I knew I needed to try out (and then review) Ash by Ashley Benson’s perfumes — The Eighth and East 12th — the second I read the note profiles.
I’ve never been to the East Village of New York or Paris, France. But the scent profiles of East 12th and The Eighth were all too enticing, and I couldn’t help but add to cart the day they came out.
After a long, long week of waiting, the duo came in. My game plan? Wear each one individually, and then layered – then review all three scenarios to see if I preferred one over the others.
So, without further ado, let’s get into my reviews of Ash by Ashley Benson’s The Eighth and East 12th!
East 12th Review
I had a date, so I decided on wearing East 12th. While it may have made more sense to wear a romantic smell (aka The Eighth), I wanted something bold. Something that screamed my confident, tornado-of-a-human-being self. With orange and damask rose, I knew I had that complexity in the bag.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last throughout my time wearing a sweater, then sweating underneath the sweater and taking it off, rubbing my wrists along the table as I ate, and then sweating some more as I walked home.
I was surprised – I thought such a vivacious smell would last for awhile. Alas, I was wrong. A disappointment, if we’re being honest.
The Eighth Review
Seeing as East 12th didn’t last throughout a sweaty night, I decided to wear The Eighth on a work day. This consisted of my wrists rubbing against my laptop and jacket, petting my cat, and possibly maybe (definitely) taking a quick (two hour, not actually quick) nap. It had to last all of this, at least. I was doing nothing!
And… it kind of did.
The Eighth must have rubbed off on my cat and/or keyboard while working (or maybe my sweater, though I wasn’t sweaty this time), because the vast majority of the smell on my inner wrist was gone. If I sniffed hard enough, the edges smelled like cashmere wood. But otherwise, it was a bust.
My next experiment: layering the two. To say I didn’t have high hopes is an understatement.
East 12th and The Eighth: Layered
I decided that I would layer the two together for a night out. My dad and I bond over the local G-League basketball games in Santa Cruz (go Sea Dubs!), and this is our second year picking up season tickets together. We know plenty of people, so I always try to look my best… and now I was going to attempt to smell my best, too.
First, I spritzed on The Eighth and let it dry. The light, romantic scent was pleasant – is pleasant – but after spraying on East 12th, notes of orange and musk were overpowered by damask rose.Â
Oh god, I thought. Did I layer incorrectly, somehow!? But I don’t really think you can layer perfume improperly without directions on which to spritz first (fact check me, I’m too scared to look it up and embarrass myself).Â
However, as East 12th dried down, too, and the initial burst of damask rose subsided, the two blended together into a heavenly scent of musky, warm bergamot. It did remind me a bit of perfume that tries too hard to be complex, rather than two perfumes that layer effortlessly. Perhaps it smelt like I was wearing $200 perfume instead of $50 in total, but to me, it wasn’t as lovely as JUST East 12th or JUST The Eighth.Â
When I got in the car, the first thing my mother said when I told her to sniff was: “wow, you smell really good.”
Throughout the night, I sniffed on occasion. I was sandwiched between two people and it was hot, plus I was seeing and hugging friends. Would the scents last? Or would there be ONE scent left? Or, god forbid, no good scents… just chemicals? (insert sick emoji here)
The answer: the layering lasted! What a surprise!
In fact, when I woke up the next morning, there was still a faint hint of layered perfume left. Call that a win… though slightly confusing, considering my past attempts at wearing them.
Final Thoughts on Ash By Ashley Benson
Honestly? You have to buy East 12th and The Eighth together, or solely wear them when lounging around in lingerie on your oceanside villa overlooking the Pacific, nothing but a white robe on and a glass of champagne in hand.
… aka, no responsibilities, no movement, no anything. Because the scents don’t last when you’re a busy human being unless they’re layered.
I find this slightly frustrating, because splurging on two bottles of perfume simply because one can’t do the trick seems… kind of like a ploy. I want to give the actress the benefit of the doubt and say it’s simply her first time releasing a fragrance, and maybe the next Ash by Ashley Benson options will be stronger and long-lasting, and that this review is just one of many – a try-out, of sorts.
But the fact of the matter is, Ashley Benson did not hit a singular one out of the park. If you want to try them, buy the travel duo to make sure you like the mixed scents – it’s the only way Ash by Ashley Benson will last more than eight hours.
I hope this review of Ash by Ashley Benson’s The Eighth and East 12th helped you out! Are you going to try the perfumes? Did I just receive a flukey batch? Share below!
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