Scent of a Dream

I got given a few samples of this and tested it recently. This certainly is a strange one. First of all I dismissed it as just another ' blah' perfume as the first blast smelt very synthetic and cheap. I quickly forgot about it as it seemed to disappear but after an hour or so I kept getting quite strong occasional wafts of something rather interesting and very changeable. I have tested this several times now and it behaves differently ( or I perceive it differently) from day to day and even hour to hour- maybe this is the ISO E super at work? I have grown to really like this now - on me it is a very distinctive fragrance that is sharp yet comforting. I really like its unpredictability and complexity. It is the most quixotic perfume I've encountered. Interestingly my 12 year old son - totally unprompted, told me quite that something smelled really nice after I had liberally sprayed this? He has never ever commented on any of my many, many perfumes positively or negatively before or since. I've have been very pleasantly surprised and impressed by this perfume after a pretty inauspicious start. I think it' s changabilty suits my Gemini moon!

The first time I tried this perfume I really did not like it. Many months later I went in for another spritz whilst at the Charlotte Tilbury counter and I don't know what happened this time, but after it settled in I found myself sniffing my wrist constantly for the rest of the day! I finally purchased a bottle yesterday and I am so glad I did, I love it! I cant put my finger on which note keeps drawing me in for another sniff but it reminds me of a fragrance from my youth. On me it's got an almost comforting scent mixed with something a bit more powdery/sultry after it dries down. I have seen lots of negative reviews and I can understand why some find it an 'old lady scent', but I find this a modern take on a classic style of fragrance, so I guess I'm a modern old lady?! It's very long lasting on me and the bottle is very attractive too, my only negative is that I am not too keen on the name!

I do not understand why this perfume has received so much criticism! I think it is beautiful. This is a bit of a shocker upon first spray and I will admit that I was initially turned off by this fragrance as it is quite harsh and synthetic with a cheap lavender-ish aromatherapy type smell upon first sniff. However 10 mins on my skin and it developed beautifully. I can not stop sniffing my wrists, I love it! It is not groundbreaking in any way and it definitely is not unique as it reminds me of three fragrances I already have in my collection but it is still a very nice fragrance. Once this has dried down on my skin it shares similarities with Agent Provocateur, Lady Vengeance and after one or two hours on my skin It smells vaguely similar to my much loved Frederic Malle POAL! Overall I really enjoy this fragrance and will be purchasing a full bottle soon. Great job Charlotte!

This is my favorite women’s scent I’ve ever smelled , I’m 26 m a customer came into my work she was a woman in guessing approx 45 and the dry down of this was radiating exactly how someone would want it to be not too heavy just perfect, when she was done and about to leave I had to ask her what it was because I could smell some sort of combination of synthetic ambergris / woody molecules (more than likely so called captives the chemical engineering companies create to keep original fashion /perfume businesses ahead of the copy cats) anyhow it is such a hypnotizing scent and the woman mentioned that she couldn’t smell it at all anymore she was pretty surprised I could smell it at all, and like I said it was radiating , I’d guess a bubble like 4-5 feet but not too thick of a cloud I’ll add. beautiful perfume

I love it too!! I think it's wonderfully complex, not very sweet, wonderful flowers, powdery and delicate, yet deep and sensual, wonderful citrus and fruit and gorgeous patchouli, woods and amber. Exciting I think. I love it how it changes all the time - never a dull moment! Terrific perfume. Really interesting, very intoxicating and glorious. Spicy, warm, cool, bitey, soft and creamy, cool and breezy, deep, unique. Such contrasts. I love it. I love the patchouli, it goes very well, well-blended with everything. Perfect. Not boring. Such lovely white flowers. Everything is really crazy. I love it. And I have been told so often that I smell wonderful, that I guess it must be true! Happy happy me! And by the way......I think the name Scent of a Dream is perfect!

This fragrance isn’t groundbreaking or overly exciting, but it IS fabulous. It reminds me of Paloma Picasso or some other late eighties big hitter. It’s grown up and easy to wear. It’s not like the deluge of fruity florals on the market at the moment. It’s a woman’s fragrance, and has great silage and longevity. Yes - I agree that the opening can be a bit harsh, but it warms to something sexy and sensuous. It’s a beautiful bottle and I love the Kate Moss connection. I think sometimes we can be very critical of mass marketed fragrances, but I still regard this as somewhat of a ‘high street niche’ - like an Hermes or a Narciso Rodriguez. Definitely worth owning once - if you collect fragrances, as I do. Xx

I think it’s beautiful. It has a vintage vibe, but I don’t find it difficult to wear at all as a woman in my early 30s. It’s spicy and sultry, not at all overbearing. It’s not like any of my other perfumes. It’s very cozy and comforting, it’s the scent of a grown woman who is secure in herself. This could be worn for a fancy event or at home having a self care moment. It reminds me of Christmas and New Years eve because it was a Christmas present from my boyfriend. I love it in fall or winter for that reason but I think it could work the rest of the year just as well, it’s just that association for me.

Typically I absolutely detest floral perfumes but this is an exception. It certainly is a marmite kind of fragrance, it has an expensive grandma fragrance to it but there's a fizzy, champagne quality to it that keeps it from becoming too stifling. When I wear this a very specific character comes to mind; the retired opera star Adelaide Bonfamille from Disney's The Aristocats. There's an eccentric, classy, luxurious quality to it that is just necessary for certain days. It's certainly strong and lasts but it is such an experience, and a wonderful one at that.

The bottle looked gorgeous, so I went a head and brought it without even smelling it! Im a charlotte tilbury makeup fan, and I never expected anything bad from her as all her products are amazing! The first time i've tried this perfume I was very disappointed and hated it, so i started using it on my bed sheets to be done with it! AND WOW! after smelling it continuously for a while, it has become one of my favorite scent of all time? super gorgeous! I got 5 compliments on that week! And they didnt stop! its so feminine and sweet! Love it!

I was gifted Scent of a Dream by a friend as a surprise, and have fallen in love: not only is this one of the prettiest bottles I've ever seen, but the scent is absolutely gorgeous - classy and fresh with a touch of soft spice that evolves beautifully until the scent melds and melts into my skin. It just works with my skin chemistry so well: if you could see a scent it would be a shimmering layer cocooned around me. I'd be on cloud 9 if it wasn't now discontinued!! I guess I'd better enjoy it while it lasts!

I got a sample of this sent in the post before it's release. Love at first smell.My partner bought me some for Christmas, it's quite pricey so I save it for special occasions. To me this perfume is warm and woody. Hints of incence and jasmine. This perfume reminds me of my mum. Pretty sure she has had a similar smelling perfume in the past, although my mum said she hates this perfume. Odd. Nether the less, I love it.

Update to review below: I LOVE this fragrance!!!! Having now let it warm on my skin, and worn it for two days in a row; I adore it. My husband - who shares my love of fragrance, grabbed me, nuzzled into my neck and asked ‘ ‘what are you wearing? It’s something else!’ It really is sensuous and utterly addictive. So - I scrap my first line of my last review to ‘this fragrance IS special!’ New favourite!

Well I love it. There's a retro vibe going on. At first whiff it reminded me of the discontinued Avon fragrance called Sonnet I wore back in the 70's, then it reminded me of Estée Lauder Azuree. I love chypre, I love patchouli, and I love complicated florals. I'm sick to death of sweet and fruity. This smells like a sophisticated grown up former hippy - so basically me.

Absolutely head over heels for this fragrance. Effervescent, sweet, vintage - I think this fragrance captures the essence of charlotte tilbury and her whole line. If 1920s women had a scent. I get a sweet sparkling citric patchouli with a big mix of all florals in the background. Lots of synthetics to hold the fragrance in the base I’m so upset it’s discontinued!!

This is my go to perfume, I've been wearing it for 5 years now and I get stopped by so many women wanting to know what perfume I'm wearing. It smells strong, lasts ages and makes both a great day time or night time perfume. I have two big bottles in the house because I love it. I've not yet found a perfume that gets compliments as much as this one does.

Strickingly beatiful modern scent with strong classic twist. It is strong chypre, with good sillage and very good longevity. If you like vintage, classic scents as they are Paloma Picasso, Magie Noire, try this, you don`t get dissapointed. But this is nothing for the ones ,they loves cangy, synthetic gourmands. A scent for a lady, not a girlie.

Boo boo to all the bad comments 😛 Vintage vibes? Maybe. But being vintage is not the same as being bad. People are very biased about vintage smells. This fragrance is beautiful! Floral, peachy, and some incense going on 💮🍑 Soapy, powdery, performs better in cold weather. The price is prohibitive tho.

I love this fragrance!! It's so fresh. I find it comforting as well. I think it's feminine, but I think it could also be unisex (maybe?). I get great silage, and it lasts a long time!! It's very unique. Not like anything else I own, and I own a lot!! I could see this as a signature scent.

It is beautiful to me, try it. I find many perfumes that are loved by many, turned out to be a dislike for me. Perfumes are not subjective. Try and see if it something you like or dislike. Compositions differs from fragrance to fragrance.

I absolutely love this fragrance it smells nostalgic to me the amount of comments I get on this is insane definitely a stunning signature scent that you can wear anytime it smells expensive so upset it’s been discontinued

I know everyone has different taste in perfumes, but for me this is so beautiful. I found a bottle and bought it and I am getting compliments as I leave a trail of fantasticness!

Smells vintage but beautiful and not too offensive. It opens powdery and spicy dries on the skin as floral and soapy. I love it and its a good signature scent

Classic, timeless and elegant. It can be a little old fashioned for some.

Odd one,this. When I received a 100ml bottle of Eau de Parfum as a gift with another purchase, I concluded quite rapidly that it hadn't sold well, so sprayed carefully and sparingly, to be greeted by....almost nothing....and after 5 minutes, absolutely nothing. I contemplated simply donating it to the recycling plant, but remembered a helpful hint I had read sometime ago in Fragrantica. So I found a cotton sock, sprayed once on it, and sealed the sock in a plastic bag for 24 hours. No, I can't think of any logical reason why it should work, either, but the next day I could just about smell something. I tried a few more times on skin, and thought I might quite like it if it were amplified about 100 times. It was much better on paper than on me, and lasted for days. That was a month ago, and I decided to give it a final try. Suddenly I almost love it ! I've been wearing it for nearly an hour and can still smell it, but oddly enough my take on it is very different from most people's. I cannot detect patchouli at all (I'm glad to say!), but for me a sharp chypre top overlays a lush floral with just a slight edge of marigold bitterness. It is definitely interesting; old-fashioned, yes, but I find a lot of modern releases boring and formulaic. This seems to me to have something in common with Miss Dior original, which many people adored in its heyday. The most interesting thing for me however, is that I had to teach my brain to recognise it !

I have been wanting to try this based on the notes listed, but was weary of the negative reviews and the fact that it is now discontinued. I purchased a 30 ml bottle from eBay to sample; the bottle itself is so lovely, so I figured I would at least display it if I didn't like it. On a blotter: I really like this so far! The opening is super fresh and sharp. The black pepper note stands out the most, but it is nicely paired with the citrus fruits. The middle notes are floral, and just a touch powdery but not in a dusty way. Despite the patchouli and incense, this middle feels very "clean". For me, it is reminiscent of a realistic floral bouquet. The base takes a while to develop, but it's great. A very familiar skin musk that is somewhere in between classic and modern. I am a fan of both Iso E Super and Ambroxan, so the base checks the boxes for me. On skin: Ouch! It is just a different beast on me. Unwearable unfortunately. I am not typically sensitive to fragrance but one spray of this on my chest triggered an allergic asthma response. The sillage is big, and it might work if you are planning to be outside for an event. I actually appreciated it when I was outside walking, but desperately wanted to scrub when I was stuck in the car.

I found Scent of a Dream to perform quite unexpectedly. I’ve read several reviews criticizing the structure and it is weird. What I get in the opening is fruity, zesty patchouli. I freaking love the opening. It’s playful and free, like a Saturday morning at a Farmers Market. It just feels good. I would spray all day just to get that opening. But that dissipates quite quickly, within 20 minutes or so, and the heart is just a very staid, calm floral scent that sits quite close to the skin. It’s nice but nothing I’m in love with. And after about 3 to 4 hours, sometimes 5, it’s pretty much gone. It’s like, what base? I do love that opening though. But for what it is, and for the price, I won’t repurchase when I’m done spraying all day.

Totally forgot I’d had this in lockdown. It smells old, like my mum’s perfumes from the 90s e.g., Amarige, which isn’t surprising considering they share notes. I don’t think old is bad, it’s just more classic smelling. When I used to wear it, it reminded me of watching my mum get ready for a night out. She’d always give me a spritz of perfume. It brought up nice memories but it’s not a perfume I’d wear again. It’s not really incensey or hippie like it was intended and if you’re really after that, buy Karma from Lush. Now that’s a hippie perfume.

This is a Iso E Super & Ambroxan party. The opening might resemble the mixture of oils she's collected on Ibiza but I doubt that the aforementioned combination is among them. I expected something different of her, to be honest. However, this is not bad at all if you enjoy this type of scent. If you do and don't want to or can't shell out the bucks for this, go for Toni. Almost same scent but way more wallet friendly :)

I have this for over two years now and I don't know why I haven't reviewed it yet. This surprised me when it came out because it bucked the trends of the time (fig, oudh etc). It is a chypre patchouli in the vein of Paloma Picasso, Halston and La Perla but with a slight modern twist with the help of Iso E. A few years on you don't hear much about it anymore but I still enjoy it.

The patchouli is very prominent in this perfume. Its also quite long lasting, in fact, on me it lasted 4 to 5 hours on initial spray. What I love is the tuberose touch that adds character to this perfume. I received some compliments from wearing this. Not extraordinary but not too bad either. A 4.2 out of a 5 for me on sillage & longevity. But a 2 for being pricey..

It smells a bit old-fashioned, like the fragrance from 70 ́s or something. I guess that is why this EDP has so many negative reviews. I hated it at first, but gave it a chance a year later and I am enjoying this now. It reminds me of the make-up table with some flowers and scented candles on it. It is actually very nice, but there is something archaic about it.

On my skin this is a musky, soapy floral along the lines of Guerlain Idylle, SJP Lovely and Modern Muse which normally I can't tolerate and find headache inducing. This one is a bit softer and I get pleasant, pretty wafts every now and again so I'm tempted to add this to my wardrobe for a light, feminine, everyday fragrance.

An incense + patchouli perfume which manages to not be overbearing, generic, or dusty smelling. Also somehow quite elegant with the balance of the citrus and florals. Makes for a nice goth perfume combo despite the citrus brightness. The bottle feels so premium to hold and spray.

I got it for the bottle. Looks so beautiful and fits my collection. As for the fragrance, it's not a bad smell at all, but it makes me think of an aunt at someone's wedding (I'm guessing it's something my brain registered somewhere lol). I like vintage but this is just not my cup of tea. I might revisit in 20 years though.

This was such a lovely fragrance....when I first got it. After it aged, it became loud, screechy and so patchouli heavy that I smelled like the bottom of grandma's purse. I just threw the entire bottle away. So disappointing because it smelled so good when I first got it and the longevity and sillage are beast mode.

A tinny, vintage vibe. I only wear this when I'm in the most specific mood ever: My boyfriend has left the house, and I have all afternoon to play in makeup and red lipsticks at my vanity. It has a vintage glam feel, but I'd never wear this out where anyone else could smell me.

I love what CT does in makeup, even have one of her lipstick (only one because of their price, would have more items otherwise) and it's fabulous, nice formula, great colour, good staying power all in a luxe packaging. So I really wanted to like this perfume and was very interested on trying it, but a tiny voice inside my head kept popping up saying: "this might be a huge disappointment", so I didn't actively went looking for it. In the end I got the occasion when an eager salesgirl came up to me inside a House of Fraser last winter. Biggest mistake ever. I ended up with this thing on my wrist that assaulted my nose and not in a good way. It smelled cheap and conventional and took a lot of scrubbing to leave my skin. Not only that but the fragrance literally stuck to the woollen jumper and coat I was wearing for daaaaaaays so that I had to wash the jumper and air the coat to get rid of it. Not a fan. I even got a sample one day and spritzed it again to see if anything had changed, but I still dislike it. But of course it's a very personal thing and I actually thought that I remember having smelled something similar on a lot of women in the past, so I'm sure there is a market for it.

Well Charlotte Tilbury, I was not expecting that at all! So this is very sharp to begin with, the citrus really dominates with the pepper. This is essentially a fragrance with a split personality. It's all hippy dippy to begin and the patchouli smells old school and makes you think of the 70s. The flip side to this fragrance is the vintage floral feel, the violet is warm and fuzzy and white florals are certainly present. The drydown is heavy, musky and woody and is almost salty with the ambroxan. If you hate ambroxan stay away, because this is an ambroxan bomb. To me, the drydown reminds me of coal tar soap, if you've smelt that, that is this fragrance in a nutshell. This is not a delicate fragrance at all, this is a strong powerhouse, that is essentially everlasting. It is very, very interesting, so unique in today's market, but honestly I just didn't like it. This is definitely one that I think will be divisive, it's love or hate.

I was looking forward to smelling it at Nordstroms. So I eagerly picked up a bottle to take a sniff because there was no cards I could spray it on around and ....OMG NO! I know I must have scrunched my nose in disgust because that's how I felt. I really thought that based on the notes, I would like it. My first thought was-this is chypre scent and I usually don't like chypre. Second-it smelled STALE. By "stale" I don't mean it smells like bottle has gone bad, it just smelled like something stale. Citrus I get, then florals which were far too cloying for my taste. Tuberose in this one just about made me keel over. And I like tuberose as its one of my favorite flower. Others said it smelled "vintage"-well, I would say it smelled "old fashioned", I guess which to me is NOT a good thing. I would never want to wear this. Even if someone gave it to me for free. This is one scent I CAN NOT tolerate

If I'd looked at the notes before trying my sample I probably wouldn't even have put it on; the Iso E Super would've had me very wary of a potential migraine. But, I sometimes spritz random samples without looking them up just to see what my personal impressions are. If this is what a dream smells like then I'd rather be awake. It smells like that slightly stale dry towel that's been folded in the closet for awhile. Suffocatingly dry, with a very fuzzy effect. There's a decent floral mix underlying everything. Like if the towels were originally dried with really nice dryer sheets, but now it's just stale. On fabric, this actually lasts for-ev-er. It transferred from my arm to one of the throw pillows on my bed and if I lay my head on that one, I can still smell it; almost two weeks later.

Old fashioned. But not in a vintage way, more in a bingo-hall kind of way. It tries, but fails to capture an Old Hollywood glamour, aiming for Mitsouko but, unfortunately, landing messily in a sweet, fruity and vaguely musky scented squelch akin to the bastard child of a lesser Elizabeth Arden fragrance and cheap scented talcum powder. If you like the idea of this scent rather than the execution try any of the Elizabeth Taylor fragrances, particularly those named after gemstones. Cheap thrills but so very much better than this. One more point: it's also very strong. Just a drop needed if you do partake. Any more and you'd be drowning in a hazy ISO-E super souffle and possibly nursing the mother of all headaches. You have been warned.

I expected more from Tilbury. I expected luxe hippie, given this is supposed to be based on her own essential oil blend. I thought this would be a lot more natural smelling as well. I'm not keen on chypres at the best of times but I'm afraid I think this is awful. It's sharp, old-fashioned, cheap and synthetic. The bottle is faux vintage crystal and I don't like it either. It smells like a work in progress, like they tipped too much of something into the mix (the iso I guess) and this batch has gone a bit wrong but might be redeemed somehow.. I suggest not buying this and buying your own essential oils to mix instead because this is the scent of nightmares, jarring, twangy and glaring, a sinister grin, flowers that don't like you..

Tilbury's ridiculous marketing claims aside, this scent is trying to be a sexy chypre but it's a disappointment. Starts off like slightly lemony hairspray then goes woody floral with some powdery amber and surprisingly restrained patchouli... and as I type that, it sounds ok but in reality doesn't work. Plentiful ISO e super confuses you into thinking it's a nice composition for a few seconds but then it's like makeup melting on a hot day - worse than if you'd gone bare faced. The idea of using ISO e super to fuzz up a cheap chypre and make it seem richer is actually pretty smart. But in this particular execution, a miss.

With the name of this one, I wore it to bed. More like Scent of a Nightmare... far to strong and overpowering. Why oh why I thought 3 sprays of my tester would be a good idea I’ll never know. I think I was trying to finish it so I could open the full bottle. It was so strong I couldn’t sleep. It’s basically put me off this perfume, which is a shame, as my logical brain can tell it’s not an awful fragrance. So now I have a 30ml unopened bottle I need to find a home for.

Eugh. I've got a horrible taste in my mouth from this (no I didn't drink it or spray it into my face). I was so attracted to this because of the name and white theme in the advertising. I love fragrance with a kind of floaty nature. Luckily it's only a sample that I bought. To me it's just a smack in the face by a really over bearing bouquet of flowers covered in hairspray. It has put me off food also. Not everyone is like me though, my senses tend to overlap a little.

I was so disappointed by this. I got a free sample direct from Charlotte Tilbury and expected great things. On my skin, it's nothing more than that bitter, chemical cloud you get when undiluted laundry detergent accidentally spills on your skin. Nasty, artificial stuff. Weirdly, it's both feint and potent at once: it won't scrub off, it's very strong and yet it isn't powerful. It's only an off-putting type of strength. It's haunting my skin in a bad way.

Tuberose, Iso E, incense. This is acrid and cloying on me, medicinal, soapy. I feel like there are a dozen more attractive white florals + incense perfumes from L'Artisan Perfumerie or other niche and mainstream houses. I think you could order a assorted white floral or tuberose sampler from Perfumed Court and you would like most of the selections they send you better than this. Maybe it is just my body chemistry?

Strong, sythetic, old-fashioned. Do not like this one at all. The motto does not fit at all 'The key to attraction. Make your dream a reality.' I do not think that you would attract anyone with this. I really do hope it only smells like it does on a bit of testing paper, because for now, I really dislike this fragrance. Seems something that a grandma would wear...

So glad I’m not the only person who found this to be awful. It smells like an old fashioned cheap and nasty fragrance you would give to your worst enemy for secret Santa. Charlotte was so off the mark with this. Even more disappointed when ordering cosmetics from CT and you get a free sample of this each time you place an order - in the bin it goes. Dreadful.

Yuk, this is one of the few perfumes that I have ever washed off soon after application. Even after using soap and water AND Clinique Clarifying Lotin, I could still smell this awful scent. I love Charlotte Tilbury cosmetics and expected this to be equally wonderful. However to me it smells like cheap body spray from the 1970s. Ghastly stuff.