I tried out cool cotton back in 2007 when it first came out. I wasn’t a huge fan of it because it smelled like the cliche “clean cotton” smell we have all come to expect. Very close to something you could find at Bath & Bodyworks at the time (at a fraction of the price). I decided to give this another shot after finding this set on Sephora, $22.00 and you get to play with 5 fragrances…. I couldn’t resist. A few scents caught my eye: Amber Saffron, Sueded Oud and Blond Rose.
Amber Saffron: A sweet amber fragrance but lacks a dose of saffron :(. There is a hint of raspberries and woods.
Blond Rose: Sweet/earthy rose that has a hint of smoke and woods.
Sueded Oud: Woody and sweet. When it dries down it smells like the nail salon, acrylic and nail polish remover combined.
Rain: Watery, ozonic, hint of citrus, slightly masculine, smells like laundry detergent.
WarmCotton: Hasn’t changed much from what I remember in 2007, very cliche cotton fragrance. Smells like clean laundry. Smells like Tide detergent.
THE GOOD: These are very personal fragrances, they are easy to wear and are unlikely to offend anyone. If you are new to layering then this is a great line to try because it is hard to mess up. I have layered these in every combination possible and even worn all of them at once and no matter how you mix it up you are guaranteed a good smell. Because of the light clean nature, this makes a wonderful office scent. There are a lot of companies that have a no perfume policy now, this would be perfect for that situation because you can literally smell like fresh laundry or like you just came out of the shower (I suppose this is why they named this house “CLEAN”). I have never received any complaints or compliments about these fragrances. I often wear them to bed… because who doesn’t want to smell extra fresh for bed? For fragrances that don’t project much, these are tenacious little buggers that go on for hours, I got a good 8 hours out of them. Lastly, this is a VERY versatile collection- you can literally wear this anywhere: interview, date night, hanging out with friends, work, any time of day.
A great layering combo- Blond Rose, Sueded Oud and Amber Saffron. Also, if you really love smelling like fresh laundry- Rain + Warm Cotton= Tide Detergent… just sayin.
THE BAD: The full bottles can be a little pricey for what you get, they average $95.00 per bottle. If the fragrances projected more I wouldn’t mind pulling the trigger on the ones I enjoyed. However, this is near the Jo Malone price point/genre, and I would rather spend a little more for a more for a wider range of scents that I gravitate to more. I like the recent offerings from CLEAN like Citron Fig, Sel Santal, Sueded Oud, Amber Saffron; a huge improvement from their younger days.
OVERALL: Anyone who really enjoys simple fragrance and isn’t concerned with beastly projection/compliments, works in an office setting that prohibits perfume/cologne, has/ is with someone with a very sensitive nose or someone new to layering and not sure where to begin, will most likely enjoy this house/collection very much. I got great longevity, just not the projection I seek for this kind of price point. This is a very versatile collection and I got some amazing wear time out of it, for that reason I find it hard not to recommend this to anyone. The fragrances I tried performed very well in warm weather and faded fast in colder weather, so if you are looking for a quick summer lineup- the ones in this post or any from this house would make an excellent effortless choice. If I had a few extra bucks to spare and nothing left on my buy list, I would pick these up because again I do really enjoy wearing them to bed. I might even add them to my Christmas list =)
Clean Reserve Rollerball Layering Collection
Pros
- Will not offend anyone near you.
- Some of the most versatile fragrances I have ever worn.
- Great way to get into layering, impossible to make a bad combination.
- New offerings are a big step up from early beginnings.
- Outstanding longevity.
Cons
- Higher price point makes you look at other options like Jo Malone.
- Not ideal line for those who go for beastly fragrances with heavy projection.