Best Perfumes for Women

7 Best Smelling Hollister Perfumes for Her

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Hollister has been a staple brand for the younger set for quite a while now. I’ve already covered the best men’s fragrances by this brand, but wanted to create a short list for the women’s side as well. So, I’ve narrowed it down to seven scents that could be considered the best smelling Hollister perfumes, but also still have availability on the market as of now.

What are the Top Smelling Hollister Perfumes for Ladies?

Best Overall Perfume

Hollister MALAIA For Women 2.0 oz Eau de Parfum Spray– Another summery fragrance but this one has cool breezy sort of vibe to it. Malaia is probably the best smelling and also a very popular scent from Hollister.

It’s calming influence must be the work of the lavender and vanilla combo that sit on top a bed of florals.

Basil, however, is the main attraction and is what gives Malaia its unique aroma. It’s not what one would usually associate, with a beach lifestyle brand, but this one continues to be a best seller for Hollister.

Best New Hollister Perfume

Canyon Escape– This is a perfume that Hollister released last year and is already one of the best that they’ve ever done. However, it’s also already seemed to disappear from their website. Though, can be found at discounters.

Canyon Escape for Her opens with a citrus mix of lemon and bergamot, blended with the added warmth of a pink pepper note. Very bright for the summertime, with a light floral blend of magnolia and water lily, all held together by some bamboo wood in the base.

Clean, fresh, citrus/floral blend that presents a nice value opportunity, as is very well put together for the price.

Tropical Summer Scent

Pure Cali FOR WOMEN by Hollister – 1.7 oz EDP Spray– Pure Cali isn’t as well known as some of the other scents on this list. However, that doesn’t mean that this perfume is lacking in charm.

The main note here is pineapple and Pure Cali delivers its own sweet and juicy take on the tropical fruit. Youthful and good for casual wear. Pure Cali is simple, but for sure puts out that summertime vibe, and is very enjoyable.

Other than the pineapple, there is some cedar freshness, and a touch of a floral accord. This is a sweet, flirty, fun daytime wear for the warmer months of the year.

Best Sweet Smelling Fragrance

Hollister Wave 2, Eau de Parfum Spray, WoMen, 3.4 Ounce– The sequel, so to speak, of the original Wave (which is also found on this list). Wave 2 is a lovely little summer fragrance, with that familiar coconut note, making up its heart. It has a sandy warmth with white tropical flowers. Wave 2 is balanced is performs well.

Wave 2 can be pretty darn sweet, especially at first, so it might not be the best option for everybody. However, it does calm down into a delightful island-like fragrance.

Creamy Sweet Nights

Festival Nite for Her– This is another sweet perfume that gives you a bit of a different aroma from Wave 2.

Festival Nite has notes of apple blossom, vanilla, coconut, marshmallow, black currant, and orange. So, yes, plenty of fruitiness and sweetness is present in this one.

It starts off with a juicy orange and plenty of the black currant note. Light floral notes including freesia, dot the composition, but aren’t too heavily involved. It’s instead got a light summer creaminess with the coconut, vanilla, and fluffy marshmallow.

Fairly sharp and sweet up top. Then, sweet and creamy.  Finally, a mix of creamy and almost a syrupy quality to Nite. but, strangely it doesn’t feel too heavy and can work in the summer (nights, at least).

Most Popular Hollister Scent

Hollister Wave Women Eau De Parfum, 3.3 Ounce– A really bright and hot sort of scent. It’s quite neat how they captured that sunny day beach essence and bottled it.

It’s an airy shoreline breeze with fruit notes like a watery start fruit and floral notes like orchid and hibiscus. A very good everyday wear choice for younger ladies.

Wave is super fresh, has more floral notes than the others, while still staying true with what you would associate with the brand. It’s right up there with Malaia, in terms of Hollister’s best women’s scents.

Most Underrated Perfume

CALI VIBES * Hollister 1.7 oz / 50 ml Eau de Parfum Women Perfume Spray– This one is more of a change of pace from the usual beach vibe of Hollister’s brand. It’s a floral with green elements.

It is mainly headed by lilac, which is fresh and performs well, with the rose/musk notes flanking it.

Cali Vibes is more of a traditional floral fragrance. Nonetheless, that’s sometimes exactly what you want to go for. It’s still a nice inexpensive option for those days, you don’t want to go the beachy route.

4 Best Smelling Taylor Swift Perfumes

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Taylor Swift is a massive star in the world of music and has begun to expand outside of that realm and lend her name to certain products including fragrances. She has released several perfumes at a very inexpensive pricing point that are geared towards younger women and teenagers. For this list, I will present four of the best choices that are available thus far by Taylor Swift.

What are the Best Taylor Swift Perfumes?

Best Overall T. Swift Fragrance

Taylor by Taylor Swift – Made of Starlight Musical Jewlery Box w/ 3.4 FL. OZ. Taylor Perfume- Soft floral notes meet with apricot and peach to create a subtle, pretty, and youthful fragrance. Made of Starlight does lean much more towards the fruity side of things, with a nice sweetness, highlighted by the aforementioned notes and some passion fruit.

This is a flanker fragrance to the original ‘Taylor’ by Taylor Swift. However, the sequel is definitely an improvement over that initial release. The juiciness of the fruits, along with orange blossom, make this one a definite wear for the warmer months of the year.

Overall, I think that this is the best fragrance from Taylor. It’s not head and shoulders above the rest, but it has enough strong points, to give Made of Starlight the edge. Not super heavy, but has pretty good longevity.

Most Popular/Best Seller

Taylor Swift Women’s Wonderstruck Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Fluid Ounce–The original Taylor Swift perfume. Wonderstruck is a fruity sweet gourmand fragrance that is warmed by notes of vanilla, amber, and musk. Smooth, light, and fresh.

Wonderstruck keeps the sweet theme of Taylor Swift fragrances going. It opts for the berry route. Blackberry and raspberry highlight the opening act, with a somewhat cold and less juicy aroma, than the other options on the list.

The drydown becomes much more of the usual amber and vanilla affair, found in so many fragrances. However, the tea note, really helps to give it a slightly unique edge. This is an easy and enjoyable wear, that gives you plenty of value for a low price.

Most Unique Scent

Taylor Swift Incredible Things Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.7 Ounce-  Vanilla, woodsy notes, and musk. A sweet but not too sweet offering with earthy undertones. Incredible Things goes against the fruitiness of the other perfumes here, but does have some tropical hints, at times.

What is interesting, is the inclusion of a suede note. When blended with vanilla and musk, it becomes very smooth, with a powdery finish. Those notes really come into their own, later on. At first, the passion flower is pretty noticeable, but never stands out as the most powerful note.

Incredible Things is very balanced with a great musky/suede finish in the latter stages. Nice performance, but not a complete bomb.

Best Winter Perfume

Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Ounce- A sweeter and more fruity version of Wonderstruck with notes of berries and sugar to go along with the floral and vanilla notes. More towards the floral/berry side of the spectrum than the original.

It opens up with passion fruit and that blend of berry notes. The latter smell really fantastic and the opening is a sweet and juicy affair, with the floral notes initially taking a back seat. Peony and poppy flower, do start to seep into the composition more and more, as time moves on.

Later, the vanilla and some musk becomes a part of the draw. Mostly, Wonderstruck Enchanted is a fruity floral perfume with enough vanilla, to keep it from being a summertime scent. The longevity and overall performance of this perfume is very good for the price point. Wonderstruck Enchanted Full Review

Vanitas EDP by Versace

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So, I found some older samples in a box, that I had stashed in a closet. Among a few Amouage cologne sprayers, I had a women’s perfume by Versace, Vanitas EDP.

I figured that I might as well give it a try and write up a review, seeing as I never got around to it however many months ago. Continue reading below for my full take of this scent and whether or note Vanitas is worth a buy.

What does Vanitas EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: freesia, tiare, bergamot, cedar, tonka bean

Click here to try: Vanitas Women Eau De Parfum Spray by Versace, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Vanitas Eau de Parfum is of course heavily-laden with the white floral notes of freesia and tiare. These two are what dominate throughout the fragrance. While there is a bergamot note added for a citrus effect, it lies underneath and isn’t all that powerful at first, in my opinion.

Anyhow, the bergamot definitely isn’t a powerhouse feature like it can be in many other perfumes. Although, I do find that it emerges a bit more during the dry down.

Vanitas is a bright, quite clean, and very classic floral perfume. As it dries down, the cedar adds a slight woodiness to the scent, which allows the fragrance to become more centered and less like a bouquet. It strikes me as a ‘green’ scent with the aroma of floral stems and a low-key musk quality to it.

The tonka bean affords the fragrance with a bit of a creamy quality to take some of the edge of the strong floral notes. There isn’t much development of Vanitas beyond this, it’s a pretty linear scent.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, I found it to be powerful. A few sprays was more than enough and any more than that just seems overboard to me. This is the type that can take over a room, if you let it. Not that much is needed, which will at least save some cash with fewer sprays.

This Versace perfume is most assuredly a performer with all working day longevity. It lasted on my skin for 9 or so hours. The EDP delivers plenty of value from this perspective.

Testing it out multiple times, that’s about what I get with it. It can go slightly over 10 hours, at times, but it’s not a sure thing.

I’d call this more a mature type of perfume. It is feminine but not girly and doesn’t have any of that teenage candy-like sugar aroma in it at all. It might be an avoid for high school or college-aged ladies.

Best worn casually, as a daily wear, or even semi-formal occasions during the spring and summer months. Vanitas has a very natural botanic smell.

So, it does have good versatility within that sort of climate. This can be a great go-to scent for those who live in a more tropical region. Not the sexiest scent, but attractive enough.

Overall Impressions of Vanitas

Overall, would I recommend Vanitas? It isn’t a super unique fragrance by any means, but it is pretty exemplary as a white floral perfume. It feels familiar and probably has a lot of similar scents to it out on the market, but it performs very well, for what it is.

The performance here gives you plenty of power and time to spend with it. Compared with a lot of other designer fragrances, this one doesn’t disappoint in that regard.

The aroma itself if good. It doesn’t completely blow me away, but I like aspects of it. The bergamot and cedar play their roles here well. I like the cleanliness and bit of sparkle that this one has.

Update: Looks like this one got discontinued. Bottles as of 2025 are like $200 each. So, if you loved this one, probably should grab what you can.

The tiare flower is nice up top. It does become green and musky during the latter stages, which isn’t my favorite. But, the edge is taken off by the tonka bean note. That creaminess is the best part of the tail end of the wear.

Nice scent. Not a sweet one, so, you get a change of pace versus much of the norm and a lovely fresh experience for the most part.

If you’re a floral lover, this might be a good option as an everyday wear or as another option within your collection. If you hate white florals, then it’d be wise to steer clear. Versace Vanitas isn’t the best perfume out there but it is well put together and has a classic appeal.

Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau Fraiche

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One of the women’s fragrance samples that I picked up recently is an entry from Jean Paul Gaultier. This is a summertime edition of Gaultier Classique, Eau Fraiche. In this post, I am going to break down what it smells like, how it performs, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Gaultier Eau Fraiche Smell Like?

Notes include: sorbet, vanilla, sugar, musk, orange blossom, jasmine, tiare, and ginger

Click here to try: Jean Paul Gaultier Classique (Betty Boop) Eau Fraiche Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml/3.4oz

My Full Review

Just to be clear from the start, this is a review of JPG Classique Eau Fraiche with the Betty Boop logo on the bottle. There are seemingly 50 different variations of Gaultier Classique and so it can get quite confusing as to which is which…even when they can be almost the exact same fragrance.

Okay, so the opening of this perfume is a sweet blend of the floral notes. What I detect from right out of the gate are the jasmine, tiare, and orange blossom notes with some musk thrown in. Maybe, a slight ginger kick.

To me, it’s almost an inversion of the note structure. I get more floral notes up front. Then, the sorbet and sugary sweetness really come on.

It is a good deal like what I remember the original JPG Classique smelling like. It’s a pretty powerful opening and immediately hits you as to what sort of fragrance you’re going to get here.

As it dries down, the sweeter aspect of this scent gets stronger and takes the center stage. The lemon sorbet adds to the sweet vibe but the citrus keeps Eau Fraiche in its intended summertime category.

It is sugary and refreshing with a creamy vanilla note which only adds to its appeal and balance. So, you have this sweet and somewhat musky blend that is really feminine and confident.

The floral notes are still present the further along, but it’s more of a musky vanilla and sugared blend, versus being completely dominated by flowers.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Classique Eau Fraiche, struck me as being pretty powerful. Before I even wore any on my skin, I sprayed it on a shirt hanging in a closet, and could smell it when walking down the hallway.

That sillage is a monster with the trail that it can leave in your wake, especially in tat first hour.

It does mellow out as it moves through the wear, but it can feel like an absolute bomb upon first application. When in doubt, go light with it and see how it reacts to your skin.

 

Longevity here is also excellent. This is an all day wear in my opinion, it was definitely over 8 hours of performance. I lost track of time, but I dare say, that it got to double digit hours. Great.

It’s not one to go super far into double digits on skin, but on clothes it’ll be days of strength.

In terms of the versatility, this could be worn casually or for a night on the town. As a man, I actually think that this perfume is sexy, and that it is really appealing. I found myself wanting to get another sniff of the aroma it produced.

Not a formal or office sort of scent, but for most everything else, Classique Eau Fraiche works well.

Eau Fraiche is also one for the spring and summer months specifically, but I don’t think it’d be bad during the winter either.

Overall Impressions of Classique Eau Fraiche

Overall, do I recommend Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau Fraiche? Absolutely. I think that it smells really good, is sexy, and gives a great performance. Now, it is a really sugary sweet type of fragrance, but not in a teenage girl perfume kind of way.

It’s more mature and musky, but if sweet scents aren’t your thing, I’d look elsewhere.

I really like the lemon sorbet, orange blossom, and vanilla. It comes together to be sweet and creamy, while maintaining a light, fun, and summery aroma. 

This is a pretty heavy scent to wear. As such, it can get on your nerves, especially if you’re sensitive to these sorts of perfumes. With the name, Eau Fraiche, I was expecting something a bit lighter and fresher. But, it’s still well worth a try.

Insolence Eau Glacee by Guerlain

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Winding down on my current crop of scent to test out, I have today’s entry from Guerlain’s women’s collection, Insolence Eau Glacee. Now, I’m pretty sure that this one has been discontinued by this point in time, but you can still find bottles available online. I will of course cover how it smells, performs, what notes are included, and if it is worth a purchase.

What does Insolence Eau Glacee?

Notes include: red berries, apple, iris, violet, and citrus

Click here to try: Guerlain Insolence Eau Glacee Eau De Toilette Spray for Women, 1.7 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

Insolence Eau Glacee was marketed as an ‘icy’ aroma and while I have come across multiple men’s colognes which also go this route, this one doesn’t seem to strike the same ‘cold’ tone. I mean, it’s there but not nearly to the same degree.

Initially, I get a lot of violet and apple in particular which is supported by the iris note. This gives the fragrance a crisp yet powdery sensation, that is quite pleasant.

Apple is the main fruit note, but the berries and a very light citrus blend is there as well. The citrus isn’t a major factor in this Guerlain. All together, the fruity notes are more tart at the beginning, then it’s a tad sweeter during the dry down.

This is a pretty linear scent and after a few minutes, what you smell is what you get. More of the iris note development and some juiciness supplied by the red berries. Violet, apple, and iris, with the additional highlights of the berries.

It’s a watery sweetness, as if the fruit notes have been soaked in a vase of the floral notes that are present here. The iciness is a nice touch, that gives it the feeling of more depth versus what it actually has.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Eau Glacee is soft and understated. This isn’t a bold or in your face sort of fragrance, it is quiet but you’ll know that it is there. It’ll project maybe 3-5 feet from the skin and that’s about it.

While it isn’t a strong perfume, it is one that lasts a work day. During testing, I managed about 8 hours with a few sprays. The performance is good, as a low key scent, that isn’t going to take over a room.

It is interesting when you get a softer fragrance that actually sticks around despite not being a complete bomb.

Eau Glacee strikes me as a casual scent or one for a business type environment. It elegant and has a seriousness to it, that doesn’t come across to me as a ‘sexy’ perfume. Nonetheless, it is pleasant and has its own charm.

I’d also say, it’s probably best in the springtime or other days in which the climate is mild. Maybe venturing into the early days of summer.

Overall Impressions of Insolence Eau Glacee

Overall, do I think Insolence Eau Glacee, is worth a purchase? If you’re a fan of violet and iris and you happen to need something low key. I think it smells fine, it’s not harsh or ugly in anyway, but I don’t think it’s incredible.

It is a solid performer that is well blended and takes you on an easy and steady ride. I like the iris, berries, and that chilly quality that comes through. Nice, clean, tart/sweet, and plenty of powder.

Eau Glacee has some very familiar aspects found in many other perfumes. It’s not super unique, though, it’s nice enough for what it is.

Update: This one seems to be long gone and got discontinued at some point after this review.