart so that the patchouli and amber never waft out on their own. Reviewers have complained about Play It Lovely’s longevity. On me, the fragrance shrank to skin after an hour or so, but I could smell it all day, although it smelled more like I'd used a scented soap or hand lotion than perfume.
All told, whether you love peach, white flowers, or ambery scents, you can do a lot better than Play It Lovely, even at the drugstore. If you love Play It Lovely and think I’m a snob, I beg you to sample Madonna Truth or Dare or even Coty Sand & Sable.
Which leads me to my next observation: What's going on with perfume in drugstores these days? My local “everything” store, Fred Meyer, dumped its perfume section altogether. Walgreen’s has suddenly turned upscale, stocking its display cabinet with Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein and limiting its celebrity scents to Britney Spears and Halle Berry. Only Rite Aid still carries Jovan, Coty, and Dana. Will the day come when Dana Tabu is a cult item?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Playboy’s fragrances, if you’ve tried them. And does your drugstore still stock the low-end classics?
Playboy Play It Lovely comes in Eau de Toilette (30 ml is $20.95).
Drugstore guilty pleasures? Hmm, probably the original Stetson (men’s version) and David Beckham’s peppery Homme (have picked that up at NYC’s Duane Reade). I’m actually embarrassed when, while wearing the Beckham, someone compliments me or asks what it is. It’s actually not a million miles away from Bang by Marc Jacobs.
I love Stetson! It’s one of the best drugstore finds out there, in my opinion. I’ve smelled one of the Beckhams, but I think it was Signature (is there a Signature?) and I wasn’t impressed. It sounds like Beckham Homme is much better.
Lise Watier’s India perfume is pretty nice, but at $60 it’s not *really* a drugstore offering.
Gosh, and where did all the designer imposters go?
Also, to keep this comment completely random, has anyone sniffed Truth or Dare Naked? Haven’t seen it anywhere in Vancouver.
We’re getting to a sorry place when $60 is a drugstore price! I’ve never heard of India. The name is tantalizing.
I did see a few designer imposters. I should have mentioned that. I think one was a dupe of Tommy Girl, which you can actually get for real at a good price at discounters.
I haven’t tried Truth or Dare Naked yet.
Haha! It’s sad but you’re so right. If it’s under 100 dollars, it’s become so easy for me to justify a fragrance purchase with a quick and dismissive “Why that’s practically free! I’ll take it! ” Admittedly, I do it less often than I used to now that I have a mortgage!!! I don’t want to be the best smelling guy living underneath the train tracks!
Ha! When I was saving for my house these past few years, I was working with a nonprofit who helps first-time homebuyers. The councilor there was quite shocked to learn of my $100/month perfume budget! She seemed to think it was a bit unreasonable for a new homeowner! And yet, I bought my house and I can *still* afford perfume! Gotta have balance, right? 🙂
Congratulations Marjorie Rose and agreed!!!
Absolutely! An old friend of mine was fond of quoting an anonymous source that proclaimed “everything in moderation–including moderation.” We all need our little indulgences, however we may find them, yes?
Congrats also on the new home!
Who needs cable TV, anyway, when you can smell fabulous instead?
Thanks, all!
And yeah, no cable for me! No cell phone, either. Pretty sure that’s basically my perfume budget right there!
Marjorie Rose, you’re my kind of girl 🙂
That’s my budget per month as well!
It would terrify me to add up the money I’ve spent on perfume in the past five years alone! I probably could have remodeled the kitchen instead.
Last time I saw the Designer Imposters line (at Meijer, which still seems to stock all the drugstore “classics” – Jovan Woman! Cachet! Jontue!) one of the impostered fragrances was BBW Japanese Cherry Blossom. Uh…wasn’t the point to knock off “prestigious” fragrances?
Speaking of which: BBW Secret Wonderland and Play It Lovely are virtually identical to my nose. Sugary sweet mediocrity.
You’re so lucky to have all those Jovans and Jontues! Finding Jovan Woman here is like tracking the Yeti. And that is hilarious about the Japanese Cherry Blossom rip-off (although perhaps not so funny to BBW).
Well, Angie, if you’re a snob, then I’m an outright elitist. Not only do I completely ignore the drugstore offerings (you can get perfume at Walgreens?!), I often ignore the department store releases, too!
In fact, I have decided to go over to Our Lady today and buy a bottle of Tauer’s Zeta–something about all that citrus and linden is seeming so perfect for the heat! I’d rather a $150 bottled beauty like that any day over 3-4 cheaper, less exciting purchases!
Yes, you’re so right–it makes much, much more sense to save up for something you adore rather than have lots of things you kind of like. Enjoy that Zeta!
Sand and Sable was one of my first perfume loves, back in my high school days–I fell for it when an aunty gave me a gift set for Christmas one year. Haven’t seen it around my local drugstores (Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS) in years though; the counters nowadays are dominated by all manner of celeb fragrances–Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and (believe it or not) Antonio Banderas, among others. I feel lucky if I can spot a bottle of Jean Nate or Old Spice
I saw a bottle of Sand & Sable the other day and was surprised–but happy. Perfume like that is getting so hard to find.
As for Antonio Banderas, I reviewed one of his last summer during drugstore week, and I was surprised at how interesting its development was (although I wasn’t really wild about it).
Like rivercitylizzy said above me, my CVS seems to be all about the locked-up-behind-glass celeb fragrances these days (except for the CVS Essence of Beauty line, which I do like). Very disappointing as I used to like to find the cheap thrills I wore in high school there (including Sand & Sable!).
Thanks for the review, I think I’ll pass on the Play It Lovely! 🙂
For nostaglia’s sake if nothing else, I love my drugstore cheap thrills, too!
Smart move on the Play It Lovely.
I haven’t paid a huge amount of attention to the offerings at my local Walgreen’s, but they generally have two sections: the body sprays and designer impostor stuff out on a shelf near the cosmetics section, and then the perfumes in a locked case at the cosmetics counter. I did see Dune at a Walgreen’s near me (didn’t look to see what concentration), and they usually have Shalimar in EdC, along with the celebrity stuff.
I’ve seen Shalimar and Dune at Rite Aid, too, and it always surprised me a little. The Dune, especially.
I’ve noticed some of the old cheapies (Sand & Sable, Jovan, etc.) tend to come in seasonally – around Christmastime or Valentine’s – at my local Walgreen’s. I seem to have better luck finding those old cheap classics at my local grocery store or Target than at drugstores these days.
That’s a really good tip. I seem to remember seeing those hanging plastic packs of fragrances around Christmas, too. I hadn’t even thought of looking at the grocery store for fragrance! When I think of Safeway, all I think of is Glade and Febreze.
Never fear, Angela……….as long as the South doesn’t secede again, Tabu will still be around!
Last year sometime someone at the Posse suggested we have a contest to see who could wear the most perfumes at once. It never happened, but I did it myself… I wore Tabu, Party in Manhattan, Opium, Secretions Magnifique and Joy all at once.
Tabu kicked ALL their a$$es, hands down. I could not believe it.
SM didn’t even register, PiM was a mere unpleasant shadow of itself, Opium wasn’t recognizable at all, and Joy hovered in the background sulking mightily.
Tabu was clear and present, with nary a difference, all throughout the day.
Wow, that’s a scary challenge! Unless you count sampling. . . I’ve been on some outings where I end up with something different on each finger, each knuckle, wrists, forearms. . . I really should bring a permanent marker with me to help tag and keep track of all of the dabs of things!
Oh yes, sampling. Bringing a marker is a great idea! I always seem to forget which sample is which, and too often it ends up being the one I like that I can’t peg.
What kind of cruel perfume dominatrices are those cruel Posse gals? I’m very impressed! And I’m super impressed by Tabu’s power. Who knew? Even stronger than Party in Manhattan and Secretions Magnifiques? That’s something NASA should study.
Holy, holy, HOLY COW, woman! You got some cojones!
Um, that came out wrong… but really, you are far braver than I.
My sentiments exactly.
In all fairness, I think a commenter suggested it! 😛
TPiM morphed into something very unpleasant. All the rich, deep stuff was gone and it was just sort of acrid. Opium did sort of the same thing; I could tell it was Opium, but I got very few of the notes.
I forgot I had Mitsy on, as well. She didn’t sulk, but the best she could manage was a steady stream of oakmoss and bursts of aldehydes now and then. I think she may have had a hand in taking The Party down.
All in all, it sounds like an ugly scene. You get the red badge of courage for sure.
I remember that Posse challenge! At the time I lamented getting rid of my 90s bottle of Tabu EdT, because I thought it would anchor a mighty franken-fume. I guess your experience confirms that!
It sounds like you were right!
I think I only did two for the FrankenFume: Poison and Tableau de Parfums Loretta. the thinking was that they had a number of notes in common, and would just be LOOUUUD but sort of in harmony.
Turns out, Loretta ate Poison for breakfast.
No way! Well, kudos to Loretta.
I love the questions they ask:
‘jewelry (gold and diamonds, or leather and studs?) and clothing (soft and silky, or revealing to show my tattoos?)’
With such a fine grained character analysis they could also advise young people on future careers, say, lawyer or sex worker! After all, I can see Playboy needing both!
I think that might be the first time I’v used the phrase ‘young people’. Sigh, I am getting old!
That’s so funny! I feel your pain.
As you point out, the questions clearly divide women into a handful of categories: rebel, bubbly nice girl, sexpot, rich thing, etc. Ick.
Yes, it’s like the opening of a joke: ‘there are only three types of women…’!
I’m ashamed to say I haven’t heard that one–but maybe that’s a good thing!
They say there are two types of people–those who divide people into two types and those who don’t. 😉
lol!
Sand and Sable! What a name from my past! I used to wear this when I was in high school. It smelled fantastic and of high quality. But, back to Playboy. I’ve never tried any of the female fragrances, but I dated a guy who wore the male version. He smelled delicious. I was pleasantly surprised!
I didn’t try any of the masculine Playboys. There’s bound to be a few in the bunch that are good!
One of the local CVS stores usually has three or four Demeter fragrances — oils and sprays. They switch them out every few months. I like that they use some kind of vegetable oil as a base (Propylene glycol and dipropylene glycol — frequently used in perfume oils — are very hard on my skin.)
I still see the Love’s fragrances at the drugstore, but it does seem like the celebuscents and the more expensive department store perfumes are taking over.
Oh, they still sell Florida Water at the drugstore!
Florida Water and Demeter! Very nice.
The Duane Reade at the 7th Ave and 32nd entrance/exit of Penn Station in New York carries a very tiny selection of Demeter. Unfortuantely, there are never any testers, they are located near the checkout counter (and discourages me from surreptitiously trying them) and the bottles appear to be limited to what is displayed and therefore, probably pawed over by many people whose hygiene is questionable. (One has to be a card carrying germ phobe in these here parts!)
About five years ago I went to the New Pharmacy? London Pharmacy? Chelsea-ish in NYC, and it was an amazing stash of perfume! Of course, it’s not a chain.
Jewelry? Silver and semi-precious gemstones. Clothing? Must be sturdy, comfortable, and have lots pockets.
Hmm. I didn’t notice “skimpy” or “clingy” anywhere. It may be you’re not Playboy’s target market…
That’s good too know. I guess I’ll skip the quiz (although they can be really funny!)
The whole website is a real trip–at least it is for someone like me.
Can’t wait to see what’s next for Drugstore Week.
The remaining two fragrances are actually kind of nice! Today was the worst of the week.
Pharmacies have become so corporatised that, at least where I am, they all seem to sell the same stuff. However, one or two pharmacies near me seem to be affiliated with only small companies or chains and they seem more likely to pick up the more obscure brands, such as Maja and Yardley. I mean, Yardley used to be everywhere in Australia but in recent years its distribution seems to have shrunk. Oddly enough, I hardly ever see Jovan except in one particular pharmacy.
Sometimes I really do long for independent business where you can walk in and find quirky and obscure stuff. I’m sounding old and grumpy, I know!
Yardley is almost impossible to find where I love, but I would adore going into a drugstore and seeing a Yardley display. Maja, too! I’m with you on longing for an independent drugstore. Not only would they carry those classic perfume lines, I’d love to seem some interesting candy and a decent selection of magazines.
I miss independent retailers, too! CVS has replaced Longs, which was a small local chain of drugstores. A friend told me that each Longs location had its own buyer who had a lot of autonomy. His wife was one of those buyers. Each Longs had interesting stuff — incense, perfume oils, etc. When CVS took over, the cool stuff was placed on clearance racks, never to be seen again …
I bought my first bottle of perfume at Long’s! It was Babe.
Glad to know that someone remember that place.
Yes, Babe and a lipstick pencil. I must have been 15.
If longing for independence and diversity means you’re old and grumpy, then I guess I’m riding the curmudgeon train with you!
It’s a very full train, I’m sure.
The curmudgeon train! Whoo-ooh-Whoot! I’m on it. 🙂
I actually think it would be a fun bunch of passengers! My kind of people.
At the CVS near my apartment, I found Maja body wash in the Latin American import section. It was pretty cheap, like $4-5 or something like that, and it smelled pretty good. I didn’t look to see if they had the perfume.
A bargain! I love the Maja soap, too. I still think there’s something magical about a black soap.
I just Googled Longs, and it looks like they were bigger than I thought. When you’re a kid, everything seems unique to where you are. Anyway, they were smaller and more diverse than some others!
I had no idea if they were a chain or what, but I remember them fondly.