Michael

Gosh, 24 years have gone by since this masterpiece was released! Michael, along with several others in and around that time (i.e. Van Cleef & Arpels Murmure, Truth Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs) had me spellbound. I am saying that as a male! While all of those fragrances were of the same concept, they all were unique in VERY distinct ways, unlike so many fragrances today. To date things even further, I believe it was either a Marshall Field's/Dayton's/Hudson's department store where I first sampled Michael. Beautiful, simply beautiful stuff! Everything about this fragrance -- including the product copy/verbiage, packaging -- just screamed luxury. I remember being so let down when the men's version came out and the box for the fragrance didn't incorporate the suede-like inner carton like that of the women's. 24 years later, I still remember the product copy they used over and over and over again... and rightly so! "Creamy florals meet exotic spices, tamed by Moroccan incense, tuberose reinvented." Everything they did to promote and market this fragrance -- all the way down to the sample/blotter cards -- was so p-r-e-c-i-s-e-l-y executed. They didn't miss a beat! Remember how the atomizer button was triangular on the top to create the letter "M?" The same was done on the front of the bottle with the triangle on the glass pointing downward. Subtle touches without being tacky or kitschy. Back in the day, there was also a department store called Jacobson's -- but there were only a handful remaining at that time. When I saw Michael on the counter on my way out, I couldn't resist and just had to grab a card and spray so I could toss it into my bag from a purchase from another department. I recall a sales associate coming over and offering to discuss more as she thought I was considering buying it for a woman in my life. HAHA! I told her of my love, or more honestly, infatuation for it and even recited the "Creamy florals meet exotic spices, tamed by Moroccan incense, tuberose reinvented" bit. If her jaw had dropped, it would have broken the counter glass and perhaps gone through down to the floor! I expressed how the fragrance transports me back to summers in the early to mid-80s for some reason I can't quite pinpoint, but as a male, I wouldn't feel comfortable actually wearing it. She encouraged me that there's nothing wrong with buying a bottle just for my own personal use at home, and in retrospect, I'm glad she said that -- even if she was just interested in her commission. I say this because I took her up on the offer and bought a bottle thinking that I wouldn't need to keep going to the department stores to get blotter cards! Later that day, I was going out to dinner with a friend and a family member and we went to the Macaroni Grill and I actually wore one spritz of Michael that evening. As for the fragrance itself, there's SOMETHING bright, comforting, floral, spicy, sensual, sexy, creamy, approachable, powerful, and luxurious to it. To this day, I still have several scented print ads for Michael to remind me of this wonderful creation. I think I wound up giving the bottle I bought at Jacobson's away to a friend realizing that the REAL pleasure of the fragrance will be in the memories associated with both that period of time in my life as well as those from the 80s as noted above. While I was quite surprised when I discovered this fragrance was discontinued, the wonderful, very wonderful memories I have of Michael are very much alive and well!

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL...AND...BEAUTIFUL!! FINALLY!!...A beautiful, clean, classy, white floral perfume without fruity notes overload!!! This one has JUST the right amount of sweet and the clean vibes comes from the white florals with a touch of musk. A lot of people mention a "banana vibe" with this one and I don't get that whatsoever. This one in my eyes...is DAMN CLOSE to perfect in the perfume world. The only complaint that I have is that cheap ass lid! Lol. That ugly metal/plastic contraption looks like it's the ugly part that belongs UNDER a luxurious lid, preferably that would have matched the light, pretty color of the liquid. Also...I must say...that this does indeed smell 98% identical to Kim Kardashian's debut perfume. The only real difference is that Kim's perfume lasts longer...but doesn't project as well whereas Michael Kors only lasts about 4 hours but 3 of those 4 hours it projects VERY well. At least 5-6 feet of throw if you use 4 sprays. So it's kind of a toss up there as to which you would prefer. Kim's perfume lasts a little longer lasting about 5-6 hours on me but only projects about 2 feet. Overall...I do really love this perfume! Since I already have Kim's perfume...I wasn't sure I wanted to shell out the money for this one but I found a used 1 ounce bottle on Ebay that I only paid about $15 for. And my Kim K perfume was on it's last few sprays so I figured why not? Got it...used it...and came to my full time job with it on today and 2 people told me how amazing I smelled at the very beginning of the day. One of them actually told me she was immediately putting it on her wish list for her upcoming birthday and had me write down the name of it for her right away so that one of her family members would buy it for her. So what's my opinion? I hate to say it but...to 90% of the population...Kim Kardashian's debut perfume in the dark purple bottle will fit the bill just perfectly for a third of the price. You can get the big 3.4 ounce bottle of that one for around $20. However...for those of you that money is no object and you have it to spend...you may prefer this one as even though it doesn't last as long...it's potency is most definitely more impressive and it makes it presence more known. Not to mention I know some people have a big ego and when asked...would much rather say "I'm wearing Michael Kors" as opposed to saying "I'm wearing Kim Kardashian's perfume." (<-- Some people...not me. I'll proudly state whatever I'm wearing.) Scent Itself - 10/10 Projection - 8/10 Longevity - 6/10 Overall Score - 9/10 Huge thumbs up on this one! Now I need to try more from this house!!

The reviews are correct. This is a very nice buttery tuberose floral fragrance. It was one of the first fragrances I smelled in the early 2000’s that made me graduate from a perfume “nope” person to a perfume “God Yes” person. Back then I didn’t know the difference between notes or what I even liked. I just knew that I’d tried so many fragrances that repelled me and this one was what I wanted to smell like. I mean this scent is like an old flame lover. I stray and go from one tuberose scent to another. I get excited by some and fall in love with some but they are infatuations. I keep going back to my true tuberose love Michael. It is very similar to Gucci Bloom. It’s a little more creamy and layered. It has a nice light incense note with Cashmere Wood making it just a touch deeper while Gucci Bloom has honeysuckle and green notes to lighten it a tiny bit along with orris root that adds a touch of powder. But, the two fragrances are very similar. I own both fragrances and can see now why I liked Bloom so much. I forgot I even owned Michael and now when I compare the two fragrances they are almost identical. I’m so glad I rediscovered this perfume in the back of my closet in a box! I also discovered a full bottle of MK Suede which is even better. The banana smell so many people are getting comes from the dry down, skin chemistry, and the creaminess of this fragrance in my opinion. It doesn’t smell like straight up banana, but it’s coming from that smooth richness of tuberose combined with the musk and cashmere wood. Cashmere wood seems to add and extra layer of smoothness in almost every fragrance I’ve smelled it in. If you like creamy tuberose fragrances then you will probably like this. There is a reason so many people love this fragrance. It’s just a gorgeous composition. It’s very smooth, deep, fleshy, and a little carnal and it has great longevity which is something that many white florals that I love lack. They are beautiful but fleeting. I’ve been wearing this for a couple of days now in a row and it does have a tropical feeling when it dries down. Maybe it has something to do with the tamarind? It’s a tropical spice that I don’t know much about. It has a very sensuous personality and I love it. It may not be super unique perfume, but do you want to smell super unique or just amazing?

Michael Kors Signature, where can I begin with this one? First smelt in 2019 then sampled every time I saw it since then, I remember being enchanted by its clean, banana-y scent and the really nice "humid" feeling it evoked, which, as one reviewer said and I agree, is like that of walking into a botanic garden where orchids and other exotic flowers grow. I've been on a huge gardinea/tuberose quest and this one, quite frankly is up there with Gucci Bloom and Do Son for me, but despite the comparisons to both Bloom and Do Son, this smells like neither of them on my skin, Michael Kors is thick, luscious but not (to me at least) cloyingly thick or unbearable. The initial opening is a fresh, crisp blast of freesia and peony before tuberose comes forward and smoothly mixes with the other floral notes to create this gorgeous, clean but not scrubbed clean banana-y floral scent, further drying down to a slightly banana-y, cashmere musk which smells delicate, sophisticated and alluring. Unlike other tuberose scents, this one isn't screechy or sharp, the addition of freesia, peony, arum lily and osmanthus tame the sharp edges that tuberose can have whilst tamarind adds some interique, iris adds some gentle powder and incense, musk and cashmere give the florals a soft, almost tactile and snuggly background. I can't really discern all the notes in this because it is so well blended but its far from being a boring, linear scent and it truley is a distinctive scent that you won't smell on everyone else thats for sure. Longevity is excellent at 8 hours with a soft bordering on moderate silage, I can see this working year round and for all occasions provided it is worn with gentle application, I can picture someone in an office wearing this with a white button down shirt and I can equally see someone wearing this with heals in a navy wrap dress to a formal event as well, its an alluring, soft, snuggly scent but it also feels grown up, modern and sophisticated, theres a reason why this has been around for so long, its a real masterpiece!

bjer-don - "Michael Kors" is the slightly reformulated version of "Michael". It's the updated version of his signature scent, in other words. "Michael" is no longer available, sadly. However, they smell sufficiently similar that, if you liked "Michael", it is extremely likely that you will also like "Michael Kors". As I mentioned before, I have a "Michael" scented candle, which I bought around the time it was first launched and I now also have a "Michael Kors" EDP, that I bought fairly recently and you can definitely tell they are supposed to be the same fragrance. In fact, most people would probably struggle to notice the difference; especially if they were not smelling them side by side. There is a slight difference; but, it is very slight. Probably had to be reformulated to conform with regulations. Looks like they probably dropped the tamarind and the iris; but, seeing as they were two of the least dominant notes, it's unlikely to be a dealbreaker for most people. Still well worth buying, if the original suited your body chemistry. I would probably now call it my second signature fragrance. My one complaint would be that the sillage of the "Michael Kors" reformulation (no idea about that of the "Michael" original) is a little on the gentle side (boyfriend can only just smell it at arm's length). But, other than that, really nice. ...and as for the delightful (and I'm sure, utterly fragrant!) Tania Sanchez, it would appear she could do with being a little less subjective, in her reviews, in general. There are plenty of fragrances that others seem to love, but that (sadly) smell absolutely hideous, on me. More that do than don't, in fact. However, the difference is, that I would never deign to write a book on fragrances based purely on my own, subjective, opinions and/or on what did, or didn't, happen to agree with my personal body chemistry.

Michael was recommended by some lovely Fragranticans, so when I went to the mall a few weeks ago to find a dress for my sister's graduation, I stopped at Nordstrom to sample it. It is indeed lovely! It's tuberose without being too loud/sexy/tropical, although it is a little of all of those things. I think the musk helps to ground it a bit so it melds perfectly with my skin and doesn't go over the top in any direction. And the musk doesn't smell animalic or like laundry, neither of which I like. The overall result is beautiful: white floral, creamy, warm, and comforting. Definitely appropriate for warmer weather, but I'm also looking forward to trying it out in the cooler months -- I can't see why it wouldn't work then, too. Sillage is decent, but I don't think it leaves a huge trail everywhere I go -- it's just enough to get compliments from people standing within close conversation range. Longevity is very good, especially on clothes. When I wore it around the mall as I was shopping for a dress, I found myself gravitating towards classically feminine silhouettes. I bought a cream colored wrap dress that hits a little above the knee, and it felt like the perfect thing to wear with Michael - classic, a little sexy, easy to wear, and very pretty and feminine. I got a sample of Michael from the SA at Nordstrom on my way out, and I wore it with the dress to my sister's graduation. I got compliments on my perfume from my husband, my mom, my grandfather, my aunt, and both of my sisters -- all of whom, I should note, have very different scent preferences. Everyone loved Michael! I've been on a scent search for a few months and have accumulated a decently sized stockpile of scents, but since I got my sample of Michael I've found myself gravitating to it the most. I will absolutely be getting a FB.

Funny story why I own this and why it was once my signature scent- I got a free hairspray in a gift bag years ago that ppl would always compliment my “perfume” .....seriously in my whole life I’ve never been complimented so much over a scent- I walked into a new job one day and someone started announcing someone wearing Michael Kors, who is wearing Michael Kors? Someone smells really good!- I did not respond as I had no idea she could smell my hairspray nor had any idea what Michael Kors perfume smelled like- she eventually pinpointed that it was me she smelled and I told her I had no scent on but only hairspray but the scent is strong- she urged that I find the perfume to compare- I purchased a bottle and don’t feel it smells like the hairspray but has a similar white flower blend- the opening of Michael Kors is not for everyone but I love the drydown on my skin- it is hard to describe but I wish I could bottle it instead of waiting over an hr or 2 for it to develop. I have yet to find another scent that blends tuberose as this perfume does- it smells current, classy and feminine- I imagine the person who wears this is someone self assured and confident. I find tuberose, gardenia and jasmine harsh or very vintage or mature smelling in other fragrances- Michael Kors sure knows what he is doing in his line- white florals blended beautifully- it is really lovely and I will always have it in my collection- Btw when I’m complimented when wearing this scent is always in the dry down phase I mentioned earlier- truly unique and heavenly

Michael has been my signature scent. I’m now down to my last bottle, so I started searching for a true replacement, relying on this site and YouTube reviews. As mentioned in a review here, I can confidently say that "Nishane Tuberoza" captures almost the same structure, intensity, and layering as Michael. When compared side by side — on skin and on blotter — the only real difference I notice is that Michael retains a slightly fresher top note, but everything else is nearly identical. Many people (and even ChatGPT) recommend "Hundred Silent Ways" as an alternative, but I find it far too sweet and gourmand-leaning with its white florals, which makes it a completely different profile. Likewise, Frederic Malle "Carnal Flower" is also one of my signatures, but it leans green and conveys raw, vivid florals, so its direction is different from Michael. After years of comparing countless tuberose fragrances, I can say with confidence that the one which recreates about 95% of Michael is truly Nishane Tuberoza. I’m leaving this note here for anyone else searching for the same lost gem. ********************** A tip: For the 2000 edition of this fragile bottle, there are two versions of the logo—“Michael” and “Michael Kors.” By the way, the scent, longevity, and sillage are exactly the same for both. I’m comparing the two versions side by side right now, so I can confirm there’s no mistake.

I just opened my last 1.7oz bottle of my beloved Michael and I actually cried. I have loved this scent since I smelled it way back when it was first introduced. I had the flankers Michael Sheer and Michael Very Pretty. I still have one more wear left of the Sheer and I'm waiting for the perfect summer day to use it. These were the most beautiful signature perfumes and I feel foolish I didn't know it was being discontinued until it was too late to pick up a bottle or 3 that wouldn't cost me as much as a mortgage. Everytime I'd go to the Michael Kors counter they would try to push Romance on me. Sorry Michael Kors you chose poorly in discontinuing your namesake scent. Romance doesn't hold a candle to that beautiful fragrance. I also had bought the KKK version but it smelled okay but had no longevity and now thats discontinued too! I haven't tried Tocca Florence yet because although they are lovely fragrances (I've used Cleopatra for years) they have no staying power, but I will give it a try the next time theres a sale (maybe Mother's Day). I also appreciate the Nishane recommendation. I know this long but I feel like I'm writing an obituary for a beloved friend. My heart goes out to all my fellow Michael lovers.

This was my signature scent for years. Just a gorgeous, feminine buttery tuberose that exudes power and class with the right amount of sweetness. Longevity has always been superb, and it really does have a way of standing out in a crowd of the generic white flower ubiquitous fragrances. The cashmere woods make this incredibly elegant, and I love the twinge of orris and incense that I can smell from time to time. I happily rediscovered this in the very back of my medicine cabinet recently and went to write a review. Sadly, she's half gone, and even more sad (as I'm clearly behind the times) I just learned that this has been discontinued from the reviews below. I mean - wtf? Why do such great perfumes get reformulated or discontinued? I just don't get it!?! I used to get compliments galore with this beauty, and now that's she's back in the main shelf, I was gonna spray away all day. But my rekindled love affair I guess is going to be short lived because now I cant even buy something that I wore for a decade?!? Screw you Michael kors. (And dior for getting rid of midnight poison. And basically all the houses which have totally turned amazing masterpieces into water down horrific ghosts). Ok, now I'm done.

This is a love for me, however ....I find it fairly indistinguishable from Kim Kardashian and Gucci Gucci Bloom (I've got all three and then some - I may have a slight Tuberose addiction, ahem). Michael does have a subtle incense note which keeps the sweetness in check. If you are looking for a strong Tuberose fragrance, and budget is an issue, KK is the way to go in my opinion. Silage and longevity are OK with Michael, but if I really want it to go further, I layer the perfume with Michael Kors body lotion. Again, Kim K has a much less expensive body lotion. Both MK and KK lotions have a slight glisten to them which isn't as skanky as it sounds. Quite subtle, so you won't look like you are about to go clubbing if you have the lotion on. One negative for Michael is the spraying mechanism - I don't find it very ergonomic because the plunger lies almost flush with the top of the bottle, making it more difficult than it should be to spray. Unless I give it a strong, quick press, the liquid dribbles down the bottle. The bottle is beautiful though, so it's a minor matter.

Ever since it was gifted to me in high-school, it was *my* scent that everyone loved. The girls would always cling to me and take a big whiff for every hug. I was heartbroken when this was discontinued and have been searching for a replacement ever since. FINALLY, in 2025, I went to a perfume shop and the man behind the counter not only knew exactly what I was looking for immediately, but even had the original fragrances in the back (for $400, mind you). He reached all the way in the back of a far shelf and pulled out "Odyssey Femme White Edition" by ARMAF. Although it is more floral than what I was looking for, it's hand's down the closest scent to this fragrance that I've long sought. My critique would be that it is missing some slight incense and/or woody/tobacco notes to balance the floral notes. Otherwise, even though it is more "feminine" to me, it is the closest to a replacement I've found since this was discontinued all those years ago. I hope this helps! Recommended similar fragrance to try: "Odyssey Femme White Edition" by ARMAF

People who aren't familiar with white florals or perfumes in general will often confuse tuberose with gardenia, and this drives me nuts. :) I first smelled tuberose in a tiny bottle of Sonia Kashuk perfume. It was a clean and stripped down note, but I knew it would be one of my favorite flowers forever. When Michael by MK came out it took me a long time to smell it and try it on my skin since at the time I lived in a city with few department stores and no Sephora. The first whiff I got of it was the leg shine, which Sarah Michelle Gellar raved about in some beauty magazine, but it was only a faint scent in a golden stick much like a deodorant. When I did find the perfume I instantly bought it, but I knew nothing about layering or my dry skin absorbing perfume until it disappeared, so I returned it. For years I heard about it being a signature scent of celebs and random women walking by, and I felt like I was missing out. Here I am in 2017 with a bottle of it, and I'm trying again. It really is beautiful and captivating.

So this is my mothers FAVORITE fragrance... its super hard to find now that its been discontinued, but I found a small bottle for a STEAL on mercari so I grabbed it up for my mom for Christmas... and of course, I had to test it first. Wow. This is SO gorgeous. I’ve smelled the KK dupe, and honestly, it’s not even close. I gave her a small bottle of that and she said “it’s nice, but it’s not the same” and now smelling this, I can see why. This is fruitier, fresher, more tuberose-y. This bottle is a little older, and you can tell. However, it still smells good. Strong incense and arum lily on my skin, with the twist of tamarind and tuberose on first spritz. I’m pleasantly surprised by this. Not sure why they would ever discontinue this fragrance but hey, I’m not MK so I don’t know. This is a true classic beauty. I love it, and I know my mom will too! Edit: She got her gift today and she said it smells exactly how she remembers it. Super happy 🫶🏻

Every time I squeeze this perfume, I feel like a little girl wearing her mother 's high heels. satisfied. freesia is felt in the first spray. but then strokes your skin with misky tuberose like a cashmere sweater from start to finish. tuberose is one of my favorite flowers in perfume. and tuberose is the queen of this perfume. all day silage and persistence i can say as good. 10 hours on my skin is very comfortable. The smell all day comes to my nose. felt around. a slightly mature smell, perhaps more sedate in women over 30 years. But that doesn't stop me from loving her. There is no note inside to scratch your nose. a completely creamy bouquet of flowers. even completely tuberose and somewhat musky. I understand this very clearly from the bottle they made this business perfume to the business women who took their age. don't like the bottle, the sprayer is so bad. but I'll always have it for the smell.

Mmm warm creamy banana-y goodness! I put it down to my untrained nose that I could smell banana until I was reassured reading some of the reviews below! I would wear this scent shopping with the girls or breezing around the beach town on a leisurely summer holiday, which is odd because it's not your usual fresh summer fragrance. I think it comes alive in all weathers - comforting in the cold and sultry in the warm. This is my favourite tuberose - I'm not grown up enough for the Carnal Flowers of this world - but this one is just right, feminine and sensual. Such an interesting scent - obviously comprised of flowers but not "floral" as such. Too much can be quite sickly, but a subtle waft of it is just delicious. Yes, it's not high end designer and yes, it's worn by Kim K. Obviously this isn't a Chanel. But it oozes feminine charm and comforting, alluring, exotic warmth. Lovely.

This is breezy clean and so modern but in the same breath classic. My nose picks up the tuberose straight away along with a supporting freesia but what makes this scent so unique is the banana-y soap like note that sings the whole way thru the life of this fragrance. Longevity is stellar sillage is moderate for the first 3 hours then it pulls in to a more intimate scent. It's a dead ringer for Nasmatto Narcotic Venus. I actually sampled that one first and wanted a fb so badly but when I read others make mention MK was a great substitute I tried it and I'm completely enamored. A 99.9% substitute without the price tag and longevity is better with MK. One thing I don't like about this is the bottle and sprayer. It's hard for me to get my hand around this chunky bottle and spray the thing at the same time.

I well remember how this and Stella stood out to me when I hit Sydney to buy perfume, heck way back in the day, after recovering from spawning child etc. I came home triumphant with them as well as my usual Guerlains. All I knew then was I loved it. What, 25 years NO WAY...😆 My tuberose BWF rabbit hole wasn’t even slightly dug, but here I am, going to find this beauty to wear on this hot early Summer night with a few flickers of lightning behind the hills heralding a big weather system approaching. This is gloriously schreechy, acerbic, unsweet, nonvanilla, not foody, totally take no prisoners. An assassin in stiletto heels. It’s sort of ‘dry’, making it so unapologetically classic and wearable. A really big love, still, when I have backups of Tubereuse Criminelle and Vintage Carnal Flower.

My signature scent was discontinued, so I've been hunting for a new one for three years And I just found it! Full disclosure, I bought a vintage lot that included a half full bottle of this. I has intended to sell it, but now I'm going to hoard it instead. (Same process happened with Black Cashmere!) It's another discontinued and impossible to get fragrance. Lucky me! Lol I'm very picky about my tuberose. It has to be balanced just so...and in this one, it's perfect. Bloom is out of balance for me and even makes me a little ill. I'm glad some of you who love this scent have tread the path already, so I will skip straight to the Nishane and Armaf and see what happens. Update: The KKW is most similar, but has no longevity. The Nishane is similar but harsher and less balanced to my nose.

Amazing sexy über feminine tuberose scent. It has an earthy ,tropical elegant quality .This may come back in sales as tuberose is so big at the moment. It's so comforting and sexy to me. Creamy sweet tuberose at its best. Not many scents out there are like this. Almost exotic ,rich floral and maybe even animalic as the nature of tuberose has something animalic quality to it , carnal ,creamy or fleshy . i also bought carnal flower a week ago and love it very much. Carnal flower being even more of a green realistic smell of fresh cut tuberose but then dries down to be buttery and creamy sweet as well much like this one , in a way . What I love about this scent is that it falls into floral woody musk and is not just a plain white floral scent. Slight reminiscence of jasmin rouge TF