Perceive Avon 2000 Eau de Parfum

Avon Perceive is a subtle floral fragrance with a soft aquatic nuance. Gentle and unobtrusive, it suits any setting with ease. Its delicate projection leaves a beautiful veil on the skin that lingers for several hours, offering a soft, feminine classic with a gentle touch of vintage charm throughout.

This perfume smells very chemical and unpleasant to me. It makes my eyes water. I also can't really pick out any of the notes, but that's not always a bad thing. It has great sillage, though.

I first experienced the scent years ago with a colleague. It was midsummer and she smelled so wonderfully fresh, clean, floral... but unobtrusive, light. And this was long after 4 PM. I asked her about it, and she explained which fragrance it was... but I didn't remember anything because "by Avon" made my ears somehow stop hearing anything at all.
"Avon... that can't be any good. She must have sprayed it just before she walked into the office..." - at least that's what I thought.

A few weeks later, she came back to my office... and I was once again totally captivated by the scent she was wearing. She stepped out briefly and returned - with her bottle. She gave it to me, saying I should just try it... And I did. The reactions to this freesia bomb were and still are, even today, over five years later, simply overwhelming.

Perceive starts off quite forcefully, screeching... it actually bites a bit in the nose. But after a few minutes, it gets significantly better, softer... in the next phase, it comes across as a bit soapy-aquatic and ends as a sea of musk with white flowers soaked in it and a splash of sandalwood.
I find the sillage of this light yet simultaneously radiant fragrance to be very good. I also think the longevity is quite acceptable for the price-performance ratio; on me, the scent lasts about 5 hours, then it needs to be reapplied...

And it's one of those fragrances that always garners compliments :) Well, it is and will probably remain the cheapest Christopher-Sheldrake perfume, who has now created so many Serge Lutens and other classics.

I am a big fan of so-called blind buys - usually it works out, but here I was glad that I had a sample.
The notes sound great (in my opinion) - but on me, it unfortunately turned into a boring lye soap.
On others, it smells super fresh, oriental, but distinctly of musk and ylang.