Manifesto

So, I have to edit my original Manifesto review with the following: I STILL LOVE IT!!! It's well on it's way to being my 'go-to' fragrance. It does begin on a rather 'present' herbaceous note of basil and pepper, not so much going on with the bergamont, but that's fine by me-bergamont can be headache inducing sometimes. It's a bit medicinal in the opening...but when you wear floral green fragrances, that's a strong possibility anyway. And I happen to ADORE floral greens!! After about 15 minutes, the basil and pepper do settle into a fresh and semi sweet fragrance, no doubt enhanced by the orange blossom and rose. I don't feel much pear in the heart, but that's fine by me as well. Strangely, I also find that the bergamont turns up here to the degree that it makes the fragrance a bit sparkling. The jasmine makes an extremely subtle appearance throughout the fragrance. The heart gives the most in floral notes but it blends very well with the still herbal backdrop from the head notes. At the drydown, the fragrance becomes softer and slightly more musky and warm. It smells fresh and classic, something I wear to work often because it smells magnificient on me and is inoffensive to others. I get a LOT of compliments with this fragrance. It is very much workplace, business meeting, or happy hour friendly. I understand that this one may not work for everyone, but if you love herbal scents with a hint of flowers, I think you'll like Manifesto.

I bought a very inexpensive dabber-vial of this for less than a dollar and discovered that I love it. Yes, I was predisposed to love Manifesto because I love the actress behind it so much, but I think I would love this even if the divine Isabella had nothing to do with it. So fresh, so green, so bracing--and yet with a clean smell, too. It smells like you entered a very exclusive spa or hair salon. Basil can sometimes come off as a bit too savory, but not in this context. It's very grassy and slightly peppery, a good balance for the rather subdued floral notes. I would call this perfectly unisex without being at all masculine, sort of in the tradition of Aliage. Yet Manifesto doesn't smell like a throwback, even though it is now 26 years old. In fact, the drydown reminds me quite a bit of a niche offering like Santal Greenery by Dries van Nooten (or the excellent Dua dupe Green Santal). I would love to find a full bottle of Manifesto, but it appears to be impossible, and who knows whether a quasi-freshie like this would even hold up over time. In the meantime, I know I will order more of these inexpensive dabber vials whenever I see them.

I just got a mini of Manifesto and, so far, I like it a lot. Yes, it might be a "yet another generic floral" but do you know how long I have searched for something that will smell of linden flowers... this one does, despite there is no "linden" note (listed) in it. Perhaps it is the sweet pea... There is quite a bit of lily, a touch of bergamot, basil and musk; that is what I can detect with my totally untrained nose :) It is very feminine, like Isabella herself. On another note, I just watched "The Accidental Husband" (a "chick flick", nice, lighthearted comedy). Isabella Rossellini has a minor yet memorable role in it. I love her. She has aged and put on weight (heck, so have I) but she is still full of grace, and I still love her ultra feminine, soft spoken, alluring ways. Manifesto is so Isabella... I think this one has no "age limit" - you can wear this whether you're 12 or a 112. Sillage so so, could be better but then again, do I want everyone to smell me before I'm even in the room? Nah. Lasting power ok, about 5 hours on me. This will be my go-to fragrance for spring.

Got this fragrance today was a blind buy came in a limited edition gift set in red fancy box. With 2x bath milks 1 scented body cream and a 30ml EDT $20 at an op shop must of come from someone personal perfume collection. Well I love jasmine and thank god that I do . I don't get any orange blossom scent but the intense jasmine is upstaging this perfume right through on my skin but there is another hint of sweetness mingling with the jasmine the sweet pea which I do not own any in my collection till now. The creaminess of the sandalwood is enhancing the creaminess you get from the jasmine I applied this at midday and that was 6 hours ago and scent has only slightly mellowed down since then. This would be a lovely scent in spring. Great for day or night, it actually reminds me of when I was a child my bedroom window was covered by jasmine and the sweet scent waft through my window in the warm night air nostalgia to me if you love heady jasmine this is the one

This was my signature perfume in the early 2000s! I loved the unusual combination of fragrant basil, zingy bergamot and pepper. A unique and unusual fragrance for the time and a refreshing change to the uber-sweet florals and heavy orientals of the era. As Flashshock1 said, skin chemistry was the deciding factor, and on my skin this was sheer perfection! Sadly I have never found another fragrance like Manifesto, although my current signature scent, Black Pepper by Korres, has a similar peppery and citrusy zing. Sadly my last bottle of Manifesto was stolen from my home in a robbery. Had I known it would be discontinued, I would have stocked up at the time on lots of bottles!

I keep going back to this, I can't help myself. Such a unpretentious fragrance, in every single way, yet SO amazing. It gives me this "fresh out of the shower / dancing in spring rain / frolicking in some mediterranean herb garden at dawn" kind of feeling; absolutely wonderful. The basil is very prominent but it's just such a delectable combo along with the bergamot and the (very subtle) pepper, I just want to drink it up. Unfortunately, the lasting power is very disappointing - only about 3 hours on me, leaving nothing but a faint idea of sandalwood behind. Definitely a new favorite and keeper.

Finally got this for a decent price off the bay and I am glad I did. The only other perfume I can compare with is Shi. Definitely unisex and has that men's cologne like note in there, not sure what that is but I get mostly the lily I think. Nice heavy bottle, pretty color. Maybe it reminds me of shades too, must be the basil. Good for casual days and anytime really. I would not pay the crazy prices I see out there but I never do for even the so called 'high end' perfumes. They're just rippin ya off

After long periods of shalimar, white diamonds, and all my other favorites my nose needs a good reset. Manifesto is my reset button. It smells like a clean white spa, a rehab from all my other scents while being an amazing standalone one itself. I expected it to be more peppery based on the reviews and notes listed but to me it smells like a nice smooth aquatic herbal. Its fairly strong and ever present, however i do layer with the body balm. I love you manifesto. I love you so hard

Early spring in the morning, clear blue sky, cold crisp air snapping through clean white linen on the clothes line. Lots of clear, zingy, green notes to start, then gentle white flowers with dewy fruit. I can detect orange blossoms and lillies and even a shy hint of jasmine. Warms up to a gently sweet mid morning breeze that smells like a jog on a wooded hillside in late February. A refreshing EDT that stays naturally close to the skin. Clean, confident, independent.

Very Fresh, enlivening, green with a watery coolness, I just love this. I find this a well balanced scent on my skin, no one note prominent over the others. Longevity is only moderate but that is okay, the dry down is soft with a hint of sweet pea. Very much a daytime perfume it reminds me of fan di fendi but much lighter.

I loved this perfume back in the early 2000s. Really disappointed that it was discontinued. However I have recently discovered a perfume that smells a lot like this, and it’s a cheap £10 one from Next called Paradise. Saves me having to fine expensive old bottles on eBay :)

Great value and quite expensive smelling, which is always a bonus. I've received many compliments about this one. Basil, pear and musk really stand out with Manifesto. Very impressive and so inexpensive!

It is a gorgeous scent. It lasts on me all day. You can even find it for under $20. Truly a complimentary scent. I'll be hoarding more bottles, it's getting difficult to find.

I LOVE this perfume. Makes me feel so sexy, like I just got caught in a rain storm! Not overly flowery, just a nice, light, fresh smell... Isabella, you rock!

I recently tried just about every perfume in the duty free on my way home from holiday. The closest I can get is Chanel Chance eau Fraiche 😊

I love this perfume. Peppery-green, it defies expectations and comes off as completely unique and original. It *is* a manifesto.

In theory, I like floral greens, but they don’t always work on my skin. Isabella Rosselini’s Manifesto is no different in this regard. In fact, I can see why it often gets unfavorable reviews and I can even find points to agree on with a lot of these reviews. So, why do I keep a bottle around? The simple answer is that at the right time of year, during the right conditions, it smells really quite good on me! In wintertime, I find this fragrance to be a feeble, watery, too-light floral. It smells almost like nothing, except that the longevity and persistence of its “nothingness” tend to become gratingly annoying after only a short while. Yet, on very muggy, warm, overcast days in the summertime here, it gently blooms on me with a waterlily-like delicacy that feels fresh, transparent, and appropriate. It also lasts a very long time on my skin. These few facts have been enough to sway me to keep it around for that one, perfect day where this fragrance fills a much-needed niche in my perfume collection. I do get the initial blast of basil. Then, while it’s not listed as an ingredient here, pretty much all I smell afterward is a spicy, waxy, flowery-sweet peony, backed up by a greenish, watery accord. This heart lasts a very long time until the final dry down, hours later, where it goes to a light white musk with perhaps a whisper of sandalwood. It’s the nearly immediate heart phase that can become oddly cloying at the wrong time of year, or if I happen to be in the wrong mood for this perfume. This is because, that even though the heart accord has a delicate, transparent feel, the longevity of it can be pretty overbearing, even when used lightly. In a way, it’s kind of maddening: I’ve wrestled with myself about keeping it seemingly every year I’ve had it. I’ve probably had it for nearly 20 years now. That’s a long time to wrestle! Ultimately, I wind up deciding to keep it. There is something pleasant about the crisply tailored, tapered box, with its textured, white-washed paperboard and icy, mint-colored insides. While the plastic, twist-down cap is sort of silly and takes away from the overall elegant presentation, the pale green juice looks refreshing, and the bottle has a comforting heft and shape in the hand. On the few days of the year when I can wear it, applying it feels fun, carefree, and a bit rebellious. I ask myself, “Will it still work for me this time?” So far, for the past 20 years, the answer has been, “Yes! Today, right now, on this breezeless, oppressively muggy day, it does work.”

I originally bought this when it first came out and could never really connect with the basil/ pepper combination, but I appreciate a well constructed green fragrance and this is that, so I hung on to it. Fast forward to spring 2024 and I pulled her out for a little go round and WOW! I store in a cool/ dark closet, so many of my older fragrances are still wearable. I don’t know if my tastes have changed, or its long timeout mellowed things a bit, but I went from meh to hell yes on this and it became a frequent warm weather daytime fragrance for me. I do love me some orange blossom and pear and it is now front and center and that weird basil/ pepper mess gets out of the way very quickly. I’m halfway through my big bottle, and I see myself in the future scouring eBay for a replacement.

Oxygen by Lanvin is the key and the best result for me comes with layering them. Manifesto goes through two stages 1. nasty-bright-herbal beginning due to specific basil (unlike basil oil which is also specific) - that nevertheless lets the scent stand out in its originality 2. friendly-simple-noble-grassy drydown (I hoped to get smth like that in Verdi 072 by Emilio Pucci) - it is light, without depth, but really pleasant in a casual way, naturally pleasant, I would say, and also refers to Oxygen main theme as a lighter echo. Perhaps I like it more than Oxygen - for daring at the beginning and friendly timid smiling later on, it's also more original, but to appear in public I need to glue it on Oxygen ‘uniform’ base. Both win.

On my skin, Manifesto was very refreshing and perfect for a hot summer's day. This perfume was very bright and herbal at first - with greenness from the basil and freshness from the bergamot. The florals smelt clean, and there is a touch of spice from the pepper. The scent dries down into a nondescript herbal-floral. In addition, the perfume lasts for about 4-5 hours; sillage is quite soft. The problem with this scent for me is that it's forgettable. It's quite elegant, well-balanced and clean, but there is no 'je ne sais quoi'. I could easily see myself pushing this towards the back of my wardrobe and never wearing it. I also found it to smell a little too synthetic for my tastes. Not for me, I think.

I like this but it does lean male. It starts off very aromatic with basil and pepper but turns soapy shampoo type as it goes along. So it is unisex in the end. Starts very strong but softens. I would only wear this on summer and daytime. Very green and herbal as well. In the end it smells like you washed in a herbal shampoo. I like it. I will have to live with it for awhile to decide if it's for me or for him.... If you like herbal, green, soft florals that are a bit different give this a try. Samples are dirt cheap. The basil stays throughout which I like. Very garden clean. Interesting. The more I smell it the more I like it.

This is what everybody's childhood should have smelled like...fresh and green and summery, very Mediterranean. It's almost totally linear: basil, pepper, and garden flowers with an opening touch of bergamot and barely-there sandalwood at the finish. I think of this as more of an aromatherapy scent than a perfume. I wear it when I want that "I can relax and enjoy being home, because the gardener is tending the roses and the au pair is tending the kids while I methodically grind pepper on my pasta" kind of feeling.

Manifesto is a scent of a forest after the midnight rain in a early morning dew a morning stroll though the grass feeling the wetness bettween your toes with yellow dandilions around you. with a morning cup of coffee you admire the the morning beauty around you. i can pick up a note of green tea and i just love mixing in with the basil and jasmine like a warm cup of scented jasmine green tea but my nose don't pick up any pears but only a wisp of white lily and musk for the drydown.

This fragrance mixed with my own chemistry in the early 2000's was perfection. Everyone would stop me and ask what I was wearing, neverending compliments. It was unique, refreshing with a hint of sensuality; tremendous longevity, my clothes would have a lovely hint of it days later yet the fragrance itself was not overwhelming. Skin chemistry was definitely the deciding factor between love and hate with this one. Sadly like most of my favorite fragrances, it was discontinued.

I love this. It reminds me of freshly mown grass. It’s a combination of citrus and light aquatic notes, with a touch of basil and mint. Together, they smell fresh and green. It’s not a strong fragrance. I have the EDT and I can spray several times without the scent feeling overpowering. I picked up a partial bottle at an estate sale shop, and now I might need to search for another. 💚

this is very fresh and green. opens up with peppery limey basil. this could be great on a hot day as it has a very green and cooling mood to it. this is one of the plantiest-greenest scents i've ever tried. later on a watery floral comes through a bit, which i think is lily. something in here smells papery to me, i don't even know how else to describe it and not sure what note it is.

Isabella Rosselini's Manifesto appears to me as a light, elegant, green, watery herbal scent. It lasts a couple of hours. A pleasant break in my oriental perfume wardrobe. I carefully selected this perfume in a financial stressful period of my life. Manifesto helped me survive with style and grace. Thanks Isabella R.

Very classy, conservative fragrance. Starts off with a lemon-like note, and you can definitely smell the basil. Shortly after, the citrus calms down, and the sweet, peppery smell emerges. The basil remains. Very unobtrusive and dignified fragrance. "Job interview scent". Not for youngsters.

I remember this as a refreshing, green scent with just a hint of basil - not enough to make you smell like a jar of pesto! I also remember being disappointed that it didn't last very long on my skin.

Inebriante, tonificante, una sferzata di energia , ottimismo e freschezza da indossare nelle giornate calde....peccato che non si trovi quasi più nelle profumerie italiane! :(

A very unsusal, light, herbal smelling perfume. Perfect for the office as its non-offensive. Personally I like a bit more depth to a perfume but this is ok.

Like sun warmed yellow wood :)

Testing out a sample of this..Smells like fresh clean super soapy and unisex. Almost giving a classic men's cologne vibe to me.

Manifesto is a prime example of a scent that I find lovely, but that never reciprocates the love. I don't know why, but Manifesto HATES my skin!! I rarely come across scents that fight my skin chemistry so badly. Which is a shame because I like its smell on paper, but sadly Manifesto is not "me." Let's start by saying this: Manifesto smells good. It does, really. A truly UNIQUE mix of basil, pepper, and white florals that does not smell like any other green scent on the fragrance counter. It has a slightly masculine and assertive green opening that makes a strong impression, before settling into a musky veil of feminine sophistication. A great smell on paper. But oh so cloying on my skin. And so artificial-smelling. And so ... not me. It really doesn't smell like me, and it never develops or blends with my skin like fragrance is supposed to. I feel terribly uncomfortable wearing a fragrance that obviously hates me, so I'm letting this one go.

I bought my bottle of Isabella Rossellini MANIFESTO long ago, soon after its release, now ten years ago, and 1.6oz (out of 1.7oz) remains. Hmmm... The bottle is really nice. I love the heft, the shape. I even like how they color-coded the liquid green for ready identification. Unfortunately, the composition is incredibly unappealing. This is a true scrubber in my book. My best guess is that the juice is entirely synthetic, as the stated notes are all usually very appealing to me. Or maybe only one of the notes is synthetic but just happens to disagree violently with my chemistry. Either way: I cannot wear MANIFESTO. I cannot even bear to wait it out and see whether it might improve. Désolée!

Yet another aquatic, generic floral, heavy on lily-of-the-valley, with the typical harsh woody musk base. It starts out with a strong blast of the usual suspects, spreading its sharp sillage all over the place. As it dries down it takes on a distinct plastic note. The plastic phase lasts about 5-7 hours. In the end all that’s left is a weak vanilla that persists for a few hours longer. Manifesto has nothing to distinguish it from all of the other drugstore clones and drones, and nothing to recommend it above any of its peers.

Very,very light herbal scent with zero sillage and no longevity. Suitable for young teens or those of you who might work in an office where others complain about loud fragrances. This one is not loud, alas, it is inaudible. Although cheap, paradoxically it is too expensive as the same effect can be achieved by sprinkling a pinch of oregano in your hair.Since no one, including yourself, will know you are wearing something, I am not sure what is the point.

I would have liked to like one of Isabellas scents, because she is a celebrity that I find more interesting than Paris Hilton, C.Aguilera and so on. Unfortunately I didn't like any. I'm not into unisex scents and Isabellas scents, especially this one, always seem so harsh, strong and unpleasant.

Very "meh". It's weak and none of the notes speak to me. It smells a bit green and soapy on me, not as peppery as I expected, just enough to suggest a slight crispiness. Creamy but not in a comforting way, it's slightly odd. It reminds me a bit of SPJ's Covet, which also didn't work for me.

DO NOT confuse with Manifesto by YSL (sweet, feminine). This Manifesto by IR is green medicinal unisex. I actively dislike it. Washed it off (rarely do it). Yes, I agree that it has something in common with Covet by SJP which I also dislike.

I sent EDT test. Inflicted on the wrist. It seemed that the scent of some kind ..... pharmaceutical, medicinal .... Quickly washed away) No, it's not for me((

I bought this more for the goodies it came with and where I saw it (Hawaii) rather than the actual fragrance itself. Especially at that time, I had a tendency to try way too many fragrances at once when I went shopping, and I probably tried this one after trying too many that day too. They sold this at DFS galleria in Honlulu, and it came in a package with A LOT of bath stuff like the body wash, bath fizz, soap pieces, body lotion, etc. At that time I just saw it looked refreshing I thought it smelled nice enough. I wanted to buy but I left my passport at the hotel so couldn't buy it then. Years later, I found it again on the internet with mostly the same goodies I saw then and I bought it. Honestly I don't dig it too much and I'm seriously considering selling it on ebay or something. I do smell the basil, but the fragrance itself is way too peppery and robust for me. I wanted something clean, green, refreshing, watery and subtle and that's what I hoped I smelled in this, but apparently it wasn't. The sillage and lasting power is a little too much that I find it overwhelming at times on those rare occasions when I wear this hoping I would like it.

Nostalgic Basil... I enjoyed reading the review by Jomoves below, about some of the history, attending the original launch party and meeting Isabella Rossellini in person. There's something nostalgic about this scent, which for me lies in the basil. Opens with aromatic basil, bergamot & pepper and a faint men's cologne vibe. after which it segues into an unsweetened but comfortable musk-pear-jasmine blend along the lines of Dolce Dolce&Gabbana (although this is much less sweet) The basil here is more of a dried-spice basil than a fresh basil-leaf, which is disappointing compared with modern perfumery for lovers of basil. For me this version of basil hearkens back to a time when the dried-spice version of basil was better known to me than the fresh - before the days of the ubiquitous Caprese salad & Neapolitan pizza, for which fresh basil is essential. I just have a tester, but if you're considering this scent based on its rendering of basil, then I wouldn't recommend it, but if for nostalgic reasons, it might be for you. Enjoy!

This was a part of a complete range of cosmetics marketed under the Isabella Rossellini name that was launched in the late 90s. I actually went to the launch of this one at David Jones and met IR who was surprisingly thin and tiny. She also gave a really dull speech about the perfume itself, just rattling off the press release. I can remember the photographer next to me rolling his eyes and smirking. Now the line is no more and Isabella's heyday is kind of over, but this perfume crops up in low end department stores and pharmacies every now and then. There is no doubt this was ahead of its time. I still have an original bottle and the mix of basil, musk and pear still holds up well. It's also kind of masculine which was also unusual at the time. A good scent for those on a budget who are sick of the current sea of sugary sweet perfumes, or if you are a young person who doesn't want to smell like any of your peers.

If it wasn't for the label, I could never recognize it as feminine. Manifesto smells definitely masculine at the first sniff. Fresh spicy and aromatic, I realized I detected something like banana leaf. Even pear in this combination has a masculine nature which gives it some freshness. as the times passes it gets a little more floral, but I still feel that so called banana leaf note. The sour and spicy notes are still there too. Later, patchouli emerges strongly and it becomes more of a patchouli+floral scent. Even though I can't name manifesto a typical stereotypical perfume,it hasn't much to offer.It doesn't satisfy neither the general market trend nor the specific professional noses. It is nothing that I would choose to wear as long as there are lots of nice perfumes out there.So I would rate it much lower than average. Latter maniesto by YSL is much better than this one.

It seems like everybody has a Manifesto, ...Communists, ...Roxy Music, ...and now I find out, Isabella Rossellini. She's played some good roles in great films, Blue Velvet, Death Becomes Her, and The Saddest Music In the World, to name three. Also interesting smaller roles in other intriguing films Fearless, Siesta, Wild at Heart, to name three more Anyway, about this perfume of hers... I do sense the bergamot, orange blossom, pear, ...other white blossoms?. Perhaps also the basil, though if so, it is subtle and fractionated. There is some unlisted vanilla in the mix as well. Has this sample lost its top notes? The vial is fairly old. This is a pleasant scent, though not remarkable, and rather short-lived. The same general scent profile as Samsara, but weaker and less complex.

This is an ideal summer fragrance. Light and refreshing without all the syrupy sweetness so common in newer scents. Top notes are citrusy and fresh. Floral notes are light and easy. Crisp is the word that comes to mind. Nothing heavy or sticky. I am definitely enjoying this mini that I have and contemplating a FB purchase. This was an unusual scent back at its introduction and it is still ahead of the pack. I had been searching for a perfect fresh summer easy scent and have tried many high end to drugstore. Little did I know that exactly what I was looking for was sitting on my dressing table all along. This will do nicely!

Lovely... one of my faves. I dont find it to be generic or watery. I dislike blue watery perfumes immensely. To me Manifesto is surprisingly sharp and fresh to start with, then the flowers and finally a musky softness which lasts for a long time. I find it very interesting in the way it progresses from such a sharp/green beginning to an enduring sexy soft musk. I am no perfume expert and a total noob in my knowledge of ingredients and composition... just a lover of many perfumes... and I love Manifesto.

This smells a lot like Marc Jacobs "Lola" to me Just like with Lola, my skin pulls an undesirable "pencil shavings" smell that doesn't ever fully subside. The pear adds some watery sweetness to this scent and the musk adds lifted elegance, but mostly the "fresh spice" demolishes every other note in its path. I can imagine this smelling lovely on someone with the right chemistry to make the fresh spice and sweet notes seem easyyyy breezyyyy. My oily skin turns a scent like this into a mess. :(

I loooved this scent when we got it in stock in the perfume shop I worked in the year 2000. It was at that time sooo pleasant and feminin. It lasted only 1 hour maybe. But I just sprayed it and sprayed it. No problem. Then One day we got a telephone that Isabella Rossilini was coming to visit our shop to look at her products at the shelfes and talk with us. I was so exited and shocked that I can not remember how this day was. Or If she came or not...