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Thursday, February 2, 2017

My New Favorite Perfume Isn't New at All (But It's Under $15 and It's Sublime)


Let me make this clear right up front. I owe this entire discovery to my pal Victoria of EauMG blog. If it weren't for her review of this fragrance last July (I highly suggest giving it a read here), this perfume never would have been on my radar. I mean, I'm not completely "over" celeb fragrances, and I still enjoy JLo's first fragrance, Glow, but to me it smells almost identical to China Rain by Body Time (which, fun fact, was the very first China Rain fragrance ever, created back in 1974, and it's still in production to this day). But what I'm trying to say is that I don't run out and rush to check out celeb fragrances these days, unless the notes REALLY appeal to me. And often times, the notes in celeb fragrances these days feel so generic and "been there, done that" to me. But now I'm rambling, so let's get back to this one.


Jennifer Lopez Still debuted in 2003, which was prime time for celeb fragrances. Which is probably why I don't ever recall giving it a shot or even sniffing a tester at that time. The market was flooded with celeb fragrances in the early 2000s and many slipped past my radar.

In 2017, you can still purchase JLo's Still on Amazon for $14.98 + free shipping with Prime (3.4 oz. eau de parfum, which is what you see pictured above) and on the Target website for the same price/size. That's where I bought mine, after many failed attempts to find it locally at the discount stores like Marshalls, Ross, etc.

So what do I love about this fragrance? Well first of all, it's a serious departure from many other celeb fragrances. To me, it's not what you think of when you think "celeb fragrance". It's much more than that. 

Still is very feminine, vivacious, clean and sensual. The opening is luminous and gentle due to the notes of white pepper, mandarine, Earl Grey tea and sake note. The heart note is composed of freesia, rose, jasmine, orange blossom and lily-of-the-valley. The base is warm and sensual with woody and musky notes; sandalwood, musk, amber, orris and pepper. The perfume was created by Michel Girard in 2003.

Something I love about Fragrantica is that they almost always tell you the nose behind a fragrance, which can give you more insight into a fragrance you're considering purchasing. For instance, JLo Still was created by Michel Girard, and if you look at his list of accomplishments, you'll see that he also created Yves Rocher Osmanthus, which I also love. And if you look at the Yves Rocher Osmanthus page, you'll see that some compare YR Osmanthus to Ferragamo Incanto Charms, which I think is also quite lovely. And down the rabbit hole you can go, looking at potential new purchases based on your tastes!

Back to JLo Still. The Earl Grey tea note is the thing that Victoria mentioned in her review that piqued my attention, hard core. I am a sucker for Earl Grey scents so that, combined with JLo Still being one of Victoria's most complimented scents ever, made me feverish to get my hands on a bottle.

From Victoria's review:
The opening of Still has always reminded me of honeysuckle. It’s a fresh honeyed floral with citrus. Still turns into a really realistic Earl Grey scent that’s a tangy bergamot and earthy black tea. Behind the Earl Grey tea leaves are peachy florals. These florals are arguably clean and “shampoo-y”. In fact, I used to think that about this fragrance as well. I still do but I realize there’s more going on than just “clean florals”. The freesia is fresh and radiant with a green pepperiness that reminds me of sugar snap peas. The orange blossom is crisp but heady. There’s red rose petals and sliced peaches. I wish I could get a shampoo that smells this good! 

I can't describe it any better than that, nor would I try. Victoria's description is spot-on and I too, wish that I could get this in shampoo form. And hand cream. And a candle!

If notes like Earl Grey, honeysuckle, freesia, rose and peach sound appealing to you, meet your new favorite Spring 2017 fragrance. I mean, it's certainly going to be mine. And if you're already a fan of Still and perhaps wore it back in the day, time to dust off your bottle and rediscover its magic.

For under $15 for a large 3.4 oz. bottle, it's pretty much a dream come true for me. Because like Victoria mentioned, it smells much more expensive than it is. And while the longevity is decent (it lasts longer on clothes than skin) the projection isn't crazy (you sort of need to be in my "sphere" to notice it, which is something I like about it). But it really doesn't matter at this price because you can reapply throughout the day without guilt. I highly, highly recommend giving this one a shot if you haven't tried it already. What a gem!


The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.

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52 comments

  1. It's that time of the year for me where I binge on fragrance purchases. Maybe it's the cold, the lack of sun, I'm not sure. But I binge at the Bath and Body Works sale (I picked up lots of Sensual Amber and Cashmere Glow stuff because it layers really nicely with the perfumes I gravitate towards...
    On a trip to Paris in 2001, they were debuting Escada Sentiment in a lot of the fancy stores and I picked up a bottle as my souvenir. That scent always reminds me of Paris, a simpler time right when I was in the throes of a new relationship (my now husband)! It's discontinued, and I've searched in vain for an alternative. Somebody on Fragrantica suggested Miss Lomani as a dupe and I pulled the trigger on a blind buy a couple weeks ago. When it arrived and I sprayed it, the magic returned and so did so many memories. My husband instantly recognized it. Oh, the power of a wonderful fragrance...

    I just bought a bottle of Still, per your suggestion. Looking forward to another new scent.

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    1. OMG, Katy, I'm so glad you found a worthy replacement for Escada Sentiment! You just reminded me that I'm still looking for a good replacement for another discontinued Escada fragrance (Escada Collection from 1997) and I need to consult Fragrantica for that! There's a gorgeous cola note in Collection that I long for to this day.

      Anyway, I am SO excited to see what you think of Still when you get it. My fingers and toes are crossed that you love it as much as I do. Please keep me posted? xo

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    2. fragrancenet dot com has a 2.5 oz bottle of Escada Sentiment for sale!

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    3. Thank you for looking it up! Fragrancenet has had some pretty crappy reviews as of late, so I'm too scared to buy it. I'm so fortunate to say that Miss Lomani is pretty much an exact dupe and it's cheap as chips!!

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    4. Hey G- I checked out fragrantica and the Escada Collection perfume has a pretty close ringer done by Al-Rehab, called Dalal. I bought a1.5 oz bottle on Amazon for like $8 and it will be here Monday. If you don't want to risk it, I'll decant some and mail it to you if you want, just so you can see... otherwise, At least you know that it's on Amazon for a song. ;)

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    5. Katy, please see my response to your other comment down below! :)

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  2. Thank you and Victoria for putting this on my radar! I rarely ever try celebrity fragrances (I think the scents by Dita Von Tease was my last foray, years ago) but I love inexpensive bottles of juice to change it up. This scent sounds fresh and lovely for spring!

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    1. You're so welcome, Mimi (and so nice to hear from you again!). I am the same way about celeb fragrances these days. So many of them smell the same to me, but there are still gems to be found! I love the Dita fragrances, and also Queen by Queen Latifah, Madonna Truth or Dare Naked, and Invitation by Michael Buble. Those really stand out to me, in terms of originality and what you generally DON'T think of when you hear "celebrity fragrance".

      I would love to know what you think of Still if you get it (I think you're going to love it).

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  3. Wow I would have never thought to even look at it, but now I must have it, thank you I can't wait to have it in my hands

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    1. Hey Lola! I honestly would have never thought about this one either, had I not read Victoria's review. I REALLY think this one is going to surprise you. If you get it, please tag me on IG because I'd love to know what you think! xo

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  4. I went to buy it from Amazon and some of the reviews were saying it may be a knock off. Just an FYI then I seen you also linked it from Target. Thanks G!

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    1. Thanks for that! One thing to be aware of is that, unfortunately, not all reviews in Amazon listings are for the same seller. I'm not sure why Amazon works like that, but I've read many reviews where the person named the seller and it was NOT the same seller listed in the item listing. The item I linked to in my review is both sold and shipped by Amazon. I've never had an issue with fakes when I've purchased directly from Amazon before, but what I also like is that if there IS a problem when you buy directly from Amazon, you can easily return/exchange and you're protected under Amazon's return policy. Thanks again!

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    2. Once I wanted to buy Lanvin Eclat directly from Amazon. The price was incredible! However, in the review section many people said that they had bought this perfume and it was a fake, even though, a seller was Amazon. So I would not risk to buy an expensive perfume directly from Amazon. However, JL Still is only 15$ and free shipping! I am very intrigued!

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  5. Just placed an Amazon order! I was looking for a new scent!

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  6. It's a beautiful scent! I bought it last year and received many compliments. Perfect for any time of day and year. You won't regret your purchase.

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  7. The mix of scents sure sounds interesting. Earl grey and florals? I'll be giving this a sniff the next time I come across it.

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  8. Almost couldn't finish reading this before I hopped over to Target's website to purchase! Your reviews are always so vivid; I can't tell you how many awesome products I've discovered because of your recommendation (talking about you, coconut balm dot com). Thank you for being the best beauty account around!

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  9. One of my favorites as well. I have been through a few bottles and need to get another! It's right up there with my fave Chanel Chance!

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  10. Sigma has 30% off today with code FIRST

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  11. Omg I had this back in college and I loved this perfume so much! I forgot how great it smells. I love the perfume and the song she came out with at the time with the same name. You're right! It is very different! Might have to get myself a bottle and bring it back! Thanks G.

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  12. Wore this on my honeymoon 12 years ago. Every time I wear it, it reminds me of those memories. Plus, the hubs always compliments me when I use it!

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  13. I remember this one because it's the only J Lo scent I liked. I'm a big fan of orange blossom and my nose tends to pick it up if it's in any perfume, even in small amounts.

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  14. I'm going to try it! The fragrances on my wish list are all over $50., so this is a great savings. Thanks <3

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  15. Ooh, another hot tip, G! I'm a fragrance fan, but more so a TEA fan! I got so excited when I read that there's an Earl Grey note (especially paired with the other notes)! In a highly saturated world of sickenly sweet scents, it's nice to know that these perfumes that lean more floral or green are still available. Just ordered Still through Target.com �� My next fragrance purchase was going to be Roses de Chloé, but I'm having a hard time with the price! I got a sample vial of it from Sephora and hopefully Still can hold me over for a little while!

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  16. Two of my favorite notes are peach and honeysuckle--for $15, I'm willing to make this a blind buy! Thanks!

    Incidentally, my favorite fragrance lately (which has neither peach nor honeysuckle, sadly) is Moschino's Fresh--I bought it because the holiday gift sets were SUPER discounted and the bottle made me laugh, but it turns out it's light and pleasant and totally wearable. :)

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  17. I used it back in 2003. I loved it then and I always thought that the perfume is not sold anymore. I'm sure it will bring back great memories from my teenage years. Back then I WANTED glow by j.lo so bad but didn't want to buy it with my allowance I had back in the day and bought "still" when it was on sale. Happy that I did. Thank you for this post.

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  18. Thank you for reminding me of Still! I don't know how I could have forgotten it, there was love involved. I was never into celebrity scents but my friend bought JLo's original Glow. I fell hard for it's clean just out of the shower yummy-ness. I tried out and liked others she put out but it wasn't like my love for Glow until Still. I remember Glow how did I forget Still? I loved it infinitely more! Thank you so much for plugging that hole in my Swiss cheese brain lol I'm heading into the internets to find a bottle and reconnect with my long lost olfactory soulmate!

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  19. I really want to try a Queen because my all time favorite fragrance is Opium. I wear a Rain a lot in th a Summer. It takes me back to 1993 when I met a Julie. I must get that China rain to compare the two.

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  20. This was my absolute favorite back in my early 20's.... I even got my best friend wearing it! Idk why I stopped wearing Still... but after this message I'm going to give my bottle a whiff and probably order a new one! Thanks G! ����❤

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  21. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area--where the Body Time originated! So I love China Rain and every six months, I go to the store in San Anselmo and get a flacon of China Rain and a few other fragrance oils. They also carry incredible skin care. Fun fact, the store used to be called "Body Shop," but they changed their name when the British store came to the U.S. JLo Glow is my favorite, but I will check out Still. I also love Jennifer Aniston's perfume. They used to sell it at Sephora, but then they discontinued it. It smelled like the beach, but a very light beachy scent. I keep looking for it at TJ Maxx, or Ross to no avail. The problem with her scent is that it had no lasting power at all!

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  22. Marc Jacobs has a 50% nail lacquer with code NAILIT and additional 15% off works with code WELCOME15

    -lizz

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  23. Do you even know what you have started? After I found out Dalal was super close to Escada Collection, I was reading up on Al-Rehab, the perfume house that makes Dalal. Apparently they are a very well-regarded perfumer in Saudi Arabia (maybe even the biggest?!) and they have a TON of different perfumes and perfume oils and the ones that are reviewed on Fragrantica get raves... and their prices on Amazon are so flipping cheap. Like $5-$8 for a perfume that smells super high end! What ha e I gotten myself into????

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    1. Lol I have about 10 Al-Rehab fragrances that I've purchased on Amazon over the past few years, after falling down a similar Fragrantica rabbit hole! They are lovely and excellent quality. I haven't tried the Escada Collection dupe yet because I told myself that I cannot order another one until I finish one of the bottles I already own! Lol.But I would absolutely LOVE to know what you think when you get yours!! Thank you so much! ❤

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  24. Still is absolutely amazing. I had a bottle a few years back. I like only a handful of celebrity fragrances (Ariana Grande, Queen Latifah and Still). Phenomenal!

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  25. This has been my signature scent for over 10 years. I always pick up a "back up" when I see it at Marshall's or TJ Maxx. My signature scent for summer is JLo Miami Glow. It is a blend of passion fruit, coconut water, black currant, orange flower, helitrope, amber, vanilla orchid and crystal musk. My total summer addiction.

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  26. I love floral scents when choosing perfumes for myself. I know I've used this perfume in the past, but it's been so long I've forgotten how much I used to like it. I do remember however that I loved the perfume bottle itself and Still was the only Jennifer Lopez perfume that I liked the most out of her other fragrances. A full size perfume for $15 and it has a floral scent in it is a definite must have for me.

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  27. Whoa, this sounds amazing--totally unlike what I think of when I envision "celeb fragrance"!

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  28. I knew - I just *knew* - as soon as I read the title of the post that this was the fragrance you were talking about! Same thing here - I read her post and immediately ordered it. Got my mom hooked on it too! EauMG is so right: I get compliments from strangers EVERY TIME I wear that fragrance!

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  29. Thank you for sharing this. I always wonder about Celebrity fragrances when I see them in the drugstore. I know many of them are owned by credible powerhouses like Coty or Elizabeth Arden, but something about them always makes me just "meh" about them. Which I know isn't fair because it is "judging a book by its cover".....The first celebrity fragrance I was excited about was Britney Spears' "Curious". (I am dating myself here, haha). I was really impressed when I was handed a paper tester by a perfume girl at the department store once. I remember I liked it a lot at first smell. But I didn't buy it that year. Fast forward to 2 years ago when I had an interest to expand my perfume collection with "the ones that got away". Since its strong debut and positive critical reception, "Curious" is not sold in the department stores anymore. I didn't mind to buy from the drugstore with the cheaper plastic packaging, but I was worried that the formula might have changed since they moved down to a lower price point. I asked for testers/samples on 2 different occasions at the drug store. They were both disappointing to me. It was not what I remembered "Curious" to smell like years ago. Yes, it's possible that "Curious" could not be complementary to my body chemistry. After all, I only smelled a sample sprayed on paper and not on my own skin. But even the paper tester I was able to find from a catalogue had a foul-smelling top note. And a generic musky vanilla base note. It smelled really "cheap", and not like what I expected it to be. I was disillusioned and gave up on "Curious".......The next Celeb smell was Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck/Enchanted (?) in the red bottle on a blind buy. That was a waste of money!.....I bought Jennifer Aniston's "Near Dusk" at target because it was clearanced and I liked the way the scratch-off sticker smelled. I watched a glowing review about it and decided to keep it. This one is a winner!

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  30. EauMG has the best fragrance reviews!

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  31. Thank you so much for the shout out. I'm so happy this one worked for you too!

    I LOVE it. Seriously, when I wear this, strangers want to know what I'm wearing. And not even the creepy kind! ;) The fact that it is under $20 is such a huge bonus.

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  32. First of all, I love your blog and I hardly ever comment, but after reading this post I just had to buy myself a bottle. It arrived last night and i absolutely love it! Wearing it right now actually and the smell is all around me! Thank you for the awesome recommendation - and at under $20 to boost? What a steal!

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    1. Also wanted to mention that this smells very similar to Stella by Stella McCartney, which is a pricey perfume. Much prefer the affordable option! :)

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  33. Yep. Like shampoo. A divine expensive perfect shampoo. I love a happy flower. If gardenia is done right, it's euphoric. This doesn't have gardenia in it, it it sure has done similar notes. Home run,G! It's Happy in a Bottle.

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  34. They used to make a lotion of the Still scent. I would wear it all the time. To me, the lotion had more of a rose scent note in there. I loved it so much. I still have the sads to this day that the lotion isn't make any more. It was truly one of the best scents ever.

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  35. Greetings,

    This is my alltime favorite perfume, I like to layer this one with Victoria Secret Strawberry and Champagne body spray, makes the perfume last all day.

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  36. Thanks so much for putting this on my radar. I have to say I wouldn't have every have thought to try it on my own. I got my bottle from your amazon link about three days ago and have been loving it! I even put some on and wore it to bed last night I was enjoying it so much and woke up with a little on my sheets this morning, mmmmm! Great tip!

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  37. Why am I not surprised that one of those smart Leaguers turned you on to this? :)

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  38. Dear G.,
    Was on a no-buy but you made the fragrance sound so awesome, I could not resist especially at $10. Target is now sold out so I got mine on Amazon Prime. Hope it's the real deal. Excited for a new Spring fragrance! Thanks so much for all that you do! - MC

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  39. I just ordered this! I cant wait to try it! Also, I've read Fragrantica for years and never noticed that you could look up the "nose" who created a scent! Hello! A whole new level of information! Turns out many of my favorite scents across brands were vreated by the same nose! (Dominique Ropion)

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  40. Is this your actual bottle? And you bought it from target? And it didn't have the ring on the bottle? I ask because everybody on amazon is confused if the ring is supposed to come on the bottle or not. Some are still getting it, some aren't. I bought mine through Amazon Prime, and it smells great, seems like a legit perfume and not watered down or fake. But I don't have a reference for what it should smell like if it were in fact a fake. Perhaps they are fazing out the old bottle style with the ring?

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