Spectacular Joan Collins 1989 Eau de Toilette

To my astonishment, I took my first sniff of "Spectacular"... it immediately reminded me of a fragrance that I've owned for about 2 weeks now, namely the old, unreformulated version of "White Diamonds". I managed to snag two old minis at auction and since then, I can hardly take my nose away from the bottles ;-)

Could it be? Are the two ladies not only visually similar, and is the term "Diva" equally applicable to both, but do they also share the same taste in fragrances and have coincidentally "developed" in the same direction?

Normally, I prefer to write comments without having "inspected" pyramids beforehand, but this time it goes too far for me, and I must satisfy my curiosity immediately to see if I'm right!
Inner elbow right: Spectacular,
Wrist right: White Diamonds... yes, there is indeed a striking similarity in the ingredients, even though everything is composed a bit differently.

So I checked the pyramid and it’s clear: This is where the wind blows from again. The opening is very similar, hence my surprise, but the aldehydes that are undoubtedly present in both fragrances are much more pronounced in Spectacular. I suspect that the Amazon lily generously included by Mrs. Taylor keeps the aldehydes in check. And the further development does not really diminish the impression of a fragrance twin. The pyramid clearly shows that the heart notes are almost identical as well. Both fragrances feature rose, tuberose, and jasmine in slightly altered concentrations. All strong floral notes, and it hardly matters whether the white flowers or the rose - of whatever origin - are in the foreground... strong flowers - PERIOD -!!
Thus, the similarity is really no surprise, and the listed ingredients seem to align with my nose for the most part. To me, "Spectacular" smells brighter and not as intense, and since I also own the new, reformulated version of "White Diamonds", I need to bring that one into the mix as well, and then my report will continue...

So now I remember again that the opening of the new White Diamonds reminds me extremely of laundry detergent... too much laundry detergent, and somehow that impression lingers. Thus, "Spectacular" and the old "White Diamonds" are indeed much more similar...

When I look at the base notes, one thing becomes very clear: the frankincense contained in "Spectacular" and a slight leather note. I can clearly smell the frankincense, which I don't like at all, but the impression doesn't last long, and the frankincense literally dissipates into smoke ;-)
Patchouli and sandalwood do their part - in both fragrances - and amber is said to be present in both, but I can neither confirm nor deny that, as I don't pick it up in either. Thus, both fragrances fit into the category of "classically feminine" for me. Overall, however, the Taylor fragrance ultimately remains my favorite, but the scent of Joan Collins is not to be dismissed, and before I ever spray the reformulated "White Diamonds" version, I would rather get "Spectacular". It is a real alternative!