Splendor (1998)
by Elizabeth Arden

Splendor and I have an odd relationship. I am an all-day-sucker for the sultry innocence that are white florals. However, Elizabeth Arden fragrances and I have a ‘frienemy’ kind of relationship: Red Door was my first love but 5th Avenue is a wretched, regurgitated mess of bad, bad flowers on my wrist. Splendor straddles the fence between the casual flippancy of most late 1990s fragrances (the fruity floral aspect) and the romantic intensity of a late 1970s powerhouse (the floriental aspect). This sometimes translates to a duality of personality that I find I have to be in the right mindset with which to deal.

Today I was in the right mood and the right climate to handle this velvet steamroller. The first spray is the sharpest, blasting on with a pungent fleshy fruitiness that I am never fully prepared for. I am pretty certain I can blame the pineapple and sweet pea for this. It is also at this point that I wonder why I still keep this one around. Luckily, I have acquired patience as I’ve gotten older so I do not mind waiting out the fifteen minutes or so for the top notes to pop a Ritalin and calm down.

What I am eventually left with is a sweet cream concoction of bold white florals that were meant for the winter months. This is a white cashmere cardigan, one that is totally appropriate for winter wear, contrary to fashion standards which state, “No wearing white after Labor Day.” The heart packs a white floral wallop using spicy amber-flavored brass knuckles (think vintage Chloe-esque). The base smolders with a soft, subtly smoky musk that does not fall prey to the powderbomb trap of most 1980s fragrances; imagine the last few strains of musk that linger in Happy before it completely evaporates. It is for those elements that I continue to reach for this one.

The sillage is pitch-perfect—just enough ‘linger’ to make an impression but not gas out the masses—and the duration is impressive. Like all EA fragrances this should be used with a light hand. It is a thick and spicy white floral that should be used appropriately.

10th December, 2011.

I use this as a "doggie scent". It doesn't work on me, but it's awesome on my PitBull. It's a very fresh, clean, "just bathed" scent. Much better than "oh! My dog" & other pooch scents we've tried.

16th September, 2011.

This is a pleasant enough floral. I wasn't too impressed with it at first but it is very hot this summer and I am finding this fragrance takes on a whole other life when the temperature rises above 90 degrees. I really like this in the summer much to my surprise. This is a great perfume for the summer. It seems to be very ordinary the other times of the year.

8th January, 2011. (Last Edited: 28th June, 2011.)

Very clever, if vague, assembly of light, lush fruits and a garden's worth of different florals over a rather generic soft women's woodsy base. Splendor represents this conglomeration quite well in that it is slightly sweet, a little spicy, a touch powdery, and a bit watery. It's a please-all chameleon floral and very well done for the money.

4th August, 2010.

Splendor is a very sweet floral fragrance that I find much too strong to wear often. Whereas I like most white floral scents- as I do this, I find it can be a bit too heady and overpowering to wear daily. This is a perfum I wear only occassionally and very lightly.

10th March, 2009.

This frag did not agree with my nose and chemistry. Smelled too much like lily of the valley without much else. Sorry, not for me.

5th December, 2008.