Vengeance Extreme

Ravishingly, stupendous, beautiful and absolutely gorgeous perfume! I love it! This has to be amongst my all time favourite perfume alongside TM Angel. It opens with a fresh floral blast of bergamot but it is neither sharp nor lemony, indeed it is soft and sweet but never cloying. This perfume remains 'fresh' the whole journey through and is perfect for the summer. I'm not sure why this perfume is called 'extreme' because that gives the impression that it is a strong powerbomb. It is indeed a powerful perfume which must be applied economically, but it is neither extreme nor over bearing. Instead, this is a beautiful orchestra of florals and patchouli which has been so carefully blended with love and care, to become a soft and musky juice which wafts up at you the whole day, stays on the skin and never leaves you. This perfume is so loyal that I am in love wearing it. All the JHAG fragrances are heavy on the rose and this little beauty is no exception, however the rose is a beautiful soft flower. It is not a sharp or very 'green'rose. For those of you who are not that keen on rose or patchouli, I suggest that you give this a chance as you will be very surprised at how soft and fresh this is. Well worth the price tag, this fragrance will last a long time as one spray is all you need for the day and the silage is wonderful. This fragrance was meant to be enjoyed not just by the wearer, but by everyone who is lucky enough to smell it. If heaven smells of anything, it will be Lady Vengeance Extreme.

Vengeance Extreme delivers on Lady Vengeance's promises. It's dark and even a little bit dirty, but very feminine, sexy and still wearable. It's a rose/patchouli fragrance with an emphasis on patchouli. The first spray can be a bit animalic. Then the dark and chocolate-like patchouli takes the stage and slowly the full-bodied, deep, fruity and jammy rose joins in. There is a hint of vanilla to round it all. I'd say it's just sweet enough, but not really sweet. The patchouli becomes very earthy over the time. In the drydown, there is also some cinnamon-y spiciness, it might be the coumarin from the tonka beans in this, and a warm, slightly animalic musk. A tad leathery even. This is such a multifaceted, warm, but a little sharp and all in all sensual, seductive fragrance. It has very good lasting power, it leaves a hint of warmth on the skin even on the next day. I have had a JHAG sample set for years, but I didn't pay it much attention - there was always something more interesting and frankly, the brand didn't appeal to me that much. Lady Vengeance is nice to me, but not great, and I dislike the whole concept of Not a Perfume. Also, their bottles look like some emo teen girl designed the decor in computer class in the mid 2000s. But Vengeance Extreme is such an awesome surprise, I wish I discovered it sooner!

2nd review, I gave Vengeance Extreme more time to develop. It's gorgeous. I still prefer the minty/rose passion of Lady Vengeance, especially because I smell rose above all notes, but VE has a class on its own. It's extremely sexy and very well balanced. Strong impact for sure, but never rough or rude. Passion with great elegance. Wearable by a man, too, but better for ladies, at least in the West. The rose here is not the absolute queen because she has to share her throne with a King and what a king! King Patchouli in its most lovely, refined form. Forget about dirty hippie and welcome a grand dame in evening gown. One of the most enticing moments is when vanilla comes out as a love child of the Royals. Sweet, soft, non-foody vanilla mingled with Patchouli making it softer and rounder without the typical acrid points out. I can almost smell something like bread. A total pleasure this scent is. It gives me a feeling of far lands in the East, red sunsets, Indian feasts, sensual resting on silk. For sure not for all tastes. Wear with sense, it gives a lot with a little.

I like this much better than the regular Lady Vengeance, which is too sharply woody, slightly metallic and bitter on me. The extreme version is actually much less extreme. At first it's a bit strong and sharp, bit when it dries down it has several stages om me, which are all pleasant. At first is the patchouli and rose, quite sweet, but a little bit fresh too. It's a perfectly done patchouli - I used to not like parchouli, but in here it is very balanced. Then the vanilla appears. When this has fully settled, I clearly smell the almond as amaretto, with vanilla and labdanum and some musk, which gives it a very slight B.O smell (luckily, barely there). Some of the parchouli still there. The trail it leaves is lavender, bergamot and faint rose. The dry-down is kind of a gourmand smell, but in a good way (I don't usually like gourmands, but the patchouli saves this). In my experience, when I spray this on my clothes, I smell the top notes for much longer, but on my body, this goes to the gourmand-patchouli and stays like that.

Vengeance Extreme, or is this Paloma Picasso in a repackage? I find so many similarities in both fragrances! I bought this one as a blind buy after seeing a best of JHAG fragrances by The Perfume Guy, and seeing him rate this one as his #2 pick over all! I found it on eBay for under $50 for the large bottle. When I received it in the mail and first sprayed it, I was catapulted back in time to my college days in which Paloma Picasso figured heavily, and was beloved by many of the girls in my dorm, along with Eternity, Niki de Saint Phalle, and many others. I love the longevity in this fragrance, and love the rich, beautiful depth and warmth of the floral and spice blend. It's absolutely gorgeous, and such a great fragrance for the cold weather and to wear with all black. I love the elegance and have received a number of compliments wearing this one! Highly recommend!!