Not long ago, “Merry Britmas” was trending on Twitter. I thought it had something to do with Britain, so I checked it out only to discover that it was actually about a Britney Spears song that leaked. People said that it reminded them of Christina Aguilera’s song, Beautiful.

There are only a handful of Britney Spears songs that I like, so I can’t call myself a fan of hers. I am, however, in lust with her original pink Fantasy perfume, which I’ve previously reviewed.

I also have a bottle of the blue Circus Fantasy and the red Hidden Fantasy, but those 2 severely pale in comparison to the original Fantasy. (Sweet and gourmand scents are more up my alley. I enjoy smelling edible like a cupcake.)

There’s one more Britney Spears fragrance I haven’t reviewed yet – the limited-edition Britney Spears In Control eau de parfum. It originally was released in 2006 and created by Claude Dir for Elizabeth Arden. You can sometimes find it in clearance sales, which is where I got mine – just $19.99 CAD at Shoppers for the 100 mL bottle!

When I bought this, I had low expectations just because the original Fantasy was the only Britney perfume I went gaga for. But this surprised me. I actually like it a lot, but it isn’t my new favourite. Also, unfortunately I think the bottle design is exceptional…exceptionally ugly!

Britney Spears In Control Pictures

Britney Spears In Control Ingredients

Alcohol Denat., Parfum/Fragrance, Water/Aqua/Eau, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Alpha-isomethy Ionone, Anise Alcohol, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate.

Claims: TRUSTED

• Creme brulee, black vanilla bean, sugared sandalwood & musk (Yes)
• Loquat fruit & midnight orchid (Not sure – I don’t know what these smell like)
• Sweet yet sexy fragrance

Key Notes

• Name: Britney Spears In Control Curious Eau de Parfum
• Amount: 100 mL (3.3 fl. oz.)
• What I Paid: $19.99 CAD
• Where to Buy: Usually clearance/sale sections at drugstores & department stores (I got this during a fragrance sale at Shoppers Drug Mart.)
• Discontinued? Yes!

Britney Spears In Control Review

Fragrance

When I first sprayed In Control Curious by Britney Spears, I gagged. No exaggeration. The initial 2-3 seconds, it smells like some intensely strong alcohol. Thank goodness that goes away extremely fast because it’s awful!

Afterwards, it goes full throttle into a sweet, creamy scent. It doesn’t seem like an upbeat girlie sweet such as Fantasy (which is my favourite perfume of all time and the one that I have been wearing ever since it was first released). In Control is a more mature type of sweetness with a darkness to it.

Now, most times when I hear a scent described as ‘mature’, it’s usually really strong, and I’m not a fan of perfumes like Chanel No. 5, Miss Dior Cherie, etc. I tend to go for playful, young, and gourmand-sweet scents, but not ones that are syrupy sweet.

When I say that the In Control Curious perfume is mature, I just mean that there is something about it that seems more grown-up. It doesn’t smell like cupcakes. It smells more like creme brulee, a dessert I always have to order if it’s on the restaurant’s menu.

If I strain my nose, I can detect caramel, but it blends so well with the creme and sugar that the result is a good combination where one note doesn’t overpower the others. It’s not offensive or loud. It’s one of those scents that has a cozy quality, which makes me think this is a great fall or winter fragrance.

It also has a sexiness about it, but it’s not an overt sexiness, which makes it easy to wear during the day, at night, at dinner, or on a date. But, really, if you like the scent, you can wear it anywhere you want. (I prefer to let my mood dictate when to wear a fragrance rather than some beauty guidelines.)

Also, even though In Control is the flanker fragrance to the original Curious fragrance, In Control is extremely different – it’s not a floral at all. So keep that in mind if you were hoping for this to be a twist on the Curious scent.

Fragrance Evolution

On me, this fragrance doesn’t evolve much. The top nasty note of alcohol goes away in seconds, the middle notes come out right after, and the base notes seem to mingle with the middle notes for most of the day and into the night. If I continue wearing the perfume until even later in the night, then the musk comes out just slightly more.

Normally when a fragrance doesn’t evolve much throughout the day, it seems boring or simple to me. But this is a rare exception. Because I liked the scent (and because it never gave me a headache like a lot of perfumes do), I was okay with it.

Lasting Power

Every time I wear it, it normally is of medium strength for roughly 4 hours. After that, it fades, and you’ll need to sniff your wrists to notice it. Then again, it could just be that your nose has adjusted to the scent and has been slightly desensitized to it.

But by night-time, the scent has significantly faded to the point where even if I sniff my wrist (which I do more often than is probably ‘normal’), it’s extremely light.

Bottle Design

The bottle is an opaque black and looks like some sort of UFO. I really don’t care for the wide, umbrella- or wok-shaped bottle, and I think that it being black is really impractical because it’s impossible to see how much you have left. You have to shake the bottle and listen to it. (Yes, put down your seashell and listen to your perfume.)

The good thing about the bottle being black is that it protects the fragrance better from light, which often breaks down perfumes and makes them ‘turn’ faster.

You’ll also notice that my bottle doesn’t have the little ‘necklace’ detail, the metallic pink cover, or the pink little puff atomizer attachment if you Google this perfume. Apparently they changed the design a lot since the original release. And perhaps it was because a lot of people who used the puff were complaining about how it would stop working early on.

I prefer just the plain spray atomizer because it would take a lot for that to break down. And I find it’s a non-fussy way to apply perfume. Good enough for me.

Box Design

This is extremely tacky! Hot pink cheetah print with a zipper pulled down? Haha, not the most tasteful. But then again, it’s what’s inside the bottle that counts. 😉

Discontinued

Since this was a limited-edition fragrance, you won’t see it everywhere, but it’s still around. Check clearance sections and at various etailers. You should be able to get your hands on it.

Pros Smells sweet like creme brulee Has a hint of sexiness Lasts for a few hours Easy-to-wear fragrance that’s cozy Can be found heavily discounted if you look into clearance sales

Cons Discontinued scent, so it’s not easy to find everywhere Poor bottle design & tacky box design Fragrance doesn’t evolve much as you wear it

Final Verdict: 8.5/10

Surprisingly, I enjoyed wearing Britney Spears In Control Curious. It’s not too strong, but not too light and sticks around for a fair number of hours before fading. It’s sweet, but not cloyingly so, and it has a slight mature sexiness about it. It’s different enough from the original Fantasy to justify owning both.

What fragrance are you wearing today? What are the scents that you tend to gravitate toward? Have you ever tried a fragrance you thought for sure you’d dislike, but then you ended up liking it?