Review: Halle by Halle Berry Pure Orchid

I've mentioned several times on this blog that the original Halle by Halle Berry is my current favorite fragrance that you can find at the drugstore. So when I had the opportunity to receive the new Halle by Halle Berry Pure Orchid for review recently, I jumped at the chance. Not only because I'm a huge fan of the original, but because every time I see Pure Orchid at the drugstore, the tester is either missing or empty. So I actually haven't been able to get a good whiff of this fragrance or wear it on my skin until recently.

First let's talk about the bottle:

The bottle design of Pure Orchid is identical to the original Halle fragrance, except for the color. I'm a sucker for anything that's translucent, and if it's purple too? All the better!

Halle by Halle Berry Pure Orchid (retail: around $20, 1.0 oz)

Before I get into my personal take on this fragrance, I think it's interesting to explore its creation (from Basenotes):

Pure Orchid has been created by Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Christophe Raynaud from Givaudan, and will include notes of jungle cactus flower, lemon, blackberry creme, star anise, masdevallia orchid, giant sequoia and patchouli.

Looking at Rodrigo Flores-Roux's resume, it's interesting to see that he also created such popular fragrances as Donna Karan Black Cashmere and With Love...Hilary Duff (in addition to many others). In my opinion, these two fragrances share a little bit of a similar quality to Pure Orchid (I'm not claiming they're identical or even close in composition, but there's a subtle undertone or "personality" to them that I also detect in Pure Orchid, if that makes any sense).

The original Halle fragrance is tough to compete with, so I can't say I prefer Pure Orchid over the original. But, I think that if you are drawn to orchid fragrances such as Bath & Body Works Enchanted Orchid, you might love this fragrance. To my nose, it's got a richer, warmer quality than Enchanted Orchid, and I think it's a bit more interesting than the BBW fragrance.

As much as I wanted to detect the lemon and blackberry creme notes in Pure Orchid, I just can't seem to pick them out. But that doesn't really make me sad because, the longer I wear this fragrance, the more it feels like the original Halle by Halle Berry but with a sheer veil of orchid layered over the top. It's pretty, it's feminine, and if you like sweet, creamy florals, this might be perfect for you. And if you love the original Halle, this could be a fun variation for you to wear when you're feeling playful. It's a light, cheery fragrance and I think it works for all ages.

If you're interested in purchasing either Pure Orchid or Halle by Halle Berry, don't forget that there's a $3 printable coupon on AllYou.com. Hurry and print that though, because it's been up for a while and I'm not sure how much longer it will be available.

Do you own Halle by Halle Berry Pure Orchid? What do you think of it? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.