Dupe Of A Dupe?

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I've heard tons of raves about Victoria's Secret Bombshell Eau de Parfum, which is also available in body spray form and has tons of different flankers. However, I also heard multiple complaints about the very poor longevity of the product. I've tried other VS perfumes and body sprays in the past and I have to agree that they don't have amazing longevity. Due to that reason, I decided not to splurge and to just go for Instyle's impression of it. I've heard and read about how much of a dead ringer it is of the original. Other than that, I also have a good luck in terms of the longevity of Instyle colognes on me. I already have a few and they last unbelievably long on me, especially their impression of Chanel  No. 5 which lasts all day on me, without the need of reapplying.

This cologne came last week and the moment I smelt it, it immediately reminded me of another perfume that I already have and that is Bench Love Affair Lovi Poe Eau de Toilette. The undertone and dry down of both perfumes are dead on. The only difference is the initial scent of the Instyle one. It has a tropical vibe and it smells sweet and fruity. Actually, if I have to guess, I'd say that mangoes and coconut are included in the top notes. That initial scent only lasts for mostly an hour and the scent then turns almost completely the same to the Bench one.

The Bench EDT is a bit cheaper, I believe I got it for around 350-500 Php while the other one I got for 570 Php. The Bench one is an EDT so it lasts a bit longer than the Instyle cologne. It actually lasts so long that sometimes I could still smell it on my clothes a day after. But if I have to choose one, without second thoughts, I'd go for the Bombshell impression because it contains a lot more (100 ml vs 60 ml) and it is not linear, unlike Bench Love Affair.  It has more body and density, especially the initial scent. Love Affair is a tiny bit thinner, airier and muskier.

Overall, these two are extremely similar to me and I consider Love Affair as a dupe of Bombshell impression since after an hour no one would be able to tell which is which. However, is it a dupe of a dupe? I can't vouch for that. If you want to know how similar the impression is to the original, check out these video and reviews ( 1 & 2 ).

If you are interested in any of these; Bombshell is available at VS stores, counters and also online (Amazon for example), Love Affair is exclusively available at Bench and I got Instyle Impression of Bombshell from drugstore.com through makeupinboxph.com. I hope this helps. Ciao! ;) xo