Anamandy

I was surprised by this fragrance. Surprised because I found it different than how some people described it as a cheap, synthetic floral. Actually, I find it far from as bad as some made it out to be. On a basic level, it is a sheer fruity floral. Nothing complicated, heavy, and fortunately not syrupy sweet. On first spray I get the citrus, apple and peach which has a lovely effervescence to them. Then a beautiful magnolia and rose appears which I don't think smells synthetic at all. Had it stayed like that it would have been pretty enough, but then it transitions from a fruity floral to a tropical floral when the frangipani and jasmine show up. Beneath it all is a musky, woody, ambery base.

I found this transformation very interesting, and one would think that such a thing couldn't and shouldn't happen with an inexpensive fragrance. But what many seem not to realize it that when this was first released, it wasn't inexpensive at all and was actually sold in major department stores. Unfortunately, it never took off after its official release and has been discounted ever since. I think the problem for its lack of popularity are all the other statement fragrances released the same year, by the likes of Narciso Rodriguez, Dior, Elie Saab, Dolce & Gabbana, etc. This seems to have gotten lost among the competition, as it was too simple in comparison to them. Which is unfortunate because it is very pretty.

Overall, this composition is very true to the note profile, as what you see here is what you smell. I also find that there is a nice weightlessness that works very well all year long. Even though this is not a silage bomb, I am able to smell it clearly around me for about 5 hours and as a skin scent for several hours more. That is not bad considering how inexpensive this is now.

While far from being a statement fragrance, it is a nice, easy to wear fragrance that is very versatile and can be worn anywhere. Great for the office, church, or any place you want to smell pretty without having your perfume announce your presence. And I can always use a fragrance like that.

This fragrance should come with a warning label that it could be obnoxious if heavily sprayed. It really packs a punch. I could not imagine owning a bottle of this as one spray is all that is needed to perfume yourself and whatever building you are in. It is a huge, very dewy white floral, primarily tuberose and jasmine which appears intensely right out the gate. Has lots of green notes and an aquatic, cold aspect to it too, so descriptions I've read elsewhere of a florist refrigerator are pretty apt. There is iso and ambroxan mixed with the slightly animalic base of suede and ambergris. Fortunately, not enough synthetics to totally ruin the scent, but it shouldn't be here in the first place, especially at the prices being asked for a bottle. While this starts out with enormous projection, it does seem to lighten up as it goes along. I am using "seem to" as opposed to "does" as I am not sure if it is actually lightening up, or if my body's defenses are making me nose blind so I don't incapacitate myself. I'll have to test this around people and see.

Overall, while I do think it is pretty, I seriously have no idea where I could ever wear this scent as it is just too overwhelmingly strong. I also do not understand the unisex designation as this is extremely feminine. More than likely Byredo is just trying to increase sales labeling it that way. But of course, one can wear whatever one likes.

I really think this fragrance would work better for me as a layering fragrance than as a scent on its own. While it is nice, I already have something in my wardrobe that reminds me somewhat of this to a degree. That peppery citrus vanilla opening reminds me of Alien Eau Extraordinaire's opening as it uses the same notes, but I like the note profile following the opening of AE better than the note profile used here. I must admit though, I really love the Hawthorne, and the lightly powdery heliotrope is pretty too. But despite the floral notes this is really all about the powdery vanilla, and to be honest, while it is okay, I really would like something a little more complex than that.

Even though aldehydes are listed, they are very lightly done and just add a light airiness to this scent. So, if you have an aversion to that, you need not worry about that here. Personally, for an aldehyde vanilla fragrance, I prefer Dame's Vanilla Farfelue simply because there is a lot more going on and I find it very versatile and wearable any time. Though I haven't tried it yet, I'm not so sure how this would perform in other seasons as it has super low silage now. I fear it might just disappear under certain weather conditions, but I'll just have to wait and see on that front. Metallic? To me, not really, but I always have a hard time finding that accord in any fragrance that claims to have a metallic note anyway.

Right now, I only have a 3ml.rollerball of this which I will use it to layer with other fragrances. I can think of a lot of fragrances in my wardrobe where this might work great in adding a little something special to a scent, but I will not replace with a bottle after this is done. Surprisingly, compared to other scents from this house, it is pretty reasonably price, which I suspect is due to its simple profile.

A soft, pillowy, dainty floral that combines sweet peas with mimosa, and a soft powdery iris that's rounded out with a little sweetness from the fruit notes, vanilla and amber. Very simple, very pretty, and very feminine.

I toyed with the idea of getting a bottle but upon wearing this sample a few more times opted against it because it lacked silage and disappeared too quickly. For the price of a bottle, it needs to perform better than that.

After all the hype given to this fragrance it has been my most anticipated perfume ever, and also my biggest disappointment. It just smells like a much lighter version of the original For Her edt. Where are all the added florals? I certainly couldn't find them here. Reading that note profile I was certain this would be a beautiful tropical floral fragrance, which was a genre missing in the Narciso lineup. I was counting the days when it would be available in the US, but it certainly wasn't worth the wait. How did Sonia Constant manage to make it smell almost the same as For Her edt when she used a somewhat different note profile? I find that very strange. Not that this is bad fragrance by any means, and is actually quite pretty, but neither is it different enough from For Her edt for me to get a bottle.