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Best Clinique perfume

Which Clinique perfume is best?

One of the most influential senses when meeting new people is the sense of smell. Smell is also intimately linked to memory, so it’s no surprise that you want to smell your best. However, department-store perfume can be frustratingly expensive. Clinique brand perfumes break that trend, offering wonderful fragrances at affordable prices.

The best Clinique perfume is Clinique Happy. It has a crisp, fresh and lightly fruity and floral scent that’s delicately feminine without being too strong. It also has a wear time of several hours.

What to know before you buy a Clinique perfume

Types of Clinique perfume

Technically, perfume is a catchall term for one of four types of formula. Any given Clinique perfume may use one of these formulas.

  • Eau de cologne is the lightest and most affordable scent. No more than 5% of its formula is centered around its fragrances, meaning it lasts no longer than four hours at best.
  • Eau de toilette is the most common formula. It’s stronger, with up to 15% fragrance-focused ingredients, and it can last for up to six hours.
  • Eau de parfum is a little bit stronger to last a little bit longer. Specifically, it’s up to 20% fragrance-focused ingredients and lasts up to eight hours.
  • Parfum is what you wear if you have a long day ahead. It can last for up to 12 hours and can be up to 40% fragrance-focused ingredients.

Notes

Clinique perfumes have three layers of scents, called notes.

  • Top notes are what you smell immediately after application and they can fade just as fast.
  • Middle notes are the main scent of a perfume, lasting all throughout the day.
  • Bottom notes are the last thing you smell before the scent wears off. “Scent wearing off” here refers to what you and others smell moments after you’ve left the room.

Size

Clinique perfumes typically come in one of three sizes. The smallest is usually 1 fluid ounce. These bottles are good for trying out a new fragrance. Next is 1.7 fluid ounces. These bottles are perfect for those who only wear perfume on occasion and know they like the scent. Finally, there are 3.4 fluid ounce bottles that are meant for those who wear perfume daily.

What to look for in a quality Clinique perfume

Applicator

Most Clinique perfumes use spray applicators as they are the easiest to use. Smaller bottles may use rollerball applicators that work exactly like a ballpoint pen. In rare cases, such as single dose samples or slightly larger, there may be no applicator at all — the perfume drips out of a small hole. This can be quite messy.

Chemistry

This aspect has more to do with you than the perfume. Everyone’s body has its own unique chemistry. This chemistry interacts just as uniquely with any given perfume, Clinique or otherwise. So, Clinique Happy may smell divine when applied to you but sour when applied to another. For this reason, it’s important to always trial run a new Clinique perfume before purchasing a full bottle to ensure that it’s a quality perfume for you. 

How much you can expect to spend on a Clinique perfume

The average 1-fluid-ounce bottle of Clinique perfume costs roughly $30-$50, a 1.7-fluid-ounce bottle costs roughly $50-$70 and a 3.4-fluid-ounce bottle costs no more than $100.

Clinique perfume FAQ

Where should I apply Clinique perfume?

A. The traditional zones to apply perfume to are the neck and chest area, behind the ears and at the wrists. Other places people commonly apply touches of perfume include the inner elbow and behind the knee. Any stretch of skin with a concentration of veins will do. The only exception is if you’ll be in humid environments, as your sweat will cause the concentration of perfume to deteriorate rapidly. In this case, apply a light spritz directly to your clothing.

How long does a Clinique perfume last in the bottle?

A. That depends on the perfume, how often you use it and where you store it. Clinique perfume can last for several years on average, in some cases as long as five years or a touch more. Thus, there’s no need to worry about it expiring if you’re using it semi-often. In order to make it last as long as possible, you’ll need to keep it in a cool, dry place.

What’s the best Clinique perfume to buy?

Top Clinique perfume 

Clinique Happy

What you need to know: This is one of Clinique’s bestsellers.

What you’ll love: It’s long-lasting with a fresh and lightly floral scent. It has top notes of grapefruit, middle layers of Hawaiian wedding flower and bottom notes of honeysuckle. Other ingredients are boysenberry, moss, freesia, lemon and bushflower. It comes in 1-, 1.7- and 3.4-fluid-ounce bottles.

What you should consider: Some consumers were concerned that the online bottles weren’t the same as the department store bottles. Once the bottle is open it can’t be returned.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Macy’s, Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Top Clinique perfume for the money

Clinique Happy Heart

What you need to know: This is less floral than the base Happy fragrance.

What you’ll love: The only floral notes are middle layers of primrose and water hyacinth. It has top notes of mandarin orange and cucumber with bottom notes of blondewood and sandalwood for a slightly citrusy and woody scent. Other ingredients include cassia and carrot.

What you should consider: A few consumers were unhappy with the lightness of the scent and the wear time. Others described the scent as soap-like.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Macy’s, Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Worth checking out

Clinique Happy In Bloom

What you need to know: This is more floral than the base Happy fragrance.

What you’ll love: It has top notes of yellow plum and touches of watery green with middle layers of freesia and lily of the valley and bottom notes of amber and white wood — all of which conjure up memories of springtime.

What you should consider: It’s only available in 1- or 1.7-fluid-ounce bottles, making it a little pricey. A few consumers were concerned about receiving fakes.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Macy’s and Ulta Beauty

 

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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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