If you found yourself in New York City’s West Village the last weekend in May, you also found the many-blocks-long-line outside 632 Hudson Street. Girls of all ages clad in Bella Hadid-approved pointelle tank tops and low-rise linen skirts waited patiently for their chance to enter the Orebella pop-up. There, the brand’s inaugural fragrances—Window2Soul, Salted Muse, and Burning Fire—were displayed amongst florals, crystals, and Bella Hadid-themed tarot cards.
A misty wave of the floral, shake-to-activate trio nearly enveloped the entire block by mid-day, just in time for Hadid herself to make a guest appearance. To no surprise, each Ulta-exclusive Orebella scent sold out.
The model-turned-brand-founder evidently can sense when styles will go viral. Her move to Weatherford, Texas, has inspired a Wild West-themed surge of Horse Girl Style. Good luck trying to buy the tan-colored Adidas Sambas she wears on repeat.
Nearly three months after Orebella’s first launch, Hadid is ready to introduce a new standalone scent into the cult-favorite fragrance fold. Called Nightcap, the warm, spicy, sweet, and sultry scent is a grown-up version of the vanilla body spray you wore as a tween.
“This one is my baby, baby, baby that I have just been dying, dying, dying to put out,” Hadid tells me over Zoom, scootching within one centimeter of the camera to show me the goosebumps on her arms.
The bottle, available in three sizes ranging from $30 to $100, houses a labor of love. Thirteen different iterations of ginger were poured over—Nigerian and Indian made the final cut. Endless cardamom concoctions, smoky, almost bourbon-like vanillas sniffed, and eight versions of Nightcap rounded out the five-year development process. Ultimately, the goal was achieved: Rebrand the overly gourmand vanilla trope.
“I have always been obsessed with vanilla. I love to cook with it; wear it; burn candles with it. But I always felt it was so prominent and so sweet—there’s not really a sexy, but also youthful and seductive vanilla scent on the market,” she says. That’s precisely what Nightcap was designed to be. “It almost smells like a smoky bourbon or sweet s’mores by the fire.”
Don’t just take Hadid’s word for it, though. This scent has (very secretly) made its way around town. Her obvious close circle—Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, and mom Yolanda—were testers. But Hadid has also had her assistant and best friend August hand out 10 mL minis during a night out at a gay club. She’s passed her very own bottles to flight attendants who compliment her. Marie Claire even stopped people on the New York City streets to get their thoughts on the then-concealed, mystery fragrance.
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Descriptors ran the gamut. Some picked up hints of citrus, referencing a summer beach day. That would be the Cistus essential oil, which, according to Hadid, “promotes introspection and has been used for centuries to encourage meditation.” Others quoted sodas, like Dr. Pepper, Gingerale, and Root Beer, as reference points. The occasional “smoky vanilla” or “patchouli” was picked up, but heavy ginger was undoubtedly the resounding note.
It’s certainly a pleasing, unisex perfume that gets people talking. Even Hadid’s boyfriend, Adan Banuelos, who was lurking out-of-frame during our Zoom, couldn’t help but throw his (very sweet) two cents about the fragrance’s profile into the pot. “It takes your personal body signature and it becomes yours—it smells good on you,” he firmly said in the background. According to Hadid, Nightcap makes Adan “smell sexy.”
He’s certainly not wrong. His nose is, in fact, spot on. The skin-friendly fragrance adapts to each individual's scent. It remains grounding, invigorating, smoky, and soft across the board but also is “like a second skin,” according to Hadid. “I feel naked when I don’t have it on.”
As for what Marie Claire editors think? Our honest reviews, ahead.
Nightcap launches on Ulta.com and in all Ulta Beauty Stores on beginning on August 30, 2024.
Editors' Honest Reviews of Orebella Nightcap
Samantha Holender, Beauty Editor
"When I told Bella Nightcap was my favorite of her four scents, I wasn’t surprised when she readily agreed. Unlike the three floral predecessors, Nightcap is a smoky citrus that stands on its own two feet. Vanilla serves as the heart, but ginger and cardamom spice (a note picked because it reminded Hadid of her grandma’s tea) offer a sparkly, almost tingly, component. A few sprays transport me to a campfire surrounded by citronella candles.
"The most surprising aspect of this scent is its serious staying power. I would expect an essential oil-based fragrance such as this to be fairly fleeting, but my wrists smelled just as strong at the end of the day as they did at the start."
Emma Childs, Fashion Features Editor
"As a young girl, my mom used to bake cookies on the first day of the school year. I'd walk in the front door—my social battery on low and disheveled from the day—and smell sugar, vanilla, and lemon from the spray she used to clean up the kitchen and feel relieved to finally be home. Nightcap brings me back to those moments. The blend of sweetness, spice, and sharp citrus makes the fragrance both familiar and unexpected. The vanilla note is there but not overwhelming because the earthy sandalwood and patchouli notes offer balance. It's childhood combined with adulthood in a gem-shaped, shake-before-spraying bottle."
Ashlyn Delaney, Associate Social Media Editor
"Sweet, sweet Orebella…We meet again, this time in a new gingery and vanilla scent. When I first smelled it straight from the bottle, it made me reminisce about my childhood, specifically the days when I drank ginger ale with vanilla ice cream. I'm not kidding; this scent smells like a warm pop (or what y'all northern gals call soda). It's vibrant, and honestly, if 'fizzy' had a smell, this would be it. One thing I truly admire about Ms. Bella Hadid’s fragrance oils is that when rubbed on the skin, you pick up different scents—for me, I sensed musk and a bit of citrus. All notes aside, I truly think I will pick this scent up for a daytime fragrance."
