Tentations

I just have to write again in admiration of this fragrance. The tester who felt it smelled like Samsara is right, in that they are both oriental but, as beautiful as Samsara is, it is a poor echo of Tentations. My husband (bless him) managed to get his hands on a bottle of the pure parfum for my Christmas present last year. He paid so much for 7.5ml, I nearly had a heart attack but every time I put it on, the scent envelops me with such warmth I could almost cry with pleasure. It reminds me of days when I could walk, the reflection of late autumn sunlight on yet unfallen leaves, mixed shades of gold, like flames dancing in a burning fireplace. It is the comfort of coming home to find a loved one waiting with a warm blanket to wrap around you, keeping you safe, secure, loved. And in the evening, it is the flickering candlelight and the crackle of the fire as you watch a rom-com, snuggled together and the lights around the room catch and glow in a glass of brandy as you swirl it in your hand. It is all those things, the crackle, the lights, the glow, the scents, the feeling of a swirling embrace, the safety and the warmth. Almost every day I think about writing to Paloma Picasso and begging her to please re-release this. No changes, it is never too sweet, nor to spicy, it is exactly as it should be. I don't know how she managed to catch perfection in a bottle but she did. Clearly, genius runs in the family. Edited to add: The nose behind this also created the Elizabeth Taylor, Rubies and Diamonds. The two fragrances are not quite dupes but they are definitely siblings. Tentations is smokier with it's incense and carnations, the apricot is more boozy, like those little jars of fruit in alcohol that you can buy at Christmas. The Elizabeth Taylor is fresher, spring to Tentations winter.

This is an extremely beautiful and unusual fragrance. It definitely has Oriental characteristics, but to me seems to be more of a Chypre. It is a very sharp scent smoky, balmy, sweet and incredibly lovely. Tentations reminds me of another scent from long ago, but I can't name which one. It definitely isn't White Diamonds, nor any that other reviewers have mentioned here. My small bottle is EDP, age unknown. This is one of those fragrances that plays hide and seek with you. You'll sniff your arm and think that it's gone. Then all of a sudden a gorgeous whiff of fragrance will surround you, again an again. I love fragrances that have this quality. Each surprising burst of scent is like a little gift to brighten your day. The dry down on this is very soft and pleasant. Longevity is good,9+ hours. Except for the bursts of fragrance, I find the sillage to be moderate. This is a discontinued fragrance, not available in large quantities. There are a number a bottles available on Ebay, but they are not cheap. I like this fragrance enough to be on the lookout for a good buy on another bottle!

Oh how I wish they made perfumes more like this. What wonderful goddess of a perfume and anything but boring!. Very oriental but more spicy than fruity. I smell sugary cinnamon and cloves with little hints of fruit and flowers. The spice is what makes this fragrance pop. Very nicely done and while it's strong its not overpowering. For all of you that like Opium by YSL but it's a little to much for you then I urge you to try this one. It's more wearable and not sharp and bitter but warm, rich and delicious. If I had to compare it's sweetness then I would say it's like a spice cake. After it settles, a bit more of the flowers come out and the spiciness settles down for a bit. The base reminds me a little to Gio by Giorgio Armani which is also one of my very favorites. Why did they have to discontinue this? This perfume is worthy of being up there with the classics along Shalimar, Poison and Opium to name a few. It's one of the most seductive and sexy fragrances in my collection.

This is a really beautiful fragrance and so similar in scent to the other fragrances (arpege and tresor) it was stored with, I had to check the official notes to the perfumes. Sure enough, they all share openings of bergamot and peach mixed with other florals (and now that I think about it, it's obviously missing Arpege's neroli and aldehydes and tresor's dark and syrupy rose.) Tentation's opening is made unique by the vodka note which is a bit sharp not not overpowering. The opening fades quickly into the middle notes: lots of florals, (tea roses, carnations, jasmine - a big bouquet of summer flowers) combined with pleasing and unexpected spice notes of clove and cinnamon. The base is dark, warm and resinous - a little sticky. There's a bit of a honey/vanilla scent - which is strange because it's not listed as a note. Must be the Tonka bean. This is a mature evening scent. Beautiful, although I don't think it would be among my usual choices.

Tentations opens with a cocktail of crème de pêche, rose water, orange blossom water, and Absolut Peppar vodka. It's distinct and addictive to my nose, and it stirs up more spices as it progresses—clove and cinnamon, the sensation of candied fruit peel and baked apple, and it soon brings to mind the aroma of sticky Christmas pudding. I also sense distant gardenias, milky and supple. Later, into the dry down, it feels more like a rose-tinted myrrh and olibanum incense, seeming to have an almost "flickering" effect to my nose. It is a sweet smoke, alluring and nuanced. I agree with another review that Tentations plays hide and seek, at first you feel that it has dissipated, but then a marvelous whiff seems to materialize out of nowhere, and this goes back and forth. It's both sexy and cozy—I approve!