Hot Couture Eau de Toilette

I am so positively undecided on this perfume, Perfumites! I LOVE the raspberry, and had my interest piqued when I read this perfume smells like smoky raspberries. I mean - where do I sign?! Smelling it now I'd say it's closer to smoke-and-raspberries rather than smoky raspberries. You feel me? Brilliant. I feel like the raspberry note is the more oh-so sexy, not the smoke/spice scent. The fruity note is juicy and slightly sweet. The smokiness does give off the impression that I've been hanging around someone smoking cigarettes (not me myself - how dare you?!)... which I'm not sure I love - BUT it's not so bad like a stale ashtray. This doesn't strike me as a "Bad Girl Scent" (bare with me on the generalisations for a moment), but actually more of a "Good Girl With A Secret" vibe. Yep, poetry. I honestly would love more of some of the other notes like strawberry, magnolia, and rose (Rose and raspberry is the sexiest combination; a la 'Tresor Midnight Rose' - fight me). Here's the thing, though: Despite not wanting to smell slightly of cigarette smoke and wanting more of some other notes... there IS something intriguing about this fragrance. I won't say it's alluring. There's no immediate sexy, I *want* you vibe for me. I'm intrigued - I want to smell you, and...probably keep smelling you, but I can't really explain why. Just accept my creepiness and move on. The sillage on me is a bit disappointing. I want this to be SO much stronger. I have to bring my wrist right up to my nose to smell it. I suspect it might be better on clothes. The longevity is okay-ish; it decidedly stays on that wrist for 3-4 hours. Granted - NOTHING else smells like this. You want a unique signature scent? Wear this. *** Kitty rating: -/10 (Undecided at this time!).

I recently blind-bought this fragrance based on reviews here on Fragrantica and youtube and I was very excited to receive it. You guys are absolutely right, there is something very special about this scent. This is very different from anything else in my collection, and I do like it! I won't say that I love it.. yet, as I believe this is a fragrance I would have to get used to (if you know what I mean?), but I think it will grow on me for me to like it even more. On me I definately get what you mean by "strawberry flavoured milk" because that's how it dries down on me anyway, but there is also something else that I can't describe - but it's not a bad thing. It's more, interesting. At first I thought that this smelled like chupa chups (lollipops), but then strawberry milk was a more suitable description as I can sense some cream in there too. But definately raspberries, or more like raspberry liqueur on me. Very strange, but good strange. I feel very special when I'm wearing this, in a positive way. I had it on one night I was going out and I was just waiting for those compliments that you guys are writing about, but it has yet to come (I've only had it for a week, so I guess it'll get me there). I asked a male friend to smell me when wearing this and he said that it was one of the best perfumes he had smelled, so hopefully he meant that. I'm looking forward to wearing this more and see if I can grow to love it as much as my signature scents. Thanks for the tip guys! Edit: I'm enjoying the HC much more when layered with the HC Eau de Parfum. I'm starting to love it, I must say.

This review is for the EDT. First smelled this perfume 8 years ago on a woman who entered the shop I was working at.. as soon as she got in, the space filled with an absolutely mesmerizing scent - sweet but fresh at the same time. I asked her what it was, and it was Hot Couture. Fast forward to now, I tried this on my skin while browsing at the pharmacy today with my boyfriend, and asked him what he thought. He said it was one of his favourite perfume he ever smelled on me, and seemed to try and lean in and get a sniff of it for the rest of the day. I decided to buy it - and so glad I did. At first this perfume smells like fresh, sugared raspberries with a hint of smoke. It’s sweet but the raspberries are fresh-smelling and the smoke makes it grown-up (in comparison to other sugar-like perfumes). With time, the smoke makes a greater presence, and it settles into a sultry skin scent. Longevity appears to be very good for an EDT as well. I feel like perfume is best worn for special occasions or nights out, since it’s such a head-turner. Likely best for cooler temperature too (fall to spring) since it’s so sweet. For the record, don’t know any other perfumes that smell quite like this. Definitely worth a shot trying - even if you don’t normally like sweet scents (like myself). Edit: This perfume doesn't seem to last more than a couple hours on my skin or clothes.. so disappointing. The scent is so enticing though, still glad I have it in my collection. Might try to see if it lasts longer in the warmer weather of spring/summer.

I can't believe I memory-holed this one for so long. The first time I caught a whiff of Hot Couture (EDT) was on one of the popular girls in high school... she sprayed it on right in front of me in the hallway and it was intoxicating. We're talking back in 2004. She was the kind of girl who dated the football player, but also stole cigarettes from her mom (but her mom didn't care because mom was cool, too). Preppy, but simultaneously party-girl. Seems plenty others get this exact vibe from this perfume! It's so fitting - it's made almost exclusively for that kind of girl. I'm not that, but I have a travel spray and my god, I love it. I'll scout a full bottle when I'm done with it. People will follow your trail when you wear this, guaranteed. The vetiver (which I usually dislike) is so smoky/ashy and gives Hot Couture exactly what it needs - that little bit of "raunch factor", a touch of a cigarette that was just put out. It keeps the raspberry cotton candy vibe from being juvenile, instead making it borderline sexy and mature. The citruses are amazing in this, too, keeping it lively. Seriously, after remembering this one, I don't know why I ever bothered lusting after RL's Beyond Romance or Angel Nova for a raspberry note. Hot Couture is the only raspberry perfume I want. Givenchy repackaged this into a new bottle and I'm worried it won't smell like what it used to. If you want its magic, my personal opinion is getting an old bottle (tall, skinny rectangular) of the EDT is worth it.

Nothing else compares! I have reviewed hot couture in the past but I feel the need to leave an updated review. I tried this fragrance for the first time maybe 4 years ago based off a YouTube review by rositaapplebum. I fell in love with it instantly but didn’t wear it often because I never could find the right occasion and it just didn’t feel right. Recently (4 years later and I’m now almost in my 30’s) I decided to revisit my 2/3 empty bottle and see how I felt about it. Let me tell you it’s is every bit of 100% perfect for me now. This suits a more mature me. I am a mother now and much different from who I was 4 years ago and now this fragrance just screams “signature scent” for me. The best way I can describe the scent is a sizzling hot berry compote with fresh cracked black pepper sprinkled on top. Hot couture really is hot. That’s a weird thing to say but it really does have this strange warming effect. The thing I love the most is that the dry down is nice. A bad dry down can ruin an entire fragrance but not this one. It’s perfect. It sweetens your skin and almost becomes your natural skin scent but better. It really is intoxicating. My husband has always loved this on me more than anything else and my daughter always snuggles just a bit closer when I wear this Hot couture will likely always be my favorite from this point forward because it suits me like no other. I feel powerful, sexy and unique when wearing this and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.

Hot couture has been my signature scent for almost 15 years now. I’ve gone through countless bottles and anyone who is around me associates this scent with me. I have the original bottles and the new ones and the biggest thing I can say is that the key to both the new and old bottles is maceration. Hot couture has to macerate for years to get that scent we long for. That deep sizzling spicy berry note does not do its big one unless this sits for awhile. Oddly enough I’ve found that the best bottles I’ve had of this have been the ones I’ve completely disrespected. The ones I’ve left in my car in 115 degree temperatures for an entire summer and left uncapped at the bottom of a purse for a year or two. Hot Couture thrives off the disrespect. When you have a new bottle you are going to get mainly the smoky notes and citrus. So let it sit. Don’t give up on her she will show you who is boss one day I promise. The long maceration period may sound annoying to some people but for me it’s worth it because I genuinely love everything about this fragrance. It’s getting harder and harder to find every year and I have fully accepted that one day it will likely be gone. So in the meantime I just buy multiple bottles throughout the year to keep stocked up. Also I find this performs best in fall and spring. The harshness of winter and summer tend to mute the berry note.

I'm so glad I read the reviews before I tested Hot Couture EdT, so I knew I needed to let it develop for a while before judging. The opening is very smoky, dominated by pepper, and combined with vetiver and amber, it does evoke a pack of cigarettes. But raspberry, strawberry and rose take over pretty quickly, and leave a fresh and juicy sillage. Spice keeps it warm and even kind of cosy, but vetiver and fruit keep it very fresh and clean. If I directly sniff my skin, the cigarette smell is still quite present, but at 4" of distance or more, the smokiness goes to the background and the red berries shine. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Sweet but not at all sugary, addictive and delightfully sexy. The smoky base makes the scent unique and say "I'm not a girl, I'm a woman". The smoky fruit progressively disappears after 4 hours, to leave lightly peppery vetiver with a hint of tuberose and amber. Edit : the review above was made from an apparently old store tester. From a newer bottle, the fruity notes are much more dominant, the smokiness is lighter and clearly less cigarette-like, the longevity is better, and the scent is more easily wearable overall. Hot Couture doesn't age very well, I suppose. I suggest to avoid testing and buying old bottles, when possible.

Ok, time for an updated review for the EdT-version. I have now fallen in LOVE! It's sweet, mysterious and sexy. The EdT definately reveal more of the raspberries than the EdP but on me it's more like a nice raspberry liqueur smell (I love both and they are perfect to layer for more of a smoky haze). My boyfriend complimented it (which normally never happens, as his response when I ask is: you always smell nice, but this was totally on his own initiative and that's a big deal!) and my guy friend said it's one of the best perfumes he's ever smelled. That made me love it even more! I'm also very happy that Givenchy is no longer available in Norway, which makes me feel veeery exclusive wearing this stuff (as nobody else I know is). Sillage and longevity is excellent! Stays with me all night! So happy I trusted my instinct and blind bought this! PS! Just a heads up for those who are sensitive to fragrances: My supervisor suffers with migraine and she kindly told me that this triggers her migraine, so I don't wear it for work. But on my spare time I spray this and enjoy it very much! :)

Smelled the EDP years ago and never forgot its distinct scent as its straight up sweet grape or fig dessert (as we make it in Greece). However the EDP is too heavy for me something Id never wear, maybe eat haha. I tried this EDT version today and instantly bought it just because I bought the 007 James Bond the other day which has something from the Hot Couture. I needed both indeed lol. They smell similar but there are differences! The 007 Bond perfume is more vanilla, a very interesting blend, smells abit like leather to my nose at first then as time goes by I get more vanilla, berries and this gorgeous "dessert smell" must be the Bergamot, while the Hot Couture is easier to identify: straight up jam or some fruity syrupy dessert. Perfect for spring and even summer and of course fall, I wear both perfumes in the evening. Id say Hot Couture to me is more casual than the 007 Bond. Also longevity is really good, maybe not as good as the EDP or the 007 James Bond. Oh and I get easily nauseous from heavy scents these don't bother me at all :D

Yesterday, I was walking to my car and hear someone panting and yelling "excuse me miss!" I turned, thinking this woman running after me was gonna ask me for money (happens a lot!) she asked "what perfume are you wearing? It smells amazing. You walked right past me and my daughter (teenage) and we love it!" I told her Hot Couture EDT. Wrote it down for her and she went on her way looking very excited. One thing I love about this perfume is the amount of compliments I get when I wear it. Longevity is awesome; 10+ hours. I was at the movies yesterday evening (6 hours after spraying) getting asked by many women what I was wearing. I personally, only really like it. Not love for me. To me, it smells like sweet raspberry cigars. Reminds me of the raspberry cigars my friends and I used to smoke when we were 14 and "cool." I bring it out every fall/winter because the scent develops best in cold weather. I'm halfway done with my bottle and don't see myself wanting to repurchase. At least not now.

Oh my...I love this scent soooo very much. There is just something so intriguing about it. To me, it is very flirty yet shy, passionate yet innocent...this is the contrast I get from wearing it and as a person who tends to be made up of opposing extremes, it's like this one just "gets me." When sprayed, I get a lot of the fruity raspberry in the first spray but that soon dries down to a spicy, smoky just down right amazingly sexy smell. This is my instant mood boosting perfume. I have the EDT and I feel that this is perfect year round, day or night. I tend to get 8+ hours of it on my skin and even longer on my clothing. I love spicy scents though so I may invest in the EDP soon as I've heard it is like the EDT just spicier. I feel this is one of those scents that develops...truly develops. It's like at first sniff you may really like it but that like is nothing compared to the love that will happen once you get to really "know" it and once it shares its true self with you... :)

HC is a FUN fragrance! I wore it first in bitterly cold temps and the notes that give heat and smokiness floated around me in a cozy and sort of rebellious way, refusing to give in to the chill in the air, while the raspberry is flirty and not too serious. I'm late thirties, and I feel this is a great choice for any age. It's young and unique but it's smoky and hot and bold without being loud or tacky. It's really so fun. I wasn't sure what I'd think of wearing it in warmer weather after seeing how beautifully it performed in cold air, but now that it's getting warmer, I totally see it will work. I think in hot weather the warmth will give a sense of coming from your skin, which will be really interesting too. HC is unlike anything I have currently. I like raspberry notes and love them in Tresor Midnight Rose, Absolutely Blooming, Live Irresistable and in DG Pour Femme. I think raspberry can be interpreted in so many ways & doesn't have to read as childlike at all.

In form and effect this one reminds me of the original "Herve Leger", the feminine in the curvy bottle with violet juice. It is a similar mix of smart and sexy. And playful. Anything with a dominant raspberry note always gets my attention (two other favorites are "Deci Dela" by Nina Ricci and the original Chantal Thomass, and "Le Parfum" by Sonia Rykiel has a more subtle but also beautiful note of raspberry). Strawberry and apple make this even more appealing, from what I can tell. A fruity oriental that's also somehow transparent and smooth. I think I can feel the base of vetiver and it's also grounded and not purely airheaded (and I believe 'airheaded' can be smart too). I only have a mini of the original feminine "Herve Leger", but I find this one even more versatile in a positive sense -- so am happy to have a full bottle (which is a tester and lists "transparent jasmine" among the notes, along with "raspberry dew"). It just makes me feel good...

Oh, I do love this one! I haven't worn it much because of the vast extent of my collection but I have come to a point where I truly appreciate it. Hot Couture EDT is sweet, but not toothaching-ly sweet. It manages to smell dessert-y without any vanilla notes (at least, none indicated in the pyramid). The raspberry and strawberry meld together with the amber to create a warm compote, and the lemon and bergamot, while mostly undetectable, most likely serve to uplift the scent (as they would in baking). I don't smell any of the florals, but I know they are there to ground the fragrance so it doesn't float off into too "on the nose" fruits. The woman who wears this: Carefree, wears loose pretty dresses AND crisp tailored blazers with jeans, gold necklaces AND boho jewelry, stiletto heels AND cowboy boots. She's edgy cool but unfussy about it. I'm going to wear this a lot this spring/summer!

A staple in my wardrobe. A floral fruity for an adult. Sweet, spicy, woody, fruity, warm, powdery, smoky, and a tinge of floral. Very sexy stuff. The most complimented fragrance that I’ve ever owned. It's a confusing one as well: is it a floral fruity? An oriental? A gourmand? Is it masculine? Is it feminine? The closer u get, the more lost u get in it. It is very 21st Century Marilyn Monroe. Playful, dramatic, emotional, unstable, sweet, kind, mean, angry, laughter, sexy, innocent, woman, girl, seductive, distant, Interesting and full of life and all it's complexities! If Marilyn were alive now, I am sure she would wear something like this. For the Blonde Bombshell in you. This is a fragrance to turn your man's head. It is highly provocative, flirtatious, and sexual, yet still very unsure of itself and self conscious, not at all self-aware. A Pink fragrance made for a Woman not a teen.

This fragrance is just... Wow. If you've got a sweet tooth this is definitely for you. The notes in Haute Couture EDT blend so well together, it's hard to pick them apart individually. This is very strong for an EDT, insane sillage and lasting power. The pink juice is just too cute, and the shape of the bottle is so chic. It's fun, cuddly, yummy, sexy, enticing and extremely girly. If Barbie had a signature frag this would be it. If Regina George had a signature frag, this would be it. If Megan Fox had a signature frag... Well you get the point. It's super fitting that it was released in 2000 as it just screams newfound sexuality and renewed femininity. All I can think of is Malibu Barbie driving a top down corvette wearing a feather trimmed shawl with big sunny glasses blasting some fun euro beats. You need this.

I was surprised I liked it since I do not really like sweet raspberry note. But this one I do really enjoy, it is becoming slowly outdated. It does reminds me something I could smell back in high school. (Early 2000s) Back to the scent, I love smoky/powdery scents and this definitely has it. A little spice, Amber, definitely sweet, fruity sweet. Reminds me somehow of Lancôme’s La nuit Tresor in in the smoky sweet dry down.(again they’re not same or similar just that smoky powdery sweet dry down that I love in sweet fragrances). My husband said he smells cigars, what I though may be is that smoky part? But I really can’t smell any cigars. I should probably say it’s for the EDT. I sampled edp and I do enjoy edt more for it’s a little fresher scent. They’re very similar

This is just....adorable. I have the EDP and hesitated over buying the EDT as well for so long but they are quite different and I'm so happy I did. With the EDP I get the smokey, some people report "lead pencil" scent - but with the EDT there is none of that. It opens more with a raspberry sherbert shortly followed by raspberry sweetened with strawberry and amber for warmth (and I don't generally enjoy amber), a little spiciness and florals peeking through. The vetiver shines in the base notes yet it still has that sweet hint of raspberry. No ordinary fruity floral and I love it! Straight onto my top shelf :) The only time I wouldn't wear this is on a very hot summer day. Otherwise an anytime scent. Sillage is excellent with ony 3 sprays. Longevity at least 6 hours.

This eau de toilette is not to be confused with the eau de parfum which is quite different! Here, what I smell first is this absolutely delicious raspberry, not too sweet because - immediately after - the spices arrive. A little bit of rose, a little bit of amber... I'm not expert enough to detect all the ingredients but what I do know is that the final result is superb; a fruity, floral and spicy scent all at once, I love it! So different ! To me it's more a spicy scent than a smoky one. The eau de parfum, on the other hand - although I also like it - is extremely strong on the "peppery" side or what others call the "smoky" side (at least for my taste) which bothers me a little. P. S : I love this fragrance and I never smoked in my whole life...

I have the "old" bottle of this (from a few years ago at least) before the reformulation. This version is a masterpiece, and I do not use that word lightly. Yes this smells like smoke and fruit with just a pinch of sugar sweetness. If that sounds like an odd formula, just trust me when I say they made it work seamlessly, and instead of smelling strange or offensive it's incredibly mysterious yet approachable at the same time. Dark.. yet feminine, girly. Sweet, without being cloying at all. Spicy, without being screechy. There are few perfumes out there that are truly unique while still being accessible and I'd say this is at the top of that group. I normally prefer pure floral scents but this is so good it remains in my top five. Buy a sample!