Paul Smith London Women

In 2005 when I was 15, i was gifted a huge bag of perfume samples for christmas.. This was one vial that i instantly became obsessed with. But, as a young person I felt it smelled a bit too masculine and mature. It was the era of sugary sweet candy scents for the most part, especially high school age... But I would still squeeze a tiny dab out of my wee vial and put it on my wrists. In 2006 I found a full size bottle in a perfume shop when I travelled to the city; I really had to look for it, I remember. And what do you know, all these years later my bottle is still full. I'm not sure why, but I never sprayed it on myself then - i never felt "ready" for it. I just turned 30 last weekend, and wore it again today, for the first time since then. Its just so unusual and beautiful, just as I remember. It's complex -"spicy", smoky, fruity and has incredible depth and richness. To my mostly uneducated nose, it has total vintage vibes. Even the bottle looks like a late 60s item, which as a vintage enthusiast I love. I think this was discontinued which is a total shame.. I shall cherish what I have!

This smells LOADS better on skin than on paper. The artificial flowers become less overwhelming and the lime and lilac balance each other perfectly. It would be nice if it lasted a bit longer but I can't complain. This fragrance feels young without being immature, and is very wearable without being boring. It took me ages but I finally realized why "London" is such a fitting name. It's the dampness. Some perfumes have a very dry feel to them - well, this is the opposite. The scent kind of "hangs" on you in a way, kind of like the way the air feels just before rain. Don't get me wrong, it's not like mildew! It's scent on wet air, like it's holding something back lest it burst. Having lived in London, it fits perfectly. I don't know how they did it, but it's brilliant.

This is a fragrance that will slip and fit into your lifestyle very comfortably. I love it. It’s a rich fragrance which will constantly change and release new smells once applied. It’s flirty, and sexy, and what I love about this is how it gets you noticed. London is a great fragrance for a night out, as it may be a little to rich for daytime wear. It will last strongly throughout the evening and will definitely attract male attention; I get compliments throughout the night when I wear this fragrance so expect compliments to be made throughout the night. A great flirty perfume.

Today I got mostly patchouli softened by the lilac, and a pinch of lime. In the basenotes the patchouli recedes and perhaps the vanilla makes the whole composition powdery, but I can not smell it on its own. This might be due to the weather though LONDON seems to be perfectly fit for summer as well. The name however - does not remind me of London at all. BTW my tester bottle has the following notes written on it: Top Notes: Neroli, Lime, Lilac leaves Heart Notes: Heliotrope, Seringa, Jasmine Base Notes: Patchouli, Vanilla, Amber

I really, really like London by Paul Smith. My scent memory is playing tricks on me. It reminds me of Stella by Stella, but now I see from the notes that there is no rose in London. On me it is predominantly a beautiful, slightly boozy floral with vanilla. Delicious. I love the soft freshness from the lime. I'm not sure where the woody notes come in. Maybe that's the Seringa, as another reviewer noted. As I have only a mini of this, it's likely I'll need to hunt down a bigger bottle.