With Love... Hilary Duff (2006)
by Hilary Duff

I get a very different result than others have with this, so I'm giving a neutral rating. It's not for me, but apparently HD and I just really, really don't agree. All I got was pepper - spicy, sharp, freshly ground black pepper. I eventually washed it off after a few hours because I was getting ready to go out and didn't want to smell like I'd scented myself with a pepper mill. I was actually shocked when I read the notes list and didn't see any pepper, or the ubiquitous (nowadays) pink peppercorn, because the note for me was so overwhelming, I couldn't detect anything else. No fruits, no sweetness, no vanilla...just pepper.

What a beautiful bottle, and even the box I received was frilly and fantastic, although I noticed that other versions of it are coming out in less fancy packaging.

However, we're here to talk about the juice inside, and it's taken me a while to put this one together. At first try, I detected no spice, and it came across as a nice melon/fruit floral, with only a very slight hint of annoying aquatic notes taking it into the spa/salon/toiletries realm. The candy note quite pleasant, not overpowering, and not so strong as to make it too girly. My conclusion upon first sampling was that it was a "rich teen" fragrance, smelling richer than it's price tag, but indeed a young fragrance.

Something, however, haunted me. There's a note there that reached for a memory. I couldn't place it, but somehow I *knew* it. After quite a bit of searching, and waiting and sampling With Love again on a different day, it finally hit me:

In the early 1990's, there was popular suntan oil, that despite it's brown plastic bottle and cute palm tree logo, had no noticeable coconut. No coconut at all, and instead was all exotic fruit aromas. The internet thankfully yielded the name in no time: Hawaii Blend Tropical Blend SPF 15.

And THAT is exactly what Hillary Duff With Love heart notes are. A clone of this suntan oil. Must be the mangosteen. Not a bad thing, actually. But definitely curious.

I have to admit, I first smelled this in Seventeen magazine the year it first came out. I think Hilary was some kind of guest-editor for that issue. I was a freshmen in college and I loved it on paper... I didn't smell any too-fruity top notes and there was this warmth! It smelled so mature and non-celebrity that I went out and bought it. (My first non-gift non-mini!)

But then... I was confused because this wasn't the With Love... that I loved. It was so dang fruity in the beginning and even when it faded, it still didn't quite have that soft warmth I was looking for. Reading the complete lists of notes online, I think I love the cocobolo wood, incense, and amber...

Well, it's still a lovely fragrance, and if I lift the cap of the Jessica McClinktock my aunt got me, and sniff that first, before sniffing the "With Love..." bottle (without spraying it), I think I can smell that something that I fell in love with... But I can't go around sniffing the bottle...

To me it smells like apple pie... Nice, adorable, but somehow weak, not long-lasting at all... Can't feel it after 15 minutes... Maybe only on my skin, don't know...

It is an okay fragrance. It smells like a light-weight Versace Crystal Noir - however, it lacks a lot of things....like uniqueness. It does not stand out. It does not have it's own personality. It is a "safe" fragrance. It is a fragrance that I would wear to bed because I love smelling great ALL the time - even in my sleep. Other than that, I would not wear it anywhere else. It just does not stand out. The price is good though, however, because the scent does not last long, the price fits what it offers which is a nice fragrance for shy girls that refuse to stand out. I am not such a girl.

Like others, this one totally surprised me! It is so unique and warm. I barely know who Hilary Duff is, but after getting a sample--I just had to buy a big bottle. As I wear it the 'milky' warmth continue to radiate from my skin. I've even bought a second bottle to keep in my purse! I JUST LOVE it!

Update: After wearing this for a month or so, it has become one of my top 3 scents. I'm hoarding it now--won 2 more great deals on ebay, and got the gel and lotion.

There's something about this scent that reminds me of my favorite food--Thai food.