'My honest review of Bella Hadid's Orebella perfumes as they launch in the UK – are they worth £67?

When it comes to celebrity perfumes, it can often seem like there’s very little thought that’s really gone into them. They usually all have a similar sweet, vanilla-based scent, an outlandish bottle, and a mid-range price point that means they’re neither luxury nor budget-friendly.

So when first launched her fragrance range, (stylised as 'Ôrəbella), which not only promised to smell good, but had been designed for sensitive skin, inspired by scents she worked on herself with herbs and oils from her own farm, and promised skincare benefits, it seemed like finally there was a celebrity scent with some real love and thought behind it. Ahead of their launch today on Selfridges, I got my hands on all four of her to put them to the test and see how they really stacked up.

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The perfumes promise to be hydrating, sensitive skin friendly, vegan and alcohol free, and were inspired by Bella’s own sensitivity to alcohol-based perfumes. As a fellow sensitive skin sufferer, I was very excited to try them out and see if they were as skin-friendly as they promised.

The perfumes are oil-based, blending aromatherapeutic essential oils and responsibly sourced ingredients, with Bella saying their scents were designed to “elevate mood, energy and aura”. Bella isn’t the only celeb to have taken this approach to her perfumes, though, as fellow supermodel Kate Moss also has an aromatherapy-based perfume with her (was £125, now £87.50).

However when trying out Bella’s Orebella perfumes, I tested everything from its initial scent to its longevity, as well as bottle design, how it felt on my skin and how different the four scents were from each other.

The perfumes are now available , with 50ml bottles costing £67, whilst 100ml bottles are £95. You can also pick up a 10ml bottle for £32.

Bottle Design

The very first impression of the was the bottle design. They’ve been created to look more like mini pieces of art on your dressing table than traditional perfume bottles, with an angular jewel-toned glass shape and contrasting gold lid that are beautiful to look at.

However I hit my first problem with the perfumes before I’d even sprayed them – because the bottles won’t stand up on their own. You have to buy a stand separately (for £28), which seems a little unfair after you’ve already splashed out on the perfume in the first place.

However the bottle itself is perfectly palm sized which makes it easy to spray, and the top felt secure once on, so the chance of leaks whilst lying on their side may be minimal. It just looks messy having them lying around on their side on my dressing table, which made storing them tricky.

Skin feel

Bottle design aside, the initial spray was a joyous surprise. When it promised to be hydrating and feel good on your skin I was sceptical, however as soon as I spritzed it onto my arm and let it dry down, my skin really did feel instantly moisturised.

It’s worth noting that as it’s oil-based, you should avoid spraying this onto your clothes or hair as it’ll leave an oily residue. However, wherever you spray this on your skin it’ll definitely hydrate it and leave it feeling nourished and soft, which is a pleasant change from the usual drying alcohol-based scents.

The also had zero reaction on my sensitive, prone skin. There was no redness, no reaction, nothing. It did spray on quite wet; you need to shake it vigorously until the formula turns cloudy before applying, and the spritz was quite direct and thick, rather than a light mist, but it was quick to soak into my skin and behaved like a body oil, leaving it feeling nourished and soft afterwards.

Scent Payoff

The first spray left a very strong scent, and the diversity across all four scents is clear. There really is something for everyone, with my personal favourite being Nightcap, which combines vanilla, ginger and sandalwood for a spicy, warm and rich smelling scent.

The scent is powerful, and you don’t need much to get a strong scent payoff. It works best when you let it dry directly into your skin rather than rubbing it in, and spray on your pulse points where the warmth keeps the scent going.

The four are:

Nightcap – vanilla, ginger and sandalwood

Blooming Fire - patchouli, monoi and bergamot

Salted Muse – olive tree, cedarwood and sea salt

Window2Soul – Tonka bean, jasmine and rose

Longevity

Although the initial scent payoff was strong, it settled into my skin quickly and because of the oil-based formula your body heat will keep regenerating a new wave of scent throughout the day. However the longevity isn’t the strongest I’ve ever experienced – I found after about three hours I couldn’t smell it strongly unless I sniffed directly at the point that I’d sprayed it.

All in all, I loved the formula and “skinification” of these perfumes. They felt super nourishing and hydrating on my skin and left it feeling well cared for. Each scent is powerful and covers a wide range of preferred notes, whether you like spicy, floral, woody or earthy fragrances, with a great scent payoff.

There are some tweaks I would love to see – namely the bottle design and a little more longevity for the price – however I love that this wasn’t a quickly thrown together, thoughtless celebrity perfume. You can tell there’s real intention and thought behind it, and I can confidently say I’ll be wearing the frequently throughout the summer.