Jil Sander No. 4

im starting to think i can read the mind of Michel Almairac. lately been having coincidences of me picking out a random fragrance that grabbed my intention without knowing the perfumer behind it and being very impressed by it only to find out later it was him! super heady floral bouquet utilizing two difficult to use main florals with some fruits: tuberose, carnation. juicy plump opening and a musky animalic backdrop. that's just the summarized description. but theres more to it. it's has 3 transitions in the opening. every time i spray that opening it starts with a juicy powerful plum immediately followed with a bitter green. this stay for a couple seconds and then milky peach swirls around a green rose (garanium/rose) combined with a herby/pantry anise giving this addictive touch along with tart bergamot that cleans it all up. amazing opening. really well done. tuberose and carnation are the main protagonists(maybe antagonists). these two flowers are real stinkers by themselves. and i don't mean that in a bad way. they're easy to do wrong. a testament of a master perfumer. tuberose is very idolic with a sweet facet and carnation is a strong flower with a smell similar of clove. combining these two and making something nice is bit of a flex. they're so upfront but there is also support of obvious nutmeg and myhrr and ylang-ylang. myhrr gives a balsamic sweetness, ylang sourness and nutmeg yea... the aromatics of nutmeg. in the background it starts to become way too difficult to distinguish the florals by themselves. just their functional characteristics are left. jasmine givings a sensuality, heliotrope and violet is giving this ''hazy powder''. tarragon is giving the impression of greenery along side the flower garden. it doesn't deviate and you get to enjoy the floral mid for a few hours. the base.. althou it's not weak doesn't join the mid until much later. once the florals chill out a bit the smooth animalic backdrop starts coming forth giving a new theme. the combination of earthy patchouli musk, civet musk and gentle muted skin like ambergris become so alive. this is honestly my favorite part of the fragrance. it gives that floral boutique a ''sexy allure''. also has a bit of lactonic/powdery sandalwood and slightly coarse cedar and moss to cement that base even more! the powder is going into into the nutty vanilla direction. this last well over 8+ hours with nice projection. all of this in a potent 1990's style package, it's not dusty at all. this is the era where perfumes retained some 80 quirks but started to modernize more. this is definitely still relevant today but could be more mature leaning and not so playful but it's so beautiful in the air and nobody is gonna think its a grandma scent. very wearable. matter the fact i have a sister of 15 that fell in love with this and said that it's gonna be her new signature. you got to understand that these slightly older scents can be considered niche now. many people a rediscovering these timeless classics and that's commendable. PHEW.... this took me a long time... im literally fatigued from re-spraying to try to understand the perfume. enjoying it a lot. someone below said that it's not complicated... i strongly disagree. it's not complicated as in difficult to understand or difficult transitions. you can easily tell what it wants to achieve but it does it with much finesse for a great price.

Today is a Jil Sander Jil Sander No 4 day! I have two wee decants of this beauty, so I sprayed one on each hand. Actually, the one on my right hand just squirted, but such is the life of samples and decants! I look forward to trying these compared to the matching lotion, and hopefully can swing that next week, but we'll see since I've been stocking up pretty aggressively. The reason for spraying both is because I wanted to see if there was a noticeable difference between the two. Having read the reviews, I was curious if I would sense two different formulations, but it does not appear so. While the one on my right hand seems to be a bit more loud, it also might be either the difference between spraying and squirting, and the difference in age or whatnot. The one on my right hand seems a bit more on the sharp side, and has a bit of the plastic note that comes from a lot of tuberose scents. The one on the left hand seems to warm to a spicy honey sort of scent that I can only assume is from the ylang-ylang note. Both of these are truly gorgeous. I find that with No 4, it is optimal to spray it and experience the fragrance from a distance. When I sniff close to my skin, I get a bit of that sharp note (civet?) others have referred to. It doesn't bother me, because I am partial to animalics. But as I lower my hands and simply breathe in what is rising to meet me, it is a gorgeous bouquet centered around the tuberose and ylang-ylang. With other Jil Sander scents I've reviewed, the beauty is in the development and a sort of dance from one note to the next, without it being linear or static. But No 4 is different. This scent seems to be focused on the whole rather than the parts. Sort of like an enormous bouquet so full that all you can see is the beauty of the bouquet, and you find yourself unable to specify the specific flowers, or even the dominant colors. That is not to say that this is loud, obnoxious, or without taste. On the contrary, this is the epitome of taste and refined elegance. It is one of the last true classic scents, and the comparisons with other divas of perfumery are justified. To me, the beauty of this fragrance is in the drydown, beginning around an hour after application. It is here that this becomes part of me and it is no longer "wearing me," but is part of my essence. Not a skin scent in the least. And unlike other JS scents, there is no way that this can be called "understated." But it is not desperate for attention either. She simply knows her strong points and how to accentuate them, and when she enters a room, all heads will turn, but they will simply appreciate the beauty and then return to their life. She is not distracting.

EDP REVIEW- My very first Jil Sander scent ever *Thanks Weegee* and I see now what all the hubbub was about. This perfume borders on magnificent... One vial cap lid full was enough to make a pool on my wrist, which I quickly touched to the other wrist and smoothed on both sides of my neck! It is hard to type this review, as I cannot stop sniffing myself!! A perfectly balanced opening of powdery spiciness (galbanum and anise) along with luscious fruits (plum and nectarine) and a twist of citrus blended with dry geranium and roses grabs you. God is this gorgeous...and this is just the beginning?! This is something that is rich and classy but not overpowering or cloying. I must have a full bottle of this! Flowers, flowers, flowers arranged perfectly with just enough sharp greens and dry warmth, yet they do not "wilt" but seem magnified somehow. No.4 is an absolutely flawless combination of stunning beauty! To even begin to try and pick out the seperate floral notes would insult this divine creature; you must just adore her as she is, with no in-depth analysis, and be lucky you have even been fortunate enough to be near Her! My "perfect perfume" has dark florals (check), rich not saccharine fruits (check), some spiciness (check), and a woody incensy oriental drydown (check check check)...Ladies and Gentleman: THIS may be the most perfect perfume I have EVER sniffed! Repeated sniffs of my wrist have brought on what I can only call a "rush" to my brain, my heart and my spirit!! The drydown is earthy, woody, warm, and musky; ever so slightly dry (but dripping with elegance) and just raw enough to be sexy and polished enough to be classy. I could go on and on...but I think you get the picture here! Sillage: Great Longevity: very good Overall: 5/5 *I am in AWE...* Jil Sander No. 4 is simply perfect, the only thing I might have asked for in the "perfect" frag was a bit of smokiness or a hint of leather; but this is something I would NEVER want to see messed with, and an overly smoky or leathery feel would tip this in a direction It was never meant to go. I would sell some body part I had two of, just to own a full bottle of this juice!! I only hope that the men's scents are as awesome! Part of me is actually afraid to sniff other Jil Sander scents, as they may not live up to this one...I imagine the No. 4 Parfum is out of this world! *buries nose in both wrists, inhales deeply, swoons*

Here's my take and Im no pro at writing about perfume... This is a really beautiful, complex scent. It has so many personalities with it's "layers". It goes through so many scent stages. I don't wear this every day or that often because of how obvious this perfume can be, it may be too sexy in some situations & and its not for every occasion by any means - but boy when I do wear it, it instantaneously turns my mood into a sultry bombshell type of feeling... Sexy, check. Confident, check. Aware and feeling happy & bold, YES. I last wore this in the early cool spring; put it on in the morning before work... not too much, just a small spray... Had about 30 mins for the drydown before leaving the house. Put a coat and a scarf on. Got on the subway and the air conditioner was blowing in the subway car... Let me tell you: I noticed that every man within a 15 foot radius slowly noticed a scent in the air, they may have been reading or listening to music what have you... I could see some were sniffing and figuring out what that scent was. They all slowly turned their heads trying to figure out who it was - in a GOOD way. Not the "OMG, who's wearing that disgusting perfume that's too much or making me sick" type of look. Its was a curious type of slowly noticing and then hypnotic look of trying to figure out what they were smelling... it was all the layers and phases of this scent. It certainly put a smirk on my face. Not sure if its just my chemistry or not but I do love this as it works for me. Call it 80's or whatever... I do not think this is a perfume that can be worn by everyone; someone very young may not be able to pull this off but if you can go for it!

i'm about to say something that is quite shocking to me: this *may* be my favorite drydown of any perfume i own. but i'm getting ahead of myself. for me, the initial experience is all about the carnation and ylang ylang ! this is certainly because it reminds me of my mother, and all the fragrances she wore when i was young -- amarige, ysatis, l'air du temps -- all share that ylang ylang - carnation combo. since this experience is so instantaneous and so personal, it dilutes the plum and tuberose that others are getting (and i'm usually very tuned in to plum !) i'll be interested to see if my nose gets sharper with this one with more regular wear in the fall, or see if this phase, at least, will always be that of fuzzy nostalgia (i'm ok with that). the drydown is when my journey turns from memory lane to my very own fascination street. in an era where so many drydowns are simple and familiar--not unpleasant but not particularly remarkable--this one manages to remain complex and personal, which i find thrilling. a sandwich of musty oakmoss on top, with vanilla-tonka-myrrh as the center, and musk at the bottom holding it all up. florals still linger as a garnish. i can't get enough. it's sweet but not sugary or obnoxious; sophisticated and, mostly, self assured. and that self assuredness lasts all day, which is, as far as i'm concerned, true magic. it's armor when out. it's satin sheets when home.