Ici

I remember first smelling this on a friend in high school and immediately asking my parents for a bottle of my own. That was over 20 years ago and I've had fond memories of it ever since. I finally purchased another bottle this week and fell right back in love. This fragrance is intoxicating. I can't get enough of it. The first spray is delightfully confusing, and it reminds me of a sweet men's cologne. When the mist hits my skin I get a bright (but not sour) whiff of mixed citrus and heady flowers (like walking past a fresh bouquet) that goes away almost immediately and is replaced by amber and sugar notes. In my mind I remembered Ici as a blend of vanilla and cedarwood. I do still get those notes in the beginning stages of drydown (though, oddly, neither is listed), but as the fragrance begins to warm with my skin I also get whiffs of sticky-sweet cherry syrup. Not cough medicine as another reviewer mentioned, but more of a boozy, dark, thick cherry brandy sauce that might be poured over ice cream at a luxurious restaurant. It's during this stage that I find myself sniffing the air around me almost obsessively. After about an hour unfortunately the headier notes have dissipated and I'm left with sweet powdery amber and the tiniest hint of cocoa. This stage is still pleasant but all projection is gone and I have to touch my nose to my skin to catch any scent at all. Ici is a stunningly beautiful, delicious, and addictive scent, and I'm glad I tried it again. Longevity is disappointing, but fortunately it's inexpensive enough that I can reapply as much as I want without guilt. It is an inexpensive perfume that screams luxury. At no point do I detect any cheap or tacky generic notes in this fragrance. I can't recommend Ici enough if you like sophisticated, unoffensive gourmand scents. I believe this would smell incredible on a man as well and therefore could be considered unisex.

If This Perfume Was a Song - Lay It Down - Ratt This...this was my addiction back in 1995 (yes, I am old), much to the chagrin of my mom and grandma who absolutely HATED THIS! Ici started my passionate affair with gourmand fragrances that has survived and still burns strong today. Nothing has ever come close to this, my original OG ... No matter how much money I spent. Ici lead to some very scandalous nights out in my early 20's that no drug store scent should have caused. The chocolate, musk, citrus and mimosa combination should not have blended so well, but it was carnal, dirty, and unique for it's time - nothing else smelled like it, nor does to this day. Men would bury their face in my neck (it was a different time!) and this fragrance actually was the catalyst to my third engagement (I married number 4, thanks to Penhaligon's Malabah). The best way to come close to describing Ici if you never had the privilege of smelling it ... Take Origins Ginger Essence, mix in a healthy dose of Pacifica Mexican Cocoa, a dash of Vintage Avon Soft Musk and top it off with Fresh Sugar Lemon. This is as close as you can get (I have tried!) The sileage was insane for a drug store buy and truthfully, nothing today comes close to this staying power. I am still upset this never became a classic, as it was never really advertised. It was a $14 sex bomb guaranteed to draw in the opposite sex and made sure you got their digits on the way out the next morning...

I will miss this perfume for the rest of my life. It was truly my first perfume memory. I remember the commercials. I remember being a child and sniffing it in the drugstores. I then went on to buy it as a teenager and young adult. I truly took it for granted that it would always be there and was completely blind sided when Coty discontinued it. I would have bought every bottle I could get my hands on if I had known. It is sweet without being childish. It had a wonderful creamy cherry cola almond note that had an effervescent finish to it that made it smell lively. Any scents close to it I have found always seem to smell like a flatter version of it, like flat soda lol One of the absolute closest scents that you can still find is Burberry Brit. I remember when the Brit hype was real and when I finally smelled it I laughed because it was so much like Ici and I had this magical little $20 find that I definitely gatekept lol. Now I am so grateful Brit still exists because it is how I get my Ici fix. That as well as Perfect Scents dupe of Brit, which is now discontinued too. I bought every bottle I could find because it might actually be closer than Brit is, however not as long lasting and definitely lacks some of the complexity of both Brit and Ici. Coty has kept around some of their more vintage scents. I wish this was I've of them. Everything about it was amazingly beautiful.

I really love this perfume! I decided to buy it blind at walmart and right when I got in my car I sprayed it. OH MY! To my surprise its actually a very lovely perfume! Not strong or cloying at all but flowery and yes very sweet..it stays close to the skin! I just wish this wasnt in such an ugly tacky looking bottle... like my GOD could they make it look any more childish???? I really really wish coty would package it better especially since it costs nearly 30 dollars for just 1 oz at most stores : / ****2015 EDIT*** I just wanted to leave an updated review on this one. My above review was in 2012! I cant believe its been 3 years! I still remember when I bought this during the summer of '12 I blind bought it at walmart and tried it on in the car! I have been wearing this quite a lot since then, definitely one of my most used fragrances. Its so easy to reach for, its perfect for daily wear and I love wearing it! I hope this doesnt get discontinued ever..and I still think the bottle is ugllyyyy LOL! But thats ok, I love you anyways Ici! The past 3 years you have been with me during my husbands deployment, to Alaska where we lived for a while, to college, to my last crappy retail jobs, to dinners and movies, to camping with the family and shopping trips with my husband in the city. So many good times with Ici these last few years <3 Such an adventure!

Opened my small custom temperature controlled perfume walk-in closet. My husband has a humidifier controlled cigar closet, so naturally; I had to have one for my hobby, lol. Anyway, this little lady, Ici, demanded my attention. Upset that I've neglected her, I put one small spirit on my forearm - Wow, she's still the powerhouse 'It Girl' w/all that Gen-X unapologetic sass. As If! Memory Lane: In my late teens I started collecting perfumes. Its my thing. Back in the 90s I received this gift set. It came with a large bottle and a small travel one. It was so strong that ONE spray in the back of my neck was enough to last the whole day, evening, and let the mall know you were there, lol. The large one is still full and in the original box. The juice is a bit darker now, and I was worried it had turned. Hence, the one daring spray on my forearm. Review: I mean its an incredibly cloyingly sweet, grown gummy bear w/vanilla and cherries concoction made in the 90s. Doesn't compare to anything today. Maybe, maybe, if you find a Fire & Ice they may have the era similarity. The projection of Avon's Far Away (the original). It's teen memories in a bottle at this point. I still love it! I'm in a bubble of this sweetness. I haven't worn it out yet, but wonder the reactions. It's just Clueless fun ツ