Daydreamer99

...because it doesn't fit my usual preferences at all. I’m a girl who typically wears more subtle, fresh, and natural scents. And Loverdose Tatoo is anything but subtle. It has very good longevity; once I sprayed it before going to the swimming pool, and it was still noticeably present after several hours in and under the water. Hats off.

I also tip my hat to the bottle designer and the marketing team. Because if the advertising and the bottle hadn’t been so beautiful, I would have never touched this fragrance, given the terrible memories of its licorice-overloaded sister, the original Loverdose.
But I couldn’t hold back. So what if it’s not usually my thing? Rules are meant to be broken, right?

Loverdose Tatoo pleasantly surprised me. It might not be as rock 'n' roll as I would have expected from the advertising, but it is indeed very unusual, probably due to the rice in the base, which is rather unconventional, yet it works in combination with jasmine and orange blossom.
I associate the scent not with a fully tattooed, rebellious rocker girl, but rather with a young woman who has just one tattoo and knows exactly what she wants (and how to get it).
After a few minutes, the floral notes dominate for me, set against an innovative backdrop of rice and tonka bean.

It’s definitely worth breaking out of your usual preferences... this fragrance has proven that to me.

I never thought I would find a fragrance at Victoria's Secret that felt tailor-made for me. I had been very skeptical about the brand's perfumes until now, although I’m not exactly sure where these prejudices came from. But I do know. VS is a successful lingerie label and could sell anything just because that name is on it, which everyone associates with flawless, winged top models. They don’t even have to put effort into the scent composition; it’s just commercialism to extract money from mainstream girls. That’s what I thought, anyway. After Secret Charm, I’m not so sure anymore.

When I stood in the VS store in front of the many bottles, I decided to give one of them a chance since I was already there. I chose Secret Charm because it was blue (my absolute favorite color) and the name sounded quite promising. So I sprayed it on and expected all my prejudices to be confirmed. I anticipated a sticky, artificial, kitschy sweetness and already envisioned myself walking out of the store empty-handed.

And then I cautiously sniffed my wrist...
...and was blown away.

Secret Charm is unpretentious, gentle, and natural. I really didn’t expect that. Restraint and sophistication, unpretentious elegance...from VS?!

The scent is very warm, light, and floral on me; honeysuckle and jasmine complement each other perfectly, and neither is synthetic but rather close to nature. It truly suits me and fits into my everyday life. That’s why I ended up buying it.

Not so praiseworthy is the longevity; the scent fades rather quickly, but I’m happy to overlook that for this fragrance. I can always reapply it, and I enjoy doing so.

By now, I’ve worn it several times and even received a compliment from my best friend.

“You smell amazing, what is that?”
Me: “Victoria's Secret.”
“What?!” she sniffed again, incredulously.
“Yeah, I never thought so either...” I smiled.

Nina L'eau was my first real perfume, if you don't count the five-franc scents from Essence. Before this fragrance, perfumeries always seemed a bit suspicious to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm a girl, of course I found the illuminated bottles beautiful. But why spend a fortune on something you can't even see?
The fact that I ended up in the perfumery was thanks to a delayed train. To pass the time, I browsed through the shelves. I had sprayed a few scents on test strips, but none caught my interest.
Then I saw Nina L'eau and her sisters standing side by side. The beautiful bottles immediately caught my eye.
After a moment's thought, I reached for the pale pink apple, as it was my favorite. The bottle felt good in my hand and looked as if it had fallen out of a fairy tale, from a world full of enchanted mirrors and frozen lakes.
So I sprayed it on. Out of curiosity, to see if this apple smells as delicate and mysterious as it looks.
First, there’s apple and a hint of grapefruit, which together with the orange keeps the scent fresh and spring-like. My personal favorite is the cherry, which to me almost smells like cherry blossom, and is the heart of the fragrance.
Nina L'eau is light, dreamy, and playful, but never too sweet or kitschy. It’s not a classic fairy tale, but one in which the princess is brave, grows beyond herself, and saves the prince, yet still wears floor-length ball gowns.
Innocent, yes, but that’s what makes it seductive. Inexperienced, yes, but curious. It’s the lightness and freshness that I love about this scent. While it is rather subtle, that suits me in everyday life. I don’t like overpowering fragrances. In my opinion, it’s aimed at a younger target audience. On me, it lasts a day but loses some intensity.

In short: The fragrance is my absolute go-to that I will keep reaching for.