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NiCu_xD – :
I always have an old bottle of the original formulation around to wear in the warmer months. If you keep your eye out online, you can still find it for a very good price now and then.
It reminds me of potpourri from back when potpourri was a very big thing. I worked in a cute little boutique with a shabby chic meets Victorian decor theme, and the owner had huge bowls of potpourri that smelled just like Realities scattered throughout the shop. The smell greeted me every day when I arrived at work.
It’s fresh and floral and fruity and feminine. With just a touch of the duskier dried plant matter undertones of the potpourri bowl. It’s an understated fragrance that wafts around gently like a fragranced breeze. It’s very much from its era but not particularly outdated.
ariazz – :
I remember loving this on my boyfriends Mom back in 1992. I ordered a bottle based on this with great anticipation. My nose has changed some. I truly love some of the more current perfumes out today and the old realities I loved and wanted just fell a bit short. When I layer it with Gucci Flora Gracious Tuberose I get an amazing scent so its not all for nothing.
NDIER – :
I had this perfume back in my early 20’s, from about 1991 to 1995. It was an unexpected gift from my grandmother, but I loved this scent so much, I eventually went through two full bottles, and the accompanying shower gel & lotion.
I got many, many compliments on this fragrance, and, *ahem*, asked out frequently – and I do have to give this scent a little of the credit 😉 One of the high notes, with this perfume, was dancing the two-step with a beautiful Creole boy in a devil mask, in New Orleans, on Halloween. There were other women waiting to dance with him, but I was able to monopolize him, because he liked my perfume.
So ladies, take note: this perfume will make the Devil himself come dance with you.
The scent itself: I remember that it had this wonderful ‘tea’ note, which I think must have been the chamomile. On my skin, I thought it had a spicy creaminess. In addition to the chamomile, I particularly remember the peach, sage, bergamot, and rose notes.
I think ‘fruity green’ is accurate, but again, my memory keeps coming back to ‘tea’.
If they made this perfume again, in its original form, I would certainly purchase it. Just to see if it has any of the old voodoo magic it used.
I have not tried the more recent version, in the rounded bottle.
lavrik – :
I’m not sure about this one. I don’t get any of the citrus, fruity or floral notes in here.
This might sound strange, but to me this smells like a bad imitation of V&R Spicebomb…(yes, I’m aware this is a 25-year-old fragrance)
It’s very strong and spicy on my skin. To me, it smells like opening up the seasoning packets in my kitchen pantry and sniffing them all at once. A weird, spicy combination of lots of different notes.
The drydown is a lot nicer than the opening.
Meh. I got the 3ml sample because I thought the bottle was interesting, but the scent itself is just bland. I’m not surprised it was discontinued.
xolost6322 – :
I was gifted this fragrance several years ago and though I found it pleasant enough it didn’t particularly impress me at the time. I wore it however just to use up the bottle, always surprised at the ENDLESS compliments I received from strangers – men and women alike – whenever I wore it!! Something about the prominent chamomile note mixed with soft florals and sandalwood seemed to meld perfectly with my chemistry. I was repeatedly told I smelled “soooo good!” (My roommate even hugged me continuously for ten solid minutes refusing to let go, bringing to mind a certain humorous American commercial for Gain laundry detergent)! I still have the empty bottle for old times sake. If I ever find a replacement bottle it will probably become my signature scent! I do wish Liz Claiborne would re-release this fragrance!
Tutka – :
This is the scent I wore on my wedding day in 1992. It was a light, sweet floral that was my signature scent for several years.
euroocenkakn – :
Fresh, floral citrusy, very upbeat! A favorite in college. Still have a mini and thinking to break it out for another whirl. Love the bottle, a little piece of art!
ncl184speagoessenda – :
I saw this and it reminded me of high school! One of my first perfumes (along with exclamation and lefleur…lol) Can’t remember at all what it smells like, but if I finished the whole bottle I guess I must’ve. Just so curious to smell it again, but I don’t think I would buy it.
Tenquient – :
Edit: I wore this today to church and then work and was very happy with it. The scent has somehow morphed into a much softer version, or anyway, several sprays all over left me smelling just very, very nice- and spring like- without stinking up the place.I was not afraid to sit next to people. I will be wearing frequently in the springy weeks to come.A bit fruity, perhaps, but not like today’s fruity offerings. Very different animal. You should try this one if you can, nothing is like it!!
inindIncona – :
I have always loved this, at least in theory. I distinctly remember the ads in 1990 when it came out, very heart warming family togetherness type images. I have had a bottle ever since- and I’m thinking this must be the second bottle. I like the smell of it, I just haven’t quite figured out when, where and how to wear it. Notice there are no votes for smell-alike perfumes- that’s because there aren’t any. The first Realities is completely unique, the second Realities is totally generic. Anyway, this one is a strong, verging on pungent floral-herbal, whatever that means. It seems most suited to a daytime spring weekend, one spray to the navel area perhaps or the nape of the neck would be plenty. This is a must-try, love/hate perfume that I would not want to be without.
mim_999 – :
I loved this perfume about 15-20 years ago. I don’t care for the new scent. I, too, layered the scent with powder, body creme, lotion and perfume. I received tons of compliments when I would wear it, in particular from men (boyfriend at the time included). I even had a male stranger stop me on the street to say I smelled great and ask what perfume I was wearing. One male friend always said I smelled like apricots and vanilla when I wore this perfume. I do think it smelled more of apricots than peaches. Too bad they changed the formula. After that, I moved on to another scent.
Svetlana23 – :
The original Liz Claiborne Realities from 1990 is a winner in my book. It’s a very pleasant perfume with great longevity. Made from quality ingredients, it does not smell chemical, synthetic bomb like so many of today’s designer scents. The scent is very soft, fresh, green, feminine and natural. A scent with a sparkling quality I associate with one of my favorite perfumes, YSL’s Yvresse (Champagne). Since I can’t afford Yvresse, Realities makes a decent substitute, though it has a slightly bitter edge due to the sage. Though peach is listed on Fragrantica as the main note, I hardly get any peach or fruit, it’s in the background for me. The prominent scent I smell is an herbal floral. I pick up alot of bergamot mixed with a mild sage in the opening – a citrusy herbal smell, light and fresh. Sage can sometimes be pungent and overbearing, to where it makes me nauseous, but here it’s gentle here, and there’s chamomile and mild floral notes that settle on my skin after the opening.
The bottle is fantastic, like a modern sculpture. It looks so cool on my perfume shelf!
I highly recommend. So much better than the newer version of Realities.
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tbigor – :
In the 90’s, I had moved up in the world being a career gal! With Realities original I learned what layering was all about — use of the powder, shower gel and body creme! This fragrance always was a fresh, woody, vanilla blend to my chemistry and good for office wear.
viksun – :
I really love this perfume, it’s very light and yummy.
stprk1982 – :
this smells like peaches and their leaves together.
would classify this more like fruity green. Very potent and long lasting indeed. I find a little similarity with Arden’s Provocative Woman (though that is a lot sweeter and not at all green)
INGOLFFF – :
This is a nice simple everyday fragrance w/ some fruits, some florals and some warm notes but by all means use it w/ a light hand as it is seriously potent and long-lasting…
kgj031Unlogrere – :
When I first smelled this when it first came out I was not crazy about it but I re-discovered this a couple of years ago again! Its just beautiful! I agree, its very peachy. It lasts a long long time too! Very crisp green smelling.
Femedydroma – :
In my experience, peach is the predominant note in this fragrance, but it’s a very sharp peach – a different creature from the supersweet modern fruit perfumes. The sage isn’t intrusive (this isn’t one of those scents that leaves you feeling like a spice rack, not even a little bit) but the dark, rooted aspect of the herb provides a small counterbalance. Once the heart notes have a chance to come in, the white florals turn it just a little sweeter and a little creamier.
This followed the original Liz Claiborne scent in the triangular bottle, back when Liz was a department store name, and if you’re familiar with both you can tell that they’re siblings. Of course, some of the notes are the same (amber, peach, freesia, jasmine) but there’s more to it than that: they may be pictures of two different scenes, but they were clearly taken with the same camera.
Realities has the warm glow you’d expect from an 80’s-early 90’s department store scent, and while distinctive it’s dignified, pleasing, and appropriate for work – as it had to be to meet the old Claiborne aesthetic. The new fragrance by the same name is an entirely separate and far less interesting creation. (Pinkish juice in rounded bottle: new scent. Yellowy juice in whimsical stacked-cubes bottle: old scent.) Note that some merchants who still have this in stock sell it unboxed, probably because the unusual triangular carton is tall and impossible to stack. But of course, any bottle sold like that has been exposed to light for who knows how long and may not be worth it.
genf20hghus – :
Not sure why this one was discontinued. It’s got a crisp start from the camomile and sage but softens to a nice soft floral. The drydown has a hint of peach but still remains mainly floral with a nice creamy vanilla mixed in. I wouldn’t say it’s strong but it does waft about you with good sillage. Definately a “girlie” scent.
kravastyle – :
I bought this today and it smells good.I thought it was strong because it is an older fragrance but now that i am actually wearing it instead of sampling it I find that it is light and powdery sweetlike and it smells good.This bottle is so pretty and I like this package it comes in, cute!
Dmutro – :
Love this stuff. It is a little strong, so go easy on it.
atolik – :
I haven’t had this in over 10 years but I still remember the way it smells.I also remember that at first I didn’t like it . I was into more sporty citrus aqua scents but after a while it grew on me.
I remember the peach particularly.It was definitely prominent.It was kind of heavy at first spray but turned into a light dancing floral with a cream filled center.
I also think it is an energizing scent for a delicious high spirited women
Shagamin – :
Thanks NuriaRose. Will go to Chloe counter today.
IdeadyJak – :
WOOOOW I really love this perfume To mutch. using this perfume since 1994 @ first time. its come to me as agift from USA . im from kuwait – its not available in kuwait market . im order it from the internet after 14 years . its same amazing strong smell.
alex23 – :
I love this perfume. But like Eiza said it hard to get here in Malaysia. Wonder if there is something that smells similiar to LC Realities? Help me!
reper1504 – :
I really love this one during my stay in the State.Using this for 3 years. However, discontinue using coz hard to get it here in Malaysia. I will for sure buy it again …that’s for sure.