Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet by Paco Rabanne: One must Truely Love Violet in a perfume to really appreciate this gorgeous perfume & personally I love Violets!! This is very much in the same group as the original Lolita Limpicka,The only difference being that the latter as a strong Liquorice note which I find intriguing!! On The First spray of Ultraviolet I get a cozy almost fizzy Peach smell,followed by a warm Peppery aroma & then bam my favourite part the Violet makes herself present as she dances now all the way through the fragrance,like a beautiful Ballerina gracefull & free!! The dry Down is indeed very different to the fizzy sweet Peachy start,As by this stage the Peach note is all gone & It's a Woody warm note that now takes the centre stage pushing the Violet into the back ground,before they both magical dance together & form another truely marvellous aroma!! This Fragrance sure has many different facets & each stage of It's development absolutely intriguing!! Kind of like Guerlains Insolence which is another winner for me & I Absolutely Adore!! So if you like the other two Perfumes that I've mentioned in this review you really will also love Ultraviolet!! When this Perfume was first launched there really wasn't any other Violet Perfume that could match It's intensity or It's make-up!! Even yet I find this little beauty intriguing & the UFO bottle design certainly unique & it does take a little while to master it,but once you do It's rather well worth it!! I Also find the silage & lasting power extremely good at sixteen + hours!! & when I wear it the compliments always come rolling in!! So yes for me Ultraviolet is a true winner indeed!!

I doubt that violet would be the highest voted note on this site if it wasn't for the name of the fragrance. It's there, but this is quite different from the usual violet perfumes. If you expect a realistic violet, you might be disappointed. Ultraviolet isn't named after the flower after all, but after a part of the light spectrum that isn't visible to the human eye. This concept, together with the fact that Ultraviolet was created in 1999 and comes in a then-futuristic bright purple bottle, describes the scent well. It is abstract, intentionally synthetic, almost otherworldly and neon bright. It has a similar vibe to Gucci Rush and also shares some notes with it. They're not the same though, and while I love both, I think Ultraviolet is a little less in-your-face and therefore easier to wear. To my nose the main note in this is osmanthus. Smooth and cool, almost sterile, but also fruit-tinged, with a texture somewhere between suede and plastic. Dewy light violet and a very slightly soapy rose create a cold floral bouquet, while apricot amps up the fruitiness and adds a hint of lactonic notes. Red and black pepper notes add a fiery, spicy warmth. Vanilla, amber and patchouli constitute a substantial base and make Ultraviolet an intense, long-lasting scent. This is surely not for everyone, but if you have a soft spot for the late 90s and aren't afraid of some obviously artificial notes, I highly recommend this. I find it quite artistic and unique, but also flirty and sexy and still modern.

This is a deep, mysterious, enchanting fragrance that is romantic in a post-modern way. I say post-modern because all the notes scream equally strong which makes it hard to define. To begin with, coriander is very strong . As a matter of fact, so strong that it almost resembles carnation. Then, a creamy blend of apricot and almond comes and makes this scent sit on the skin well. In between this contradiction, you can feel rosewood, roses and vanilla. And then let's not forget the frontman: violet... The result is ethereal and outwordly and I love it on other people. It is a very beautiful scent but I regret to say it is not for me... I have very fair skin that goes well with powdery florals and warm spices to some extent is tolerable on my skin as in Ralph Lauren Romance. I really love to smell it but unfortunately it triggers my migraine and the mixture of coriander and strong violets gets clogging and makes me feel dizzy. It has a very long sillage and you can sense quality in this fragrance. If you like the fragrance at the initial spray and if you have migraine or allergies, just spray it at the tips of your hair and wear it for a day. Only buy it if you are still fine by the end of the day. update: I bought it and I'm loving it. Very durable on clothes. Perfect in cold weather. I smell the bitter lily of the valley flowers and lilac in the opening mixed with some deliciously soft, airy vanilla.. Maybe, that impression comes from corriander and jasmine.

Lovely...the peppers blend so exquisitely with the powdery violet thanks to just the right amount of vanilla. I get a little bit of Violet Blonde and My Queen in this. It is actually what I was hoping Generous Violet to smell like, but that turned out to be a screechy ozonic mess. I really love this because it is a lovely blend of old style with a bit of new. It is a soft spicy powdery cloud with medium longevity and sillage a bit on the light side. Later on in the drydown, there is a little more patchouli than I care for, but the violet holds it own. A very lovely little violet perfume, and a little bit vintage Ultra sexy! -UPDATE- I feel that I have more to say about this gorgeous perfume since the last time I wore it... Simply put, this is as equivalent to a fluffy, ultra soft cashmere sweater as anything can get. I am REALLY falling in love with this scent. It's soft but sultry, super sexy violet concoction...powdery, peppery, spicy gorgeousness. I really am looking forward to wearing this in the Fall and Winter months, it is just so cosy, like an enormous furry super-sized fluffy blanket enveloping you with a spicy ultraviolet cloud.Very vintage and purple smelling...I feel like I am wrapped up in a luxurious extra large mink coat. I am sitting here on a Friday night drinking my lime-a-rita in a martini glass wearing this and one of my vintage chiffon peignoirs, feeling like a true femme fatale!;)

This scent has taken me completely by surprise! It's really lovely! The initial spritz was rather unpleasant and aldehydic, it smelt a little sour to me and I thought it would be a scrubber, but after about 15 minutes it started to settle down and I got a beautiful peppery violet smell which kept wafting up at me for hours to come. This is so utterly unusual that I don't know how to describe the notes. To my nose, it gets better with time, I can't stop inhaling my wrist. Ok for what it's worth I can smell violet predominately but there are woody undertones and a powder note which is mature and lovely and doesn't dominate the fragrance, nor does it overwhelm you with girlyness. There are floral notes in here and I get a waft of osmanthus. The fragrance has an addictive and very warm attractiveness to it. The flacon lets this lovely fragrance down, as it looks like a big ugly egg. Surely PR could've had a little more imagination instead of creating a bottle which reminds me of something out of the Flintstones. That apart, this is beautiful, classy and elegant. Longevity is quite amazing and silage stays very close. Value for money is amazing as this costs very little and smells like a million dollars!