Ralph Hot

This was my very first fragrance. My brother got it for me for Christmas - he was the quintessential cool older teenage brother, and he exclusively wore designer colognes. I had gotten a BBW fragrance spray years ago taken away the same day I received it because I sprayed 1/4 of the bottle, so this was my first real perfume with responsibilities. It was my only perfume and I had it for years but tragically went through the last drop and tossed the bottle before finding interest in fragrance. I took a chance and recently purchased it on eBay for more than I'm sure he paid for it. As soon as I sniffed the cap, I knew. My nose is not particularly sophisticated; I grew up with smoking, only recently started to detect "notes", and I haven't smelled this in years, so I was surprised I recognized it immediately and it smelled just like my teenage years. I am new to writing fragrance reviews, so bare with me when I say this is definitely warm, but it still gives off the aura of the cool girl instead of the hot girl. Not the cool girl trying to be hot, but the cool girl in a situation where a warm yellow light is shining on everything about her that makes her hot. Obviously the cool girl is hot too, but in a different way then the "hot girl" - I felt this was perfect for my alternative style (or as alternative as you can be in a private school at least!). The initial spritz is much cooler and fruitier than it smells at the bottle and when dried down. This is a sweet, sophisticated, sexy vanilla with a slight kick - I detect more creamy powder and green than spice personally, but given my other fragrance preferences I can see how it might be too spicy for those who like a pure sweetness. It is definitely spicier than fresh. This is definitely a more mature vanilla than my friends and I had access to at the time, with a lot of dimension. It's very reminiscent of a beach night or poolside day. Thanks to the kick and warmth, I find it to be a crisp and clean fragrance for fall and warmer winter days. I feel like I can wear this fragrance nearly year round (and I did), save for spring and the hottest summer days, as I think it would do better as a date night fragrance with heavy heat. I never received any complaints only compliments, but I do think it has a little more "oomph" than I tend to go for an office fragrance although it is very fresh and clean for a hot summer's night out. There is something in it that reminds me of the Ralph Lauren colognes on my brother's shelf - something that just smells "Ralph Lauren" in a way that I would put this perfume next to that collection of colognes because they just smell like they're from the same store, but I'm not sure what exactly it is? Again, I'm still a newbie, but wanted to throw that out there. It only lasts about 4-6 hours on me, and doesn't have kind of sillage my brother's colognes did, but it leaves an impression on those you get close to. For memory's sake, it was 1000% worth it for me to have my first signature fragrance again, and I absolutely adore it. If they remake it I'd buy the new version too.

This is a nostalgic scent for me, it was one of the first fragrances I owned as a teenager. I recently got into fragrances and I couldn’t stop thinking about this fragrance and if it smelled like how I remembered or if my sense of smell had changed over the years. Due to the outrageous prices on eBay....I went to the lengths of purchasing a couple other less expensive, similar fragrances that were said to be dupes in some cases and in other cases were said to give off the same “vibe” but more sophisticated, but honestly all left me very disappointed. I eventually saw it on eBay for a “reasonable” (e.g. not $300) price and snatched it up! Fragrance review: I would say the smell both is and isn’t how I remember it (and is overall still very positive).... It is definitely a very nostalgic scent and brings me back to my childhood, and the differences I perceive is an interesting case study for the evolution of our sense of smell over time. A few personal examples: I remember this being a somewhat spicy scent, which I get none of now (it is also currently fall and I have been wearing a lot of spicy, oud heavy fragrances, so it’s hard to compare), I also remember this is having almost no florals, but I can smell the florals now. I also didn’t remember it being an incredibly coconut heavy fragrance, but I most definitely experience the coconut now, along with Amber. Overall this is an incredibly wonderful scent that I am really looking forward to wearing in the summer. I am excited to enjoy it again as an adult and I’m thrilled to have it in my collection! I’ve noticed that there are several folks who have posts similar to mine, and I’d like to say that I was able to snag a 100ml bottle and would gladly part with a decant if it would bring others the same joy it has brought me! So feel free to message me. :) Also if I come across anything similar I will gladly share the info here!

When I was a teen, I had a bottle of Ralph Cool which I loved very much. I remember I tried Ralph Hot, too, but I have no idea if I liked it back then. The good memories of Ralph Cool and the intriguing notes list were enough for me to blind-buy this when I saw a reasonably priced, almost full bottle on ebay. And the risk paid off, I love this! It's a mouthwatering, slightly spicy vanilla and fig scent with some of the aquatic Ralph DNA that always reminds me of chilling at a pool. This sounds like a mess, but it's really an interesting blend of warm and refreshing. Perfect for summer, especially when you don't feel like putting on the usual light freshies, but also suitable for colder weather. It's like the nighttime equivalent to Ralph and Ralph Cool, but it can be worn around the clock. The combination of fig with all the warm and sweet notes like vanilla, amber, sandalwood, nutty almond blossom and spices gives an impression of coconut and brown sugar, it kind of reminds me of an exotic cocktail. Later in the drydown the florals and musk become more noticeable and build a clean base for the gourmand notes. We don't have B&BW stores in my country, so I can't compare this to Brown Sugar & Fig perfume or fragrance mist. I have the body cream (bought online) and layer it with this perfume, as they are in the same family, but Ralph Hot is way more complex. Otherwise I find it fairly unique, I can't think of any perfume from the past or the present that combines clean and fresh with gourmand and spicy in the same way that Ralph Hot does.

So...im EXTREMELY passionate when it comes to this fragrance. I have over 100 fragrances in my collection ranging from celebrity scents, to moderately priced fragranced, even up to expensive designer fragrances that cost upward of $100. THISSSS....Ralph Lauren Hot, is literally with no exaggeration...my ABSOLUTE #1 favorite fragrance of all time. The first time I smelled it was years ago (probably 2008 or so) on a female friend of mine. I took her out on a friend date for her birthday and Ralph Lauren Hot, she had JUST gotten that day as one of her bday gifts. First of all, let me tell you...I could NOT stop smelling her neck. And second of all...it lasted ALL night. Was still going strong 4 hours later after we went to dinner and saw a movie. Everytime she moved I could smell it. As for the fragrance itself...It deff has the vanilla factor, but in my opinion, the spice/oriental/cinnamon factor in this is MUCH more dominant and prominent when wearing this on your skin. Its SOOO incredibly warm, but the odd thing is...its actually perfect for winter OR summer use. I cant even put it into words. I'm still in disbelief that a fragrance as amazing as this has been discontinued and I continue to buy bottle after bottle wherever and whenever I find one. This fragrance is AMAZING!! So comforting, sexy, amazing, and with the oriental/spice factor kept into mind, I personally think this smells amazing on either gender. BUY THIS IF YOU SEE IT SOMEWHERE!! DONT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY!! ITS INCREDIBLE!!

This fragrance is pure love for me. My sister apparently bought this one in 2007, but left it at our house at 2009, and I discovered it in 2013 haha. It's quite old and hasn't been stored properly, but it hasn't lost it strength or any notes at all (yay for me!). On to the scent itself. I seem to agree with the notes list on the basenotes entry a bit more than the one here though. It opens quite fresh and smooth with a light spicy undertone. The mandarin, almond blossom and cinnamon blend really well, and slowy transition into the middle notes. From here on it gets a bit harder for me to pick apart the different notes. It becomes really creamy, so the mocha cream and milk note are quite noticeable, but it also has this fresh aroma, which keeps it from becoming too cloying. I guess those are the fig notes that I pick up. The middle notes don't last really long though. The basenotes of sandalwood, vanilla and maple amp up the creaminess, whilst retaining a light floral and fresh undertone. Longevity is average and so is sillage. I also think it is more of an unisex creation: it is the more lighthearted sister of Black Orchid, as someone else previously mentioned here. I would recommend this one to everyone, but it's quite a shame it has been discontinued. Edit: Since it's discontinued, another scent that's almost a clone, albeit a simpler one, is Diesel Loverdose Tattoo. The opening is a bit juicier and sweeter, but still fresh, but the drydown is almost identical.