French Portrait

High quality, outstanding performance and very long lasting. To be fair, i can't say that i have been in close contact with the original fragrance which inspired this one, mostly due to its price, but this baby really did all of the magic for me. Gave it a try way back when it first came out and my mom brought one home. To my la-vie-est-belle-lovin' self this smelled like "old people", so i put it down and that was it. But I kept smelling something in the air, and couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, since i also tested a few other perfumes all over myself, but this stuff was pleasant. Took me a bit to finally realize that this was the scent I kept smelling, and with no time, my grubby little hands were all over it. My mom didn't even get to own it for a whole day lol. Since a lot of my past loves in fragrance form were discontinued, and then popular perfumes simply did not get me hooked, this was all I could see. At the big grand age of nineteen it became my signature scent, and for a good while i just couldn't put it down. Now that it's all finished, I've laid my bottle to rest, and I think for a good while I won't be craving this smell. Although it really made me see rose in a different light, and this formerly despised note started to pique my interest more and more with time, making me discover different fragrances, each of which would portray this flower in a new, previously unimaginable way. Now, coming back to similarity. I believe if you were an avid user of the original, surely you'll see the difference. And if you are bothered by the fact that it's in a different packaging, under a different name and so on, just go for the OG. But if you don't care for those superficial features and just want this gorgeous scent for a reallllly small fracture of the cost - grab this. I promise it's worth it 💗 Ar the end of the day, it's the perfume and not the bottle that you end up wearing.

Nose Note #101 In the realm of fragrances, a tempest stirs, for how can such a masterpiece be deemed a mere 2.7? Is this some jest, a mockery of the senses? Behold, a performance of olfactory grandeur, a symphony of scent that dances upon the air. A heavy incense, rich and profound, crowned with the delicate bloom of a rose. As I stepped into the auditorium, its essence filled the space, and those nearby were enveloped in its pleasant embrace, their senses awakened by the whisper of incense. Their attention captured by its lingering presence. And they marveled at its delightful allure. If your heart yearns for a perfume that echoes the sacred halls of ancient churches, where incense wafts through the air like something holy, then your search is at an end. For this, dear seeker, is a fragrance of unparalleled virtue, a testament to the art of scent-making. It is, in a word, sublime.

I have just brought home 6 Arabian perfumes all but one of these are dupes for well known and extremely pricey perfumes. 2 I'm not thrilled with and most will require maceration however, right out of the box Fragrance World's French Portrait is truly divine and dead on dupe for Malle's POAL. It is just so beautiful, POAL is a masterpiece with its gorgeous deep red rose, incense, patchouli and spicy clove. Unfortunately it's also extremely pricey especially in Australia where most imported goods are marked up to the hilt. My bottle of French Portrait cost me a tiny AUD 40. Don't sleep on this beauty, you will not be disappointed.

What sorcery is this? I have about 7 ml left from my Portrait of a Lady I purchased in 2010. I have PoaL on one wrist and French Portrait on the other and the similarity is staggering. The only difference is the performance of French Portrait surpasses the original in both sillage and longevity. Since I am not a brand whore, I will happily continue to wear and repurchase French Portrait. High quality at a mere fraction of the cost of the original. Sorcery indeed.

Wonderful take on POAL, the og POAL used to be my absolute signature scent, but since it has been bought by Estee Lauder... it's not the same and i feel is not worth the price. This has been a gorgeous compromise, a tad bit cooler than the original (or how i remember it), but still sensational for the price especially.