Taylor Swift talks about her new perfume, Wonderstruck.
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Posted by Robin on 55 Comments
Taylor Swift talks about her new perfume, Wonderstruck.
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This bottle bears more than a slight resemblance to the old Lagerfeld fragrance ‘Sun Moon & Stars’. Am I the only person who remembers that one?
I have seen pictures of it! I doubt this cohort remembers it though.
Yes, you’re absolutely right! It’s very much like Sun, Moon and Stars. I remember the ads for that fragrance. Darryl Hannah was the spokesmodel, right? You’ve got a great memory for ads in the early/mid 90s! 🙂
I remember it because I hadn’t seen anything like it. I guess it remained buried in my head until I say the bottle for Taylor’s debut fragrance. And yes, I vaguely recall Daryl Hannah in the ads as well. That’s quite a memory YOU have there!
Yes!!! I though the exact same thing! I remember a cousin who used to bathe in S.M.S. in the mid 90s. I remember thinking it smelled so “medicine-y,” and in a recent swap I was given 2 ml as an extra. While I do love the bottle, I’ll never buy it b/c the juice just doesn’t appeal to me.
-Robin, if you ever want to try it, I’m more than happy to send you the vial she gave me.
Robin,
I think you’ve lost your credibility. I’ve seen this blog rant more and more about the glut of niche releases, too many perfumes etc and what not, yet here on the first page I’m hit with Hello Kitty, Christina Aguilera and Taylor Switft (I’m sure all three of these fragrances will be groundbreaking, no doubt). Your shilling for the big companies has really crushed any value NST once had in covering the brands who are actually doing interesting things with fragrances. Do the big houses encourage you to slander niche perfumery?
Consider me a lost reader. There are other perfume blogs that still focus on the quality and craft of well done fragrances. Lately NST seems nothing more than a billboard for celebrities and effortless, boring commercial fragrances.
Always sad to see when a blog’s creator switches their focus to revenue over the actual subject at hand. No perfumista cares about Hello Kitty fragrances.
Our goal in new fragrance announcements is to be as comprehensive as possible, and it always has been, so we’ve always announced all the new scents that we know about — niche, yes, but not just niche, and certainly not just those that we think are of interest to hobbyists and/or perfumistas. We’ve been announcing Hello Kitty stuff for years, ditto on celebrity fragrances.
If you’re seeing more news about celebrity scents, etc, it’s because there is more news, not because we’ve changed our editorial policy in any way. But of course if you don’t like reading about such, there are many, many blogs that don’t post this kind of news.
Robin,
But in your post criticizing the glut of releases, do you not see how NST facilitates this by promoting all of these fragrances which I’m sure most readers at NST probably don’t care about in the first place. Did anyone here actually buy and enjoy any of those Puff Daddy/P Diddy fragrances? What about Queen Latifah’s fragrance? You promote and advertise (aka announce) all of these fragrances, then you criticize the glut of releases.
Paris Hilton, Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. And let’s be honest, none of these celeb fragrances so oft-covered on here are ever interesting. They’re, instead, flash-in-the-pan marketing opportunities capitalizing on the current trends of fame and marketability. I’m just sad to see NST giving this growing arm of the industry so much attention as it’s definitely proven to provide the most lackluster, uninteresting and uninspired fragrance releases of any of perfumery. Your attack against niche brands seems so baseless in comparison.
I won’t argue with you because that’s pointless for both of us, but from my perspective, announcing a fragrance is not the same as promoting it. As I said, we’ve always tried to be as comprehensive as we possibly can in terms of announcing new fragrances. I only post very short blurbs from each announcement on the front page, so if you’re not interested, all you have to do is keep scrolling.
You should not assume that the only people who read here are “perfumistas” who only care about niche fragrances — that simply isn’t true. There are many people who only care about mainstream, and they complain to me too — mostly about the snarky niche snobs. So I cannot please everyone.
Nor do I see any problem with a) announcing the news and then b) complaining about the news. One is reportage, the other is editorial.
As I said, there are tons of perfume blogs, and most of them do not do what we do. So there’s lots of choice out there.
Keep doing what you do Robin! You’re the absolute best!
“Did anyone here actually buy and enjoy any of those Puff Daddy/P Diddy fragrances? What about Queen Latifah’s fragrance?”
As a matter of fact, yes. I did. While I’m not a great fan of “celebrity scents,” I did purchase Queen Latifah’s fragrance based on one of the NST reviews and I was very pleased with it. My mother gifted me with the flanker that Q.L. released awhile back and I enjoyed that too. Believe it or not, there are some decent, if not excellent offerings in the celebrity department, though I admit they are few and far between.
As for your criticism of the postings on NST I certainly respect your opinion. There have been times that I too have been frustrated with what is posted on a certain day, and even week at a time because I’m sick of all the celeb tripe as well. However, I do believe that NST is one of the more well rounded fragrance blogs to be found. If all you are interested in is niche and super high end fragrances that cost $120-$900 per bottle, then you most certainly should seek out a review site that deals ONLY with exclusive fragrances. I can assure you, they DO exist.
For those like myself, who love to sample niche and high end but are restricted to mainstream for full bottles and decants and bottle splits when it comes to niche (for indeed, that is all ones budget can sometimes afford if the person desires to keep the pantry stocked and gasoline in ones car), NST is a wonderful place.
Oh, speaking of the fragrance announcements, Robin, what’s this Harvey Prince stuff my grandmother is telling me about? Apparently some morning show did a smell and compare thingie, and a bunch of thier viewers preferred it (well, one of thier its) to “a leading Chanel fragrance.” Have you heard anything about this line or well…anything, really?
I have, but here is where I have to admit that while we try to be comprehensive, we don’t always succeed — I’m pretty sure they’ve got later releases that I’ve missed. But here was their debut:
https://freebox.it.com/2008/08/26/harvey-prince-ageless-fantasy-new-fragrance/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Ah, thank you!
I guess I could have just looked, eh? ;D
Amen Robin!!!
Robin, I don’t run out and buy all the new celeb fragrances. Half the time I don’t even sniff them but I do enjoy knowing what’s out there. Not everyone on here has access to or the budget to afford the niche scents or the mainstream high end ones. I know most of these celeb scents aren’t worth making a special trip to the mall for but there are a few that aren’t all that bad and sometimes you just want to smell nice for a reasonable price. I am glad you cover these fragrances. I like to read about things I may actually get the opportunity to sniff. A lot of the niche things sound great but in order to smell them I’d have to blind buy and cross my fingers or buy a sample online. Either way it costs money and sometimes money is tight. Keep up the good work letting us know about what’s out there.
And that bottle does remind me of Sun, Moon, and Stars too.
Don’t worry — we’re going to keep doing what we do! I’m well aware that we’ve got a wide range of interests here.
I agree 100% poodle! It’s amazing how Robin literally tries to include EVERYTHING for everyone’s INSANELY diverse taste! Go Robin, go! : )
Great to hear you say that because I love this blog and while I’m more into celebrity scents and mainstream fragrances I do enjoy reading about and trying all perfumes.
Thank you both!
Q: How can anyone speak for ALL the readers of NST? I have no idea what fragrance announcement someone else will find interesting and I wouldn’t try to venture a guess. Simply put, tastes vary. And the budding perfumista (or perfumisto!) might be intimidated by the classics and wants information about something younger, fresher,more modern and accessible. I personally think Robin – and the NST contributors & cohorts – do a fantastic job of balancing info on mass, niche, etc. Yes, there are tons of other blogs we can all get fragrance reviews, release information, etc. I visit the ones I like; I don’t necessarily have to agree with everything they have to say – but I think that’s part of what keeps perfume blogs interesting. How bored would we all be if everyone liked all the same things?
I didn’t mean to imply NST can’t write about whatever they (as a collective of bloggers/reviewers/fans) want to write about. I was pointing out the growing references by Robin (and others) about the glut of releases, meanwhile posting/announcing the most mundane, uninspired celebrity fragrances with more and more frequency. As I noted, today I loaded NST to see Hello Kitty, Aguilera and Swift perfumes. I’ll take 3 Serge Lutens, Nasomattos, CdG, etc, etc over these celeb fragrances any day. I think most perfume fanatics won’t have a difficult time understanding that sentiment.
Essentially, I’m vexed how one can post multiple celeb fragrance announcements per day, then turn around and complain about the glut of uninteresting releases.
I think Robin and NST offers a nice mix of celebrity, discount, high end, and niche fragrances. To be honest I am not interested in some of the fragrances covered here, so I skip those stories and move on. In the last week, I noted articles on Christopher Sheldrake, GoodTrueBeautiful, niche Ylang Ylang fragrances, Smell Bent, Prada Exclusives, Penhaligon, Diptique, and the new Clinique Aromatics Elixir Perfumer’s Reserve. I think that is reasonable coverage of niche. If I had my rathers, Robin would never mention Serge or Bond No. 9 again – not a single one works on me and I don’t like them. But I know many here love these two lines, so I read with a grain of salt or just skip them.
Since I have no intention of running out to sniff most celebrity scents, I like reading about them here.
Thank God there is someone else out there for whom Serge doesn’t work. I have yet to find one of his to love.
I like Chelsea Flowers and Park Ave from Bond, but not enough to spring for a full bottle. I do have both in candle form, though, and find that melted wax makes a a pretty decent perfume! No sillage, but I prefer my scents to be close to the skin anyway.
Same here. I like the comprehensiveness of NST. I’m not likely to buy any of the celeb fragrances listed here, but I don’t mind seeing them, sometimes just for comic value. And on the other hand, I won’t be buying Clive Christian any time soon, either, but I don’t mind reading about that line when it comes up on any of the various blogs I read.
I can do some SL — the older ones (Bois de Violette & Iris Silver Mist in particular), but I’ve always found the Bonds to be overpriced bug spray. I can’t wear a single one of them and have never been able to understand all the buzz about that line; much like celeb fragrances, it’s all about packaging and not about the juice, as far as I can tell. When I’ve had $200+ to blow on a bottle, it certainly hasn’t ever been (nor likely will it ever be) on a Bond perfume. But that doesn’t mean I think they shouldn’t be covered here.
I think she can only write about what falls on her radar, so to speak. As she stated up top, if there’s more announcements/new launch info about celebrity/’masstige’ scents, more of that will land here. Conversely, I’m pretty confident that if more niche stuff was buzzed about, we’d read about those here too. I do think there’s a direct correlation to money here; Coty/L’Oreal/Lauder and their competitors have deeper pockets than the niche brands..hence more mass fragrance releases, more press releases about them, more buzz, etc. The smaller brands don’t stand a chance unless they have tremendous word-of-mouth.
Speaking only for myself as a NST writer, I do try to keep up with niche brands both big and small; this summer, I reviewed fragrances by Serge Lutens and By Kilian (both of which probably have large PR budgets), as well as Alvarez Gomez, Crazylibellule & the Poppies, Roxana Villa, MCMC, and S. Poncet, as well as a bodycare line called Poetry (which probably do not). As Mutzi just commented, we do make the effort to cover a pretty broad range of topics and brands overall.
Because there IS such a glut of all kinds of fragrance…good,bad, indifferent….I am eternally grateful to Robin and NST for letting me know when new things are released.
As I am wholly lacking in the kind of sophistication that lends itself to self-absorbed, boorish pretentiousness, a mere peasant like myself is always happy to hear about any new perfume.
Irrespective of whether it is released by Hello Kitty, Jessica Simpson or HRH Lutens, I am actually open minded enough to believe that any fragrance containing notes I enjoy can smell great on me.
Well said! 🙂
Very well said! Bravo!
hear, hear. There actually hasn’t been a lot out this fall that I’ve been excited about or heard folks universally (or even semi-continentally) loving. Even the niche perfumers are developing a LOT of products. If I’m missing a great fall entry, please let me know.
I’m interested to know how Wonderstruck smells – not enough to make a special trip out, but hope one of you out there will and report the results. You never know when one of the mainstream perfumes will be a winner. I loved EL Sensuous Noir & Nude and Prada Candy. Who knows what will be the next fabulous scent. I would LOVE it if the next fabulous fragrance only cost about $50.00 instead of $250!
Hey Kitty! Wonderstruck is sweet! But I mostly get berries and no “warm, spicy, vanilla, and caramel”! Which is kind of a bummer. I love the bottle, but the scent has been done before. It is light as a feather though! It’s more of an edt in my opinion and the funny thing is, the sample vials say eau de toilette! But the box and every site says it’s an edp. It’s an edt in my book. Haha. I guess I was just expecting more from Swifty. Oh well. : )
I guess there’s some kind of sweetness other than berries in Wonderstruck. Vanilla maybe. I really can’t tell. I’m terrible at describing things. Haha. : )
Jonr, instead of “Hey Kitty!”, why not start your post with “Hello Kitty!”? 😉
Thanks Jonr! and you all can “hello Kitty” me anytime, as long as you don’t “Miss Kitty” me!
You’re right! Hello Kitty!!! : )
I know I’m not a fan of celebrity scents just because, but I have to admit that if I were a celebrity I would be right on that bandwagon releasing my own. It’s awful to admit but I would. And I can assure you that if that ever were to happen I would not release a fruity floral.
I have no idea what this one smells like but if I were a teenager and loved Taylor Swift I would most likely own a bottle.
Robin, you rock!
I’ll sniff it on the bottle alone, though her mention of “berries, berries, let’s put in more berries!” makes me flatten my ears and show my canines…
Is that with a lip-curling growl? 🙂
Absolutely!
I’d just like to add a word of thnaks for the coverage not just of niche, mainstream and celebrity fragrances on NST, but classics as well. Classic (let’s say, per-1980; or perhaps it should be per-1990?!) fragrances are a huge interest of mine, so of course I read the blogs that specialise in them, but I always love it when they are reviewed on NST. One of Angela’s reviews of classics makes my day, indeed my whole week.
Really excellent point. I love the vintage stuff, too, and always enjoy those reviews the most.
AND drugstore week!
Oh yes! Drugstore week was wonderful.
Sorry for typos in previous message. I HAD had coffee, so no excuse.
The cheapie celebuscents don’t interest me and I don’t have access to a lot of the niche fragrances but I still want to know what’s out there and I am grateful that Robin posts everything. I read only what interests me. It IS frightful how many releases there are now per year but those of us in the business need to be informed. To my mind, this is the number one blog in the world!
Ok, goes to show how uneducated in pop culture I am (despite my students’ best efforts) that my first reaction was,”Wow, who know Taylor Swift was so YOUNG?” : /
My second reaction was “Ugh, berries.”
My third response was, “I like NST and appreciate having a forum to discuss something that much of the wider world does not ‘get’.”
I would’ve more more surprised if it DIDN’T have berries!
Once, just once, I want a celeb to come out with something that’s loud, unapologetically dirty, skanky, and radiates like nuclear waste. Until then, I’ll stick to my belief that IFF, Givaudan, etc. keep vats of unnamed perfume on pallets in a New Jersey warehouse, just waiting for the next celeb to sign up to launch a scent.
Yeah, that was my hope for a number of famous…well, skanks (Christina Aquilera, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardasian (sort of kind of), that chick from the Pussycat Dolls, Sarah Jessica Parker (although I’ve seen an interview that indicates that she wanted a lot of skank in Lovely and they simply…didn’t put it in), Rihana and I’m sure there have been others.) But it just never seems to happen or even be in the offing.
However, skank in a Taylor Swift fragrance would just be plain wrong. I can’t see it. I’ve seen that godawful CoverGirl commercial she’s done where (I think) she’s supposed to be sexy, and she just can’t carry it off, she so far only manages gawky and adolescent and actually looks fairly clumsy. So maybe in five to ten years or so, but not right now.
I don’t want to sound mean, but your comments on her reminded me of hearing her sing “Santa Baby” during the holiday season last year. Did anyone else hear her version? Madonna’s isn’t too bad; she has the whole Betty Boop thing happening. And Eartha Kitt’s is sublime, sexy and sensual. But Taylor Swift’s sounded like a little girl and seemed either ludicrous or indecent depending on your point of view.
Oh I didn’t intend to sound mean either, if I did. But she comes off so much as a little girl/young teen that attempts to make her some sort of sex symbol (and there seem to be a few every year) really just bug me. She gives the impression of not being ready for that nonsense, if you ask me.
Ugh. *shudder* Remember the big deal they made over her wearing that ghastly slick-looking bright red lipstick at whichever awards show that was? Not that the lipstick was the problem, but she was, she looked like a little girl that had gotten into mummy’s little bag of magic tricks and very carefully applied the brightest of them. And they kept going on and on about how “sexy” it made her look.
Yeah, if you’re into young teens and pre-teens.
*that’s ‘sposed to be would’ve been! 🙂 Off to get coffee now!
I was hoping that she would explain the “Hawaiian blanket” note (https://freebox.it.com/2011/07/15/taylor-swift-wonderstruck-new-fragrance/%3C/a%3E%29.%3C/p%3E
Robin. No need to worry, you’ve got some serious fans out there! While it’s fine for everyone to disagree, we all have to realize that this blog is for fun/entertainment/informational purposes, and not to be taken too incredibly seriously.
I myself do not have much access to the niche/upper crust fragrances that NST frequently talks about, but reading about them helps me to feel a part of something a little bit bigger than I, like this fragrance obsessed community like myself. Conversely, I also like to read about the celeb/mainstream reviews too, because then I don’t feel too left out. So both sides work for me.
Besides, my favorite scent on the planet is Lovely, so discussing celebuscents is swell with me. 🙂
A belated thank you to everyone who commented….I am well aware that you can’t always please everyone, but always glad to hear encouragement!