Extraordinary

So nearly two years later, I'm still blown away by this fragrance, but now I have better knowledge with which to describe it. Extraordinary absolutely lives up to its name. If there was a fault of Avon in the release of this scent, it is the fact that it was released ahead of its time. In the recent influx of gourmands and creative blends, this fragrance would be right at home . . . except that it's not a fruity-floral. So let me rephrase this: this fragrance would be right at home among niche fragrances. Had Harry Fremont pitched this differently, to a different company, it would be wildly successful. But alas, it is another Avon genius discontinued and sold for pennies on eBay. The fantastic thing about this fragrance is the blend. A brilliant blend will sell me every time, and this one has it. Taken all at once, I smell something woody, sweet, fresh, and warm all at the same time. I can't describe the scent. I might categorize it as woody or even as an oriental. But initially I would never have been able to name the individual notes. Give me a list, and I have an "ah-ha!" moment. In my opinion, there is no one dominant note. Chocolate and vanilla are present, but this is no gourmand. Black pepper and ginger are here, but this is not all that spicy of a scent. I get orange and raspberry more than the grapefruit, and they are fresh and lovely, but this is no fruity fragrance. The sandalwood carries the whole thing, and finally at the very end of the remarkably long life of the fragrance, it stands out. But up until this point, I did not find this to be a sandalwood scent. There is a hint of the orchid and the lotus, but absolutely this is no floral scent. SO how would I categorize this scent? In my opinion, it's the musk that carries it. It makes for a creamy, rich base, almost like a luxurious cream or lotion. It's not a sharp or "skanky" musk at all. It's a clean, pure, fresh musk. Two other fragrances that have this same immaculate blend with musk are mark. Bohista (another Avon fragrance), and Jil Saner Sun. In addition to the remarkable composition, this beauty has outstanding longevity. Today I sprayed once on each side of my neck and once on my left forearm for sniffing-convenience, and it's still strong at 8:30 at night. It's not overwhelming at all. Those around you will notice it for the first couple of hours at least, but I consider the silage to be moderate. And because the fragrance is so pleasant (to me), I can't imagine anyone being put out by it. I first wore this first in the spring in Minnesota. It later became my fall scent. Now I'm in Haiti and today the temperature was at a high of 90s (F) and now has dipped into the 70s (with low humidity). I think that the heat helps this fragrance to balance to beautifully. It's a full-bodied, complex fragrance, but one that I find very appropriate for the heat. Please do yourself a favor and buy this fragrance! Then once you fall in love with it, you can thank me by emailing Avon and asking them to bring this and all their other gorgeous discontinued fragrances back!

I do not always agree with the site's review at top, but in this case they nailed it. I have a high appreciation for remarkable scents at a budget price. Avon's Extraordinary fills the bill. I find this fragrance to be absolutely Extraordinary, in fierce competition (if not a clear winner) over some of the most expensive scents in the world. Champagne sparkly with cocoa and ginger notes makes for a highly interesting, unique and gorgeous blend. This is a rich and sexy frag! It is an exquisite designer evening gown with no jewelry (unnecessary, the dress is the jewelry) or a tee shirt and distressed jeans with diamonds and blingy mixed metals. It is sensually serious and fun at the same time. This frag makes me smile and lifts my spirits sprayed with no makeup wearing my sloppiest attire. Smells elegant and fitting dressed in my finest. I am happy to see this listed as an oriental as it should be. Despite the large cocoa blast this is not a gourmand. Extraordinary is not for the die hard jelly bean and choco candy frag lovers. It is more sophisticated than that and its complex blend so very well done the price is a steal. I am honestly glad some people dismiss Avon frags for fear an Avon scent be seen on their vanity or found hidden in a cabinet. I often see Avon referred to as "linear" which I disagree and think that kind of thing varies with skin chemistry. If the scent smells beautiful from beginning to end I have no complaints, as certain reactions can occur in the changelings which are not always a good thing. Avon's well done scents stand competently toe-to-toe with the finest Parisian "parfums" in the world. Avon's Extraordinary is definitely one of those scents. Lovely! Very, very Extraordinary canary House of Avon Extraordinaire!

On my usual round of thrift and vintage stores, I found Extraordinary, an Avon fragrance I wasn't familiar with from the past. Checked the notes, thought they were interesting, and knew I would buy it. The sales associate that had taken it from the display case, pulled the bottle out of the box, sniffed it before handing it to me and announced, "Oh, smells like another Avon perfume!" (Thank you for your poignant assessment, ma'am. I'll keep it in mind if I decide to make a purchase today.) Now I love my patchouli. Funny thing is, I hardly get any from this scent. But I do get chocolate. Chocolate as if I grated a bar of baker's chocolate over a warm, thick, creamy custard. It's not a sweet chocolate that's cloying, just comforting and relaxing. There's a hint of spice in Extraordinary, it's the ginger that lays very low sprinkled on the sweet patchouli leaves that are sitting on the side of the custard plate for decoration, but their soft aroma wafts upward to your nostrils from the heat of the dessert. Uplifting and fresh to start, Extraordinary's notes are blended to give this perfume a gourmand-like flair with an excellent run. A good eight hours later, I still sensed a musky scent with chocolate and spices that was soft and sensual. A very rare occurrence for me. The name, Extraordinary, along with swirling patterns, similar to a fleur-de-lis design, is embossed in gold on the back of the bottle so you can see it through the front of the tall rectangular glass. Wonderful by itself, delightful for layering and absolutely beats many other far more expensive chocolate fragrances on the market. Quite a happy purchase for me and yes, this fragrance is extraordinarily delightful.

The chocolate note convinced me to get this, but the back of the box reads chocolate orchid (what's that?) and ginger flower? Anyway first spray out the bottle is a ton of ginger and pepper, I like ginger. I waited for the chocolate to appear but it never did. How did people vote for chocolate? I get a lot of sandalwood and patchouli in the dry down. It's a nice fragrance and could have been guessed as a designer scent if I didn't know it was Avon. It's just not as Extraordinary as I would have liked. Lasts for ages and reminds me of Believe by Britney Spears. The picture here is much prettier than the actual bottle. **Update**-a few days later: (September 30th 2016) So I sprayed this on today and I got a whole heap of smooth dark chocolate just like the majority of you say! I guess a few sprays had to get out of the bottle first, due to it being there so long. My box says limited edition 2005, so it's been there for eleven years! My advice to people ordering this is to get the first four or five sprays out the way then test after. This is so chocolatey and rich smelling. Chocolate, ginger, sandalwood and patchouli are what I get and I really really like it. Makes me wish I had asked for two bottles because I am going to be using this so sparingly to have it around for as long as I can....Extraordinary indeed. Avon please relaunch this! Please! This and Today Tomorrow Always Gold.

Luxury in a bottle with one spray your addicted! the opening starts off with a blast of Rich dark Chocolate with a nuance of pepper and an unsual concoction of tangerine and grapefruit for the drying down. Ginger is easy to detect but the chocolate is the dominate note here orchid with it's semi-sweet Orchid as the suporting basis. the drydown has an bitter end with sandalwood the patchouli is barly noticable the musk makes it sexy with musk can make perfumes sexy. animalistic qualties are prevalent in one single spray. the bottle is so elegant i thought is wasn't from avon; avon are know for there tacky cheap scents but this can be a Relative to Dolce & Gabbana because it's so different from other avon perfumes. one spray i'm transported to an Mansion in Beverly Hills and the paletes of Gold and black in the Bedroom where a luxious bed with golden sheets gold and black pillows with an black canopy with gold trimmiing a tall sender woman with long wavy blonde hair with gold stletto's and a shiny golden top just there seductivly staring and eating chocolate dipped srawberries. it maybe from Avon but it's a Great Perfume.