A Wren Says

It was a scent memory, one that didn’t leave my mind for years. It was a bottle of Victoria’s Secret Rapture body lotion. It was powerful, bouncing off my skin to be smelled by passersby a couple of yards away outdoors. It made me feel beautiful when I wore it. I hoped to have that feeling once again.

This time around, I bought the eau de parfum. For a limited time only, this discontinued scent was offered for purchase during the holidays. I excitedly opened the package when it came to my house, set it up for a photo session, and smelled the scent.

Oh.

Something just didn’t seem right. It didn’t smell how I remembered. I remembered a sultry, ambery scent. The original 1992 release was described as a “floral-oriental” fragrance. That to me screams more amber notes (especially as the new category label has moved from “oriental” to “amber”).  But smelling it now, it seems powdery, heavy on the rose, and not really much amber. Less rapture of ecstasy and more warning grandkids about the end times. Rather than a sultry scent I remember from youth, it seems like the scent one would wear while passing out sweets from to all the little kids at the family party. Okay, I think it smells like an old lady fragrance. Is this the even the same scent?

The original note break down is as follows.

• Top: Orange blossom, citrus blossom
• Heart: Jasmine, Bulgarian rose, freesia
• Base: Amber, heliotrope, vanilla, musk

The current description lists just Bulgarian rose, amber, vanilla, and musk. Because many brands use a reduced notes list on the product site, the new notes breakdown doesn’t tell me much about the difference. Here’s what I think might the issue.

1. The ingredients changed: Due to newer regulations, it is very possible that the new ingredient formula doesn’t translate on me the same way.
2. Body lotion and perfume smell different: Maybe the body lotion was heavier on the amber scent. Maybe the addition of moisturizing oils changes how the scent is held and translated on me.
3. I changed: Maybe my nose is different, my body chemistry is different, or maybe my tastes have changed. It could be the exact same fragrance but an all new me.

I think back now to reading people on fragrance forums complain the new formulation and asking if anyone had an old bottle they’d be willing to sell. I think I get that now. I wish I could get even just a sample size of the fragrance I remembered. I really wanted to like this fragrance, because I used to love it. Unfortunately, it just isn’t right for me.

Moving forward, I might try to mix it with other fragrances to create a combination I like better. If I find one I really like, I write about it here on the blog.

If you’re just dying to smell rapture for yourself, it’s still available on the Victoria’s Secret site for now. Once it sells out, you’ll probably see it return for another semi-annual sale.