30 Days of Scent, Day 6: Chloe Love Story

There are times, upon reviewing a newly released fragrance, that one has a moment of wondering where it has been all one’s life. And then there are fragrances like the new Love Story by Chloe, that make a reviewer why they even attempted to wear something so banal. It’s a shame, because typically I like Chloe scents, but this, I ended up scrubbing after about four hours. I almost never do that, but it had no personality.

Officially, it’s made up of an orange blossom opening, a heart of neroli and stephanotis (which is a tropical white flower also known as Madagascar jasmine), and a base of cedar and musk. That’s not what I get from it. I get cheap shampoo, from beginning to end. It’s poorly blended, obviously synthetic, and incredibly boring. If I’d paid for it, instead of getting the mini for free with my Sephora reward points, I’d want my money back, because it’s not worth spending designer prices when I can get that same insipid impression from a $10 Jeanne Arthes perfume from the drugstore. (And actually, some of the Jeanne Arthes scents aren’t bad, though I’m still mad that they don’t distribute Guipure & Silk in the US market. That one was a dead ringer for Hypnotic Poison, but at $10 instead of $80, and longer lasting. I’ll be so sad when I run out.)

I really don’t understand this “clean and soapy” trend. The newest Shalimar flanker, Shalimar Souffle de Parfum, is similarly light and overly clean, and with it they’ve completely gutted the concept of Shalimar. I also don’t understand how this came from Anne Flipo, who’s worked on other fragrances such as Loverdose, YSL L’Homme, and La Vie Est Belle, which I enjoy specifically because they have all the personality and originality this one lacks. Four hours in, I ended up scrubbing it off using a Bath and Body Works hand soap that far exceeded it in personality.

The technical stuff:

Released: 2014

Availability: department stores and specialty retailers

Perfumer: Anne Flipo

Overall rating: 2/10