She had her way of thinking and Lord knows I had mine.

Sarah Jessica Parker Covet

When it comes to trying new things, while inherently risk adverse, I do tend to be pretty open minded when it comes to whether or not I will like something. Because I tend to like the things I like whether they are popular or not, I usually will try things and trust my own judgment as the item's appeal to my taste. I also don’t reject things out of hand simply because they are popular; I like to try everything–-good and bad, obscure and mass market-–and make my own determination. Therefore, I tend to do a lot of things other people won’t. I will sit through films that I am not sure I’m enjoying all the way to the end. I will endure a random hour of a radio station that plays music I don’t tend to enjoy to see if I’m missing out on things. I let people take me out to foods I haven’t enjoyed before so I can retry them.

Consequently, there are very few things I genuinely do not like. There are less than five films I’ve ever just turned off. I have more fingers on one hand than the genres of music that I find totally inaccessible. And there are very few scents that I think are true scrubbers. I try, very hard, to find the good in things, because I know that the scent I’m scrubbing off is probably a signature scent waiting to happen for someone I really care for. Please keep that in mind as I review SJP Covet.

Created in July 2007, according to Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP), Covet is

a stunning blend of fresh green notes, gorgeous florals and sensuous woods that instantly draws you in and won't let you go. Covet has top notes of wet greens, geranium leaves, Sicilian lemon, lavender and chocolate; a heart of honeysuckle, magnolia and muget, and a drydown of musk, vetiver, bois de cashmere, teakwood and amber.

On application, it is sharp and green, with a melon-y note that gives it a bit of a sour edge. It’s loud and trashy, and kind of burns out the nose the way trying too many scents one on top of another seems to burn out the nose. After about an hour it backs off, and finally get around to the being anything like the “lavender chocolate” tag Tania gives it in Perfumes: The Guide.

I get a lot of powdery notes, too, like someone took a lavender water flavored cream filling, rolled it in a medium coating of semi-sweet chocolate chips that have been melted down and mixed with paraffin for that glossy finish (“Forget tempering – this is faster!” the Learn Cookin’ in Five Quick Minutes host says with a wink), and then, in lieu of sprinkles or colored refined sugar, rolled each ball thoroughly in baby powder.

This feels like the sort of scent my Brittany Spears loving cousin who is in her early 20s would love. It's big. It's sparkly. It's like a sequined top. It's false eyelashes with gem stones. Given the right time and place, it can be outstanding. I can’t imagine a man wearing this, but I can think of a couple of very *beautiful* drag queens I knew back in Houston who would have loved it, and felt the name was a hilarious inside wink.

As I reread that description, it sounds bad. It sounds negative. Here’s the truth: it took over an hour for me to find the parts of Covet I like. But they are in there. The sweetness is sharp with greenery in the same way that salted caramels surprise you with the biting salt bits. It has huge sillage and really strong staying power, so know that if you wear this one, not a body in the room will miss it. Covet it isn’t bad, exactly. I don’t hate it. I didn’t scrub it off. I just didn’t find a lot that made me think, “I want to have this experience again.” But try it for yourself. It's not all bad. And that's something.

I found large quantities of Covet for sale on Amazon and Overstock.com for very affordable prices.

"One man's loss is another man's gain.
One man's pleasure is another man's pain.
Now when I left this town it was for her and for me.
Now I'm home all alone, with a paper that says I'm free.
I guess I'll hit the road again, and do what I do best.
To hell with her, to hell with him, to hell with all the rest."
- "One Man's Pleasure," Molly Hatchet

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ A review from Scented Salamander
~ A review from Bella Sugar

Images borrowed from Sarah Jessica Parker fragrances and Variety Magazine. All rights reserved.