Fragrance comparison

Varens Secret 3 vs Princess Dreaming

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 24 Oct 2026 43 ratings analysed

Varens Secret 3

Ulric de Varens

4.008 votes

Rank #47,324 VanillaAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

24%scent match

Clearly different

Princess Dreaming

New Brand Parfums

3.7735 votes

Rank #27,458 PowderyIris

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Varens Secret 3
Choose it for a vanilla and amber character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Princess Dreaming
Choose it for a powdery and iris character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Varens Secret 32/4

Princess Dreaming2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Varens Secret 3
Sillage & projection: Princess Dreaming
Value for money: Varens Secret 3
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Princess Dreaming

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Varens Secret 3Ulric de Varens

Princess DreamingNew Brand Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 22%Had 7%Want 70%

3.77/ 5 · 35 votes

Have 39%Had 19%Want 43%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

38%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

13%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

23%Love

54%Like

3%Ok

17%Dislike

3%Hate

35 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage47

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage51

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevityVarens Secret 3

SillagePrincess Dreaming

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

¤ Price value83

Category winnerVarens Secret 3Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

amber92%

almond84%

patchouli77%

sweet69%

citrus61%

powdery100%

iris92%

floral84%

rose77%

earthy69%

patchouli61%

Scent match24%Clearly different · both patchouli

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top15-30 mins

Bitter AlmondCitruses

Heart2-4 hrs

Tonka BeanRoseIris

Base6-8 hrs

PatchouliVanillaAmber

Top

Red FruitsPink PepperCitruses

Heart

MimosaRoseMagnolia

Base

IrisPatchouliAmber

InformationalShared notesCitruses, Rose, Iris and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Varens Secret 3, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall67

Winter100

Day45

Night100

Spring100

Summer47

Fall94

Winter59

Day100

Night64

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 36%Casual 29%Party 20%Work 16%

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#47,324

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#27,458

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerPrincess DreamingHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Varens Secret 3 by Ulric de Varens is a warm, powdery oriental fragrance built around sweet almond, creamy vanilla, and resinous amber. The opening arrives with a punchy flash of bitter almond and quick citruses that can feel slightly sharp for the first three minutes. Give it a moment. Once the alcohol burns away, th…

Reviews →

Princess Dreaming is a powdery fruity floral that opens with bright red fruits and a soft peppery sparkle, then settles into iris, mimosa, rose and patchouli. It reads feminine, gently vintage-leaning, and more cosy than sugary. On most wearers it seems moderate at first, then closer to the skin after a couple of hour…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Varens Secret 3 or Princess Dreaming?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Varens Secret 3 is rated 4.00/5 from 8 votes; Princess Dreaming is rated 3.77/5 from 35 votes. Choose Varens Secret 3 for a vanilla and amber character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Princess Dreaming for a powdery and iris character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Varens Secret 3 or Princess Dreaming?

Varens Secret 3 lasts longest (Varens Secret 3 65/100, Princess Dreaming 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Varens Secret 3 or Princess Dreaming?

Princess Dreaming projects furthest (Princess Dreaming 51/100, Varens Secret 3 47/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Varens Secret 3 and Princess Dreaming smell similar?

Clearly different: a 24% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share patchouli accords. Common notes include Citruses, Rose, Iris and Patchouli.

Is Varens Secret 3 or Princess Dreaming better for summer or winter?

Varens Secret 3 suits evening wear; Princess Dreaming suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Varens Secret 3 and Princess Dreaming?

Varens Secret 3 has top notes of Bitter Almond and Citruses, heart notes of Tonka Bean, Rose and Iris, a base of Patchouli, Vanilla and Amber. Princess Dreaming has top notes of Red Fruits, Pink Pepper and Citruses, heart notes of Mimosa, Rose and Magnolia, a base of Iris, Patchouli and Amber.