I recently received a little white package, postmarked from NYC, completely out of the blue. After pondering whether or not it’s contents could potentially be the beginnings of a “your mission, if you choose to accept it/Mission Impossible” style adventure, I opened it to find samples of Juicy Couture’s “Malibu” fragrance collection (in refreshingly Summer-esque pink and orange packaging,) from NYLON Magazine. With all the snow we’ve been getting here in New England in recent days (and are expected to see more of by the end of this week,) I can always go for a little Californian getaway, even if it’s just in the form of a whiff of perfume- so I was pretty excited to wear these.

The very first issue of NYLON I ever read featured The Donnas on the cover and for the most part, was dedicated to spotlighting women in rock and indie music during the peak of “The” bands popularity (2004, I believe?) I distinctly remember Interpol being featured in the issue, which is what had initially drew me to it (forever one of my favorite bands from my teenage years,) but by the time I’d finished reading, cover to cover- I’d dog-eared the pages so badly that they were beyond repair. I’d discovered and fell in love with so many female-fronted acts from that issue, and I subscribed to the magazine shortly thereafter.

Through the years, NYLON has featured different shops, styles, events, writers, photographers- and even some of my friends’ bands and artistic endeavors- within their pages and on their website. Although it’s been quite some time since I’ve been actively subscribed- the little white package that popped up in my mailbox was a nice surprise. I felt inclined to visit NYLON’s website for the first time in ages, only to see Norman Reedus on the cover of the guys’ issue for March- so it might be time to renew that subscription, after all.

I digress. I’m getting all nostalgic over here, and this post was supposed to be about perfume.

While I’ve always been on the fence about Juicy Couture’s clothing (although I will absolutely admit that I think their stuff has gotten increasingly cuter in recent years,) I’m a big fan of their fragrances. Both the original Juicy Couture perfume and “Viva La Juicy” were my everyday go-to’s for a long time. They lasted all day but weren’t headache-inducing levels of overpowering. I hadn’t been aware that they’d released a “Malibu” inspired collection until I received the samples.

Couture La La Malibu: Although the brief description of this perfume says it has mandarin notes, I didn’t get that at all during any of the few times I wore this. This smelled a bit more on the sugary side to me- like candy- which was pleasant enough but not something I was over the moon for. Also, unlike the other Juicy Couture fragrances I’ve been smitten with, this one didn’t last that long at all. Within a couple of hours, it had all but disappeared from my skin and I had to reapply more than once throughout the day.

Juicy Couture Malibu: Where ‘La La Malibu’ didn’t really “wow” me, I was more than happy with the original ‘Malibu’ fragrance, which started off smelling like crisp, clean citrus and eventually faded into a very pretty, very full floral scent that lasted most of the day and only needed to be re-applied once, if that. This is one of those perfumes that would be perfect for the Spring/Summer.

Clearly, the winner of the two samples for me was the original “Malibu” fragrance. Like I said, I think when it comes time for me to pick a perfume for the warmer months- that’ll be the one I’ll go to. It smelled so clean and so delightfully Summery. I’m not sure if it’s an accurate representation of Malibu, since I’ve never been, but it did remind me of the beachy afternoons and evenings I’ve spent in San Diego- so that’s always a plus. Skip “La La Malibu” and go straight for the orange bottle, instead.

Thanks again for the perfume, NYLON (also- thanks again for your March guys’ cover. Hubba Hubba.) I think I’ll be re-introducing myself to your magazine after I dig myself out of the apocalyptic amounts of snow this impending Nor’easter is supposed to drop on me.