Madonna Truth or Dare Budget Beauty Pick Perfume Review
Madonna Truth or Dare* Eau de Parfum is surprisingly better than you would think for a celebrity fragrance. I would not call it a masterpiece but well worth a try if you like creamy tuberose or gardenia fragrances. Coty has discontinued Truth or Dare. It is sold now at ridiciously low prices. My back up bottle was € 8,59.
Truth or Dare was the first fragrance Madonna launched.* It was inspired by the 1948 Piguet classic Fracas. Fracas was said to be worn by Madonna’s mother. I do not find Truth or Dare to be very daring as it is neither indolic nor carnal. To some it is a gourmand floral due to the lush creamy vanilla and caramel amber base. The so called addiction accord.
Truth or Dare behaves quite decently on my skin starting with a fruity delicious ripe juicy pear note to continue as a creamy tuberose and gardenia, then moving quite quickly into a slightly but not overly sweet vanilla and carameled amber to end as a barely notice able soapy scent. Reading bloggers’ reviews I did not find others who scented the ripe pear note in the beginning. Some smelled white lily at the heart which luckily, I did not get. Truth or Dare wears quite close to the skin and can only be scented for a few hours. The trick to really enjoy it, is to reapply during the day and spray luxuriously. I like to wear Truth or Dare on warmer summer days.
What image do I get: a glamorous fur coat and a string of pearls like the lady (and wife of) on this Kees van Dongen painting.
What does it do? Makes me feel glamorous, outgoing, mature and centered.
Given its price and quality I would recommend Truth or Dare to those who like creamy tuberose, white florals or are new to the smell of tuberose and want to experience its lushness before moving on to other more expensive and classic tuberose fragrances like Fracas.
Try Truth or Dare for this bargain price!
Notes: (as off Fragrantica website) The scent is both a light and dark, opening with notes of gardenia, creamy tuberose and neroli. The heart consists of jasmine, benzoin and white lily, based on vanilla absolute, caramelized amber and sensual musk.
Launched: 2012
Perfumer: Stephen Nilsen (Givaudan)
Perfume Family: Floral / Floral Oriental
Try if you like: Nicolai Juste Un Reve, Isabey Gardenia, MDCI Peche Cardinal, Miller Harris Noix de Tubereuse
Status: discontinued
Produced by: Coty
Origin of Sample: my own bottles
Price: € 8,59 for a 75 ml tester spray bottle at a Dutch online discount store
Painting: Portrait of Guus Preitinger by Kees van Dongen, Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam
Photographs: made by me, model Rubio
*The Truth or Dare (In Bed with Madonna in Europe) movie was introduced 25 years ago. Read more about the anniversary this year and the original movie.
*Read this interesting interview with the perfumer Stephen Nilsen about creating Truth or Dare and working with Madonna, which was quite challenging.
September 2, 2016 @ 11:10
I’m not a fan of tuberose, so i didn’t like this perfume – i had to gift it to someone else. I do however, LOVE your feline friend…. he/she is very beautiful! 🙂
September 2, 2016 @ 11:40
Welcome to my website, Pats! I can imagine you did not like Truth or Dare if you don’t like tuberose. Thank you, his name is Rubio, meaning Blond in Spanish.
September 2, 2016 @ 11:50
I have heard many good things about this, but can’t get past the fact that it’s a Madonna perfume and named after that horrible movie Truth or Dare. Maybe one day I’ll get a sniff but I’m in no hurry. 🙂
September 2, 2016 @ 12:10
It is worth a try, S. As a floral lover I think you might like it. I don’t connect this fragrance too much to Madonna and as long as I don’t I am able to wear it and enjoy it. But I do see your point.
September 3, 2016 @ 08:42
Tuberose is one of my nemesis, so Truth or Dare wasn’t to my liking. And I could never get past the thought that this bottle looks a lot like a coffin. But perfume aside, I loved the picture of sleeping Rubio (he didn’t know you were taking that picture, did he?)
September 3, 2016 @ 15:52
If you don’t like tuberose, Truth or Dare is not for you, Undina. The bottle is awfull, I agree although I do not seen a coffin in it. Rubio was sleeping, sometimes he lets me make a photograph and stays still but only if he wants to. You know how cats can be. He did not know I was taking a photograph, how did you guess 🐱?
October 2, 2016 @ 08:50
From time to time I have to do that trick with Rusty when he’s being especially stubborn about not participating in the shoot. Then I wait for him to fall asleep, place a bottle – and tale a picture once he’s awake.
September 9, 2016 @ 15:49
YUM! Quite the stash of this here. SHHHHH
Portia xx
September 9, 2016 @ 17:51
Won’t tell anyone 🙂 Love it too! Xxx Esperanza
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