Drugstore Cowgirl Rides Again 🤠
And let's get inspired by Ann Wilson!
Hi, Dames Nation and happy Friday! How’s everyone doing? I’m feeling pretty good; I went to Hampton Beach this week for the first time in decades and went into the New Hampshire ocean. It was cold! Did you know New Hampshire has a coastline? Thirteen whole miles of it! I also saw Ann Wilson and she was amazing. Does she still hit all those “Barracuda” and “Alone” notes? Absolutely, but she seemingly can’t hold them for as long as she used to and honestly good for her. Should Ann Goddamn Wilson stop being Ann Wilson because her voice is slightly different? No, and it’s a good message for us all. As one of her new songs says, “This Is Now.” Also, she sang two (2!) Led Zeppelin songs (“Immigrant Song” and “Going To California”) and they both made me cry with their beauty?! I’ll take it, man; not bad for a Wednesday night. [Robert Plant cried over Heart’s rendition of “Stairway To Heaven” at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012, btw.]
I want to bring back Drugstore Cowgirl. I’ve felt weird about it because I hyped it up so much and then let it go and also I have so, so much perfume and buying more can feel silly but I really like writing about perfume, particularly cheap perfume, and if I send it to Dames Nation it’s service journalism, right? Anyway, I’ve been wanting to write about Target’s Fine’ry perfumes for months, and in in the meantime, they got really famous on perfume TikTok for being really good dupes of other, more expensive perfumes. I went to a store with expensive perfumes and went crazy with the testers to bring you some on the ground reporting. This one’s free but future Drugstore Cowgirls will be for paying subscribers once again. And yes, please submit your requests. Did you submit one in the past and I never got to it? I apologize! I’m on it!
Ok, so I got the Mini Fragrance Perfume Set, so I’m going to concentrate on that. I also tried Jungle Santal which is supposedly a dupe of the famous Le Labo Santal 33, aka the smell of Brooklyn five years ago. I myself love and always get compliments on Maison Louis Marie Bois de Balincourt, which smells like Sandalwood! Vetiver! Amber Wood! and also is a very sexxxy candle. It itself supposedly a dupe for Santal 33 but I don’t know because I don’t have Santal 33! To me, Jungle Santal (Papyrus Wood! Indian Cardamom! Black Oolong Tea!) is sharper and greener than Bois de Balincourt and is not really a dupe but everyone’s skin is different and tea notes often go weird on me.
On to the minis:
Fine’ry: Before The Rainbow (Salty Air, Bergamot, Tree Moss)
Supposed dupe for: Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone (Ambrette, Sea Salt, Sage)
Actual dupe? Pretty close!
Thoughts: The bergamot is a bit strong and to me the lack of ambrette makes it less complex than WS & SS but the general fresh, oceanic vibe is right on. Kind of basic but we all like a fresh, confident crowd pleasing workhorse in our fragrance wardrobe, right?
Fine’ry: I’m A Musk (Fluffy Musk, Cotton Blossom, Creamy Sandalwood)
Supposed dupe for: Cloud by Ariana Grande (Lavender, Pear, Vanilla Orchid, Praline, Woods, Other Stuff)
Actual dupe? No?
Thoughts: I like these sweetish musk perfumes a lot and think of them as blankie perfumes — cozy, simple, snuggly, you get it. Cloud disappears immediately on me, but when it’s around it smells pretty cloying. I’m A Musk stays around a bit longer and then goes to the creamy sandalwood. It’s fine? Some say it’s a dupe of Not A Perfume by Juliette Has A Gun but I have that and it’s much more fresh and almost medicinal with no creaminess — think “sexy robot.” It’s because of the Cetalox standing alone — Cetalox would be a good name for a sexy robot, actually.
Fine’ry: Flower Bed (Lush Peony, Green Apple, Wild Bamboo Leaf)
Supposed dupe for: Chance by Chanel (Pink Pepper, Jasmine, Amber, Patchouli)
Actual dupe? Sorta
Thoughts: To me, the green apple note is very noticeable in Flower Bed, but the floral aspects, which are at the forefront, do smell similar. Flower Bed did fade faster than the other Fine’ry options, I gotta say.
Fine’ry: Sun-phoria (Monoi Blossom, Orange Flower, Amber Wood)
Supposed dupe for: Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford (Pistachio, Bergamot, Cardamom and Pink Pepper; middle notes are Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang and Jasmine; base notes are Coconut, Amber, Tonka Bean and Benzoin, per Fragrantica)
Actual dupe? Pretty close!
Thoughts: I looooove both of these! They smell like the best sunscreen and also pistachio? Soleil Blanc lasted much longer and stronger but at these prices who cares?! Now I want to try this whole ass Pistachio perfume from D.S. & Durga. If you’ve tried it, how is it?
Fine’ry: Sweet On The Outside (Madagascar Vanilla, Cacao Wood, Smoked Vetiver)
Supposed dupe for: Eilish by Billie Eilish (Sugared Petals, Vanilla, Soft Spices, Cocoa, Sleek Woods, Musk)
Actual dupe? Yeah!
Thoughts: This was my favorite; I am a sucker for a woody, smoky, spicy vanilla and here is it! Again, Eilish lasted much longer than Sweet On The Outside, is not THAT expensive, and the bottle is a gold bust of Billie Eilish herself, sooooo… make some choices. Excited to try (and find a dupe for) Eilish No. 2!
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Ann Wilson! What a goddess. <3 Also can we please have scratch n sniff Substack posts?
Oh dang, I bet Ann Wilson is a gooood show! I'm jealous.