Oscar de la Renta Something Blue!

Either I am feeling extra jaded lately (a very distinct possibility) or there are even more frogs* than usual crowding the department store perfume counters this spring. Today, I’ve got quick reviews of two recent mainstream fragrances (Oscar de la Renta Something Blue and Kate Spade Live Colorfully), but as neither is likely to set perfumanity on fire, I’ll go ahead and put my quick poll question at the start: have you smelled any really great new mainstream scents this year? Do tell. If you can’t think of any, go ahead and tell us about a new fragrance that’s just comically bad.

Oscar de la Renta Something Blue

Something Blue is Oscar de la Renta’s bridal-inspired fragrance for spring 2013 — the tag line is ‘from this day forward’ and the bottle includes a removable ring — and as you’d expect, it’s a romantic floral. The opening focuses on one of my favorite floral notes, linden blossom, with accents of lily of the valley and stephanotis as it moves into the dry down. And it is pretty, with a slightly green tinge and just the barest touch of sweetness. “Soft” and “elegant” are the words that appear in many of the online customer reviews, and they’re both apt enough.

Something Blue is also clean, not quite but almost soapy clean. It didn’t remind me of laundry detergent, really, but it’s certainly far cleaner than I’d want for my wedding.

Verdict: it’s exactly what it ought to be — it’s an entirely of-the-moment mainstream wedding fragrance. If you’re looking for just such a thing, and want something that will hang on through the event but not alarm your wedding guests, it is definitely worth a shot. It probably goes without saying that it isn’t likely to be a perfumista favorite, right? Another mainstream alternative, more strongly floral than this, is the old standby Vera Wang for Women (the original 2002 version) or if you want something stronger still, there’s always Estee Lauder Beautiful. Or, check out Angela’s article on Wedding Perfumes.

Oscar de la Renta Something Blue was developed by perfumers Frank Voelkl and Ilias Ermenidis. The notes include bergamot, mandarin, neroli, linden blossom, stephanotis, lily of the valley, narcisse, lychee, cashmere woods, ambrette seeds, vanilla and white musk. It is available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum, and in a matching candle.