Believe by Britney Spears

Believe by Britney Spears

January 12, 2009, 6:31 pm
Filed under: Perfume reviews | Tags: amber, Believe, Believe by Britney Spears, Britney, Britney Spears, Britney Spears Believe, celebrity perfumes, honeysuckle, linden blossom, patchouli, praline, Spears, spicy, tangerine

Believe

NOTES (as listed on fragrancenet.com): linden blossom, tangerine, honeysuckle, amber, praline, patchouli

CLASSIFICATION: spicy

AGE GROUP: college, slightly mature

SIMILAR SCENT(s): n/a

FORM: eau de parfum

I was given Believe as a gift, and shortly after receiving it as a gift, I realized that it wasn’t really for me.  I wanted it to be, and I tried my hardest (on multiple occassions) to let it grow on me, but it just hasn’t.  I’ve decided that although it won’t be in my rotation, I’ll store it in safe keeping should my tastes evolve towards spicier perfumes.

Yep – I said spicy!  Everywhere that I’ve read about Believe, I’m told it’s this sweet, fruity concoction.  Well, at least to my nose, it’s not.  If you’re a fruity fragrance lover, this one does not have your name written all over it.  That’s not to say that you won’t enjoy it, but be careful as to what you expect before embarking on the Believe adventure.  Perhaps if I wasn’t expecting a fruit salad surprise of sorts, I’d be less disappointed and more able to focus on the actual scent at hand.

So, what is the actual scent at hand?  I can indeed detect an ever so slight hint of citrus fruitiness in the very opening on this perfume – but don’t let that fool you.  This is the opening, and will quickly be overpowered and eliminated by the heart and dry down of Believe (which is not a fault; every perfume follows this pattern of course).  After the very, very slight hint of citrus evaporates itself away, the perfume becomes rather strong, rather quickly.  I myself am not particularly a fan of stronger perfumes, unfortunately.

If you don’t love patchouli, I wouldn’t recommend this fragrance to you.  The bottom notes are ruled by patchouli, which is a nice, deep, rich, earthy scent.  Again, strike two for Believe, as I am not particularly a fan of patchouli.  This is, however, a nice, strong, spicy perfume that can stand on it’s own two feet – it’s just slightly annoying that it’s talked about as a sweet, fruity fragrance.  I don’t get that impression at all from Believe.  Perhaps my nose is whacked.

After the strongness of this scent cools off a bit, Believe is much more likable for me.  It’s a nice earthy fragrance that I could picture myself wearing during the brisk fall or early winter months.  That’s not to say that Believe wouldn’t be appropriate during any other time of year, though.  Unfortunately, to me, it’s not worth it to wear Believe for a couple of hours to get to the faded level that I can tolerate.

Although Believe is not something that I will wear regularly for the time being (or perhaps ever), I am grading it on a scale with spicy perfumes in mind.

REPORT CARD

(We highly recommend reading our guide to understanding our grading system if you haven’t already)

First sniff (bottle): C+

First sniff (skin): C+

Worn scent: B

Staying power: A

Scent as compared to note(s): B-

Bottle: A- (an attractive bottle – the picture really doesn’t do it justice! – but, unfortunately, this is very impractical.. it’s harder to hold/spray than you’d think; at least the 3.3 ounce size)

Overall: B-

Not recommended for those looking for a fruity or sweet fragrance.  This is a very strong, earthy scent – if that is what you’re looking for then Believe is highly recommended!

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