Curve - Liz Claiborne, Older Formulation

I really enjoy Curve as well, and I am absolutely blown away by how poorly Claiborne managed the marketing for this scent. How on earth did something that so easily fetches compliment after compliment end up in the bargain bin for $15?!

To answer your question: the reformulation came when Curve switched to EA Fragrances in 2009. I own a bottle from 2007 and a bottle from 2012. They smell pretty much identical. When I first realized they were made by different companies, I thought about seeking out a vintage bottle, but I tested them both and found very little difference, if any at all, so I decided not to bother.

Curve is easily my most complimented scent, followed by GphII, Aventus, Bvlgari Black and others, but honestly, Curve gets me more compliments from women than all others combined. That alone shows what a ridiculous bargain it is. The funny thing is, I HAVE NO IDEA WHY Curve gets so many compliments! I mean, yeah, it's a great scent and I really do enjoy it, but it certainly isn't louder than the other scents I wear, and it doesn't have a smell that I would consider to be sexy. I actually made a woman blush once because of Curve. We're friends with zero sexual chemistry... but one day, we were out doing some street photography and she turned beet red. I gave her a WTF look, as if to say "Are you ok?" She said "Whatever cologne you're wearing... it's... uhm... really really good." I just kept thinking "Curve? REALLY?" Another time... I was dating a woman who makes scents. The first time we ever got physical, she stopped and said "Oh thank god you smell good" and there was a weird pause because I could tell she wanted me to say what I was wearing but she didn't want to ask... and I certainly didn't want to admit it was just a frigging $15 bottle of Curve... so I did what any man would do. I kissed her. It's the ultimate way to change (and/or end) a conversation. Works. Every. Time.

Seriously. I have no idea what it is about Curve that makes it such a compliment catcher, but it really is.

Anyway... I just left myself a reminder to wear Curve tomorrow: old on the left arm, new on the right. Check back and I'll do a direct comparison between the two.

Curve never worked on me. Does smell great on my son, though.

Are you trolling?

Huh? I don't get it. Is it that bad to say good things about an affordable frag?

The new stuff smells just like I remember it smelling back in the day. You might want to look into Curve Appeal and Curve Soul. Curve Appeal is basically the original with a watermelon note instead of the pineapple. Soul is also enjoyable.

It's amazing that you are getting such good results with this fragrance.
Do you get the same results with Perry Ellis 360 Red?

how's the longevity for curve?

There have always been some people raving about the amount of positive comments they receive from wearing Curve, since I joined Basenotes over 11 years ago. Yet even here, Curve is more often than not canned as being too synthetic, and it is looked down upon - the preference being for expensive, natural stuff that is rarely noticed, much less receiving any positive comment.

What can the Clairborne people do if they can't even win much of trick here?

One of life's ironies I guess.
Cheers,
Renato

Personally never cared for this one.

Curve Soul is one of the oldest bottles in my collection, and I see it now for dirt cheap. It was gifted to me, and it has been good. It seems to get a lot of compliments even though I don't think it is very special. I seem to have the same thing that L'Homme Blanc Individuel has with the original.

Definitely not, though to be fair, I swapped out my bottle of that one before truly giving it a shot. There was something about PE Red that I hated. Some sort of Big Red gum effect? I don't know, but I didn't like it.

Curve will never get respect on a site like basenotes that caters to the niche side. Truthfully, I wonder if I'd dislike Curve had I not discovered it long before trying niche stuff. I don't know. I've been wearing it on and off since it first came out some 16 years ago. I kept coming back to it because it got me more compliments than anything else.

- - - Updated - - -


I get good longevity from it. It's not amazing like a Bond scent, but then again, I've gotten compliments on it long after I thought it had faded away. In fact, the "Thank god you smell good!" comment I wrote about above came late at night, at least 12 hours after application.

Agreed. Something about Curve just catches people's attention; maybe because it is well known, but not all over the place like AdG.
It's the perfect definition for a "typical guy scent." Women like it because they're used to smelling it on guys, and other guys like it because...well, every guy wears it (and it's cheap).

I recently started spraying it again as well, it's not terrible, but after you've been exposed to things like Chanel, Dior, Creed, etc., of course it "wont compare." I don't get compliments from most scents (I still don't understand how some people on here get "6 compliments a week" with any scent unless they are fishing for those compliments). Regardless, fragrances like Curve seem to be enjoyed by almost everyone, despite the fact that some of them (Curve...) are extremely synthetic.

If at the end of the day all you want is a "compliment," just wear something that everyone knows about.

I actually don't think the smell is particularly well known, especially these days. I think the name is well known, but I've never had anyone recognize the smell on me. And since Curve isn't considered to be stylish these days, I think it's mostly off the radar as anything more than a name. Keep in mind, I've been wearing it off and on for 16 years, but, I've had a few experiences where someone would ask what I was wearing, and when I'd tell them, their reaction was "Really? That's CURVE?" As a rule, I never say what I'm wearing until the person asking tells me what they think of the smell (because a lot of people like to base their opinions on what they're SUPPOSED to think, as if other people's opinions are more important than their own. I call BS on that attitude. I like what I like regardless of whether it's trendy or cool.)



It depends on what you mean by "won't compare." Aventus and GphII both thrill my nose. Curve doesn't compare to me. But to others...? Like I said, I get more compliments on Curve than I do on all of my others combined. I think it's like wine. Among wine snobs, it's going to take a lot to impress them, but for just about everybody else, I know I can go to Trader Joe's and buy a bottle of something tasty for under $10 that they'll love. And I'll like it too. So, yeah, I have frags that I wear for myself... but if I need a people pleaser, Curve sits at the top of my list - partly because it isn't as common as an AdG, nor is it as trendy as YSL L'Homme, La Nuit, or Bleu de Chanel, etc etc etc. I really expected Aventus to be my people-pleaser scent. And I do get good feedback when wearing it, but I get the best feedback from Curve - even from women who are style-snobs (I don't hang out with many people like that, but there are a couple in my social circle).



I don't get compliments from most scents either. Almost all of the compliments I've gotten through the years have been from friends or women I've dated.

I DO understand how some guys get crazy amounts of compliments though. They OVERSPRAY. "Cologne guy" will get a ton of compliments because he gets noticed more, but it's kind of like having a friend who is a drunk. People will comment on how funny that friend is, or how he's always the life of the party, but it isn't really a good thing. Most drunks don't realize they're drunks, and most cologne guys don't realize they overspray since their noses get used to more and more scent. It never seems heavy to them. It's kind of like a guy who lives in the country and sleeps with the windows open all summer long. It's so quiet out there, right? And then he moves to the city and can't sleep because of the noise. But someone from NYC is so used to the noise that a night in the country can be downright creepy since it's SO QUIET! It's like that with scent. I'm a 3 spray guy. To Cologne Guy, that would be nowhere near enough for him to even notice how he smells. But eight hours later, I still easily smell my scent. Cologne Guy wears 7 or 8 sprays. Wow! I'd be so embarrassed that I wouldn't even leave the house! But 7 or 8 sprays will get you noticed by EVERYONE you come across whether they want to notice you or not. 7 or 8 sprays will get you more compliments, but it'll also get you dirty looks and disrespect from people who don't understand why you think you need to stink like that.

Call me a prude but I just cannot wear the the new formula when I experienced the real deal under Claiborne.

OK! Here's the comparison I promised.

There definitely is a difference between Claiborne Curve and EA Fragrances Curve, though they are similar. The old stuff smells more musky and has a dankness about it, though not much. The old stuff also smells stronger, though not much. Again, the differences are subtle. The new stuff smells lighter and the fruit & berries come through more. There's a nice gentle spiciness to it. Perhaps more peppery than spicy, really. As I smell the old Curve, I struggle to understand why it got me so many compliments through the years. It's ok. As I smell the new Curve, I find myself thinking "I really enjoy this." ...but... is it possible that the weird musky/dankness of old Curve has something to do with why it got me so many compliments? Meaning... is it possible that I prefer new Curve, but the old would get more compliments? Who knows.

I know that I prefer the new EA version by a long shot. I prefer the new stuff to the point where I'm putting away the old bottle (which is nearly empty anyway) and moving on to the new. The only downside to the new MAY BE longevity. I'm only a few hours into it right now, so I don't know how it performs yet... but if it lasts as long as the old stuff, then I absolutely prefer the new in every way.

Respectfully - your comment is a sexist, puritanical rant.

Evidence - no where do you mention women who "overspray" by your criterion, and you denigrate guys who spray more than three sprays as some kind of insecure attention seekers akin to drunks.

The same puritanical arguments you use for scents could just as easily be applied to guys who dress up well in designer gear.

All this "less-is-more" rubbish appears to have been started by feminist writers in fashion magazines - applied only to males, and not to their female readers.

If you don't get any positive comment from scents you wear, it could just be because the guys next to you wearing Brut and Old Spice under arm deodorant, Lynx/Axe body spray or Gillette or Mennen aftershave, are putting out more scent than you are. And if you wear just enought scent that you won't be noticed, don't be surprised when no one notices you.
Regards,
Renato

You're right that I didn't mention women who overspray but this is a thread about a scent for men, so I was writing about men. And yes, there are just as many women as there are men who overspray. No, I didn't actually mean drunks as attention seekers. I meant it in the sense that those people tend to not realize they drink too much. At least, the drunks I've known had no idea they drank too much.

I'm not saying less is more. I didn't say more than three is too much. I said wearing too much will get someone noticed more - obviously. I think 7 or 8 is too much. You disagree? That's fine. We're all entitled to our own opinions. I'm also saying that many who wear too much have no idea they wear too much because they've desensitized their noses to the point where they don't notice.

As for not being noticed... where did I say that? I often get compliments, but they tend to be for a certain few fragrances. I don't often get them from strangers, but then again, most people don't go around complimenting people they don't know. Heck, most people aren't even good at striking up conversations with people they don't know.

P.S. It is strange - perhaps sexist - that there is a term for men who wear too much fragrance, but there isn't a term for women who do the same. It's kind of like how there's a term for women who have lots of cats, but there isn't a term for men who do.

I've now worn both versions of Curve, side by side, for an entire day and I got equal longevity, so no issues there. I'd say an old bottle could be worth seeking out if you decide you love the scent but would prefer it to be a little darker or muskier. Really, they're so close that people like you and I would probably be the only ones to notice a difference.

As for compliments: Curve is ranked at #53 on the list of fragrances most complimented by women, based on a tally of scents mentioned in the compliments thread. That might not sound very good until you realize there are over 500 frags on the list. Since basenotes tends to attract connoisseurs, I'd guess most here don't wear it. And, most of the compliments posts are probably about scents we're more excited to talk about. My point? In the real world, I'd bet Curve would rank considerably higher, compliments-wise, though I doubt it'd beat the ultimate people-pleaser: AdG.

I'm not saying Curve is better than anything else on the list. Definitely NOT! I'm just saying it gets compliments.

We are def entitled to our own opinions and it is ok to agree to disagree. I for one think the number of sprays is dependant on the strength of the scent. Lapidus Pour homme? 4 sprays max.... My skin for some reason eats Patinum Egoist up. I once sprayed 18 at once and asked my wife if it was to strong and she said not at all. So you see it really is dependant on the scent itself.