britney spears

Private Show by Britney Spears

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In today’s review, I have another entry from the Britney Spears line of fragrances, that are produced by Elizabeth Arden. This one is the popular, Private Show, which was released in 2016. As usual, I am going to cover how it smells, performs, what’s inside, and if this scent is even worth giving a shot to.

What does Private Show Smell Like?

Notes include: coffee, nectarine, clementine, musk, orange blossom, jasmine, whipped cream, dulce de leche, and amber

Click here to try: Britney Spears PRIVATE SHOW,EDP 3.3 OZ/100ML L

My Full Review

Wow, so, upon opening Private Show strikes me a totally sweet and delicious. You can tell from the listed ingredients that this one is going to have a lot of gourmand qualities, with plenty of floral aspects.

In a lot of ways, I am reminded of the more expensive, Black Opium by YSL when I get a whiff of Private Show. Not exactly the same, but quite a similar effect.

I get a lot of coffee, whipped cream, clementine, and orange blossom from the start. It’s sweet, creamy, warm, with citrus/floral undertones. The citrus notes are there and have an impact, but they really aren’t too heavy in the mix. Nice touch of fruit.

Add to that the dulce de leche (basically a caramel scent), is quite prominent and is the main sweet note, along with the coffee as this Britney Spears fragrance moves forward.

This perfume starts out with a heavier sweetness, but really mellows out, as it spends time on my skin. As the sweetness calms down a bit, the jasmine and musk, come out more and add depth to Private Show.

Not that this is a particularly complex fragrance, but it does have more character than a lot of the perfumes at this price point.

Finally, what I mostly get is a warm blend of coffee and the dulce le leche. Those are the two strongest aspects. Then, comes the layer of amber and orange blossom.

Then, is the musk, citrus, and jasmine as the main undercurrents. So, this one is more gourmand/floral, than is something like Sunset Fantasy and its load of fruity notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this is a moderate scent. Not overpowering or too strong to wear in close spaces, but noticeable. Private Show isn’t a sillage bomb, but you won’t forget that you’re wearing it either.

Also, the longevity is pretty good. I got about 6-7 solid hours of wear, when spraying it on my skin. Not incredible but very useful. It doesn’t seem to go beyond that. Though, at least it gets to that point, when many inexpensive scents do not

Seasonally, this is cold weather. Very enveloping and has a great warmth to its aroma. It wouldn’t be awful in mild temperatures, but it just really shines in the cold.

Just stay away from the summertime use, as this one will melt in that climate…or if you’re in a tropical region.

While some of the Britney Spears lineup caters almost exclusively to teenagers, this one has more maturity and can be worn by older women as well. It’s got a versatile ability to be worn on almost any occasion.

It’s safe for work, casual wear, school, and even nights out on the town. It does have a certain sexiness to it, I would personally find this extremely attractive on a lady.

Overall Impressions of Private Show

Overall, is Private Show by Britney Spears worth a look? Yes. If you’re looking for a sweet fragrance, that has more maturity than the average Britney perfume, and like the coffee/caramel-like aromas.

This has such a great sweetness. The vanilla and coffee notes here, really catch a lead at times in this perfume, and make this one a beautiful one to wear. Though, if that style isn’t your thing, you’d probably want to look elsewhere.

The performance is pretty good when compared to most perfumes. However, at this price point, it’s actually more than respectable. Outside of some reformulations that have taken place, over the years, the Britney lineup has good value with the performances.

I really enjoy the coffee, amber, and orange blossom notes. No, it’s not super unique, but if that doesn’t matter to you…go for it. The creaminess from the dulce de leche adds another layer that makes Private Show wonderfully delicious.

Update: This one has been discontinued for a while and it seems that most of the inexpensive bottles have been bought up. So, you probably won’t get a chance to come across Private Show, at a reasonable price.

Then, this one might be a good choice for you. It has enough similarities, that it could also serve as a way cheaper alternative to Black Opium. Again, it’s not exact, but produces a very approximate vibe.

5 Fragrances Similar to Fantasy by Britney Spears

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Fantasy by Britney Spears has nearly two decades under its belt as a popular cheapie. Plenty of people have loved wearing it. Though, with time and age things change. The formula is now a bit different or women may want something with a similar style, that is more mature. In this post, I want to present alternative options to Fantasy which either closely compare or give you something that smells somewhat like it.

What Perfumes Smell Comparable to Fantasy?

Citrus White Chocolate

Jafra Adorisse Night– Has some similarities with English Laundry below, but this is the better version. Jafra’s Adorisse Night gives you a base of white chocolate and patchouli with citrus and neroli sitting on top.

It has power and warmth, but not the same level of baked goods or tropical aroma as does Fantasy. But, the light and creamy white chocolate note in the dry down is pretty awesome. Plus, Adorisse Night gives you beast performance for usually under $30.

It doesn’t bring the same thickness as Fantasy, it’s more citrus and floral. But, it provides a more paired down and less sugary scent at a closely approximate price point.

More Mature, Similar Style

Avon Far Away Rebel Eau de Parfum for Women 50ml – 1.7fl.oz.– Far Away Rebel isn’t an exact match, but it gives you a more mature wear, and a similar style to Fantasy.

Rebel is warmer, thicker, and less of a sugary/fruity blend than is our target. However, it still does have that aspect with black currant and whipped cream as notes. The fruitiness is pretty heavy up top, but it settles into that creamier/warm gourmand. Black currant can be sharp and it is here.

The end result is a delicious caramel blended aroma, with nice performance, and an affordable price tag.

Best Cheaper Alternative

La Rive Secret Dream by La Rive Eau De Parfum Spray 3 oz Women– With the classic aroma of Fantasy being reformulated, why not have a Secret Dream instead? La Rive usually puts out some quality smell-a-likes and this one of our Britney Spears fragrance hits the mark.

Is it exact? Eh, pretty darn close. This one doesn’t have the same level of chocolate to my nose and it’s a bit fruitier than I remember the old Fantasy being (though, the newer version isn’t that different to me). Aside from that?  Yeah, it’s close.

Not a powerhouse performer, but super cheap. Usually, a few bucks less at least than Britney’s version.

Citrus, Berries, and Cream

Oh So Orange by Juicy Couture– A lighter and fruitier wear versus Fantasy. You get some of the creaminess and a stripping out of the baked goods/chocolate accord found in the Britney scent.

Citrusy, as the name implies, with plenty of orange and some kumquat giving it that energetic infusion. Whipped cream, musk, and a mix of floral notes help to bring it closer in relation to what we’re looking for.

This is the least like an exact match of Fantasy. Much more focused on the fruity end of things, but with an inviting aroma, and can usually be found for a good price. But, it’s not at every retailer. So, you may have to search around for this Juicy Couture.

Fruity-Tart White Chocolate

English Laundry Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Ounce– English Laundry for Her strikes a similar chord as Fantasy, but isn’t the same. This has more of a sweet-tart vibe, especially in the early stages of wear. Also, it’s lighter and none of that cupcake note.

You do get some nice white chocolate coming through during the wear. Still, it will maintain its lighter sillage and not venture into creamy warm gourmand mode.

When the quince and white chocolate are one center stage, this one is really nice. Performance can be okay, just not incredible. I’d try to keep from overpaying for this, but it can be a fine option as a cheapie.

Sunset Fantasy by Britney Spears

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I’ve gotten a few samples from the Britney Spears line of ladies’ perfumes and so I’ve been trying them out recently. One of these fragrances is a 2017 release from Britney, called, Sunset Fantasy. This is yet another flanker from the Fantasy part of the brand.

So, with that in mind, how does Sunset Fantasy smell? How does it perform? Is it worth a try? Please continue below for my full wear review.

What does Sunset Fantasy Smell Like?

Notes include: ruby grapefruit, Italian mandarin, pink lady apple, peach, orange blossom, raspberry leaves, sandalwood, amber, steamed milk froth accord

Click here to try: Britney Spears Sunset Fantasy EDT Spray, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

Sunset Fantasy opens up with some zesty citrus notes as the main fruity attraction while being supported by peach and apple. It’s very bright, clean, and has that fructose sweetness to it. Coming into this review, I was expecting something bright and sweet, and Sunset delivers.

At the top, I mainly detect the mandarin note, more than anything else. I have to say, that it feels way more tropical than I would expect, even though it doesn’t have any pineapple or passion fruit-like ingredients.

The immediate opening, is much more like you would expect from a fruity beach perfume.

15 minutes or so into the wear, the peach note emerges as the leader, and it is joined by the steamed milk froth accord. Just think of this as ‘cream’ because that’s what it smells like.

Creamy peach with citrus, then orange blossom and sandalwood, playing the background and serving as the base. It’s all super juicy and creamy, again, it doesn’t have boozy notes but it has a tropical drink vibe…maybe just a puree?

Sunset Fantasy has a playful aroma, what I guess you could call, flirty. As it dries down it gets smoother, warmer, and creamier. The amber note is light but it does give it a hint of spice.

Ultimately though, it is all about the abundance of fruit notes, put together like a cocktail and the beautiful aroma that they give off. The secondary creaminess, gives Sunset a wonderful aroma, that you’d usually get with a heavier winter scent.

This lighter version is a great gourmand fragrance for when the temperatures rise.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this Britney fragrance is pretty moderate in its sillage. It’s not weak, but not ever a bomb either. This is one you can wear comfortably and not feel as though you’re choking out a room.

I found the longevity to be decent on my skin, somewhere around 6 hours before becoming a skin scent. Either way, it’s affordable enough to reapply, and not worry about having to drop serious coin to replace a bottle.

Seasonally, summertime. This is summer all the way. There aren’t marine notes, but you get a beachy vibe, or at least it conjures up images of sitting by a hotel pool. Sunset Fantasy has that tropical scent, creaminess like lotion, etc.

It’s a good casual scent for these months of the year and I would actually really like smelling this on a woman, so I’d say it’s date friendly. It also doesn’t feel like a complete teenager perfume, older women could pull this off, but it does have more of a youthful feeling to it.

Some of the other offerings from this line can really skew more towards younger teens, but this definitely doesn’t go that far.

Nonetheless, I would keep the application to casual events, daytime wear outdoors, or late night summer gatherings.

Overall Impression of Britney Spears Sunset Fantasy

Overall, do I like Sunset Fantasy? Yes, I do. Britney Spears actually has a lot of nice perfumes for the price and this is definitely an enjoyable example of that. If you don’t like hyper fruity fragrances, then, this is one to skip.

Update: Sunset Fantasy has been discontinued, since this original posting.

However, if you want a delicious go to scent during the warmer days of the year, this is one to try out. It’s not a pure fruity summertime scent, with aquatic elements, like many others in this category.

Instead, you get a creaminess from the trio of sandalwood/vanilla/cream, which surprisingly doesn’t feel heavy in the humid weather.

I enjoyed having this one on, during my review. Again, the price is low versus what you get in terms of performance and aroma. This can be a great value play, for the right person.