Reviews of Simply (2003)
by Clinique

I find Clinique Simply to be stripped-down, less exotic take on Jil Sander Sensations - in much the way that Clinique's Happy is the same type of spin on Jean Paul Gaultier Classique. Simply and Sensations have a few points in common, including the following: a sharp, almost scratchy opening moving into a softish woods-based drydown; a series of comfort food notes, which are soy milk and toasted soy meal in Simply versus a milk-and-cereal accord in Sensations; and a subtle floral background of sweet white flowers. Heck, even the bottles are done in the same shade of warm, soft, hazy nude-toned glass. What differentiates the two is the fact that Simply inserts an amped-up fruit note (watermelon) into its topnotes, while Sensations just doesn't go there. (Similarly, Happy throws a generous serving of Orangina-style orange-citrus into its topnotes while the JPG goes with just a few extremely subtle squeezes of slightly bitter mandarin rind.) And also the way that Simply lacks a certain complexity in its base that Sensations certainly has. The parallels between these scents are just pet theories of mine and have no basis in any facts I'm aware of; but then again, as in all creative endeavour, nothing is 100% new, so I can fully see how Simply could have been inspired by the Sander scent. That being said, I prefer the Jil Sander fragrance by far over this; it's just got a certain something that Simply lacks. Simply's not at all bad - it's "simply" not as good as Sensations!

This stuff smells different from person to person. I got it 'cause it smelled GREAT on a friend of mine, very fresh. But on me it turned spicy & mellow. Wasn't bad...but it wasn't that fresh frag I thought it would be. I wore it for awhile, always in autumn 'cause that's what it smelled like to me, but finally I had just had enough of it & had to give it away. DEFINITELY try this one on your skin before you buy it!