Description
Forbidden Affair is the new fragrance from the imaginative designer Anna Sui inspired by the land of dreams, fairy tales and fantasy. In this world, every girl can feel like a princess; she can be adorned and privileged, allowing herself a dangerous and forbidden romance with the prince of her dreams. Forbidden Affair fragrance reflects the forbidden love and a wild longing, fantasies and some long-past times, revealing the hidden passions that you did not know existed.
The fragrant composition incorporates, for the first time, Cyclodextrin technology. This technology allows the top notes to re-emerge over and over again, invigorating for an ongoing sparkling fresh fragrance experience.
Anna Sui Forbidden Affair begins with a romantic fairy tale told by fresh lemon and red and black currants, which are slowly developing into the heart of raspberry, rose petals and pomegranate. Tempting and somewhat mysterious aromas make this perfume not as innocent as it may seem. Intriguing accords of violets, cedar and musk form a seductive base of long-term affection.
Top notes: lemon, black currant, red currant.
Heart: raspberry, rose, pomegranate.
Base: violet, musk, cedar.
The whole design concept is dedicated to a secret rendez vous between a prince and a princess with the taken from traditional fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. It was inspired by Baroque and Rococo gardens, Baroque palaces, boudoirs, royal fashion and the lavish lifestyle. This style brings us back to the mid-18th century.
A secret garden and a gate where lovers meet in the dusk, in order to remain unnoticed by king and queen, is portrayed on the perfume box. The bottle itself is shaped like oval mirrors of baroque boudoirs. The stopper is shaped like a rose bud that is about to blossom, symbolizing the Anna Sui brand.
The well-known British model Lily Donaldson is the face of the campaign, shown standing near the gates of the palace dressed in a princess lavender dress, with tiara on her head and crown jewelry making her dreamy and stylish.
Anna Sui Forbidden Affair is expected in October 2010, available as EDT of 30, 50 and 75 ml with an accompanying body lotion and shower gel of 200 ml each.
ryurik – :
This is a sweet fruity scent that didn’t last an hour on my skin. I like it but wish it lasted longer. On my skin it smells like a doll scent from when I was a kid, candy like not fruity once it dries down. It is better suited for young girls I am in my 50s so this isn’t a good fit. I will use up the bottle I bought but won’t repurchase it.
Williamisjlu – :
Husband says it smells like candy…which I think means he likes it!
Ticotic – :
Damn. I really want to like this, as I’d love to have a good berry scent. Upon first spray, I like the burst of berries and lemon, but it very rapidly begins to smell like an air or carpet freshener that you buy at the grocery store. I’ll give it a few more tries, but it’s not looking good.
qwertys – :
*Very* fruity perfume. Mostly I think of fruit notes as fading away, but these stay strong. The raspberry/currant notes start off juicy and wet before mellowing with the fresh/soapy floral scents, but I can still smell fruit six hours later. However, I can’t smell the musk or cedar and given that I really like woody notes, that’s a little disappointing.
malish_1003 – :
Wow this is quite tart!!! Not sure what to make of it yet or when to wear it, think I’ll give it a test out in Autumn. It’s definitely not a Summer Perfume for me. Lot’s of rich, fruity tart berries in this, the first spray was a bit sharp. I need to spend a bit time testing this out properly then I’ll update because I feel it’s not mixing with the Summer weather properly, I think it’ll work better in colder climates…I hope lol
7jopa7 – :
From The second it was sprayed until it faded away, it smelled like generic berry, soap and throat lozenges. Nothing more, nothing less.
The only word I have for it is…strange.
yac042speagoessenda – :
This perfume is a stunning fruity-floral scent that is not boring at all.
The black and red currant are very noticeable when you spray it initially. Personally, I’m a huge fan of these types of berry scents.
There is something fresh and youthful about this fragrance. I wouldn’t peg it as ‘mysterious’ or ‘seductive’ like the name suggests, but great for the younger age.
On my skin, the longevity is between 2- 3 hours before I feel the need to re-apply. I wasn’t expecting more, because Anna Sui fragrances usually tend to fade. Compared to the other A.S. scents I’ve tried, this one is the most long-lasting and the most intense with the dominant notes.
Fender1609 – :
Very romantic and lovely sweet floral, but doesn’t really match its name. A Forbidden Affair sounds very sexy and intriguing. In this version of the fairy tale the princess never comes down from her tower. You get all the smell of the garden, rose, violet, raspberry, but that is where the affair ends.
lexus-d – :
This perfume is a stunning fruity-floral scent that is not boring or typical.
The black and red currant are very noticeable when you spray it initially, trickling down to the pomegranate smell. Personally, I’m a huge fan of these types of berry scents. I hate the red berries that seem to repeat time after time in celebrity fragrances.
There is something fresh and youthful about this fragrance. I wouldn’t peg it as ‘mysterious’ or ‘seductive’ like the name suggests, but great for the younger crowd. It sparks a similar chord to Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream, but I like this one a little more…maybe because it’s less mainstream than Daisy.
On my skin, the longevity is 3 hours or so before I feel the need to re-apply. I wasn’t expecting more, because Anna Sui fragrances usually tend to fade. Compared to the other A.S. scents I’ve tried, this one is the most long-lasting.
I would re-purchase if the price was right. I got the 50 mL bottle for under 20 USD.
PGIV – :
I have a miniature. I first smell something citrusy, but blackcurrent or some kind of berry is predominant on me, and doesn’t really change. The sillage is really poor; no one can tell that I’m wearing perfume when asked to smell. It’s not very scandalous or complex – nothing that merits the name or concept. The way the perfume is coloured purple, and the black figures on the glass bottle kind of remind me of Lanvin eclat d’arpege.
It’s pleasant and can be worn by young girls, but I wouldn’t pay good money for it.
BreetEthece – :
This is a good one that I would recommend. Especially since I found a 50mL bottle at Ross for $9.99! I see this cost a lot online. To me it’s Grape raspberry Life Savers candy with a soft cedar violet undertone. And when u wear it it “hums” off your skin; wafts of soft luscious scent. Buy it!
MARA777 – :
Just received a small bottle of this, and LOVE it! Soft and fruity, with a musk base. If “purple” had a scent, this would be it!
SatBrassy – :
Horrible on me. Humid lime-rose-berry toxic. Makes me feel sad.
My darling husband bought it for me cause he knew I’d love the bottle and box. I do. But I’m just so surprised it smells the way that it does.
LiGoLais0 – :
This was a very inexpensive blind buy some months ago. When I read the reviews after I tried it out at home, I had to double-check to make sure I’d purchased the same fragrance. Personal chemistry certainly is interesting!
On me, FORBIDDEN AFFAIR smells like powdery violets with just a little hint of fruit somewhere for brightness. It becomes creamier with dry-down and after about an hour I can pick up the cedar. Sillage is on the soft side and longevity is moderate.
Although I don’t care what fragrances are called, I have to say FORBIDDEN AFFAIR is a misnomer. This fragrance is pleasant, but it’s not exotic or sexy or in any way unapproachable. It reminds me of the kind of scent you might find in certain expensive brands of soap, however, it doesn’t actually smell at all like soap. For me, this is a scent to wear at home on spring mornings.
qzp807Unlogrere – :
This reminds me of escada perfumes and CLEAN perfums, but it also reminds me of daisy dream a bit. I think it’s a beautiful scent, but I don’t think it matches with the “forbidden affair” theme.
Qster – :
My wife and I bought a rather large number of samples of various perfumes, and more than half of them were tossed into a ziploc bag and given away because we didn’t like them. The rest of them were saved to be re-tried, and only two of them were kept as “definitely good”. Forbidden Affair was one of those (the other was Simply Pink by Pink Sugar which I also reviewed).
This perfume is very fruity to the point of making my wife smell quite edible. It’s slightly more mature than Simply Pink, but definitely still well suited to young people, or people young-at-heart. The primary impression I get (whether we’re talking over-tones or base notes, or whatever) is of berries – it has very little of that characteristic “perfume” smell, but at the same time I don’t find it soapy at all!
Many of the young-person perfumes have a fair bit of vanilla going on, but this one does not. It’s straight up tasty berries. I rate this one very highly, and my wife also likes it a lot (although she likes Pink Sugar better because she likes vanilla).
I would suggest this perfume as an every day perfume that is suitable for evening/night as well. It’s not very strong (on a scale of 1-100 I’d give it a 50-60), and it’s never offensive. Absolutely NOT an “old lady” perfume at all. My only complaint is that its overall life-span is fairly short, maybe 3-4 hours, with very little lingering aroma.
Jamespackerjunior – :
One of my most pleasant surprises! I get rose, iris, berry, musk, sugar, and other floral notes. It is fresh and not overwhelming but sensual. It only lasted 1-2 hours on me but I hope it would have more longevity in the full sized bottle. Might repurchase.
SerjikVVV – :
A perfume to wear to the ball!
Flirty, feminine, edgy, sweet, seductive, sensual.
A high-quality perfume with excellent longevity and silage.
adepten – :
Violet and rose on black currant with a bit of musk – once again a perfume I should love, but don’t. It’s alright, but smells too sharp for/on me.
scorpion37 – :
This is a very beautiful scent. It’s girly, fun & flirty. Blackcurrent works really well on me. The combination gives the feel of tangy juicy grapefruit in the beginning. It’s fruity & fresh without being that sweet. Must not work on everyones chemistry (read a lot of dislikes). The bottle is really beautiful & different.
Reminds me of Amethyst Lalique, which I also have. This is softer, doesn’t project as much & a bit more floral. This also doesn’t have the sexy ylang & kick of pepper
alcyone – :
This fun and girly perfume seems quite familiar to me. Maybe someone I that used to know used it as a signature scent.
Forbidden Affair begins as a blast of very sweet, jam-like blackcurrant and raspberries, until it becomes… hairspray! Yup, it really does remind me of hairspray and the salon. I have no idea what note/s are creating this but I do think that it’s pretty fun, although I’m just not sure how often I’d be keen on smelling like this. The dry-down is a musky-violet which unfortunately does smell a little bit plasticky.
A moderate sillage that does eventually fade to a skin scent, but it’s surprisingly long-lasting! Lasted for a decent 10 hours, then gripped to my skin like glue (even after a shower) and I could still smell a faint residue the following morning 🙂
bebo – :
i smelled it the other day, love the bitterness of the scent.. this smells similar to that of Jeanne Lanvin Couture. Beautiful bottle.. great lasting power
znerg – :
About 2 years ago,I had my first anna sui perfume,that was it, The Forbidden Affair,I rembember back to that time it was a hilarious frag for me to spray,I was stomach-rolling with an uncertain note in the bottle,which even now a mistery to me.But 2 years later,things seem to be diffrente,I could fall in love with any perfume only if it contains berry-note.Some people said that it had no connection with the image,Forbidden and Affair,maybe that’s just because you did not give her another chance?
Summer has already came again,why don’t you pick it up once more,spray some berries on your body,and enjoy the aroma it brings.
Mexiq619Diobtetty – :
This smells amazing. I can smell the black current and I love how that sweetness mixes in with the floral undertones. I can not stop sniffing myself. The bottle is cute, and the lasting power is average.
amouptutbatuh – :
This is definitely my favourite Anna Sui perfume I’ve tried so far. It’s nice, but as usual with Sui scents, it’s sweet, it’s young, but it’s nothing special and doesn’t last long. I get just the right amount of black currant: it’s not overpowering the other notes for me, and it’s enough that it stops the other notes making it too sweet. I don’t get any lemon. I think it’s fine to get on a blind-buy if you like most Sui scents.
dima_i_Yulya – :
If Only Anna Sui’s Forbidden Affair lived up to its’ name. This floral fruity perfume could have such promises. Black currant dominates, in other words, the infamous cat pee note, along with red currant (another cat pee note tempered with fruit), and lemon. Think about this. Not exactly pleasant. Along comes cedar and violets to give it an earthy dirt smell and there you have it. A Forbidden Affair with zombies. Enough said. Luckily it doesn’t last long.
gomeobjelveb – :
I wish I could write a review about this but as soon as I put it in my skin, it is gone within 5 minutes. 🙁
toi123 – :
A very pretty, gentle, girly, innocent, romantic perfume. Has a dreamy quality to it.
For me a violet + rose + raspberry combo really shines through, though I see in the note votes that many people are getting a heavy dose of those blackcurrants. I smell them too but to me they are pale and gentle, hiding in the background, not shrieking like rotting fruit assaulting my nose. For me, this is heavier on the floral and lighter on the fruity.
This is another ‘perfect for teens & pre-teens’ perfume from Anna Sui but I think people past their teen years could also enjoy it, especially in a fun or playful setting or to even spray on a pillow at night.
Not safe to blind buy. Though I like it, I smell some notes in here that could be considered “cloying” to some noses. Test first!
sloboda – :
I wanted to love this so (cute bottle and I’m a fan of Anna Sui, mainly her cosmetics) but alas, it was not meant to be.
I don’t get black currant or any jammy fruits like I was expecting, but strictly a strong bathroom-cleaner lemon note that is extremely unappetizing. It seriously smells like bathroom cleaner! Not what I would ideally smell like given the choice.
Good thing I got this for a steal at TJ Maxx. My overall impression of Anna Sui fragrances is that they’re glorified drugstore body sprays (although Body Fantasies makes stuff that smells twice as good and last longer) for 10x the price. All of them I’ve tried are cheap-smelling and don’t last long. A shame, as the packaging is to-die-for and the notes sound pleasing. This was just a disaster for me.
roman grit – :
This perfume opens with a very strong syrupy grape or black current scent, as if I just poured a can of grape soda down my neck. However it soon followed with an lingering musky scent that smells quite nice. Within 30 minutes the syrupy smell would fade completely and leave a nice citrusy musk scent. That is when I can kind of smell other fruits. Lemon is the most prevalent, and maybe some raspberry if I convince myself. But if I trust my nose, I would say this scent has only 3 components: grape, lemon, and musk. There is nothing I hate about this perfume since I like all the notes individually, not to mention the gorgeous bottle it comes in and the little $10 I had to pay for the 50ml size. But the scent is not too impressive. However it’s still a good addition to my collection because I rarely see blends of fruits and musk like this. Fruity floral and floral musk are more common. The citrus bridges well between the grape and the musk. It’s like a combination of girly and sultry. Slightly contradicting but interesting. This perfume would be perfect for one of those days when I want to start it girly and innocent, then transform into an sexy being by the end of it. But I probably have to keep spraying since it doesn’t last more than 2 hours on me.
6.5/10 is my score.
zayuha2011 – :
i was misled by the pretty bottle … yuck. it’s a putrid stew of spoiled fruit and rotting wood
OneZero – :
The black currant gives this juice the purple vibe. Raspberry balances out this cat pee note but gladly does not overpower the composition. [I’ve recently grown tired of dominant raspberry notes in my collection, e.g. Ungaro Apparition, Taylor Swift Wonderstruck and Cabotine Floralisme]. Forbidden Affair goes to a cedar drydown in around 4 hours, but this has lasted an amazing 19 hours (and counting) on my forearm.
It’s not a standout in terms of scent. I like it, but not enough to purchase it for now. If you’re a fan of the cedar drydown, go for this one.
HAMMERSTEEL – :
Like other Anna Sui fragrances, Forbidden Affair is sweet, but what sets it apart from the others is how it’s not as innocent as it looks.
I’d like to think of Forbidden Affair as a young red wine parading itself as grape soda: it opens with a burst of sweet (may be cloying for some) and tricks you to think that it’s just that innocent but it quickly changes into something more complex.
After a while, it stabilises into something that’s fruity, sweet and yet fresh enough to not make you feel sick. It’s demure but with an allure. The longevity is a plus too, but beware: sometimes it dries down to a very sugary scent after a few washes if you get it on your skin. Overall, I adore it, though. It’s rebelliously pretty.
Rating: 7/10
AqayNQ – :
The positive reviews sound like they are reviewing a completely different fragrance than what I have here, but no – it’s Forbidden Affair, alright, but it’s just plain horrible. If others get a bright, juicy, fruity fragrance from this, it must work wonders with their chemistry, and that’s fantastic! On me, however, this was nothing but a disaster, and my review is intended to chronicle my experience only.
I purchased this blind for $10, swayed by the pretty art on the box and black currant and raspberry as promised notes. This perfume isn’t fruity, woody, or sweet, as the main accords here suggest.
What I experienced at first spray was a sour and powdery blast of sickly artificial grape and rose. This was an almost instant headache inducer for me. So flat and lifeless was this fragrance, I was flabbergasted to see such an elaborate copy written for it on this site, which purports that this fragrance was made with some amount of dedication and care – completely contrary to how it smells. This does nothing to conjure up images of fairy tales, palaces or 18th century excess. This scent evokes discovering a spat-out grape-flavored Pez candy beneath the cushions of a dusty old sofa. It evokes the scent of cough medicine spilled on musty upholstery and sprinkled with ancient dollar-store potpourri. The violet quickly usurps the rose in pungency and soon the whole thing just slams my senses with overwhelming chalkiness, something I haven’t had the misfortune of encountering in a perfume before.
I smell absolutely no cedar, no pomegranate, and the lemon I do smell is akin to the astringency of lemon rind rather than the tart and fresh juice or flesh.
It’s bitter, it’s powdery, it’s dusty and sour and completely foul. And it digs its noxious claws into my skin and refuses to let go. I scrubbed with hand soap, I scrubbed with baking soda, I scrubbed with tomato juice. It would NOT go away. Lasting power aside, this isn’t worth $60, and if I had paid $60 for this scent I would have had a conniption. It isn’t even worth the $10 I paid for it. I’ve smelled better quality scents at dollar stores. My advice to others: if at all possible, sample this scent before you spend more than a couple dollars on it. Make sure it works for you.
nomad – :
Love it!! Oozes of Blackcurrant, juicy and fruity and gorgeously sweet!! It makes me feel fun and girly!! 🙂 will definitely be buying this one again for everyday wear.
Sania86 – :
Was excited about it, but just smells like grape soda to me.
kuklimanna – :
This smells good to me. Quite good lasting power too for the soft smell. I love the design. I still have just a few drops left and I plan to keep it that way. So I can smell it again when I want, though I don’t plan on re-purchasing anytime soon.
yyh495speagoessenda – :
Too fruity. Smells like blueberry jam or some candy with blueberry flavor. Raspberry is noticeable too but the rest of the notes may not even exist. 🙂
SeregaT3ddy – :
Works amazingly with my chemistry. Not all perfume works on everyone the same sweethearts! I smell like watery roses with a pinch of sweet fruit. I love it! ; )
galemwendar – :
Oh my god was this awful! I like Anna Sui perfumes in general I have Rock Me and it’s a beautiful smell but this.. it smells like synthetic grapes and it’s not good. And I absolutely love Victorias Secret very sexy but I don’t know who is comparing this atrocity to very sexy because vs smells great this perfume does not. On top of the fact that it smells terrible the scent lasts forever I had to shower twice before I could get rid of the smell.
Starskisep – :
I generally enjoy all Anna Sui fragrances. I have a sampler set of five, but this is the first full size bottle I bought (at TJ MAXX because of the price point). Forbidden Affair, like most other Anna Sui fragrances, is light, sweet, and woody. What I would say sets Forbidden Affair apart from the rest is the sourness of this scent. A lot of people said this perfume reminds them of grape soda and I would have to agree, but the sourness give this perfume a little more depth. I really enjoy this perfume. I think the berries here are delicious and I love to put this scent on at night, before going to bed. My only complaint is that the scent does not last long on me (like most other Anna Sui fragrances).
zxcv9506 – :
I picked up a little roller ball of this blind very inexpensively at a local discount. It is soft, sweet, both floral and fruity. Before I get much of a sense of it, it’s gone. Fleeting in longevity and close to the skin. It’s not objectionable but not special in any way.
pavlik1993.am – :
Thankyou for the Midnight Fantasy warning!
Update: Smells like grapes and grapefruit.
Shinkori – :
This is gorgeous I love it some of hers I love and others not so much but this one is a winner. Lovely fruity floral in a gorgeous bottle I got a 50ml in case I didn’t like it but that is not the case it is fabulous I smell the raspberries in the top note with a hint of pineapple yummy makes you want to lick your hand. I don’t think it would appeal to everyone, you’d have to be a fruity floral lover to appreciate this beautiful perfume fully. This one gets my vote for sure 5* Love Love it !!!!!
epinamycapmex – :
Liquified Blackcurrant Soothers. The smell of a person sucking on one.
Surprisingly enticing as the aforementioned cough lozenge aroma always captures my attention resonating from random human beings.
Combine that unconventional quirkiness with a pretty bouquet of violets and a reliable musky/woody base and Forbidden Affair is a rather desirable olfactory treat reserved for occasions when you are feeling somewhat rebellious.
Korston – :
have this in 30ml. and its finishing soon. gonna repurchase it. been using it for almost two years and still in love with the scent everytime I use it! not too headache-y and lasts till after office hours. this scent makes me feel relex and happy.
Бревнов Витор – :
Oh dear, first and last time I blind buy! I was really excited by the notes listed, so was really disappointed when I tried this and instead of something sweet and fruity, I was met with a sharp scent very similar to the old Charlie fragrances.
Whole bottle now, which I am unlikely to use. Anyone for swap?
lobzik – :
I am madly in love with this scent! My nose detects the scents perfectly, and it works wonderfully with my body chemistry. I find it The delicious scent returns sporadically thru out the day due to the cyclodextrin technology does allow it to reburst when my body temperature during my workday, or with workouts.
This is a fun and girly scent, but as a young at heart lady in her thirtys I have no problem pulling off this scent. I also have been getting great feedback, and lots of “what are you wearing and where can I buy it” questions.
After spritzing it opens very loudly with a lemony- black current shout out. The initial 15 minutes would be much too powerful for office work, but once it mellows out it is perfect. I get a nice mellow red currant-pomegrante scent. On dry down the violet comes off sulty and sexy. Again, it does reburst with the red-black currant scent during the day anytime my temperature rises- and I love smelling that fresh bouquet. I am so glad I came across this scent! Just purchased a Anna Sui Coffret from Sephora so I can sample a few other Anna Sui scents.
aboniiyta – :
Wow! Beautiful summer, fruity scent, so delicious! Anna suis finest! Smells like pomegranate
leva63750 – :
This scent is so FRUITY and so LOUD…If you are not into scents that are loud then I wouldnt recommend this at all. I think I like it so far, but I’m defintely not in love with it & I highly doubt that I would repurchase.
I also wanted to add that this smells very similar to bbw’s black raspberry vanilla except this scent is more citrusy and loud.
1243 – :
Anna Sui Forbidden Affair is the alcoholic in the fruity fragrance family! Opens with a spicy-fruity black currant, tangy pomegranate, sweet raspberry, and fresh cedar. If this scent were a little sweeter and got rid of the lingering alcohol undertone, it would be so much better! The bottle is a work of art!
elkast – :
Just got this on sale 30ml for £12 never smelt it before, its gorgeous deep fruity smell and reminds me alot of YSL parisenne its really pretty
segagladkiy – :
A fantasy of red currant flower and sparkling fruity accords, the fragrance incorporates, for the first time, Cyclodextrin Technology. This allows the immediate first fresh topnote impression to “re-burst” over and over again for an ongoing sparkling fresh fragrance experience!
The notes include lemon, red currant, blackcurrant, raspberry, rose petal accord, pomegranate, violet, cedar and musk.
I find that an Anna Sui fragrance is a GREAT gift for some of my female friends who are very girly-feminine and are also a little over-the-top themselves.
It might be a little loud, but it still remains classy and gift able (at least for me) 🙂
stanislavchuk – :
I actually like it a lot! Much more better than any celebrities’ perfumes.
It’s bright ,pretty and sweet but not the ‘Fantasy’ kind of sweet.
I didn’t buy it because I think it’s suit for teens, like under 20?
It’s kinda Lanvin Jeanne ‘s sister perfume [I’m 22 and using that one]
I wish I had this one when I was in high school T T it’s so sweet and can make any girl feel pretty!
EDITED: I changed my mind, so what if I’m not in high school, I’m gonna buy it anyway! LOL
If you’re kinda girl who smiles often this is for you, it’s very suit me XD
sasha1968 – :
I loved the jammy opening fizzing with sweet fruits but it somehow morphed into a scent I well know from the Body Shop: Rougeberry …and unfortunately, it brings back sad memoried when my life was all crooked. Nice, fruity and fresh with a hint of mystery but not for me…
ExtestYpepmox – :
Very sweet opening, like blackcurrant jellybabies. It changes to a powdery smell quite quickly but also with a sharp citrus note (but not a fresh citrus), similar to the wooden scented balls so maybe this is the cedar that I can smell? I couldn’t put my finger on what the scent had settled into for a a while and then it hit me – blackcurrant Lemsip.
Seitx – :
This fragrances changes quite a bit during wear. Starts off with lots of sour berries, a bit sweet but not too much. It’s very fresh and cool and pleasant at this point. After it settles, the fruitiness almost completely disappears there is a fairly strong almost masculine citrus note that develops and hangs around. It smells like lime to me, but lime isn’t listed so maybe it’s the lemon. I think this fragrances is all right but the name and marketing doesn’t fit it. From the name, I would expect something richer, deeper and more seductive. From the advertising, I would expect something sweeter, floral and ultra feminine. This fragrance is neither. It’s wearable for daytime, it’s smells more serious than playful, and that touch of masculinity seems misplaced.
саша 21 – :
Rasberry, pomegranate and black currant seem to come out strongly. I thought it strongly smelled like blue berries, when I didn’t know the notes. It definately smells very “blue” (flowers/fruits). On my skin the citrus note came out strongly too. The lasting power wasn’t so great and I would recommend it more for young girls since it’s very young and playful.
IceFinger – :
i agree that it is a very common scent. nothing special or new, and the lasting power is very weak. got a mini of it as a gift. wont use it, but the bottle is really really lovely <3
seisan75 – :
When I heard the name, Forbidden Affair, I pictured a naughty fragrance; rich, flirtatious and bold. In some ways this fragrance lives up to its name, but on the other end of the spectrum it’s a pleasantly sweet and jammy fragrance, perfect for the younger segment of the population.
Forbidden Affair opens with zesty lemon and rich, concentrated currant jam. The foreboding yet sensual nature of this fragrance emerges towards the heart, with the prettiness of a luscious pink rose being smothered in red, juicy berries and pomegranate.
It’s a night-time fragrance, kind of along the lines of Escada’s Moon Sparkle and Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy. It does have a somewhat juvenile feel, however that’s not to say that I’m not enjoying it, and I’m most likely over the targeted age range.
It doesn’t make me feel like I’m living inside a fairytale like the figures on the bottle suggest, but it does make me keen to go out night-clubbing wearing this particular fragrance, if that means anything. Although I haven’t tested it on a male nose, I’m pretty certain that men would be attracted to this rather sweet and jam-like concoction.
The sillage is not bad. I found the longevity to be quite impressive too. There’s a lot to like about this fragrance, especially in terms of the bottle design which is a really pretty purple with delicate rose detailing. I will be using my bottle until the very last drop is gone.
mamont31 – :
its nothing much…not bad for just everyday use if ur at home…strong at 1st n later i dont smell anything at all…though it smells nice at 1st…wont buy another one
immiduacrig – :
Anna Sui’s Forbidden Affair is like a desperate attempt of making a ‘modern girly rose’ in a fruity floral way (which doesn’t really have much rose left), as a tribute to the floral Anna Sui’s Anna Sui (which is quite powdery pretty and I occasionally enjoy wearing). I’m not saying Forbidden Affair is bad or anything, it just its promising look and notes don’t meet the expectation I had.
Ok, about the actual smell, it starts with really mouth-watering lychee kinda fresh juicy fruity smell, it smelt really genuine and I quite like it, however, it doesn’t stay more than 1 minute. Soon there’s the vigorous, acidic fruity smell cutting through the quasi-monotoned lychee smell: it reminiscent Live Your Dreams, also made by Anna Sui, quite a lot, but with some pomegranate fruitiness (I personally find it smell like rotten or going-to-be-rotten sweet-sour fruit smell, which Burberry Brit Shear also has) and some powdery undertone you can find in the original Anna Sui.
Then it goes more powdery but still with the sharp fruitiness, I assume that’s the ‘’? However I find it really hard to wear and I’m more used to the traditional top-middle-base-notes dominant phase changing experience, I would expect a perfume to go ‘softer’ towards the end.
The dry-down of Forbidden Affair is a disaster on me; it’s like something dirty, not in a sexy seductive dirty way, but in a literally musky dusty dirty way. It’s sweet, like inhaling solid brown sugar; it’s fruity, like the rotten ones; it has musk and cedar combo in the dry down, but I can’t smell the smooth nice or even ‘clean’ musk which I can find in floral fruities like Jeanne Lavine, Moschino Funny! , what I can smell and really want to run away from, is the weird combo of non-musk muskiness, non-floral flower smell. Somehow it reminds me of the drydown of Magnifique by Lancome on me, well, it’s not my cup of tea; however if you like Magnifique, maybe Forbidden Affair will work on your skin too.
Try before you buy, since it’s not one of those easy to wear girly optimistic floral fruity out there. Also, I personally find the bottle tackier in real life (which happens to the little fairy on top of Anna Sui Secret Wish bottle too).
rybki2006 – :
When I saw the cute bottle and merchandise I totally fell in love with it. I bought it in the dark, just based on the looks of it…and I kinda of regret it. =/ The smell is so-so, very common…I was so sure it would be very light and sweet…but it turns out it’s not! Well, at least it’s good enuff to wear it.
hunternos – :
Just got the 75ml today!!the bottle is soooo pretty!!and the perfume smells soo GOOOOD!!but it doesnt last for a very long time, my sis said that she couldnt smell it after 3-4 hrs..but i cant still smell it^^”
102938 – :
any of Anna sui fan would love this perfume,its very romantic, I get a hint of secret wish (one of my other favourite perfumes).the bottle is beautiful too.
lega24 – :
Oooh, I can’t wait to smell this one! It seems to me that it will be a dark yet sweet berry scent. Seductive… perhaps junevile though?