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ON TARGET
I tried Target’s $20 designer perfume dupes – I saved hundreds and got loads of compliments, the perfect Christmas gift
TARGET has a line of affordable unisex perfumes and colognes, which could make the perfect last-minute stocking stuffer gift.
According to all my favorite fragrance bloggers, MIX:BAR's perfumes smell even better than the pricey designer scents they resemble.
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I love perfume almost as much as I hate spending money.
As such, I spend lots of time on TikTok, Reddit and the perfume website Fragrantica looking for products that give me the most bang for my buck.
I've spent enough time trawling the Target beauty aisles that I wasn't surprised to hear the store is the home of the designer dupes du jour.
The fine fragrances are priced at $19.99, making them a much easier last-minute splurge than a Tom Ford or Guerlain scent.
MIX:BAR offers that are even more affordable – only $9.99 – so they're a great candidate for stocking stuffers.
Since the scents are meant to be blendable and layer with other fragrances, it was my journalistic duty to try as many as possible.
I picked up the , and set to work sampling all five scents: Coconut Palm, Cloud Musk, Sparkling Hibiscus, Vanilla Bourbon and Whipped Almond.
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Since it's December and forecasts in my area are in the negative double digits this week, I reached for the most tropical-sounding scent first.
While ended up being my favorite, it wasn't just because I'm too broke for a beach getaway.
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Actually, I don't think Coconut Palm smells beachy at all. It smells like someone who owns a beach house.
But the woodsy scent is more like "expensive candle in a quiet copse of trees after heavy rain."
There's a salty edge at first spritz that's vaguely oceanic, but this scent is more like sandalwood that fades to a warm, cozy smell – think heavy whipping cream.
It was a big hit from the moment I sprayed it on.
While we prepared to do some of our own holiday shopping, my mom asked me what I was wearing before we even left the house.
She was just as surprised as I was that this cuddly scent was labeled "coconut," but didn't mind as long as I shared.
Coconut Palm (No. 08) smells like...
- A season of The White Lotus that takes place in a forest
- , $129.99
- , $360
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The next scent I tried was , which is by far the most popular MIX:BAR fragrance on social media.
It's been hailed as the "Clean Girl" fragrance, with a heady bundle of pink florals that dry down to a freshly-washed skin scent.
The tinted moisturizer of fragrances, Cloud Musk reportedly smells different on everyone, just like its older, pricier cousin, Glossier You.
On my skin, this fragrance definitely evoked youth – specifically, the mall I spent hundreds of hours and dollars at during my teens.
For some mysterious, unsettling reason, the "cool kids corner" at my local mall now smells like a recently-flooded basement. But in the 2010s?
The stretch of tile between Hot Topic and Earthbound Trading (under the escalator, before the vending machines) smelled like heaven on earth.
Brown sugar, fresh flowers and iced coffee with too much creamer: that's what the mall smelled like in its heyday, and it's what Cloud Musk smells like to me.
Cloud Musk (No. 21) smells like...
- Every GenZ TikTok star with over 1million followers
- , $64
- $205
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At first, I did an olfactory double take when I sprayed on my pulse points.
Did I accidentally spray Cloud Musk again? I wondered. Checking the bottle to confirm, I even theorized that I got a mislabled vial.
But while they were similar at first whiff, after a few minutes, Whipped Almond's unique qualities shined through.
If Cloud Musk is a tall glass of French vanilla iced coffee, Whipped Almond is the $6 macaron you buy to go with it.
Whipped Almond starts off like a cupcake with lots of sprinkles, frothy and frilly.
After several minutes, it dries down to something more like a six-tier wedding cake, surprisingly heavy with sculpted marzipan flowers.
This was way too sweet for me – and that's saying something, considering how much of my diet is cotton candy.
But I have friends who are devotees of the high-end fragrance line by Killian, and I can't wait to pass this along to them.
Whipped Almond (No. 14) smells like...
- A sexy reboot of the "Is It Cake?" baking show
- , $265
- , $35
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After my adventure with Coconut Palm, I was eager to try the other tropical scent in the MIX:BAR sampler's lineup.
Once again, I wasn't transported to a sandy beach, but I wasn't disappointed.
The scent is the punchiest of the bunch. It smells less like a fresh hibiscus flower, and more like a big jug of hibiscus tea.
I'd describe Sparkling Hibiscus as having "department store makeup counter energy," which I mean as the highest compliment.
I wore it while running errands and there were times throughout the day that this smelled more like strawberries than a true floral.
Everyone who asked what I was wearing was surprised by the low price point.
One woman even reiterated a comment I'd read online, that it smelled like a "fancy, grown-up version" of her favorite Bath and Body Works sprays, Champagne Toast.
I was shocked to learn that Bath and Body Works does make a fine fragrance version of the scent – and it's twice what MIX:BAR's spray costs.
Sparkling Hibiscus (No. 07) smells like...
- Every character Reese Witherspoon has ever portrayed
- , $82
- , $44.50
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The last fragrance in my lineup also had the biggest shoes to fill.
has been compared to fragrance greats like Tom Ford and two different Replica by Maison Margiela scents.
I anticipated something between the designer brand's and which both retail for $144.
From the first spray, Vanilla Bourbon met my expectations.
It smelled like a person smoking a cigar, nursing a drink and wearing a vanilla cologne that costs more than my rent.
The "heaviest" fragrance of the bunch, this settled into my skin and stayed there all day, into the next morning.
It had especially strong lasting power in my hair. After spritzing a little on my hairbrush, I got to enjoy "rich girl hair" for hours.
The biggest problem with Vanilla Bourbon is that it doesn't carry very far. You need to be close to someone if you want them to detect the scent.
But of course, any real wealthy person knows it's not polite to show off, so that just adds to this fragrance's magic.
Vanilla Bourbon (No. 09) smells like...
- A mysterious stranger who covers the whole bar's tab
- , $85
- , $175
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If you need a stocking stuffer for your coolest cousin or pickiest sibling, then MIX:BAR's discovery set is a brilliant move.
And if you find yourself with a bigger budget – or an existing knowledge of your gift recipient's taste – you could easily bring home several scents for under $50.
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The MIX:BAR line offers even more scents online and in-store, like Blackberry Tonic and Glass Rose.
Don't be surprised if your last-minute gift shopping takes a turn – you may become so captivated by the scents that you choose a treat for yourself, too.
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