Okay, so I’m not a Britney Spears fan, but I’ve been blasting her latest single, Hold It Against Me, more times than I care to admit. There’s something about that song that makes me smile. (Stop laughing!)
Then when I was looking around at Shoppers Drug Mart, I saw that the large bottle of Britney Spears Circus Fantasy was on a crazy sale for $19.99 CAD! It was way too tempting to walk out of the store empty-handed.
If you’ve been following Swatch And Learn, you may know that I’m in complete lust with the original Britney Spears Fantasy perfume. And because I wore that one daily, I was curious to compare it with the Circus Fantasy fragrance.
How does it stack up to the original Fantasy fragrance? Is Britney Spears Circus Fantasy something to sniff at? Come find out!
Britney Spears Circus Fantasy Pictures
Fantasy (100 mL), Hidden Fantasy (50 mL) & Circus Fantasy (100 mL)
Claims: TRUSTED
- Fun scent (Yes)
- Luscious fruits, tempting florals & creamy musks (Yes)
- Sexy & Glamorous (No)
Key Notes
- Name: Britney Spears Circus Fantasy
- Amount: 100 mL (3.3 fl. oz.) – Also comes in 50 mL
- What I Paid: $19.99 CAD (on a huge sale)
- Britney Spears Fantasy Perfumes Available: Fantasy, Hidden Fantasy, Circus Fantasy & Midnight Fantasy
- Where to Buy: Department stores, drugstores, some grocery stores, Amazon.com, FragranceNet & fragrance outlets
Britney Spears Circus Fantasy Review
Out of all the themes a pop star could pick for a perfume, you wouldn’t expect a circus to be one. But then again, to quote one of her lyrics, “It’s Britney, bitch!”
Despite the extremely tacky carnival-inspired packaging, I really do like it. Now, I know that some people will never be able to get past that. But it makes me laugh when I see it because of how ridiculous it looks compares to more mature-looking bottle designs.
Circus Fantasy by Britney Spears comes in a light-blue bottle with a shimmery frosted body and translucent round cap. Sprinkled over the bottle are bright-orange rhinestones, which provide sharp contrast.
The round bottle feels comfortably and weighty in my hands. The shape makes it easy to hold and use.
The box really reminds me of the circus because of the bright colors and starburst-like rays on the sides of the box with graphics including a top hat and magic wands. (I freakin’ love top hats! No, I don’t wear them, but I think they look cool.)
I also think the picture of Britney on the inside of the lid is a playful touch. It’s like she’s saying “Ta da!” Yes, it’s cheesy, but I can appreciate a cheese fest sometimes.
The Britney Spears Circus Fantasy eau de parfum has a scent that doesn’t remind me of a circus at all. It more reminds me of taking a shower because the fragrance is very clean and soapy smelling like a nice shampoo.
This perfume is described as having “luscious fruits, tempting florals, and creamy musks” that “capture the magical atmosphere of the show with a colorful illusion of fun, sexiness, and glamour.”
I can detect the fruit right away (raspberries) and there’s definitely a floral running through. The creamy musk is there, too, and softens the tartness of the raspberries I smell. The combined aroma is very light and lies close to the skin. This means it’s a great everyday perfume if you’re not the type of person to wear loud or statement-making scents. But note that this is a soapy, powdery-type perfume. Somehow it still manages to smell clean.
According to the marketing, the Circus Fantasy eau de parfum by Britney Spears has “juicy accords of sugar-coated raspberry and apricot blossom, reminiscent of tempting candy. The magic continues as blue peony, waterlily and addictive red sweetheart orchid take the limelight with delicious sensations and exhilarating temptations. The grand finale is a captivating sense of seductive sensuality, blending sweet vanilla wood, creamy musks and violet candy.”
Umm…no. You smell soapy, powdery raspberries, generic flowers, and the creamy musk. The scent isn’t reminiscent of candy. It might…if you eat baby powder. Heck, Circus Fantasy doesn’t smell super sweet.
Britney Spears Circus Fantasy doesn’t smell bad to me, but it also doesn’t make me want to constantly sniff my wrist (like the original Britney Spears Fantasy perfume does, which I’ve previous reviewed). Also, I’m not really into soapy and clean-smelling scents – I’m more in lust with moderate-to-strong vanilla-based ones that remind me of cupcakes and delicious desserts. Guess I have an immature taste in fragrances, but I’ve never liked scents like Chanel No. 5 and other sophisticated or classy scents.
Normally I would review the top, middle, and base notes of a fragrance, but Circus Fantasy by Britney Spears seems to not change much even when I wore it all day! That sucks. What I smelled when I sprayed it in the morning was pretty much the same thing I smelled late at night. The only difference was that at night, the scent had faded slightly (but I could still smell it).
It makes me laugh thinking that the marketing geniuses consider Britney Spears Circus Fantasy perfume to be sexy and glamorous. It’s not. Unless you think rubber duckies are sexy, and that taking a shower is glamorous. This scent is more plain and practical.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 7/10
While the Britney Spears Circus Fantasy fragrance isn’t a complete failure, it’s also not much of a success. I can’t imagine strangers stopping me on the street to ask what I’m wearing. With the original Fantasy perfume, I get asked quite a bit, so I’ll stick to wearing that most days. Or maybe one day I’ll try wearing both and seeing how that smells.
How good a perfume is can be as subjective as picking your favorite color. While this didn’t excite me, I think that those who like powdery, mild scents that smell like you just took a shower will love Circus Fantasy. For everyone else, this is one you can leave on the store shelf…unless, of course, you manage to find it for $19.99 CAD like I did. (It’s not worth the retail price.)
Are you a fan of the Britney Spears Fantasy fragrance line? What scents are your favorites? Clean and crisp or sweet and musky?
Check out my other Fantasy perfume reviews:
