The Taste of Fragrance Womanity

Oh this lovely little gem, I absolutely love it! Where to begin... First spray/sniff, OMG addictive warm spicy opening that I’d gladly buy a bottle of just for that scent! Then original Womanity starts to peek through, and ultimately it remains a nice balance of OG Womanity with the “warm spices+chutney.” Chutney, and the name of this flanker, don’t exactly sound “beautiful.” I assure you, it is beautiful. I couldn’t imagine what the chutney note and spices would smell like, but after wearing this, I’ve definitely smelled this fig + spice blend in the past in holiday scented candles. It isn’t you’re typical cinnamon gingerbread pumpkin spice type of scent, but I know I’ve gone gaga over figgy spice candles that smell like this in the past. I cannot think of a comparable popular brand scent to compare it to, unfortunately, it’s a rare scent I’ve chased for years. If you’ve smelled a million fig candles in the past, you’ve probably smelled something like this at least once. I think this is a better fall/winter Womanity. It isn’t exclusively for those seasons, though. I will say that you probably will need to appreciate the original Womanity to enjoy this flanker, but it is different enough that there may be some who didn’t like the OG but like this. I wouldn’t blind buy unless you’re a Womanity fan. This is sweeter, spicier, and has more of a fig fruit feel than the OG. Performance is about the strength and projection of the OG. Unfortunately it’s discontinued and expensive now, and it does require a bit of overspraying for me and my desert climate, but I feel it performs like every other major Mugler scent I’ve had. It sometimes completely disappears on me, then I will smell it very well in my hair or clothing hours later. I’d say I get a good 6 hours out of this with 2-3 foot silage, longer on clothing, longer at night and in cooler temperatures, less in the sun and heat. Note that I live in the California desert which is very dry, and makes scents smell at least 25% weaker than they smell in most other normal climates with humidity, so it likely performs better in non-desert areas. Blind buy success!

This is a beautiful fragrance. I was already a fan of the original, but Mugler has made it even better. Womanity Taste of Fragrance is saltier, spicier and more complex than the original. When I first spray it on, I get a blast of bitter woods and sweet spices. In the first few minutes it warms and becomes smoky, with a hint of green citrus lingering. The smokiness subsides quickly. The central note in Womanity is the beautiful, fleshy fig fruit. The chutney makes this really unusual, but warmly spicy and piquant. The woody notes are gorgeous. Thick, smoky vetiver and honeyed cedar make for a deep, earthy base. Opoponax gives a twinge of earthy-sweet resin. In the drydown, I get dusty honey and cinnamon, along with that persistent creamy fig and warm spice. No doubt the spiced fig fruit and earthy woods are intense. But overlaying these notes is a strong oceanic quality. The scent of a fresh, citrusy ocean breeze plays throughout all stages of this fragrance. It reminds me of the open ocean – wild, joyful, unpredictable, and a hint unsettling. In sum, this is a rich, sweet-savory fragrance with an exhilarating oceanic feel. There is a lot going on here, but it doesn’t come across as discordant or “too much.” It’s unusual, yet harmonious. This is not a stereotypically feminine scent. It is not about light florals, candy-sweetness, or powdery softness. It has many facets – bitter, salty, sweet, savory, zesty, animalic. Admittedly, I still think the concept of “womanity” is silly, but the scent itself is so gorgeous I really don’t care about the misguided campaign.

The opening of the Taste of Fragrance Womanity is like the drydown of the original Womanity: rounded salty fig. Then the chutney makes its entrance. Its spiciness, saltiness and sourness fill the grey zone between sweet fig and salty caviar and sea water and smoothes the transition between these two complete opposite aspects. The salty fig base of Womanity is still easily recognizable. However, it's not crisp fig and caviar to be eaten raw like the original; instead it's smooth and savoury, like an elaborated gastronomic course. After 5 or 6 hours, the fruitiness takes over the gourmand chutney and the whole fragrance mellows into a cozy sweet fig scent. If I am to compare the original Womanity, Eau pour Elles and ToF, I'd say the original is no doubt the version with the most edge, EpE is innocent and more playful but is still a woody-fruity scent like the original, while ToF has a significant gourmand vibe thanks to the incredible chutney note. If the original is like the blue cheese (we all know they don't smell alike but they're both loved or hated. ^.^), EpE like fromage frais with strawberry coulis, then ToF must be the main course accompanied by a Roquefort sauce. Overall, I'd say ToF captures the spirit of the original Womanity while giving out a complete different ambiance. It'd be easier to appreciated compared to the original, like previous reviews stated. The sillage is moderate and the longevity is at least 10h. It definitely worths a try.

Of the entire LE GOÛT DU PARFUM line I think this is the best execution of the idea. I'm not saying it's the best perfume, I prefer ALIEN LGDP with it's sweet, buttery caramel. But this literally makes my mouth water. It's so gourmand. It's just like smelling a really, really tasty dish. The fig chutney is really potent. Sweet, tangy and spicy, from opening to finish, it's there. The chutney enhances the saltyness of the caviar, it's much, much tastier then the original. The metallic bloodnote I got in the original is gone as well. It seems to me that the spicy-sweet chutney has somehow made a bridge in between the caviar/oyster/marinenotes and the fruity fig. It's not just two notes now, but something that makes sense. I also find that the fig leaves and fig wood are more prominent. And that is the true genius of this fragrance. Despite all the gourmand scents, the woods and leaves still give the salt this fresh, sealike quality, so this fragrance stays very pleasant and fresh. I think the WOMANITY LGDP is a better blended, better balanced and far more wearable version of the original. It's the same, but completely different.

I have never understood the perception that Womanity smells fishy. The caviar note is abstract, it smells of salt and sea and were you not told it was meant to evoke the idea of caviar, you would simply believe it was a slice of cold, salted watermelon. In this one however, both that chilly aquatic melon note and the slightly underripe green fig note are downplayed and enhanced by a saucy, spicy, sweet and sour chutney note that is absolutely gorgeous. It literally makes my mouth water at first spray. Don't get me wrong, the salt is still there, adding that awesome oceanic vibe, but it's less fresh, and much deeper and sweeter, with a hint of cardamom and tamarind, and maybe some jaggery or dates (maybe even fenugreek) to make it sweet. I love both the original and this one, but this is certainly more of a crowd pleaser and develops so much more beautifully on my skin. I feel like it's a safe choice, but then again, I don't exactly find Womanity to be challenging to love either.