6
First fragrance I ever purchased - and a "dupe"
I had a doll that came with a small bottle of fragrance (lily of the valley-scented), so that was my very first fragrance - but Ariel - Sea Spray was my first fragrance I purchased for myself.
I'll never forget testing it in the Disney Store (such a magical place at the mall!), immediately loving it, and then coming back to buy it after saving up money. I'd always had a special connection to Ariel - which made it even better that out of all the fragrances in this line, Ariel was the one that spoke to me the most.
While there have been a number of Ariel fragrances over the years, this was possibly the first - as Disney's animated "The Little Mermaid" movie was released in 1989, and this fragrance came out in 1997 as part of a "Princess Colognes" collection that Disney launched. This 1997 Ariel was a generic "fruity shampoo" profile: slightly aquatic, yet mostly a blend of crowd-pleasing "shampoo-like" fruits - pear, apple, etc., but no one note stood out. I couldn't put my finger on how to describe it back then, only that I enjoyed it.
Many years later, I bought Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette from Victoria's Secret for the first time. It smelled familiar to me, but I wasn't sure why. I stopped wearing Pure Daydream for a while, then came back to my bottle years down the road - and as soon as I sprayed it again, the memory came flooding back. Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette was so similar to Ariel - Sea Spray!
There are differences between the two: Ariel - Sea Spray was admittedly more "punchy" in the fruit blend feel, and not quite as well-blended as Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette. Not all fruit notes were the same. But they both had a similar "sweet fruit medley" profile - and could have been scent sisters, to my nose.
It's been 27 years since Ariel - Sea Spray was released. Being a bigger fragrance enthusiast now, I wanted to get my hands on a bottle again - and finally did! As expected, it didn't smell how I remembered it; it was obvious the fragrance had changed over time. The "punchy" feel became sharper (more "turned" over the years), but I could amazingly still smell the original "fruity shampoo" DNA underneath the changes.
Will I wear it? No - since it's turned a bit now, it's not something I'd want to put on my skin; plus Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette is the "grown-up big sister" I can enjoy wearing instead.
But I will keep this bottle on my shelf, and always have a soft spot for the place Ariel - Sea Spray had in starting me on my fragrance journey.
I'll never forget testing it in the Disney Store (such a magical place at the mall!), immediately loving it, and then coming back to buy it after saving up money. I'd always had a special connection to Ariel - which made it even better that out of all the fragrances in this line, Ariel was the one that spoke to me the most.
While there have been a number of Ariel fragrances over the years, this was possibly the first - as Disney's animated "The Little Mermaid" movie was released in 1989, and this fragrance came out in 1997 as part of a "Princess Colognes" collection that Disney launched. This 1997 Ariel was a generic "fruity shampoo" profile: slightly aquatic, yet mostly a blend of crowd-pleasing "shampoo-like" fruits - pear, apple, etc., but no one note stood out. I couldn't put my finger on how to describe it back then, only that I enjoyed it.
Many years later, I bought Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette from Victoria's Secret for the first time. It smelled familiar to me, but I wasn't sure why. I stopped wearing Pure Daydream for a while, then came back to my bottle years down the road - and as soon as I sprayed it again, the memory came flooding back. Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette was so similar to Ariel - Sea Spray!
There are differences between the two: Ariel - Sea Spray was admittedly more "punchy" in the fruit blend feel, and not quite as well-blended as Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette. Not all fruit notes were the same. But they both had a similar "sweet fruit medley" profile - and could have been scent sisters, to my nose.
It's been 27 years since Ariel - Sea Spray was released. Being a bigger fragrance enthusiast now, I wanted to get my hands on a bottle again - and finally did! As expected, it didn't smell how I remembered it; it was obvious the fragrance had changed over time. The "punchy" feel became sharper (more "turned" over the years), but I could amazingly still smell the original "fruity shampoo" DNA underneath the changes.
Will I wear it? No - since it's turned a bit now, it's not something I'd want to put on my skin; plus Pure Daydream Eau de Toilette is the "grown-up big sister" I can enjoy wearing instead.
But I will keep this bottle on my shelf, and always have a soft spot for the place Ariel - Sea Spray had in starting me on my fragrance journey.
2 Comments
GalbanumLeaf 11 months ago
1
Thank you for the story ✨
Gourmandgrl 6 months ago
1
@GalbanumLeaf I'm so sorry I missed this, I didn't see any notification for it - thank you so much for taking the time to read/to comment! It means a lot to me. 💖 Do you remember the first fragrance you ever purchased?