Présence d'une femme

Soft Woody-Floral BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD with Pepper, Mandarin & Orchid... In the first few minutes before the spray dries, I can feel the rosewood notes with their rich floral and slightly spicy tones. Once the spray dries and the sillage starts to open up, I get the mandarin & pepper, but the rosewood notes are already swelling through. As it transitions to the heart some soft floral tones emerge with orchid and cyclamen, but the florals, including vanilla-flower, are here more as part of the rosewood accord. In the base there's a trio of woods (rosewood, mahogany & sandalwood) accented by patchouli & soft vanilla-flower. Overall I get a rosewood scent, with all of the other notes serving to enhance and support different facets of rosewood with it's powdery, rosy, velvety, rich-floral, spicy-sweet,creamy-soapy & woody tones. There's also a nostalgic quality for me, that's hard to pinpoint - but more in a down-to-earth way than a vintage perfumery way. This has been a signature scent of mine off and on, since it first came out, and I've been through more than one bottle. Initially this struck me as feminine, however after reading reviews I can see how this may read masculine to some as it has some touches usually reserved for men's cologne. In truth, it's unisex, but regardless anyone could wear it. This isn't a dupe of anything, but it has reminders for me of other rosewood prominent scents like Dune Dior, Rosewood Banana Republic & Midnight Fleur Nest. Contrast to Rosewood Banana Republic: These are different, but there are similarities with a forward rosewood. Presence d'une Femme leans spicier, sweeter & more complex. Roughly equivalent performance, or slightly better for Presence d'une Femme. Overall: gorgeous, unisex Brazilian Rosewood scent profile with average or slightly above average performance. This is the perfect scent to wear for going home, if only in your mind. It's a longtime love for me. Enjoy!

I first fell in love with this frag in 2002 just watching the bottle: a round shaped silver base, the transparent round glass...it reminded me of a pebble, and it was really pleasant to keep in your hand. superb design, innovative, classic and sophisticated. That’s what I though about the scent when first spritzed it: sophisticated. An elegant, but decided woman that is classic yet sensual, mysterious and irresistible. This perfume is never overpowering, it opens with a fresh scent that blends with tangerine. Then it reveals a modern floral bouquet, and I find the dry down irresistible: powdery, a little oriental, sexy and very very delicate and clean. Stays on all day. Enrobes you with sensuality. A delicate vanilla patchouli with a balsamic woodiness. Some reviewers in other blogs have written about pineapples notes – I have used 3 bottles of this fabulous fragrance without noticing any pineapple note. Then I went to check the actual pyramid (see below) and it turns out that only the leaves of pineapples were used, not the fruit.. :o) I always receive many compliments when wearing that. _____________________________________________ Pyramid: Top note: Pineapple leaf, tangerine, pepper Middle note: Cyclamen, orchid Base note: sandalwood, rosewood, vanilla flower, patchouli

One of my favourite types of fragrances is the woody feminine ones some people find unisex. This was released in 2002 and so was I. The bottle is cool and edgy, quite modern looking. It reminds me of the "Aqva" line by Bvlgari but this one is flattened at the end which allows it to be stored upright. It is also quite compact and lightweight. "Présence d'une femme" is a perfect blend of juicy, woody, fresh and floral. The fragrance manages to be woody and feminine at the same time. I would not say it leans masculine in the way "Stash" by SJP does. The wood here is creamy, powdery and warm. The mandarine orange is juicy and the pepper is subtle. There is a hint of orchid in the background. It is quite refreshing for such a woody, warm fragrance. It is pretty strong in the beginning and lasts about 6 hours with one touch-up. I recommend spraying this on your shirt because the scents sticks to fabric for much longer. I can also smell it on my hair for a long time. However, the ridiculously low price compensates for the average longevity. I am blown away by how good this stuff is. A budget friendly masterpiece. I see it reminds some people of "Reveal" by CK and I guess it makes sense although they are pretty different. To me, this is more like a cousin of "Euphoria".

This was a blind buy for me in my hunt for my next signature fragrance. I tend to like the warmer fragrances, and Burberry Women was my go to for years. After that was Tonka by Reminiscence. This one starts with a powerful and "In your face" opening and then dries down to a sweet, warm, and skin close scent. Overall a good pick just buying based on the notes and the reviews. I wish this was a bit stronger on the base, as that is my favorite part of this fragrance. But it's not a big deal to reapply since the opening is very brief and quickly dries down to the part I love the most. The opening is a very strong, but pleasant and brief, Orange peel and pepper (more orange than pepper). Kinda like peeling an orange and the oils the peel leaves behind on your fingers. As it's drying a soft floral scent which is neither too sweet nor too feminine. Base is very nice mahogany and a soft, sweet, and warm vanilla scent. Not an offensive fragrance, in my opinion, and the base could actually afford to be stronger. This one sits close to the skin for me once it dries and I find myself re-applying once around mid-day. Could definitely be used as unisex, but as I am a very big fan of "masculine" scents, I'm keeping this for myself!

The bottle is so ugly I had to decant into an empty bottle. I personally feel that the bottle isn’t a good representation of the scent. While the bottle looks like it’s straight out of Dune or from some other Sci-Fi/Fantasy, the scent smells classy and sophisticated. I would say that out of all the perfumes in my collection, this is my top choice for a classy, everyday perfume that still radiates warmth. It’s not too loud or flashy, and can be dressed up or kept casual. First and foremost this is a spicy perfume. But not an “autumn spices” type of way. The pepper jumps out at me the most. I also get a slight rose note in the opening. As this wears the rose becomes distant in the background and I get a lot of warm woods, still backed by the pepper. This is a lovely perfume. I know it’s marketed towards women but I (a woman) would LOVE to smell this on a man. I can confidently say this is unisex, slightly feminine leaning. But smelling this on a man would be such a nice change from all the colognes that seem to smell the same these days...