Lily of the Valley Yardley 2015 Eau de Toilette

I love lily of the valley. I was heartbroken with Coty discontinued Muguet des Bois. I remember when Yardley made some great soaps and fragrances, so I hoped that this would be a good replacement.

Yeah, not so much. This is barely scented water. I can't smell it a half hour later after overspraying it before bed. Eight sprays right in the décolletage of anything else would normally turn you into a stink bomb, but not with this. Even by cologne standards, this is seriously weak.

It's a big bottle, and I didn't pay much for it, but I can't recommend it to anyone other than a parent of a kindergartener who wants "play perfume". Your little dumpling could hose herself down with an ounce of the stuff, and it won't be a calamity.

Yardley used to be so much better than this. What a disappointment.

I am neither a Lily of the Valley or Freesia fan, so what could have inspired me to purchase this bottle quite eludes me.

That being said, I don't mind this fragrance. I have memories of Yardley being held in high esteem for their bath and body products in the 90s, but not so much since then. This was the only one from their modernized line I felt seemed the least messed with, and I'm kind of glad. It's a nice little bit of nostalgia. The floral powdery soapiness is something I associate with all the fancy bath products I was never allowed to touch as a kid.

I have no experience with the original formula, but seeing as I generally find LoTV too intense ( Diorissimo (2009) Eau de Toilette , oof!), I consider this an acceptable addition to my collection just to give it some variety.

As I already mentioned in my blog, I received a sample of "Lily of the Valley" from the lovely Serafina. Thank you once again for that. I was so excited that I had to jump at the chance and got...the 2015 reformulated "monster" of this formerly beautiful fragrance.

Now you want to know what has changed about this scent? Everything, but I don't know WHAT is supposed to be in it now. Lily of the valley? Maybe they were standing in front of the perfumer's window. Pears? Well, with a lot of "good will" at the very beginning when spraying in the 3-second freshness phase, perhaps, and to let my son speak: "Uuugh, it stinks!" I was initially angry, but to be honest, he was right. It really stinks and I can't even say why or what it smells like. However, the stuff only lasts a perceived 20 minutes and then there's nothing left. I thought that couldn't be true and sprayed again.
Again: Unpleasant "smell" of freesia - could be -, lily of the valley as far as it exists, everything seems wilted or the pears rotten...I can't really smell anything and definitely name it, and the scent is so weak that it could be stale water. I've never encountered anything like this and I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy this "fragrance," no matter how cheap it is now. It has no sillage and lasts less than an hour, which in this case is an advantage. I've never returned/exchanged a fragrance because usually, if you don't like it, you can pass it on to someone who does or list it here in the souk. In this case, that would be an imposition and a cheekiness, and I sent it back with an explanation and a sample of the predecessor fragrance, along with the seller's promise to discuss this reformulation with the representative of Yardley and inform me.

To make such a terrible reformulation and not adjust or rename the name in any way is, in my opinion, bordering on fraud. This was not just "diluted," as is the case with the Essentials from Jil Sanders Bath & Beauty, or the ingredients replaced with synthetic substances or whatever. Nothing is right about this anymore.

The seller has since contacted me and compared the fragrance and sample with mine and agrees with my observations. He has assured me once again that he will present my complaint to the representative of Yardley and find out what they were thinking in releasing a completely redesigned fragrance with a well-known name. I'm curious and will report back if necessary.