"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you"

We all have a little secret indulgent, yes? Amidst whatever else I listen to, I have a soft spot for Taylor Swift, right beside my secret love for sappy and over the top chic-flicks.

It's undoubted that Taylor Swift is a successful singer / songwriter, yet amidst all that, a little part of how she carries herself makes her feel very relatable. Under all that glitz and glam, she feels like that quirky girl-next-door in the search for romance.

Wonderstruck is Taylor Swift's first signature fragrance. Launched last year in the US and previously only available in Duty Free, it is now available in our local Sephora stores!

Partnering with Elizabeth Arden and perfumer Oliver Gillotin of Givaudan, Taylor looks to create a fragrance that is romantic yet girly and feminine.

The scent itself draws inspiration from her song Enchanted, which is about that awe-inspiring feeling (being Wonderstruck) that comes with experiencing something magical.

Magical is certainly what was captured with the exterior of the beautiful bottle and its holographic effects.

I can't even start with how gorgeous the bottle of Wonderstruck looks from the intricate carving design on the 'cap' to the whimsical charms, well-reflecting of Taylor Swift's... well... charm!

There is even a touch of personality to the packaging as the number 13, Taylor Swift's lucky number, is embossed on the top of the box.

This, though, will forever remain slightly funny to me after Taylor's character always had the number 13 scrawled on her palms, in the movie Valentines Day.

Now back to 'seriousness', one thing about basing a perfume off of a song is that it really helps to build that mood and emotion. Wearing a scent sometimes isn't always about just wearing a 'smell' but rather, wearing a mood and also creating some sort of a moment or 'state of mind' for yourself.

I feel it's almost mandatory to give the song Enchanted a listen first if you are forming impressions about this perfume.

"A fragrance can help shape someone's first impression and memory of you. It's exciting to think that Wonderstruck will play a role in creating some of those memories"

- Taylor Swift

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So... now that I have explained the beautifully thought out scent, the questions is... was I Wonderstruck?

As they always say, perfumes are a very personal thing so don't take my opinion for it and it's always best to explore for yourself.

I would say I am more intrigued in the inspiration and ideology that went into making this perfume than the scent itself. If I were smelling it without the knowledge of how it was developed, maybe I would not be this fascinated with it.

Wonderstruck is classified as a gourmand floral filled with a burst of fruity sweetness yet sweetness aside, the scent is kept grounded and warmed up with hints of golden amber and sandalwood.

It's quite strange to describe something like this because it is a heady bout of sweet from sun drenched honeysuckle, vanilla and white hibiscus. However it isn't 'floaty or airy' but yet warming without exactly being considered musky though there is sandalwood. To that, I find this perfume quite intriguing.

However, truth be told I may not be the biggest fan of notable berry inclusions in perfume and the raspberry note in this comes out quite strongly, adding to that fruity punch.

The scent wafts very prominently and on me a spritz is about enough if I want to allow the people standing close to me some fresh air to breathe. Despite how 'strong' it seems to go on, the scent (sadly) doesn't last very long on me and subtle-ly slips away about 4 hours later.

Another thing to note (pun intended) about this perfume is that it doesn't 'transform'.

Part of the joy of a fragrance journey is to discover how the perfume wears from start to end. Thus, it would have been nice if it started as a sweet lighter scent with the base notes of amber and sandalwood joining the orchestra later on but sadly, no. This starts out one way and fades off the exact same way on me, that berry fruity sweetness accentuated with even sweeter warming notes.

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I don't want to rate this down totally but if given a choice, it's not entirely my kind of scent though I can never speak for everyone's scent preference of course. I presume this would find a better audience in younger teens perhaps and girls who love that sweet, romantic, girly aura to go along with their personalities.

If I could say one thing about this though, is that for a celebrity perfume, yes it is sweet and that is typical but scent-wise I haven't quite encountered anything like it. While I don't love it, it does leave an impression with me and truth be told, some days... some very odd random days I feel in the mood for a spritz of Wonderstruck, just cause. Again, I don't love it but you don't have to love something to feel like being in the mood for it now and then.

I can't explain it. I'm not Wonderstruck but maybe just a little Enchanted with it...

Go give Wonderstruck a whiff at Sephora outlets! All I can do is explain and give you my opinions but never rely entirely on someone else for a scent purchase. Always give it a whiff yourself if possible!

The Collection
Eau de Parfum Spray (100ml) - S$109
Eau de Parfum Spray (50ml) - S$89
Eau de Parfum Spray (30ml) - S$69
Scented Body Lotion (200ml) - S$49
Scented Bath Gel (200ml) - S$40

Thanks for reading!

p.s. Jumping off the enchanting aspect into pure secondhand-embarrassment and humor, I always love me some ellen-taylor interaction and here's the two of them being goofy and trying to create a Wonderstruck advert. Though I really have no idea what is going on...

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.