Our editors tried Selena Gomez's new Rare perfume so you don't have to

Selena Gomez launched Rare Beauty's first ever fine fragrance last week, and we've been gnawing at the bit to get our hands on it. 

We're already fans of the brand's fragranced Body Care — Find Comfort Body & Hair Fragrance Mist ($50 from Sephora) and Awaken Confidence Body Fragrance Mist ($50 from Sephora) — so we were predicting to be equally as excited by Rare Beauty's Rare Eau de Parfum.

Gomez's introductory fragrance, Find Comfort, verges on aromatherapeutic with refreshing notes of lemon zest, rhubarb and pomelo on top of jasmine petals, violet, and black tea extract, carefully balanced by a vetiver, tonka bean and cashmere wood base. 

Awaken Confidence, on the other hand, feels peppier — it's a fragrance someone in touch with their inner child would spritz with wild abandon. It's sweet, but fresh, opening with peach nectar, sparkling lemon, orange flower and black pepper, then revealing a heart of blue cyclamen, jasmine, apricot blossom and lavender. And the dry down exposes warming white sandalwood, skin musk and crisp amber. 

What does Rare Beauty's Rare Eau de Parfum smell like? 

Rare Beauty's newest fragrance is described as a warm and decadent gourmand with a hint of spice, that promises to linger for up to 12 hours after application. 

According to Gomez, she created the scent with the intention that it would be a versatile fragrance that can be worn anytime of day and in any season. 

The Eau de Parfum opens with a bright flash of pink pepper, nutty pistachio and rich caramel, as it settles on the skin the delicious combination of warm vanilla, spicy Nigerian ginger and rich cocoa become more apparent. Then, finally, the dry down reveals soothing sandalwood, sweet and creamy tonka bean, and comforting musk. 

Does Rare Beauty's Rare Eau de Parfum live up to its 12 hour wear claim? 

"Smelling like Selena Gomez sounds like a dream to me, so Rare's first proper 'perfume' release was one I was very excited about. And as someone who doesn’t often dare to go outside the ‘slightly sweet, slightly spicy’ scent realm, its perfume profile was right up my alley.

Well, my instincts were right — whilst the first spritz had a tiny bit too much zest for my general liking, it soon settled into a soft, airy gourmand treat. Vanilla, caramel and sandalwood is always a winning note trio if you like to smell like a cookie factory (and I definitely do), but the hint of spicy ginger steered it away from sickly sweet territory if you’re worried about that.

After returning from lunch (and definitely by end of day), I found that I needed another few spritzes to be as fragrant as I like, but if you prefer something subtle, you may not feel the same. The dry down, whilst a little demure, was definitely my favourite version of the scent though — it ends up a little warmer and muskier as the hours go by, and it's truly heavenly.

The bottle is incredibly easy to work with (a great step forward for the fragrance industry), and despite not being the flashiest fragrance bottle I’ve ever seen, it’s neutral, classic and chic regardless. All up, it’s a winner — you just may want to store it in your purse to keep it consistent. Luckily, the fuss-free bottle’s as portable as it is pretty." — Delaney Loane, BEAUTYcrew's Editor

"Initially, when I opened the box that the perfume came in, honestly it smelled a lot like Britney Spears' Fantasy ($34.99 from Chemist Warehouse). But after I spritzed the fragrance on my wrists, neck and hair it quickly became apparent that it develops very differently on skin than it does on paper, which is not uncommon.

At the start of the day (9:00am to be exact) Rare leaned very citrus — probably the work of that pink peppercorn top note — but it very quickly settled to a mild caramel and vanilla scent after just a few minutes. By 12:00pm it had faded a lot on the skin, and I couldn't smell it at all on my clothes. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the dry down. In fact, I think when Rare settles to reveal the subtle sandalwood, tonka, and musk at it's base, is when it's at it's best. I just wish it projected a bit more.

Unfortunately (even though I had only been at my desk all day) by 4:00pm there were very, very subtle remnants of tonka on my skin, but the fragrance had mostly faded. If I wanted this fragrance to last into the evening I think I would need to top up with a few extra spritzes on my pulse points in the afternoon, to get the kind of longevity necessary for a 12 hour wear, which is what this eau de parfum promises. 

Overall I think this is a very pretty fragrance, and I really love the way the scent develops on my skin over time, but the lack of longevity is a real mood killer for me. I think I'd be more forgiving if Rare Beauty had extended their body mist range to include this fragrance, but this kind of performance from an eau de parfum is kind of underwhelming in my opinion." — Briar Clark, BEAUTYcrew's Beauty Editor 

How much does the Rare Eau de Parfum cost and where can you buy it in Australia?

Rare Beauty's Rare Eau de Parfum is available exclusively at Sephora in Australia, both online and in select stores. The brand's first ever fine fragrance is available in a handbag-friendly 10ml travel spray ($50 from Sephora), as well as a vanity-worthy 50ml bottle ($124 from Rare Beauty) that's been designed with people with dexterity issues in mind. Rare Beauty actually partnered with a group of certified hand therapists and a team of packaging engineers to develop the ergonomic, easy to grip design to make spritzing the scent a breeze for everyone. 

Plus, the brand has also released a range of fragrance balms, which are intended to be layered with the eau de parfum to create custom scents. Amber Vanilla ($32 from Sephora) features a blend of vanilla, bergamot, and candied amber; Floral Peony Blossom ($32 from Sephora) marries freesia, musk blossom, and peony; Fresh Bergamot ($32 from Sephora) pairs bergamot, green tea, and cedarwood; while Woody Oak ($32 from Sephora) is a cocktail of patchouli, oakmoss, and dry woods. 

Main image credit: @selenagomez

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