Realities Original

The OG, Liz Claiborne Realities, in the heavy, frosted glass cube bottle (topped by a smaller golden cube) with a green cube cap. This lovely peachy/green/herbal/floral juice comprised my youthful holy trinity of rotating signature scents; along with Lauren by Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne in the triangular glass bottle (or plastic triangle covered bottle) for 25+ years. A girl needed no others. I received numerous compliments back in the day, by women and men, on what a gorgeously rich and unique scent this was. The peach and herbal notes were prominent, yet exquisitely restrained blended and balanced. The vanilla base gave depth and richness that clung to my skin and clothes ALL day. Men especially found the sillage intoxicating as this scent could easily go from day to night (and oftentimes did.) I always received gift sets at Christmases and birthdays, so I stayed well stocked up on my three favs and all their accompanying lotions, splashes, powders & shower gels. So, I didn't notice immediately when reformulation struck. CK One, and others whose names I can't even remember, came along and turned my head in the 90's. B&BW led me astray in the 00's. Realities became scarce, then disappeared from ds. The imposter by the same name only served to confuse. Now Realities is back, and can be found online. unfortunately, it's just a shadow of its former glorious self. The sculptural frosted bottle now topped by a smaller "green" cube that matches the green cap. The basis of the OG scent is still there (kinda), but the peach 🍑 note is less pronounced while sage/herbals are amped up. That exquisitely balanced perfection, forever altered. Sadly, the sillage and longevity suffered the most. I know that government regulation of specific ingredients is to blame and it's a done deal. Yet, no matter how many new fragrances I discover, flirt with and even love, I still haunt the Internet looking for these vintage bottles of gold. Lauren, Liz and Realities will always be the holy trinity/ride or die fragrances of my youth. I collect and cherish every vintage bottle that I find, just like the memories one whiff of them can summon.

In my experience, peach is the predominant note in this fragrance, but it's a very sharp peach - a different creature from the supersweet modern fruit perfumes. The sage isn't intrusive (this isn't one of those scents that leaves you feeling like a spice rack, not even a little bit) but the dark, rooted aspect of the herb provides a small counterbalance. Once the heart notes have a chance to come in, the white florals turn it just a little sweeter and a little creamier. This followed the original Liz Claiborne scent in the triangular bottle, back when Liz was a department store name, and if you're familiar with both you can tell that they're siblings. Of course, some of the notes are the same (amber, peach, freesia, jasmine) but there's more to it than that: they may be pictures of two different scenes, but they were clearly taken with the same camera. Realities has the warm glow you'd expect from an 80's-early 90's department store scent, and while distinctive it's dignified, pleasing, and appropriate for work - as it had to be to meet the old Claiborne aesthetic. The new fragrance by the same name is an entirely separate and far less interesting creation. (Pinkish juice in rounded bottle: new scent. Yellowy juice in whimsical stacked-cubes bottle: old scent.) Note that some merchants who still have this in stock sell it unboxed, probably because the unusual triangular carton is tall and impossible to stack. But of course, any bottle sold like that has been exposed to light for who knows how long and may not be worth it.

A bright, aldehydic sunshine fogs the air with the first soft spray. As translucent drops wet my skin, a sharp pungency awakens sinus folds and constricts wide the accompanying nostrils. My facial expression relaxes. This was the first in a line up, that sparked! Lost to the purgatory of an out-of-the-way antique shop, less than an entirely pleasing bottle stood before me. A frosted glass cube with varying askew plastic cubes in gold and teal, progressively smaller towards the top, housed this new discovery. Softly spicy, worth attention, and a patina-ed gold foil won the purchase. But, I was to find out, that was only the beginning! Walking into my house, the sillage finally caught me, like Peter Pan to his shadow. Chamomile and sage, warmed from my skin, and dusted with peach - as fuzzy as the powdery chords which wrapped a layer of comfort around my weary body. Tender kisses of freesia and carnation, in the most feminine form, punctuated the creases of my arms and neck. Hints of a resinous-laden amber, and whispers of sandalwood, frolicked and flirted within the ether. It was the smell of a caress, and the warmth of an intimate embrace. It was the steaming breath of nature that fills one's soul, or the cozy robe your mother wore, awoken from sleep to offer comfort. Lost unknowingly amongst the sympathetic folds of weathered flannel, where true peace is found. That is where this fragrance belongs; aloof and alive, amid a warmhearted reality.

I wore this perfume in the late 80s and loved it. I found a real vintage bottle on Ebay. I do sense what I recalled about the perfume. I like the spicy smell. Since it's been reformulated I'll use this sparingly and store it out of the sunlight, heat, etc. This perfume will always be an important thing in my life. I had the bottle on my vanity without the cap on when my 2 year old daughter toddled up to the vanity. I told her "Don't touch that." Which to her meant go for it!! LOL!! She was at eye level with the spritzer and delivered herself a squirt into one of her eyes. The screaming ensued. Tried to flush it out of her eye (I'm a RN) but ended up in the emergency room for care. So, when I got this bottle I showed it to her and asked if she remembered the bottle. She said yes but didn't want to relive that again. LOL!! UPDATE 6-1-2022: I'm really loving this perfume. And I've noted that I only have to apply it once per day. It lasts and lasts! So many scents don't have longevity any longer.

This is one of my staple fragrances for when I want to wear something light and soft but not a citrus, green, or aquatic fragrance. I mostly smell peach, chamomile, and osmanthus. I would call it a fruity floral, not a floral green. I really don't smell much of anything green in it aside from a light herbal note. It smells like a peachy herbal tea to me. It has very low sillage and poor staying power. The bottles being sold now perform like a body spray. The vintage formula is more robust but getting harder to find old new stock or used bottles online.