Princess Night

I purchased Princess Night not long after it launched. With a name like “Princess Night” you’d think the fragrance inside of a black glitter shrouded, heavy glass heart would be smoldering and bewitching. A rich, dark, incense-y fragrance, like some exotic, smuggled essential oil. A fragrance worn while stalking prey on hot summer nights- for casting spells. But surprisingly- Princess Night is a sweetie pie. I was first drawn to Princess Night because of its bottle. A lot of people loathe it. I was attracted to it in a wow-that’s-so-ugly-it’s-kind-of-great sort of a way. The bottle felt scratchy when you held it- an interesting design decision. It did make the bottle memorable. It “shed” glitter quite a bit when it was new, but I just rubbed it with a paper towel over a garbage can, and the shedding pretty much stopped. I wore the heck out of Princess Night because of the amusing contrast between the fragrance itself- fruity and sweet, which I loved- and its gloomy/tacky Hollywood Goth flask. It became my signature. Princess Night starts off fresh and fruity. You’re making a tropical drink, and you’ve just cut open a big juicy watermelon into chunks for the blender. The raspberries add their bright sweetness. “Red berries” is pretty accurate for the rest of the opening notes- there’s a mixture of red currant and something else that’s red and juicy- strawberries, perhaps. After about five minutes, the rose arrives. It’s not a fresh, garden rose. It’s concentrated- an essential oil rose. Very rich, and somehow old-fashioned. It adds a lovely depth. The jasmine and African orange flower, which smells like a sweeter version of "regular" orange blossom, mingle beautifully with the frangipani, which is one of my favorite florals. It’s a juicy tropical note- this flower has fleshy, wet petals, and it lives in wild places above the sea. Princess Night then drifts more toward soft sweetness as the vanilla floats up, embracing the florals, but not eclipsing them. The fruit is still there but is not as juicy as it was. And so the black heart continues to beat; and beneath its darkness is a slowly unfurling sweetness. You are sipping a watermelon cocktail, relaxing on silky black sand beneath jungle trees by the sea. The night flowers have opened, winking white in the moonlight, and are pouring their rich essences into the warm breeze. Princess Night remains in this soft sweet luau form until it fades. It has quiet sillage, and like many Vera Wang fragrances is not a long-wearing powerhouse. It does linger as a skin scent. Of all the Vera Wang scents I have worn, I do think that Princess Night is the most long lasting. Princess Night reminds me of Midnight Fantasy, which was also my signature fragrance for awhile. They share a similar sweet/rich vibe, but Midnight Fantasy has a sharper fruitiness, and is less sweet than Princess Night on the whole. I had looked for my old signature on Ebay, to try it again just for fun, and managed to find a one ounce bottle for a fairly reasonable sum. However, I was shocked to see the prices Princess Night is going for. Because of this I now have major perfume regret. Years ago, some time in 2013 it must have been, I bought two 3.4 ounce back-up bottles of Princess Night, my new signature. I put the bottles in the back of the refrigerator, and forgot about them. But I became tired of Princess Night, and gave the spares away. Ah, well! At least I have a small bottle to remind me of when I announced my younger presence in a cloud of Princess Night. It seems so very long ago.

I've been wanting to review Vera Wang Princess Night for quite awhile now, and now I'm finally ready to give it a go! Princess Night is easily one of my top 5 favorite fragrances of all time. There's something absolutely enchanting and mysterious about this fragrance without it being too overdone. I get a delicious blend of crushed sugar, (which is almost burnt) deep vanilla, plenty of berries, jasmine and a delicate skin musk. Mmm... yes, it is just as intoxicating as it sounds! Now, I have to be completely honest about the bottle design. The bottle itself is gorgeous on display, but when you hold it in your hand... it's a disaster. It feels rough, gritty, and tacky. The bottle was a miss for me, simply because it's impractical. The dark specks of glitter stick to my hand every time I spray it; which is the only hold up! Another thing, when you smell the fragrance from the nozzle, it has a off-putting "glue" like scent that ruins the experience. So if you own this fragrance or want to purchase it, DON'T smell it straight from the bottle! Guaranteed, it won't be pleasant. The scent itself is pure magic to me, simultaneously strong and soft. If you like sugary sweet scents with a "dark" essence that are long lasting, definitely go for it! It's a well rounded and beautiful scent in my book. While some may be put off by the bottle, it's the juice that counts! Give it a chance. :D Scent itself: A solid 9/10. Longevity: 7-8+ hours, depending on climate. Sillage: Moderate Would I repurchase? FOREVER! <3

Four years after Jessica Simpson graced the market with Fancy, and eight years after the release of Princess, the Vera Wang house presented us with Princess Night. To say it sanded away the errors of a now crass Fancy, would be an understatement. I am aware that Jessica has a following here, but I would be remiss to pretend the synthetic caramel artery pulsing through so many of her releases wasn't the stuff nauseating headaches are made of. That is not to say this scent isn't also sweet; it is. However minute the difference is between the saccharine chords of either, makes all the difference. For all of Princess Night's zinging sugar buzz at the top, there is an equal counterpoint of musk and wood bellowing bass below. All the while florals frolic within a sexy, sticky third space. Expanding and contracting in time to an undulating melody. Scents are carried into the heart, then transported peripherally - all to a tempo of music that is felt rather than heard. Fruity notes of berry and melon, in turn, convert gourmand facets from a purely decadent and giddy girlish perfume into a garishly dark and womanly wild nectar. Even jasmine and orange flowers blush animalically, smiling through a carnal wickedness I imagine only members of a coven could produce. So satisfied with what lies before me, I sit in a quiet surrender during the depths of a sultry twilight. Content at last to spend a night casually considering a thing of such sinfully pleasurable beauty!

I just bought this after wanting it for so long. I knew it was limited edition and I noticed that it was getting harder and harder to see it in stores. So I picked it up today as an early Xmas present to myself. I like the Vera Wang Princess line. So far I own this and Preppy Princess. I will admit that the packaging for this fragrance is a little misleading. Due to the dark purple glitter on the bottle and the box, I initially thought this would be similar to Britney Spear's Midnight Fantasy and contain lots of heavy dark fruits. However, this is surprisingly light. Apart from the berries, I don't really smell any other of the top notes or any of the heart florals either. It seems to go from the berries straight to the base really quickly and you are left with a soft yummy vanilla sugar musk dry down. As other reviewers have said, it does smell like raspberry sugar water. It's sweet but not "Pink Sugar" sweet. It won't give you a toothache or a headache. It's nothing outstanding but I quite like it. It's light, fluffy and sweetly delicious. Even thought it's the Night Princess I think it could be worn during the day in every season except probably Summer. It's not a super heavy fragrance by any means. Due to it being limited edition, I suggest you check it out quickly before they all disappear. I'm glad I did!

This is my second review. I bought the body lotion and I think this is the best out of the Princess line. The orginal was my favorite, but I think this one is better. And yes, it's purely vanilla and sugar; I smell some nuances of fruit, but not much. It's sweet, but I like sweet so it works for me. I don't know if I would wear it in the summer during the day, maybe at night when the temps drop, but it would be great for colder weather. This isn't childishly sweet, but more grown up sweet, so good for date nights and also those nights when you just wanna snuggle on the couch. I've noticed some comaprisons to Midnight Fantasy, but I don't think this smells anything like it,IMO. MF is way more fruity and I don't get much vanilla with it, like I do with Princess Night. So, if you're on the fence about which one to buy, maybe this will help; if you like vanilla, go with Princess Night but if you like more fruity, go with Midnight Fantasy. Also, if you own one and want to buy the other but you are afraid that they might smell identical, don't worry because they smell nothing alike. I own both and they are great smelling, so either one is a good choice. I hope this helps anyone who might want to try Princess Night.