Perry Woman

Perry Ellis does it again: Just like Perry Man, here's another fragrance full of notes I'm usually skeptical of, all blended together with a weirdly pungent twist... and I love it. Both are original, modern, and rather nichey for the designer crowd. Bravo. This smells EXACTLY like something I know I've smelled, maybe a place or a plant, and I just can't remember what it is, exactly. So for now, I'll bring up other comparisons. To me, this smells like a particular flavor of honey. I don't remember which specific sort of honey: it's more cloying, sharp, and almost-medicinal than your run-of-the-mill clover honey. Maybe acacia honey, or wildflower honey? I'm not sure. It's that type of honey that burns the back of your throat, so sweet it turns sharp, with a herb-medicine sort of dry bite. I can understand the pink pepper comparison, although this isn't genuinely peppery. My guess is that all this is the effect of that sweet fantasy orchid alongside a healthy dose of sandalwood and orris root. In fact, that spicy medicinal something feels like the herb-medicinal vibe I get in Chergui... my guess is that here it's the delightfully iris-y orris. An element of cloying sweetness is probably upheld by the tuberose, a floral I usually dislike, but which is blended so expertly here it's difficult to pick out. Indeed, all of these notes are blended so smoothly that I have a hard time saying this smells like any particular thing, apart from that medicinal-honey-sweet accord I just can't remember the name of. I don't know what exactly I'm smelling, but it's brilliant. This feels like a fragrance to wear to a library or museum, or perhaps a bookstore. It's a cloud of wild, untameable woodsy sweetness, made to keep you company through worlds of words, words, words. This is heavy, heady, cloying, rooty, dirty stuff. I couldn't handle something like this more than once per week. Wearing this as a daily signature would give me some kind of semi-permanent olfactory exhaustion. But oh, this is a lovely rare delight to break out when you're sick of light, fluffy, simple and inoffensive things. I'm trying this because it's an old free sample my mom had lying around. I didn't think I liked any of these notes. I hate powder. Why do I love this? I'm not sure. Just like Perry Man, this is expertly blended such that I can't pick out exact notes easily, except for the weird notes that reek. In Perry Man, it's the bitter teak wood; here, it's hard to say what creates that pungent twist; my guess is an overdose of orris root and sandalwood. But oh, I love it. This is woodsy to the extreme, and so enchanting. It's all earth and roots, prettied up and covered in gorgeous rare flowers, all pink and white and purple, with a delicious sandalwood stump at its heart. It's a tiny bit stinky and dirty, and that's the best part, with that gorgeous spicy filth lasting all the way into the drydown. Sublime.

Perry Woman is a perfume I own, love, and appreciate for its uniqueness—and the endless compliments I get when I wear it! 🌟. It does take some time to mellow, but when it does, boy oh boy does it smell good. I proudly wear Diva, La Perla, Paloma Picasso, Knowing, Mitsouko, Femme Rochas, No. 5, Arpège, First, Cabochard, Rumba, Amarige, Animale and Dune (in a class of its own) and the more yellow 273, Poeme, D'Or Kristel Saint Martin, Narcisse (again in a class of its own) and other power houses ...because all these evoke a sense of strong, confident, and commanding femininity. But fair warning, it’s not for the faint-hearted. This fragrance is green despite the notes, sweet, spicy, bitter herbal and BOLD—like, ‘bring on the drama’ bold or hit me in the face with a brick bold. The drydown is unique and utterly beautiful. To all those who claim they’d ‘throw it in the bin’ because it ‘smells like’ pee or celery or whatever—I can understand it takes some getting used. But maybe give it away to someone who may appreciate fragrances which aren't celebrity or brand hyped. And let’s talk about those ‘old lady’ comments for a moment. The notion that this scent ‘isn’t suitable for anyone under 60’ is utterly ridiculous! Perfumes don’t come with restrictions based on age, IQ, body type, height, or discernment (or lack of any). Wear what you want. No labels needed.

This scent is very sophisticated and alluring. Not overly floral and perfect for the woman who wants a more mature scent without smelling “too” mature, if that makes sense. I wore this in college when I had night time events. It was perfect in the winter and really had good silage. I may have to revisit.

Very detectable orchid, a bit of jasmine and rose with a small hint of tuberose. The drydown is powdery (orris root) and little creamy from the sandalwood. I somehow smell light tobacco too. Not a big statement but quite pleasant.

First squirt out of the bottle, all I smell is a strong rose and red wine scent. After thirty seconds or so it mellows into a spicey-earthy-green soft floral. I love the mention by another reviewer of Marigold. I adore the smell of Marigolds(the non-edible/medicinal, ornamental ones) and I DO smell them in here.I also detect the vetiver,patchouli and sandalwood...they are fairly prominent right from the get-go..I also smell a hint of Angelica though it's not listed. I don't smell much in the way of floral though....just a light, over all sweetness I guess. This is very vintage smelling....reminds me very much of Paloma Picasso. It's rich and herby and woody with a touch of smoke and soap. Smells dark, dry and slighty masculine. It also reminds me of Rubies and Diamonds....just a tiny bit...but WAY less sweet and femme. I am enjoying this right now in the summer but I'm more excited to try it out in the Fall to see how it mingles with the crisp, Autumn air. I've tried several Perry Ellis scents and I'm not a big fan of most of them...this one smells interesting though...especially if you're looking for something modern but not too sweet or fruity. EDIT: I ended up returning this. The dry down was just way too musky and generic. I prefer my Paloma Picasso...smells more intentional and the dry down is so much nicer...as well as the longevity. Something about Perry Ellis scents....they just don't make me happy...although they smell really nice on my Mom.