Donna Karan Gold

Character, quality, versatility and a very reasonable cost: it's all here and then some. Donna Karan's "Gold" (EdP) was one I almost didn't buy for fear of it being too heady and possibly headache-inducing. Initially, I hesitated making this blind buy due to the relatively short list of notes: three of which are Lily, Jasmine, and Amber. I tend to prefer almost anything but a purely Floral (i.e. sweet) fragrance for most occasions, and I was pleasantly surprised that this does not altogether fit that category. It is a true Floriental. The florals are indeed lavish here, but are spared from being overtly garish with a masterful addition and blending of balsamic and earthy notes. What an incredibly good mix of "grounded femininity" the perfumers have struck with this fragrance! No one note or specific mood prevails, and the drydown is a prolonged, exquisite journey that arouses my senses in a most captivating way. The Amber is of a moderate temper, one which refrains from being too thick or syrupy. It's a somewhat dry one which serves to enhance the overall bouquet. The Lily and Jasmine notes are amazingly realistic but remain well-mannered, gentle and with a sparkle that keeps this from ever becoming too garish or weighty. I do not detect any banana (nor any gourmand) notes on my skin as other reviewers have mentioned. As for being a fresh-from-the-bath kind of clean scent? Not on my skin. I'd call it more of a fresh, ripe scent that is invigorating yet has enough complexity to keep it sensual and even a bit sexy. This is a female fragrance all the way. No screaming of the fact necessary here: it's attraction is all about being ladylike in it's pursuit to seduce. It delivers on that promise in such a way that the clothes may be on the floor without anyone the wiser on how, when...(indeed she's a cunning temptress!) I highly recommend this fragrance to any female who wants a scent that is sensual, complex, and a bit on the mischevious side...with excellent sillage and longevity. Enjoy!

I'm far from an expert on lilies, and the only lily fragrance I own is Baiser Vole, but I REALLY love this!! Perhaps there are others that are better, especially in the niche world, and I will hopefully have a chance to try them at some point, but I still think that this is something quite special. The lily is smooth and clean, but the cloves definitely accentuate it's spiciness! I have no idea what black locust smells like, so I can't speak to what it adds to the composition, but the amber warms things up a bit. This is not a cold, sterile lily at all. It makes me think of a nectar! Mind you, I just received my bottle today, so I haven't allowed my bottle to sit and rest. I don't know if it will make a difference, but if this is as good as it gets, then I will be very happy. It projects nicely, and the longevity is decent - I'm at 4 hours and it's still going strong. EDIT - This is so much better than the first time I tried it. I had been recovering from COVID and my sense of smell wasn't completely back, but this is oeerful stuff so I was still able to catch the vibe and smell it for quite a while. Well today I put this on about 10 hours ago and stiff get whiffs!! Amazing! I was originally able to detect the lily and spice, but now I can tell how expertly they play off of each other. Reviewers mentioned the Stargazer Lily, and if I recall correctly, that has a natural spiciness. The cloves amp that up, and I now see how this can easily qualify as a floral oriental. One thing I know for sure is that I love it, and given the fact that I picked up a nearly full bottle in perfect condition for a steal, I have to say that all things considered this, this is my best blind buy of the year so far!

This is a keeper. I bought it because I love lilies---and this was mentioned somewhere as having a true lily note, rather than the "lily-ish" note which often occurs in perfumes. It does! It really reminds me of a fresh bouquet of lilies, and the note holds true throughout the wearing. It's not a linear perfume, either; there are layers of other notes that weave a quite seductive harmony around the lily. I get a hint of honey, probably from the locust flower; I get amber; I get only a subtle sense of patchouli; I get spice that doesn't shout any one thing---if they didn't specify cloves I would have been pressed to tease it out; and I get a slight orris note. This is a very fine fragrance---it's rich, sophisticated in the best sense, and well-crafted. Not at all "old", but with a sensuality that makes it best for women rather than young girls. (Much as I personally loathe all the fruity stuff out there, they do serve a purpose of introducing girls to womanly arts & delights without making them smell overtly sensual and thus inappropriately over-mature. Gold is sensual, no mistake!) It lasts quite well, even on my scent-eating skin, though it's never overwhelming or strong. Makes an amazing scent for the hair, by the way. Although I love my rich, heavy, opulent Oriental perfumes, I choose this one often, especially for daytime or when I want to feel pretty in my own skin. I think it's both classic, in the sense that it's not trendy or obviously datable, and modern, in the sense that it is completely free of "old lady" undertones and because the florals are heady yet fresh. An under-rated scent that I'm happy to have around and wear often.

Today, in SE Essex, it feels as if spring may finally have arrived. The sun's out, the sky is blue, there's not a cloud to spoil the view... Oh, wait. Yes there are. But at least it's not overcast, misty or bloody raining. And it's warm. To celebrate the fact that the sun is finally shining, I thought I'd break out a spring perfume and nothing - to me - smells more like spring, than lilies; I adore the smell of lilies, but can't have them in the house any more as they are highly toxic to cats (and I have three). I scored a part-used bottle of DK Gold on eBay for under £11.00; reading previous reviews, it seems that this may be an older bottle, as it is partially enclosed in a metallic gold jacket. Gold smells predominantly of lilies when first sprayed. Within 30 minutes or so, other flowers come into play; I am not picking up on jasmine, so this must be black locust/acacia that I can smell. A slight spiciness from cloves arrives with black locust and - further on drydown - a little greenness creeps out. I am a patchouli and amber lover and I can't smell patchouli at all. If there is any amber, I think is somewhere underneath the flowers and may be contributing warmth and depth to the composition, but it doesn't smell like the amber I am used to in my beloved orientals. I liked Gold when I bought and tried it in cool, damp weather - today however, I love it. This is another example of the importance of climatic conditions on how I perceive and enjoy a perfume. ETA Sillage is heavy (beyond arms-length) and longevity is over 12 hours on my dry skin (although it is a skin-scent by then), probably lasting far longer on clothing.

I used to own this perfume many years ago and I repurchased it this week (on the internet as it's been discontinued). The inspiration for my repurchase was walking into the hall to collect the post and inhaling the intoxicating aroma of a vase of white lillies that permeated the air. I then went upstairs to watch the Olympics to find Team GB had won yet more gold medals! It made me think of this perfume because of the name and smell and I missed it so I decided I needed another bottle. It's both a warm, woody and lightly spicy perfume as well as a cool white lily floral. The warm and cool aspects are equally as strong from beginning to end. I read on the internet somewhere that someone described this as a totally natural smell that reminded her of walking through damp woods and fields of flowers. You can really imagine the smell that comes off bark in the rain and the contrast of then arriving on your journey in a field of fresh lillies still wet with dew. Imagine all this with the sun shining on them to warm and intensify their smell and you pretty much have the scent of Gold! I would say it's worth a blind buy if you *love* lillies and love amber and patchouli just as much. It's super long lasting too so a couple of spritzes is all you'll need for several hours. Pure, beautiful sophistication. :D Great bottle too - it reminds me of the luxurious but minimalist interiors of those designer hotels in Europe, therefore it reminds me of short city breaks, too! I read that it's supposed to be an urban scent, yet it smells very natural and pure. Love this kind of antithesis in modern perfumery!