Liz Claiborne Perfume Guide: Which Is The Top Choice For You?

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Caroline Lambert

Are you looking for someone that’s going to be open and honest with you about the scents that are and aren’t going to work for you? Caroline isn’t here to play games when it comes to the world of perfumes. She loves breaking down every note of perfume and explaining how a perfume will work with your personal preferences. Plus, she loves learning about new scents, so she’s always on the hunt to find the best and latest perfumes on the market.

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Sometimes, you need to look at perfume differently, and that’s what I’ll show you in this Liz Claiborne Perfume Guide. You need to see beyond the lines, understand the evolutions of each perfume, and choose a “range personality” that suits your desires. That’s how I chose my favorite Claiborne perfume: Realities Sweet Desire.

Liz Claiborne was a woman unafraid to step outside the box, and you should be venturing into new waters if you wish to find the best new perfume for your collection. Smelling perfumes in a department store is one way of finding a new one. Well, as long as you’re cleaning your senses with coffee beans before smelling more.

I’m a bit of an overthinker, meaning I’ll break the perfumes down to the primary factors you must consider before choosing yours. You can say I’m about to dissect each one. Indeed, I enjoyed science a little too much. Anyway, Liz Claiborne’s perfumes are complex enough to make this fun. Let’s help you find your glamor.

The Liz Claiborne Story

Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne, or as we know her, Liz Claiborne, was a woman after my own heart. Ambitious, eclectic, and adventurous with her fashion designs, Liz earned her spot among the powerhouse women of the US. She was the first female CEO and chair of a Fortune 500 company in 1986. What a tigress!

Liz had prominent ancestral roots in Louisianna, a descendant of William C.C. Claiborne, the first state governor after statehood. She was only 10 when her family moved to New Orleans, a state with as much eccentric value as her imagination. Maybe it even inspired her to do something bold and risky as a young girl.

Liz dropped out of high school to study art from studio painters in Europe. Her father knew she was special, and she could explore her passions informally. Her creativity exploded, and she won the Jacques Heim National Design Contest in 1949 before moving back to Manhattan and working on Seventh Avenue’s garment district.

Liz worked for various Hollywood design companies before starting her brand in 1976: Liz Claiborne Inc. She was frustrated that the other designer companies didn’t provide appropriate clothing for working women. Her brand became an instant success story, turning over $23 million by 1978.

Liz Claiborne held a third of America’s upscale women’s sportswear by 1988. Liz was a passionate feminist who also had a warped sense of fashion, which is precisely what won her so many awards and honors, including:

• A spot in the National Business Hall of Fame in 1990
• An honorary doctorate presented by the Rhode Island School of Design in 1991
• A lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2000

Liz Claiborne launched its first perfume in September 1986, and it was the famous triangle bottle called Claiborne by Liz Claiborne, a floral scent in an abstract, artistic bottle. Since then, the brand has launched a large variety of perfumes.

Love for Liz

Amazon is a wonderful place to find reviews from happy customers. You’ll always find unhappy customers on any rating system, but these are just a few of the fantastic perfume wearers giving Liz Claiborne some love for three of her more popular perfumes.

Amanda praises Liz Claiborne Realities Original EDT after finding it many years after she first smelled the perfume. What makes this feedback so fabulous is that it smells precisely the way she remembers.

Brina calls Liz Claiborne Bora Bora EDP her favorite perfume. She also reminisces on how it smelled when she was in high school, and she confesses to returning to the beautiful fragrance as a married woman.

Jackie loves her Liz Claiborne Curve EDT so much that she must repeat her affection three times. They say good things come in threes, right? Jackie confirms she struggles to find the perfume, but it’s still available on Amazon, meaning she can continue receiving the compliments she admires.

Three Liz Personalities

Liz Claiborne was a woman who wanted every American working woman, sportswoman, and artistic beauty to have a signature fragrance. You can divide her perfumes into three personalities or ranges, namely:

• Realities (cheeky, feminine, eccentric, modern, alluring, passionate, determined, romantic, ambitious, and unique)
• Curve (vibrant, wild, adventurous, unusual, sweet, sassy, attractive, cute, modern-feminine, and artsy)
• All-Day Classics (sophisticated, mildly adventurous, feminine, classical, ambitious, and seductive)

Each range has personalities, helping you understand how they can influence people’s noses. You could easily use this system as your first decider for which perfume suits you better. Additionally, I’ll recommend similar perfumes that smell and evolve the same way for each fragrance, helping you experience them entirely.

Each perfume also has a recommended generation range because age-appropriate wear matters.

Liz Claiborne Realities Range

The realities range from Liz is defiant of everything you think you know to be regular about perfumes. My favorite is from this range, and it might be because I love eclectic and contemporary sweetness when I tease my partner’s senses. I have a massive collection of perfumes, and Liz Claiborne earned her place.

Liz Claiborne Realities Original EDT

Liz Claiborne Realities Original is a gorgeous floral, green perfume from 1990, almost making it a retrospective scent. It’s an ode to classical feminine fragrances with solid floral and woody undertones, but it has a sweet surprise on drydown. It’s also versatile enough for all generations.

Features

• Descending Accords: Floral, aromatic, herbal, soft spicy, fruity, white floral, rose, powdery, and warm spicy
• Cascading Notes: Chamomile, bergamot, osmanthus, sage, Bulgarian rose, carnation, lily, freesia, jasmine, sandalwood, amber, peach, and vanilla
• Longevity: 6 to 8 hours (long for an EDT)
• Generation: Gen Z to Baby Boomers
• Smells Like: It begins with a solid floral burst of carnation and roses before giving way to aromatic blends of chamomile and sage. The freshness of bergamot maintains a balance between floral and fruity as the woody undertones peak.
• Similar Perfumes: Marc Jacobs Honey and Lancôme Tresor

Cons

It might feel a little traditional for young women at first

Liz Claiborne Realities Sweet Desire EDP

Liz Claiborne Realities Sweet Desire is a 2007 dreamy, fruity, and floral perfume. It’s next-level contemporary with a sassy nature. Additionally, it has an amber foundation strong enough to elevate all the notes, giving your senses an untamed journey of sweet fruits and gentle florals.

Features

• Descending Accords: Fruity, woody, powdery, sweet, floral, citrus, white floral, honey, yellow floral, and vanilla
• Cascading Notes: Blackcurrant, bergamot, lemon, litchi, rose, mimosa, jasmine, orange blossom, honey, patchouli, musk, amber, and sandalwood
• Longevity: 6 to 8 hours
• Generation: Gen Z to Millennial
• Smells Like: The fruity sweetness uncovers gorgeous florals as classical as roses, but the unveiling amber undertone emphasizes the constant evolutions between them while the final drydown brings a potent honey and vanilla accent.
• Similar Perfumes: Christian Dior J’Adore and Calvin Klein Euphoria

Cons

The perfume is too wild for older women

Liz Claiborne All-Day Classics Range

Some perfumes last longer than others, especially Eau de Parfum, meaning the drydown is slower and more powerful. The all-day classics range is about introducing Liz Claiborne perfumes that last long enough for you to be sophisticated at work, ambitious in your active life, and seductive enough to last all night long.

Liz Claiborne Bora Bora EDP

Liz Claiborne Bora Bora is a 2002 floral perfume by Calice Becker, and it represents a beautiful destination perfectly. The French Polynesian Islands are a popular vacation destination for a good reason. They’re beautiful, filled with exotic nature, and good inspiration for how women should smell.

Features

• Descending Accords: White floral, tuberose, floral, warm spicy, powdery, fresh, citrus, iris, aquatic, and woody
• Cascading Notes: Water lily, mandarin orange, iris, tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine, orchid, sandalwood, and ginger
• Longevity: 6 to 10 hours
• Generation: Millennial to Gen X
• Smells Like: Your nose is first embraced with gentle hints of florals, dancing among the water lilies, before you’re engulfed with a warmer, stronger floral foundation combining jasmine and orchid. The freshness and woody undertones subtly push through to make you think of an island lifestyle.
• Similar Perfumes: Paris Hilton Tease and Versace Pour Femme Dylan Turquoise

Cons

This perfume is better suited to middle-aged women and not young girls or boomers

Liz by Liz Claiborne EDP

Liz by Liz Claiborne is a 2005 amber, floral perfume by Jean-Marc Chaillan, Pascal Gaurin and Laurent Le Guernec. It’s one of the most feminine fragrances from Liz, and her original perfume inspires it. It lasts forever, and the constant scent evolutions are incredible.

Features

Descending Accords: Floral, fruity, fresh, citrus, powdery, vanilla, aquatic, sweet, yellow floral, and white floral

Cascading Notes: Melon, mandarin orange, mimosa, pear, honeysuckle, magnolia, hyacinth, pink peony, amber, heliotrope, pink paprika, and vanilla

Longevity: 8 to 10 hours

Generation: Gen Z to Millennial

Smells Like: The initial exchanges of fruity, flora, fresh, and citrus scents make it smell tropical before the sweetness is powdered down and warmed up amber to turn the exotic accents into a milder undertone. It turns into a prominent floral fragrance with sweet accents.

Similar Perfumes: Alfred Sung Shi and Gwen Stefanie L Lamb

Cons

It smells too vibrant for mature women

Liz Claiborne Lucky Number 6 EDP

Liz Claiborne Lucky Number 6 is a 2006 floral perfume with deep classical roots, and yes, that means the sources are wildly floral. It’s a beautiful fragrance for traditional women who want to flaunt their elegant feminism.

Features

• Descending Accords: Floral, white floral, musky, woody, amber, green, aquatic, fresh, aromatic, and ozonic
• Cascading Notes: Tyger lily, peony, lotus, litchi, jasmine, tea, musk, shiso, amber, and cashmere wood
• Longevity: About 8 hours
• Generation: Gen X to Baby Boomer
• Smells Like: At first, you feel like your senses have been wrapped in a field of flowers, only mildly sweetened by litchi, but the cashmere wood boldens the florals as they blend with fresh scents to create a botanical undertone.
• Similar Perfumes: Fendi by Fendi and Jennifer Lopez Still

Cons

• I feel like botanical scents are too old-school and reserved for older generations

Liz Claiborne Spark Parfum

Liz Claiborne Spark is a 2003 amber, vanilla Parfum by Jean Claude Delville. It seems to be the type of perfume ambitious women determined to succeed at work would wear. You can also wear it to tease people’s senses in social settings. It doesn’t have detailed notes, but it smells amazing for the right woman.

Features

• Descending Accords: Cinnamom, caramel, woody, powdery, warm spicy, sweet, floral, musky, and rose
• Cascading Notes: Cinnamon, caramel, cedarwood, orchid, musk, and rose
• Longevity: 8 to 10 hours
• Generation: Millennial to Gen X
• Smells Like: Cinnamon and caramel tickle your fancy, smelling almost like burned caramel as the woody foundation rounds the scent into a warmer, musky undertone. The floral notes aren’t too prominent.
• Similar Perfumes: Guess Original and Thierry Mugler Angel

Cons

• It feels like an empowered scent better suited to working women or sassy women who know what they want

Liz Claiborne Curve Range

The curve range is all the fad right now. It’s the broadest range of perfumes from Liz Claiborne, and the multi-generational fragrances denote hints of various personalities. This range has something for everyone from sassy to sweet, artsy to cute, and modern-feminine to wild.

Liz Claiborne Curve EDT

Liz Claiborne Curve Original is a 1996 fruity, floral perfume without apology. It has a long list of sensually pleasing notes that make it the perfect signature scent for young women. Moreover, this perfume has unique ingredients that make it smell bolder than other floral and fruity fragrances.

Features

• Descending Accords: Fruity, floral, citrus, fresh, woody, powdery, rose, white floral, sweet, and violet
• Cascading Notes: Peach, grapefruit, apricot, mandarin orange, bergamot, blackberry, ylang-ylang, yellow freesia, pink peony, cyclamen, cassia, lotus, Damask rose, magnolia, lily of the valley, sandalwood, amber, mahogany, violet, iris, musk, and cedar
• Longevity: About 6 hours
• Generation:  Gen Z to Millennial (maybe Gen X)
• Smells Like: The feisty fruity notes burst into the initial wake with a punch, intertwining accents of apricot, grapefruit, and peach, and this lasts a while before the endless florals dance between the sweetness of the fruit. The woody foundation merely warms the other notes, hardly coming out after the handover.
• Similar Perfumes: Christian Dior Miss Blooming Bouquet and Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl

Cons

• It should last longer
• It’s too bold for mature women (boomers)

Liz Claiborne Curve Crush EDT

Liz Claiborne Curve Crush is a 2003 floral, aromatic perfume by Pierre Negrin and Carlos Vinals. It’s not an overwhelming scent and could work for young women who want to show their teeth without stepping on people’s toes. In other words, you can crush your goals without breaking the foundation.

Features

• Descending Accords: Warm spicy, sweet, lactonic, vanilla, and cinnamon
• Cascading Notes: Milk, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, tea, vanilla, cardamom, musk, floral notes, pepper, and citruses
• Longevity: 6 to 8 hours
• Generation: Gen Z to Millennial
• Smells Like: It starts with gentle, milky, and warm blends of aromatic accents before drying down to fresher, sweeter spices and florals. The vanilla adds just enough sweetness to the tinges of floral notes before the foundation elevates aromatic touches again.
• Similar Perfumes: Emanual Ungaro Love and Clinique Cocoa & Cashmere

Cons

• It’s a “should I, shouldn’t I” kind of perfume
• It’s way too innocent for mature women

Liz Claiborne Curve Pink Blossom EDT

Liz Claiborne Curve Pink Blossom is a 2021 floral perfume, making it the newest addition to the brand. This fragrance is an artsy take on florals, and it uses sweet and natural ingredients to modernize the scent. However, it feels as sweet and innocent as the last one, but don’t be fooled. It has a wild bite.

Features

• Descending Accords: Floral, green, fresh, woody, musky, and aquatic
• Cascading Notes: Apple blossom, aloe vera, magnolia, pear blossom, green leaves, water lily, cashmere musk, pink peony, and woodsy notes
• Longevity: 4 to 6 hours
• Generation: Gen Z to Millennial
• Smells Like: The initial florals are beautiful as they unfold between natural notes like aloe vera, and the pear blossom accent brings a gentle sweetness before the perfume boldly bites with a robust woody, musky undertone that seems slightly faded by a barely-noticeable freshness.
• Similar Perfumes: Delina Parfums de Marly and Abercrombie & Fitch First Instinct Together

Cons

• It doesn’t last long, even for an EDT
• It won’t smell good on mature women
• It’s a deceptive perfume (moving from innocent to sassy)

Liz Claiborne Curve Wave EDT

Liz Claiborne Curve Wave is a 2005 floral aquatic perfume, turning its name into something straightforward. It’s one of the few perfumes by this brand that have tropical notes, but it intends to make you feel like you’re on the beach. When you think of floral notes, think about oceanic florals.

Features

• Descending Accords: Floral, white floral, fruity, tropical, powdery, sweet, musky, and woody
• Cascading Notes: Starfruit (carambola), raspberry, orchid, honeysuckle, hibiscus, lily, passionflower, frangipani, sandalwood, amber, and musk
• Longevity: About 6 hours
• Generation: Gen Z to Gen X
• Smells Like: The unique carambola notes blend beautifully with raspberry and honeysuckle to create that balance of fruity and sweet accents that make it feel tropical. The florals transcend the sweetness, constantly evolving through the top notes and drying down to a warm, woody undertone.
• Similar Perfumes: Clinique Happy and Clinique Happy Heart 2003

Cons

• Again, the curve range doesn’t last long enough
• It will smell “tutty fruity” on mature women (even Gen X should be careful)

Liz Claiborne Curve Kicks EDT

Liz Claiborne Curve Kicks is a 2006 fruity, floral perfume that promises a kick and delivers on that promise. It’s another perfume that offers a tropical accent, but the wildness of fruity, floral, and woody undertones makes it an animated adventure for your senses. It’s a perfect modern-feminine perfume for young women.

Features

• Descending Accords: Fruity, sweet, fresh, citrus, floral, woody, aromatic, vanilla, green, and tropical
• Cascading Notes: Melon, cassia, pear, mandarin orange, passionfruit, freesia, peony, lily of the valley, vetiver, cedar, vanilla, peach, and sandalwood
• Longevity: 4 to 6 hours
• Generation: Gen Z to Millennial
• Smells Like: Your senses are captivated by surging fruity notes that feel overwhelmingly sweet at first, but this quickly dries down to a subtler floral and woody base, which ends in a gorgeous tropical foundation with hints of freshness.
• Similar Perfumes: Ralph Lauren Rocks and Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy

Cons

• The curve range doesn’t offer great longevity (apart from the coming EDP)
• This perfume is wildly inappropriate for mature women

Liz Claiborne Curve Vintage Soul EDP

Liz Claiborne Curve Vintage Soul is a 2006 floral perfume, and it’s the only long-lasting fragrance from the range. The bottle and packaging are as beautifully vintage as the smell, but yes, the scent is a classical one better suited to middle-aged and mature women. This perfume is an artsy take on vintage flair.

Features

• Descending Accords: Fruity, woody, citrus, powdery, sweet, patchouli, floral, white floral, earthy, and warm spicy
• Cascading Notes: Cranberry, lime, bergamot, orange, apple, plum, iris, lime blossom, rose, jasmine, magnolia, tuberose, musk, amber, sandalwood, vanilla, and patchouli
• Longevity: About 8 hours
• Generation: Millennial to Baby Boomer
• Smells Like: The opening notes tickle your senses with fruity accents from cranberries blended into lime and bergamot, but the woody undertone surfaces long before the perfume reaches its base, which creates a wonderfully warm and floral feel, perfect for vintage wearing.
• Similar Perfumes: Tocca Cleopatra and Ricci by Nina Ricci

Cons

• This perfume doesn’t smell good on young women unless you’re a retro child
• It’s a little traditional for my taste (although the sweetness adds some modern vibes)

Liz Claiborne has countless perfumes, some available and some not. Some other fragrances from the brand include:

• Liz Claiborne Mambo EDP (all-day range: floral and fruity)
• Liz Claiborne Realities New EDP (realities range: floral)
• Liz Claiborne Vivid EDT (no range: floral)
• Claiborne by Liz Claiborne EDT (no range: floral and original 1986)
• Liz Sport by Liz Claiborne EDT (no range: Chypre floral)
• Liz Claiborne Lucky You EDT (no range: floral)
• Liz Claiborne Candies EDP (all-day range: fresh and fruity)
• Liz Claiborne Curve Connect EDT (curve range: aromatic and fruity)
• Liz Claiborne Curve Chill EDT (curve range: floral)
• Liz Claiborne Curve Soul EDP (curve range: fresh and fragrant)

Choosing Your Liz Perfume

Determining which perfume suits your lifestyle, attitude, and desires is fortunately not rocket science once you break each one down to its roots. Use the three steps of choosing your Liz perfume to find your magic scent:

1. Ask yourself what kind of personality would you like in a perfume? The curve range is better if you’re an artsy, unique, and modern-feminine woman, but the realities range is better if you’re a romantic, ambitious, and cheeky woman. Choose your range first.
2. Choose the options available for your generation. Gen Z women were born between 1996 and 2015. Millennials were born between 1977 and 1995. Gen X women were born between 1965 and 1976. Finally, Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Wear perfume according to your age.
3. The last step is to determine what notes you love. Are you a fruity or floral person? Maybe you love a stronger woody foundation. See which perfumes are left once you choose a range and generation. By the time you go through all three steps, you should have one or two options to try.

Tips to Improve Your Liz Perfume

You’ll want to improve your Liz perfume, especially if you choose an EDT that lasts between four and six hours. Some tricks and products can help you extend the scent on your skin. Useful tricks include:

• Spraying Liz perfume directly into your hair
• Storing Liz perfume with a lovely organizer to keep the ingredients fresh and notable
• Moisturizing your skin before spraying Liz perfume to make it last longer

The final trick is a must for perfuming. Try to match the body lotion to your perfume because this also layers the scents. In the least, keep fruity with the same aromas and florals with other botanicals. Liz Claiborne has a few scented moisturizers to use with different perfumes:

• Liz Claiborne Realities New Body Lotion
• Liz Claiborne Curve Kicks Body Lotion
• Liz Claiborne Realities Sweet Desire Body Lotion
• Liz Claiborne Spark Body Lotion
• Liz Claiborne Curve Crush Body Lotion

You can find more body lotions for each perfume on Amazon, and there’s one for every scent mentioned above.

Recommended Alternative Brands

You have recommended alternatives for each perfume to help you experience them, but you can also choose a different brand if you aren’t happy with tigress Liz Claiborne’s legacy. Some brands have subtle similarities.

• Charlie perfumes are pro-feminist and suit ambitious women well
• Burberry Her perfumes aren’t similar in notes, but each one has a unique personality like Liz’s ranges
• Clinique perfumes are feminine and affordable, much like Liz Claiborne
• Coach perfumes also use many fruity and floral notes

FAQs

Liz Claiborne Perfume Guide: Final Thoughts

Liz Claiborne is another phenomenal woman who stepped away from society’s expectations of women in the 1970s, even becoming the first female CEO on the Fortune 500 company list. She only got an honorary degree in fashion, but she indeed made waves in the industry. Her mind was eclectically artsy enough.

The perfumes from Liz Claiborne are an ode to women with ambitions and unique personalities. I’m in love with Realities Sweet Desire because I lean toward sweet and fruity contemporary scents. It seems a little young for me in the wrong setting, but I know when to use it. It sits in my organizer, waiting for my spontaneous days.

Thanks to Liz Claiborne having such a vast range of perfumes, you should find one that speaks to your artsy soul. Use the three steps to choose your favorite one now, and order it before you fall off the edge of your seat with anticipation.

For more information on incredible perfumes:

• Best Elegant Perfume Trays Every Woman Should Invest In 
• Skylar Perfume Guide: A Natural, Clean Alternative For You 
• Ed Hardy Perfume Guide: Inking Your Signature Scent