Victoria's Secret Beach Angel Eau de Parfum review

           For summer 2012, Victoria's Secret has released two new limited edition fragrances: Beach Angel and Bombshell The Summer Edition. Both are variations on their original counterparts Angel and Bombshell. I had the chance to test each out with some wear time and deep sniffs and am excited to share my review of Victoria's Secret Beach Angel Eau de Parfum today! From the get-go I had my eyes on Beach Angel. Much like the store, the packaging is maximalist and playful. Angel wings might be too much for some, but I'm an unabashed fan. The glass bottle has gradient tinting with an ocean blue top melding into a Caribbean blue middle. The base is frosty, and provides the effect of sand being kicked up at the base of crystal clear water. So what scent do we find below the blocked lucite cap? Let's dive into the review.

         Victoria's secret describes Beach Angel Eau de Parfum as a "Fresh. Sun Kissed. Sparkling." floral fragrance. The imagined notes are described below:

Top: Creamy Bartlett Pear, Mandarin, Granny Smith Apple, Seaspray Acoord

Middle: Lily, Rose buds, Amazonian Vines

Dry-Down: Cashmere woods, Sandalwood, Guiac Wood, Island Wood 

          I would describe Victoria's Secret Beach Angel Eau de Parfum as a relaxed beachy floral wood scent. It does an amazing job of evoking the warm sun and a sandy beach. It would wear well for an actual or imagined summer on the beach. I was surprised to find that I really liked this. I was expecting a 'watery floral' from the descriptions. I'm not very fond of how water category scents wear on me and even slight amounts can turn me off. Thankfully, I don't find this scent to be particularly watery. I think that though they seem related, beach and water scents fall into different categories. If you've ever smelled a Yankee Candle in Pink Sands or Sun and Sand, that's what I would consider to be more of a beach scent. I like beach. I don't like water. This is beach.

          Although this is a described as a floral, you won't find the bright florals of an English rose garden here. The florals fall lightly into the mid-note range in the form of the sweet notes of a summer lily. There is a creaminess on top in the form of pear and a green heart which I assume to be inspired by 'Amazonian Vines'. The woody base is noticeable. One can imagine driftwood mixed into the sandalwood and musk. Because it's not heavy on the topnotes, I find that the scent is quite long lasting. It even lingered on after passing through a hot shower.


          Victoria's Secret Beach Angel eau de parfum stand well on its own, however I found that it's also great for layering, which is something I've been into lately. Because Beach Angel is a relaxed scent that falls into more mid and base range notes, it's easy to pair with other scents without clashing or muddying. It works well with simple fragrances that possess clear and sparkling topnotes. Beach Angel could transition a spring floral to summer or ground a bright citrusy floral. In fact, it pairs quite well with its summer counterpart Victoria's Secret Bombshell The Summer Edition (mentioned above and to be reviewed soon), which is an exotic fruity floral.

           Overall, I'm happy with my Victoria's Secret Beach Angel Eau de Parfum experience. The beachy and woody notes are quite different from my usual fresh florals, but I can certainly appreciate this low key scent for summer. I'm also looking forward to experimenting with it to layer and 'beachify' some of my other fragrances. I'd say it's worth a sniff. Have you tried either of the Victoria's Secret Summer edition perfumes? Do you have any recommendations from the regular Eau de Parfum or bath and body lineup? What fragrances have you been transitioning into your summer wardrobe?

Thanks for reading!

Love, Dovey.

Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.