Glow after Dark by J.Lo
Jennifer Lopez (2006)

I bought a coffret of J. Lo fragrances so I could have the rollerball of Miami Glow, after it had just been discontinued. A few years and two bottles of Miami Glow later I finally got around to trying out the other superfluous rollerballs: Original Glow, Live Luxe, and Glow After Dark. I liked and was already familiar with Glow and Live Luxe but I completely neglected the GAD rollerball. It sat in a very dark corner in my perfume storage and I just recently found it. It was like winning $20 from a Scratcher. Exciting!

I'm always a bit apprehensive about perfumes in rollerballs. I am certainly not above collecting them; I think they are a great way of possessing a much-wanted scent without breaking the bank. However, I do wonder about crushing the top notes due to the way it is applied. Typically, this has not been a problem but I really have to question if rollerball application had affected this particular scent. I did not get much in the way of fruit with GAD. Secretly, I am glad. I love the occasional fruity floral but this aspect does grow wearisome after a while, especially with J. Lo's fragrances. Let's just say it has been done before. I got the boyfriend-bar-of-soap, Zest. Very “Zestfully Clean” scented. This went straight to greens and woods, which gave a wink and a nod to clean masculinity but not a blatant blast of men's cologne. I really loved the four or more hours of this.

Then there is the weird drydown. I love patchouli but it is very hit-or-miss with my skin's chemistry. Here, the patchouli and oakmoss begin “zestfully” clean but turn powdery. Like flea powder, powdery. It's weird and strong. Longevity is one of this fragrance's strong points and, like a double-edged sword, a point of contention. I put this on my wrist one evening at 6 pm and then, at 11:30 am the next day and many hand/wrist washings later, I still smell it. When it smelled like soap, I was overjoyed about this. Once it hit the powdery phase, not so much.

This is definitely a unisex fragrance so do not be deterred by the oft-mentioned suggestion that this could pass for a sex-shop purchase; there is something abstractedly perverse about the bottle. Do not be especially deterred by the J. Lo name. This is all about the juice. Strange as the drydown may be I am willing to look the other way on this one. I think this might be best sprayed on clothing to avoid the flea powder scent.

Glow After Dark wasn't really my cup of tea. In fact, I haven't actually warmed to any of the Glow fragrances from J.Lo, I much prefer the Live series because they have much more personality.

I didn't get much in the way of fruity notes when I first smelt this. The passionfruit was there, but it wasn't tangy and exotic like the actual fruit, instead it smelt rather synthetic and sour.

I was rather surprised that the heart of this fragrance, which was primarily beautiful floral notes, ended up smelling quite masculine. I'm guessing it was the patchouli and oakmoss trying to push its way through early on.

Seeming that I'm not usually a fan of masculine fragrances being worn by myself, this wasn't a winner for me. However, there are women out there that I don't doubt will love this scent. I guess everyone has their own personal tastes.

Since I love Glow, I was very excited to try this fragrance. Once I tried it I could see how some people compared it to the scent of suntan lotion, it is very sweet and fruity/floral. It smelled more like a fruity cocktail to me and maybe because of this I think its name suits it well, although it wouldn't be inappropriate to wear during the day. I don't smell any similarities between this and Glow.

cheap trashy 80's drugstore quality perfume.vulgar in every way, including that tacky chrome bottle.enough already j lo!

Smells exactly like cider apple ice lollies that are sold by the local ice-cream makers. That's a nice smell, but not for a perfume.

sweet and sickly....nice bottle design though.....