With Love

Notes to self, but also to anyone else who might be interested: Articles written in 2006 or 2007 about With Love compare it to Betsey Johnson by Betsey Johnson and one even mentions a detected balsam and incense note. Similar Perfume #1 - Katy Perry Indi Visible - After a few minutes (after what I assume is the rum fades), there's a similar warmth and creaminess (from the coconut and tonka beans maybe?). Not tropical-sweet, not woody in the right way. I'm pretty satisfied with Indi Visible if I'm craving With Love. Combination #1 - Betsey Johnson by Betsey Johnson with Le Monde Gourmand/Urban Outfitters's Lait de Coco - I was pleasantly surprised. It's similar in the warmth, creaminess, and sweetness of With Love. BUT it's a little too candy/praline-sweet and it's lacking that mangosteen-tropical-y-ness. Not particularly *spiced* the way With Love is. Not the right cocobolo-woodiness. Similar Perfume #2 - Butterflies by Coleen Rooney - This is discontinued, so I wonder when my specific bottle (purchased 2022) was manufactured (it launched in 2010 and I threw the packaging away, oops). Maybe my bottle is quite old, so something about it is the tiniest bit.. off/faded, as if it's a scent in a slightly aged bottle of lotion lol For what it is, I'm still happy with it though. This one makes me think of With Love only because of the amber, nutmeg, and pepper. I might try layering this with other ones. Similar Perfume #3 - Far Away Exotic by Avon - Buy at your own risk - I hesitate to say that the bottle I got off of Ebay has gone "rancid", but the tropical notes have dissipated. The notes listed looked SO promising. Basically the bottle I have is now just a.. spicy patchouli. Similar Perfume #4 - Mmmm... by Juliette Has a Gun - I can see how some people say this smells similar - even my best friend/roommate who remembers disliking With Love in 2008 was reminded of it and said it was similar. To me, the raspberry was sweet in the wrong way. That, and the sweetness from the caramel is almost old-lady-ish (like old lady makeup/fragranced face powder? idk). These two notes with the vanilla are almost a plastic-y mix, completely lacking the depth that comes from amber and sophistication from the cocobolo wood. Combination #2 - Layered in this order: Katy Perry Indi Visible, then a few minutes later, Betsey Johnson by Betsey Johnson, Le Monde Gourmand Lait de Coco, then a few minutes later, Radiant Nectar by Clean Reserve. Radiant Nectar really amps up everything else. Somehow it adds that extra *something* that mimics that sophistication that With Love had. I think maybe the muskiness of it rounds out the combination of the other perfumes and gives the others that floral-woodiness that they kind of lack. Edit - I resprayed Radiant Nectar after about an hour, then I smelled it against what I have left of the With Love lotion. This combination smells the most similar only when Radiant Nectar is still somewhat freshly sprayed. Even so, With Love is still "sparkle"-ier, almost boozey. I re-read some reviews/articles from when it was released - one of them mentions notes that are not on Fragrantica - balsam and incense. A long time ago, I remember seeing "incense" listed, maybe even "champagne", as notes. Also, Fragrantica has "terpenic" listed under the "main accords" section. So, while I always thought that the sharp, sparkly note that I've been missing in my combinations was fruit/mangosteen - now I think it's balsam. Which feels right; this came out in autumn, and I wore it well into winter and it always did feel like it fit the holiday season. The search continues! Combination #3 - Katy Perry Indi Visible and Katy Perry Killer Queen. Killer Queen has that dark fruit, almost masculine vibe going on. Pairs well with Indi Visible's creaminess. Would recommend for similar With Love vibes. Next thing to try: "Inspired by With Love by Hilary Duff" fragrance oil from perfume-oils.com

Finally indulged the inner 13-year-old tomboy, who was trying to get away from her former love of Disney Channel, shoving off all things girly and pop music, yet always entranced by the jewel-like facets on this bottle. And then stealing sprays from the shelf at every Kohl's trip but never asking to just have a bottle of my own. The truth was I did like it. And almost saw it as a window to someone I "thought" I would be if/when I finally grew past the tomboy attitude - mature, mysterious, seductive, sophisticated. As we know, actually growing up shows us the complete opposite, but it's always fun to finally make lost dreams come true with adult money. I'm revisiting this after years with an old mini with the infamous "turned" profile. It truly wavered between statuses of awful and awesome. Some days it would smell warm and sparkling, and others, like a rotting closet. Now I think that bottle's just...gone. It starts with the full blast of musted, crusted skeleton woods covering up what was once the sparkling mangosteen note. And that's it. The shadows of the warm amber drydown I remembered on my winter jacket as I stood in the beauty aisles, now all fuzzed up by this degraded wood note. I came to realize that this formula was made in the U.S. I didn't want to think all hope was lost. Upon questing for my closure treat, I happened upon a full bottle, formula made in *France.* Eureka. France-formulated With Love, I assume, was the original formulation with Elizabeth Arden before everything dissociated with their releases. Because this seems to be what it REALLY smelled like almost 20 years ago. It starts off solely with sweet spices and mangosteen, gently wafting juicy fruit throughout, and it stays, like how a fragrance is supposed to unfold. The woods never interfere with the top. Transitioning to the middle, the cocobolo note we love as it should have been - does not smell turned at ALL, comes in ever so smoothly, and sits close to the skin. Never the bonfire fumes the U.S. formula has. And the base, surprisingly just as gentle, a comforting grounded amber simmering with spices. And most of all, nothing is really singular. The blending is immaculate, as most French formulations tend to be masters of. Like a sipping a smooth chai with sweet incense in the air. When the Dignity album was first released I had a short phase of idolizing Hilary during her brunette baddie era, because come on. Her fashion and style looked incredible. She looked older than she was (its own awkward baggage ultimately), and even I had a hard time believing she was burying her blonde Disney self just like that. Her crafted persona matched everything With Love wanted to do - Hilary all grown up, free from childhood shackles and exploring womanhood, as any 19-20 year-old would feel. Now that we all have the hindsights of adults in our 30s, the fragrance still smells beautiful and sophisticated, but definitely how a 19-year-old would have thought "sophistication" was. With Love is the matching product of someone who tried to, or maybe felt forced, to grow up right away. I thought I read somewhere long ago, that outside of EA powers that be, Hilary wasn't interested in redoing this because she had outgrown it, or perhaps it does remind her of a more tumultuous time in her youth. The ultimate irony being, I still believe this fragrance was 10 years ahead of its time. I don't think this would appeal to the current teen/college gourmand market, yet this is right at home with the current Arabian releases and other niche oriental-forward scents. To all nostalgic lucky ducks who can, go find a France formulation and you will not be disappointed. This girl's Kohl's trip is finally complete. For returning Hilary fans, she's making new music again with a "Sabrina Carpenter in a midlife crisis" approach. I think she has some stories to tell 👀

Amazing and unexpecting. Hilary Duff is one of the few celebrities I've always loved. Unlike the likes of Demi Lovato, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Bieber, etc...we've never seen a Hilary Duff that is falling out of bars drunk, doing drugs, no mugshots etc. She's always been such a well-rounded, respectable, beautiful, perky, sweet, kind-mannered person who grew gracefully from childhood star to amazing artist, actress, and Mother. The only reason I'm even mentioning that is...that's what makes this fragrance so unexpecting. You would've assumed years ago that she would've released a tooth-ache sweet scent like Ariana Grande's line, Britney Spears Fantasy, or another of the hundreds of Viva La Juicy clone type of perfumes. Especially because she was only like 19 or 20 years old when this was released! So it's a shock (a pleasant one)...that they didn't decide to go with the obvious move that would've made them the most money which would've most likely been to release something along the lines of what I just mentioned for her (mostly teen) fans. So since I've always been a fan of hers...I bought this shortly after it was released. I love this fragrance. Absolutely love it. However...fast forward to 2020 and this perfume was released in 2006 and only in production for a few years. Of the 200-300 perfumes that I own (since I started collecting about 11-12 years ago)...I don't even think I own currently, or have ever owned even 5 perfumes that "turned" as we call it, no matter the age of the bottle. But after using about 2-3 of the biggest 3.4 ounce bottles...I started to notice that every bottle I've purchased since then had turned. (Which was around 2014 or so to current. You could smell the DNA of the perfume...but it smelled rotten. It is now Feb 2020 and on my quest to find one that still smells the same as when it was released...I just purchased another bottle online that specifically stated that it's been stored in a cool, dry, and dark place...and it should be arriving in the next 2-3 days. I hope desperately that this one hasn't turned bad like the past several bottles I have bought unfortunately did. As for the scent itself...this one evokes confidence. This one is for a woman, not a 10 year old girl. I actually tend to find it quite unisex. It's a woody, spiced amber perfume with a beautiful warm musk base. This is so cozy. Sweet but not in a sugar way. This one is so beautiful. Deep. In my opinion...for those of you who like Adam Levine's female fragrance...this is the superior, better smelling, better quality relative to that one. Oh how I wish they would bring this back into production. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll pull a Kate Walsh move and bring it back to life. The bottle is definitely easy on the eyes too. Longevity - About 8 hours. Projection - Easily 3 feet. If generously sprayed, this thing can fill a room. I've had people 6 feet away from me tell me how amazing I smelled. Overall Score - 9.5/10 This really is just so beautiful and unique. Hilary Duff and the perfumers REALLY took a daring move with this one. Such an incredible leap they took creating a deep, sensuous, mature perfume such as this for a 20 year old celebrity. I LOVE it! This perfume right here would be one of the few that would get a standing ovation from me.

Someone mentioned this fragrance in another review, and it unlocked a memory I forgot I had. I can smell this perfume in my mind! Being a huge Hilary Duff fan, I received With Love as a gift for my 12th birthday. I was so delighted with how grown up and "fancy" it smelled. And that faceted crystal bottle was gorgeous, the centerpiece on the top of my dresser. I remember so well how rich, decadent, and mature it smelled compared to my fruity little Bath and Body Works and Bodycology sprays I had at the time. It's surprising that Hilary's team went that direction with it, considering the age of her fanbase. But I'm so glad they did, because that's what makes it so distinctly memorable. I feel so intensely nostalgic for it that I just ordered a small deadstock bottle on eBay. I will update my review when it arrives and let you all know if it has stood the test of time! UPDATE: I just received the perfume, and I'm thrilled. It's EXACTLY like I remember it! I saw so many comments from people who bought an old bottle only to find out the fragrance had aged badly, and I was so worried that would be the case with mine. But it's perfect! If anyone else is interested, I ordered a mini dabber bottle from the Ebay seller "rubbersidedown2015." They have a few more for sale, for a really reasonable price too. Now that I'm smelling this perfume again as an adult, I can give a better review of it. First of all, the longevity is great. I put it on about 8 pm, and could still smell it on my skin at 10 am the next morning. It's a warm and decadent fragrance, and it smells so complex despite the minimal notes. They just blend and complement each other perfectly, and even though the scent is rich, it isn't heavy or overbearing. It's warm, woody, and alluring. The spices are there, but they're subtle. It's not the sort of spicy that can burn your nose and overpower all the other notes. With Love is a fragrance that would be sexy worn by any gender. I can't believe I rocked this as a 12 year old; it's so much better suited for adults. It's a 10/10 for me! Couldn't be more perfect.

(This review is for Eau de Perfume) WITH LOVE is a light spicy oriental fragrance with fruity gourmand notes. The unique choice of mangosteen fruit, blend of spices and warm woods makes this fragrance quite appealing to me. I have read that Hilary was involved in the fragrance construction and design. I have to give her the credit for taking the road less travelled. I have never smelled real mangosteen fruit but the opening reminds me of mango and coconut body lotion. It is tropical, creamy and delicious but it still smells to me more like a luxurious body lotion than a perfume. The heart notes are more sophisticated. The mangosteen scent is more refined and subtle layered with the wood accent and light spice notes of cinnamon and cardamom. The base notes are sweeter and almost vanilla gourmand on my skin but not like a real vanilla bean but more like a creamy vanilla pudding. I completely agree with sherapop on this comparison made in the review below. This fragrance I think marries the oriental spicy theme with the modern fruity gourmand fragrances quite well in a non-aggressive and gentle way. This fragrance is like a beautiful western girl on the trip to Morocco. She is genuinely curious about other cultures and tries on authentic jewelry and pieces of clothing at the local market. They suit her so well and she looks beautiful and exotic in them. But in the end she is still this western girl next door with blond hair and blue eyes. This fragrance has spicy oriental component but in the end it is fruity gourmand to me. The fragrance has medium sillage and longevity is at least 8 hours.