Thursday 11 October 2012

Review: Wonderstruck EDP by Taylor Swift/Elizabeth Arden




Rating: 3/5 stars

Advantages: Reasonable price, easy to wear, striking bottle...
Disadvantages: unoriginal, poor-to-average staying power.



"It's a line from my song 'Enchanted,' and the line says, 'I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. I've always loved that line and that phrase, 'wonderstruck.' You don't hear it very often. So I just felt like if I ever got the chance to make a fragrance, which I've dreamed of doing since I was about 14 years old ... Ever since I wrote that song, I thought that would be the title. And I'd want to create a fragrance that smelled the way that word feels."


***

I think that most berry notes tend to smell similar when used in perfumes, so I give bonus points to WONDERSTRUCK right away, as it uses slightly more distinctive notes of raspberry. Though after having said that, I wonder if dewberry the same as blackberry? Because that is what I think is actually alongside the raspberry. After the berries the peach is the next strongest fruit - which surprised me as it's meant to be a base note, yet it develops soon after being applied to skin. The soft vanilla is present through all of the fragrance, with adds a creamy sweetness and warmth to the mix.

The heart of WONDERSTUCK is meant to contain thirteen different floral notes as thirteen is meant to be Swift's lucky number, but the tea note develops in under ten minutes and is stronger then most of the floral notes, so hides nearly all of them. I can separate the listed honeysuckle, and sometimes I also pick up on a light hint of the hibiscus, but can't begin to guess at anything else - it all becomes one long powdered note underneath the tea. The tea is the only note that is really able to stand out from the fruits and vanilla. This is definitely a fruity perfume.

There is no strong indication between the heart notes and the base, thanks to the constant trickle of raspberry, peach and vanilla. The sandalwood and musk are mingled closely together so it is a warm and creamy mix - nice, but it is a blend that is used in many fragrances today. The lingering tea note does give WONDERSTRUCK a bit more umph, but I was still disappointed by how linear the blend seemed on me.


Scent notes: Raspberry, dewberry, green tea, freesia, apple blossom, vanilla, honeysuckle, white hibiscus, amber, musk and sandalwood.


***

WONDERSTRUCK is richer with the fruits then it is with the florals, so the lasting power is good but not great: I can still detect berries, creamy vanilla and sandalwood four to five hours after first applying the perfume, but it is close to the skin.

I think that this is nice for daywear - I mainly used it as casual wear, but would occasionally wear it for work. Some people may think that it's too sweet for work [even I didn't feel very comfortable], but as it's non-invasive it won't bother your colleagues. As it's mild and not very long lasting I did think of it as too gentle for evening wear, but if you don't wear perfume whilst out for a statement and to be noticed then I think WONDERSTRUCK is perfectly adaptable.

WONDERSTRUCK was released in America this time last year, which is when I bought a bottle [it was the bottle design that sold me], so I've had the chance to wear it during every season - this is a winner in the wearability stakes. In the spring/summer I found that the fruits and tea were refreshing and didn't seem so sweet, whilst in autumn/winter the vanilla and wood seemed stronger and added warmth and boasted the sweetness of the fruits.


Although I think WONDERSTRUCK is pleasant, very wearable and wears quite well for the price, I won't be replacing my bottle. I don't really regret buying it, but after a year I have to admit that I've become bored with it, as there is nothing unique about it and the fragrance is a bit too linear for my tastes. I don't like putting perfumes into different age groups, but I have to admit that this does seem rather youthful. There's nothing wrong with that, but I personally didn't feel very confident wearing it. I think that I'm going to pass my bottle on to someone else.



Lots of people compare this to either Britney Spears Fantasy or Midnight Fantasy [also Elizabeth Arden releases], but I don't get the comparisons at all. I'd say this is more along the lines of a Harajuku Lovers release; Music.


The first flanker for WONDERSTRUCK has already been released in America, but no word on it getting released over here yet. Wonderstruck Enchanted is a oriental - gourmand. It opens with notes of wild berries, pink poppy and passion fruit. Heart notes include peony blossoms, sugar-glazed champaca petals and white freesia. White musk, hypnotic vanilla and blonde woods are the main base notes.




***

30ml - £20
50ml - £29
100ml - £38

It's that time of year again - Christmas gift set time! This year WONDERSTRUCK has a gift set containing both a 30ml bottle and a 5ml bottle of EDP, plus a 50ml tube of perfumed body lotion.

 
Summary: Would make a nice gift choice for a Taylor swift fan.

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