Jil

April 2019 I've now had this scent nearly 3 years, and have worn it several times. My nose has matured, and my physical location has changed significantly. I no longer get any sort of cleaning solution from the sprayer, and that might be a combination of my hot environment and my familiarity with the scent. But it does continue to be a gorgeous and unique combination of citrus and sweet/darkness. I actually feel that it's the vetiver that really balances this scent, but then I also think the lavender does that. Both of those notes have a brighter top and a deeper base that really allows them to span these quite unique notes. There's a powdery sense to the scent if you're paying attention (or sensitive) to that, but it's not what I would call a powdery scent. To me, this is one of the edgiest of Jil Sander's scents, and one that I feel was likely discontinued because it was just too far ahead of the pack. Had this been released by a niche or indie house, it would probably have a cult following. But coming from a designer house which is quite accessible to its primary European market, it would be significantly different from much of the other scents being marketed to those individuals. I count myself fortunate to have this outstanding and unique scent. If you can, try it. But if you fall in love, that might be a challenge . . . sadly. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Aug 2016: If you sniff this from the bottle, you get the weirdest, strong, citrus, cleaner sort of scent. I sprayed twice on my right arm, once, then let it dry, then a second time over that just to get a better idea. First time I tested was a single spray to the back of my hand. I think this is the kind of scent that requires a bit more initial application to come through. So . . . first burst this time is cocoa. It's powdery and rich. Not sweet, but then the fruit of the raspberry appears. This is like a rich chocolate-raspberry tart. It's a little spicy and woody underneath the semi-sweetness. Throughout the development, the bergamot is consistent and rather strong to my citrus-sensitive nose. But it's not overwhelming. I think it is combined with the cranberry to make that tartness. It works well with the other notes (in the Jil Sander way) so that this is absolutely not a citrus scent, but it's a rich, woody, gourmand. But I wouldn't think of this scent as "gourmand" in the typical sense. There's so much of the amber and cedar in this composition that it is an active part of the development and makes this more of an ambiance than a desert. I can imagine certain hookah smelling like this. As the drydown comes along, the tobacco takes center stage (hence the hookah comparison). It's really a gorgeous winter and fall scent. Of course, I'm going to be wearing it in the heat of Haiti, and for that reason, I'm testing it on my balcony without AC. This seems to help the notes bloom and merge rather than separating that so often happens in cold weather. In the AC, this is more about the woods and resins. Out on the balcony, the chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry shine. The first time I tested this (keeping in mind it was only one spray), it seemed light and surprisingly without significant impact. This time is very different. No longer do I get the similarities to Serge Lutens Chergui and Diptyque Volutes I noted before, other than the lovely warm tobacco. This is its own scent. I really have yet to notice the mint much. There is an herbal sense through this that makes it seem like it's infused with mint and lavender without those notes taking any sort of spotlight. This is probably the closest thing to "gourmand" in my wardrobe, and for someone who is not a gourmand lover (strong chocolate like Dame Perfumery Scottsdale Chocolate Man, while beautiful, turn my stomach), it is perfect for me when I want something on the sweet side. But I would probably avoid spraying this around my neck in the heat. My conclusion? This is a stunning blind-buy and well worth the effort to hunt down. I would love to keep this with me always, and might try to find it if I ever run out . . . so let's hope that never happens! glad

I am rolling my eyes in delight, go ooohhh and ahhhh like a crazy woman. I am in heaven! When I was young Jil Sander was a big hit (still is in my humble opinion), and I always owned the creamy bath gel of Jil in the white box. I loved it so much, and everybody around me knew I loved it so much, this was always gifted to me by my colleagues for my birthday. They knew that I loved, loved, loved long relaxing bath times surrounded by gorgeous fragrances, candle lights and a glass of gin tonic (in the olden days Bacardi Coke) on the rim of my bath tub. My late hubby was so sweet that he had my bath water poured and my drink ready on the rim just before I came home, and when I walked through the door he welcomed me with the words: "Go wash the stress off of you, and then we can talk." Yup, I was a spoiled thing way back then. Oh, this fragrance takes me back to those days in such a delightful way. I got the chance to buy the shower gel, the eau de toilette and the body cream on Ebay, not such an easy find, because I was looking for a couple of years, and so I JUMPED at the opportunity. I am so glad I did, even though I vowed after more than 110 frags, over 30 bath gels and over 30 body lotions that maybe, just MAYBE I spent enough on frags and things, and I spent way more on the bottle of eau de toilette than I am usually willing to spend on a frag - but I found it too hard to resist this time. It usually is a real struggle for me to try to be reasonable when it comes to Jil Sander, and in particular when it comes to Jil frags that were on top of my "love it to bits and pieces" list all along. This is SUPER feminine, like so many other Jil Sander fragrances. Sometimes I wonder why some of the greatest flankers get discontinued.

I have purchased it based on a good reviews here and i absolutly do not like it! For me it is like a men ́s perfume, but not the best one. Very very sharp at the beginning it instantly scared me off so i put it away for a while, thinking i will try it some day later. Then once again and again i wanted to test it but was still disgusted by it ́s opening. Today i finally tried it on my skin. The very opening is like very citrus to me with some bitter notes dominanting (i guess that are red berries and cacao). Then after 10-15 min all i can smell is bitter cacao with vetyver mixed with some pine notes. It is not fresh citrus anymore. For me that kind of smell is really annoying in someway and since it has tobacco note in it, it just simply turns me off cause since i quitted smoking i cannot stand a scent of tobacco. So what do we get? A sharply citrus at the beginning and bitter cacao with pine notes later. I do not smell any raspberries in it absolutly! Staying power is average. So for me it is very one-sided fragrance, that would better suit a manly man than a woman. But since Jil Sander was always very minimalistic in fashion it is no surprise then that the same is with the fragrances. UPDATE: After 30 min all i can smell is dark chocolate with a lightest hint of vanilla mix to it. Still it smells like quite masculine to me and i do not like to wait that long for perfume to develop, by that time i will want to scrub it simply off. Please do not remove this comment, since others might find it useful. Not every review should be positive, so people like me wanted to make a blind buy might find it very informative. Thanks.

I don ́t know what happened but lately i have changed my opinion on some fragrances i hated or disliked before. "Jil" is now one of them. Right below is my previous review for "Jil" and i explained why i disliked it. Today i am wearing it for a second time and i think this is a "one sniff from hate to love" type of fragrance for me. I liked it yesterday and love it today! It smells complelty different when sprayed on my skin during warmer season, than when i tried it during colder season. The chocolate notes with tonka bean are driving me crazy! This is an instant head-turner at the moment! Long lasting dark chocolate and light vanilla, nothing else really, those are just 2 notes i fully appreciate and enjoy here. Guess this will be one of my favorite summer time evening fragrances, but only during summer time! Now i have learned my lesson that never say never and always give a second try :)

A little bit on the weird side but I love this one! First impression: somebody hit me in the head with a giant perfume bottle. Thankfully that lasts only for a few seconds. Then I get berries with a hint of christmas tree. It developes into deepest forest AND a rich floral-fruity bouquet. It's hard to imagine those two side by side but it smells truly amazing. Very fresh but sweet and playful at the same time. An hour later the woods step up and I get the vanilla. Slowly the remains of the top notes fade away to be replaced by vetiver and tonka bean with hints of something woody-smoky, amber and vanilla. It's a shame that it doesn't last longer, after only 4 hours it's pretty much gone. I can't remember if it had more staying power when the bottle was new. I really wish they would bring it back!

Interesting to read that not everyone liked this perfume at first. The same thing happened to me. I actually thought the smell was terrible at first.... but after a while the little tester my sister gave me as a gift found its way to my nose more and more often. It took a while, but it was one of the best fragrances I have ever had. A few years ago I was able to get a bottle on Ebay, but that was it. I think this fragrance was completely discontinued. What a shame. Maybe Jil Sander plans a revival of this wonderful, very special scent.

This was one of my first favorites as a proper adult, when I was going through a gourmand phase. It smelled just like a fresh baked sugar cookie on me. I kept thinking it smelled like an anise sugar cookie, in fact, even though to my knowledge there is no anise note in the perfume. Something about the way that the sweet gourmand notes mix with the more acerbic woody notes fooled my nose.

Based on the review by Germanblonde- what a gorgeous review btw; and also the most noticeable voted notes, I ordered a sample bottle of this. It is very beautiful, it reminds me of Trussardi Python which, I think is my favourite perfume ever. But sadly discontinued. This is close though. Its just lovely. And for 12 years ago, its quite something, gourmand, sweet, fresh, creamy. Devine.

I really like this scent, it's my favorite. It's a very distinctive fragrance. Whenever I wear it, people ask what it is. I'm just sorry that it is discontinued. It's even getting harder to find on Ebay. Wish Jil would bring it back.

Hmm... Not sure what to think about this one. To me, it's a bit synthetic? It gives me a Gucci Rush vibe in a way. At the same time it's also very rich with chocolate and berries. My mom never owned this but this fragrance reminds me of my mom during the 90s. I need to try it more before I make up my mind

Im on a Jil Sander kick as I recently scored a No. 4 pure perfume for next to nothing on eBay. There is nothing like wearing pure perfume so when I saw a Jil perfume on line, I'd thought Id play it safe and buy a mini first to give it a test run. I'm glad I did. When I saw the notes of chocolate, lavender and citrus I grew concerned as these three do not go together (think Covet by SJP) and I was right. This is a little harsh and abrasive and slightly detergent like smelling. Its very masculine too, maybe this is what it was discontinued fairly quickly upon release. The dry down is kind of unusual I admit but I still mainly get citrus and lavender. All of the other notes are so far in the background they barely exist. I appreciate Jil Sander's take on scents and this is no different, but at the same time Im not a fan of Jil. To each his (or her) own I guess.

The scent profile intrigued me, and when I saw a used bottle for sale online I bought it immediately. We all see the proliferation of fragrances that smell so similar they're difficult to tell apart; Jil is very unique. I love vetiver, vanilla, raspberry, tonka, chocolate and cedar and this scent has them all. Reading this description would lead you to believe that it would smell like a bad science experiment. Not at all! Initially it has a crisp masculine opening, I can pick out the lavender, mint and vetiver with a touch of chocolate. On my skin the heart has almost a musky character, a well blended soft cloud of scent. I detect elements in the scent profile coming to the fore and then drifting away. It's not all soft and sweet,I pick up red berries, bergamot, and lavender from time to time amidst the vanilla, sandalwood,cacao and violet. I'm hoping to pick up more woodsy notes in the dry down; even though it's a hour since I sprayed it I already know I love Jil. The downside is that it won't last long on my voracious fragrance devouring skin. Jil is very different, and though I am not as experienced as others with extreme or niche fragrances; I find this is just the ticket for someone like me who adores the unusual. It's definitely a new favorite.

I often buy scents when I travel to remind me of the holiday, or because that particular product is not available where I live. This is true of JIL which I picked up in San Francisco when it was released in '97. Wow, that's almost 20 years ago. I am not particularly a fan of gourmands but really liked this one at that time. I think it was the lavender, raspberry and chocolate combination that was so different from what I usually went for. Tucked away in my closet is almost half a bottle in its original box. I hadn't worn it in years and felt compelled to experience it again. A couple of sprays on my arm revealed that it was in excellent condition for a bottle I had purchased 18 years ago. It's not something I would wear often now being too sweet for my current taste but I certainly admire the quality of the product that still smelled much like it did when I used it regularly. I'm surprised it's not still available - it's the type of sweet scent that is quite popular these days.

Sniffing this on my hand before looking at the listed notes - minty plastic? Is drying down now to something more woody but the plastic still overpowers. I could see this working much better on a man than on a woman. Tobacco a la the Body Shop Tobacco Flower (ah, I see that one isn't in the data base here, along with loads of other Body Shop's) one also coming through quite strongly. Overall I find this fragrance to smell disappointingly synthetic, although I'm sure the juice is in tiptop condition. Perhaps it's because I don't appreciate these particular notes and am therefore misinterpreteting them. This (original, not the modern one) Jil, I would certainly classify as a 'gourmand', in the mould of 'skin scent' - I can't detect any vanilla, more of which might have seduced me. I am in the UK and have a nearly full good-sized mini if anyone's interested.

This was one of my first perfume. I got it as a present from my German uncle when I was around 16. Couldn't stand it first because of the bitter after notes that lingered beneath the sweetness of the fragrance. Than for some reason I've grown to not just like it, but love it. When I ran out of the small bottle I bought 2 bigger ones and used it always, every day. After I used those bottles,it got withdrawn from the shops and I was so-so sad - nothing could compare to Jil! Recently I remembered these memories and searched for it online. To my shock I found one available bottle! Immediately I bought it - it smelt the same but I have changed now 15 years later. Still like it, but not too much any longer. Wear it, but don't really suit to me.

I got this one some, some years ago, and based on the main accord, I would say; not my cup of coffee! But... those sweet and aromatic tones didn't bother me at all,it is quite unique and differentiate itself from tones of others. i can even feel vanilla (which I dislike), but in Jil, it just make the sense (maybe because it us not there:) I used to wear it daily, and even now i have some leftovers, which I spray all over me with joyful. I like it in its unique way, and as it was my first Jil Sander perfume, it made me try other ones from Jil Sander. Now I love Pure for an every day purpose, always have some 30ml bottle somewhere,

Had this one for some years now along with the body cream. This is one of the most unusual gourmand scent I have ever smelled. It's fruit, chocolate , red berries and vanilla but not kiddy sweet. Not regular Angel this has a hint of leather to me, dry. This could pair good with Angel Innocent. I must try them together! Update: Feb 14, 2020 Wear this almost never now. As a collection fragrance I will have an upcoming occasion to wear this. Unusual and unique. If you have this and lose your taste for it don't give this away sell it!

Loaded with vanilla! Too much vanilla for me but very pretty but not for me to ware so I used it as a fabric refresher on my bed. If I like something but don't like it on my skin then I use it as a fabric scent on my bed. One of my bizaar ways of using my scent to its fullest advantage-its better than sitting on a shelf!

This perfume connected with what wanted in a daily perfume, for work. When I wear Jil I am feeling confident as I have access to my worldly pursuits as way is prepared in advance of my arrival with this influential, impressive, not too pretty scent. A thrill to wear.

This was the first perfume I ever bought, and I still love it today. It's discontinued unfortunately (can't understand why), so I was very happy when I got the chance to buy two big tester bottles on ebay, now I can have it with me a little longer...