Imari (Original) 1985 Avon

3.88 из 5
(48 отзывов)

Imari (Original) 1985 Avon

Rated 3.88 out of 5 based on 48 customer ratings
(48 customer reviews)

Imari (Original) 1985 Avon for women of Avon

SKU:  5d62d8348728 Perfume Category:  . Fragrance Brand: Notes:  , , , , , , , , , , , .
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Description

Imari (Original) 1985 by Avon is a Floral Aldehyde fragrance for women. Imari (Original) 1985 was launched in 1985. Top notes are aldehydes, galbanum and bergamot; middle notes are tuberose, orris root, ylang-ylang and lily-of-the-valley; base notes are sandalwood, amber, musk, vanilla and cedar.

48 reviews for Imari (Original) 1985 Avon

  1. :

    3 out of 5

    When I was a young teenager, my best friend’s mom was our Avon lady, and they lived across the street from us. Believe me, we had tons of Avon in our house. My mom loved Imari. I did not. Back then, it seemed too strong and too spicy for 14 year old me.
    My mom recently gifted me two unopened bottles of this to me as she’s downsizing her perfume and cosmetics collection. I was hopeful that my nose had matured somewhat, and I could appreciate this now. Well… nope. My nose still doesn’t like it, although I’ve come to like/love a few orientals.
    I will, however, keep these bottles because they will always remind me of my mom.

  2. :

    5 out of 5

    Even though this is supposedly a feminine scent – (fragrance is gender neutral in my opinion), I imagine Jeff Buckley smelt of Imari.
    Imari is rather sensual and melancholic, just like he was.
    When I smell Imari, I envision Jeff Buckley holding a bunch of green carnations, the moonlight highlighting his lovely, sad eyes.
    Imari is beautiful.

  3. :

    4 out of 5

    Growing up, I remember seeing this bottle on my mother’s dresser. Imari is a rich,warm,musky(almost middle eastern)sort of scent. This is a lovely, romantic fragrance. Because of Imari I’m a lover of oriental perfumes.

  4. :

    4 out of 5

    This was always an affordable luxury perfume. I was talked into buying it sometime in 1992 when the Avon lady in my area was insistent and came to my door every month. I bought cosmetics and this perfume that one year. I didn’t like it at first and to spare the Avon lady’s feelings I pretended to like it LOL
    But then something magical happened. I actually began to like it. The bottle is cheap looks like deodorant so I always kept it in the bathroom in a cabinet behind the mirror. I was also pretty self conscious at the time and didn’t want people to see my Avon perfume LOL The more I inhaled the aroma, the more I liked it. First of all this is hardly a cheap scent. Cheap means some fruity floral mess with a lot of aldehydic content. Though this does contain aldehydes typical of so many Avon perfumes, this scent has a Chanelesque aura and can be compared to both No. 5 and No. 19. I would say it’s more like No. 5. This is classy, opulent, romantic, formal, and elegant. It matches up with your Sunday clothes, classy but simple. It’s a Church perfume y’all. So I have only worn this to Church.
    The opening is of aldehydes fresh and sweetened by a light citric note but it’s not citrusy compared to other citrus based perfumes. The green galbanum note jumps out at you. It’s an herbal aromatic shrub and leaf scent, smells like the autumn when leaves are falling from trees. It smells like the night too. It gives me such nostalgia to smell this scent even now. I have 4 bottles I have kept since the 90s but they are still surprisingly good. My husband and children never cared for this scent on me but I wonder how much of that is actually the fragrance or the fact that my husband and kids never wanted to go to Church.
    The galbanum doesn’t disappear and it dominates the perfume but it softens for a little bit in the middle stage. It has a light powder and the flowers that are showing up include ylang-ylang, tuberose and lily of the valley. The lily of the valley is the big note. It matches up with the galbanum, so it’s very green-floral for a while. The white tuberose and ylang are heady not too sweet. The flowers are really nice y’all, although it’s still really not as floral as other flowery scents. It has a good moderate sillage and a long lasting scent.
    The dry down becomes woodsy, very woodsy, musky. It’s mature but I don’t see it as “old lady-ish” although some people have said that. This is a gorgeous serious sober perfume for a conservative woman who has children, a family, and Jesus in her life. I’m a Christian and a Southerner so for me this perfume is easier to wear and matching up with my personality as it is today in my 40’s. The scent has a luxurious green floral and woodsy aura that is truly remarkable.
    The scent has not been reformulated and you can still buy the originals although they do have flankers that are best sellers. I never tried the flankers because I loved the original too much.

  5. :

    5 out of 5

    My aunt use to and my grandmother still does use this perfume. It will always remind me of them. I think this smell is very nice and elegant and just mature. Its a very pretty smell.

  6. :

    3 out of 5

    I had the old version original in rollerball. It smells a bit old and musky, not my type of fragrance because it is heavy, kinda like a lighter version Dior Poison for me. It’s ok once you get used to it.

  7. :

    5 out of 5

    1985 Imari Edition.
    Green, fresh aldehyde slightly rooty, earthy, spicy floral that isnt austere or strong for the green genre. Its woody earthy freshness along with sandalwood keeps it mysterious. It isnt related to Opium (except if someone thinks sandalwood makes it so ?) or even Coco because its just too aldehydic and green with the bergamot and galbanum to be an oriental in its opening.
    This is great for someone:
    -That likes a basalmic earthy feel but not a lot of oakmoss in their Chypres
    -Florals that dont stand out too much
    -likes Ylang to add body to their perfumes
    -light chypre
    Charlie blue is similar.

  8. :

    5 out of 5

    I sprayed this an hour or so before going to bed last night and I could still faintly smell it on my hand 15+ hours later. This fragrance is gorgeous but simultaneously indecipherable; it’s smoky, woody and slightly resinous, but undoubtedly beautiful. Instantly reminds me of my beloved grandmother.

  9. :

    3 out of 5

    Polarizing. Heavy like smoke or fog. Mysterious. Familiar, and foreign at the same time. 99% beautiful 1% off putting. Keeps you coming back for more just so you can decode it.

  10. :

    3 out of 5

    IMARI THE CHANEL OF AVON
    Just looking at the bottle is a flashback in itself. For the longest time from about 1986 to 1993 I remember staring at that same bottle as it sat on my mother’s dresser. This fragrance and FACETS by Avon were her favorites. She wore Imari quite well. It was sold to her by the Avon lady whom she was friend with! Imari is back but it’s been reformulated many times. The most successful and greatest smelling of the newer versions is Imari Elixir. The original Imari is an 80’s fragrance that sold like Avon’s version of CHANEL COCO EAU DE PARFUM. It has ingredients found in classic Chanel fragrances like lily of the valley and the woodsy notes: oak, sandalwood. This fragrance is big on sandalwood and oak. The galbanum note gives it the feel of an evening perfume. That’s why mother wore it only at night. I remember she spritzed this on at night. It was one of her evening Vespers Church fragrance. She thought this smelled like something a woman who is religious wears. It’s a perfume of the night for a woman who is very serious minded, professional, intelligent, hard working and gorgeous. It’s luxurious. It has an air of mystery and sophistication. It’s still such a big winner and it could be Avon’s most beautiful fragrance, but I also really loved Occur and Timeless which are both such luxurious and gorgeous Avon fragrances that don’t even smell anywhere near as cheap as the other ones lol I can’t wear this though because this is too much my mother’s fragrance. It was definitely her signature scent. I associate her with this fragrance and will continue to associate this fragrance wit her long after she’s gone. I have bought one for her to remember how beautiful this is and how beautiful SHE is.

  11. :

    3 out of 5

    one of the Avon perfumes I regret wearing. Few of my friends like this perfume, but this perfume does not appeal me. Not even the bottle and the packaging. Overall, this is one of my worst experience…

  12. :

    3 out of 5

    This fragrance is incredibly evocative, conjuring up images of black night and mystery….who is that woman and what scent is circling around her?
    This is a heavy, but not overbearing fragrance,*perfect* for winter and cold-weather wear. Though, also incredibly sexy so it’s very luxurious and acceptable for summer as well.
    I do love this fragrance. The color used in the packaging is somewhere between a deep cinnamon and some maroon-red.
    The fragrance is just as rich as the color. To me, this is a very mysterious fragrance; people know that they like what they smell on you, but cannot quite put their finger on what it is they’re catching a waft of.
    The woman who wears this is confident, intelligent and in control, and doesn’t give all of her secrets away at once….

  13. :

    3 out of 5

    does the new repackaged imari is more watered down than the old bottle? can somebody confirm if its true? still got some stocks left but rather keep it if that’s the case. i hope my review wouldn’t be removed

  14. :

    4 out of 5

    I put this on today and my husband attacked me like a big grizzly bear telling me how great I smelled!!! Lol I haven’t worn this since I was a teenager but guess I will have to try it again now that I know it drives him that wild. 😉

  15. :

    4 out of 5

    This was the very first fragrance to ever come into my possession, and what a start it was. Even at four years of age, I was already in love with powdery, almost chalky, spicy perfumes.
    I acquired this when my mother was trying to replace a long-discontinued signature, and had purchased this for herself. After disliking it and discovering that it smelled foul on her skin, and finding that I personally loved the smell, she let me have it. So my perfume obsession probably started there.
    It’s not overpowering. It’s powdery and soft and not at all sweet, and spicy. Oh, that spiciness.
    I’d been putting off getting Imari for a long time because I felt like my perfume shelf was full enough, but when I heard about the bottle redesign and the weakening of the new Imari formula, for a very reasonable price, I was able to procure a massive set of Imari products off eBay. The Imari that everyone here seems to love so much, is still very easily found for a fantastically low price on the web if you look for it. The easiest way to spot one if the bottle isn’t pictured, is looking for the maroon box with the gold border. The 2015 Imari box doesn’t have that.
    Whilst I haven’t smelt Imari in a very long time, and certainly not the new version, and haven’t had it within reach for about fifteen years, I’m still prepared to hoard them if I must.
    EDIT:
    Ah, there it is. I received the items I ordered today, and it’s just the way I remembered. I can now see though, where comparisons for both Opium, and in some cases, Chanel No.5 appear. In fact, on my skin, it smells a lot like the way Chanel No.5 smells on my mother (No.5 smells strange on my own skin chemistry), but it has the powdery smokiness of my lovely Opium, despite the two perfumes being so different they almost seem incompatible. It’s like the baby of the two on my skin, but a softer, quieter one. I normally love powerhouses, but because of how much I love the way this perfume smells, I’m willing to let the moderate sillage go. This perfume is something to be enjoyed for my own liking. And oh boy, do I like it.

  16. :

    5 out of 5

    Do yourself a favor and only buy the bottle pictured here – not the 2015 release to which it has been compared. Reviewers have a right to be indignant, as almost all of the beauty of Imari is gone, and what is left lasts only a few minutes.
    C’est la vie…..

  17. :

    3 out of 5

    I remember when Imari first came out in the mid 80’s. It was not exactly an Opium clone, but was in the same type of fragrance category. The 80’s incarnation was a bit spicier. I recently ordered a bottle before the bottle change (still in the opaque maroonish colored bottle) and it was a much weaker but still pretty good. So I ordered another bottle, and not only has the bottle changed, the fragrance is just about nonexistent. After the first few minutes you can hardly smell it, and after a couple of hours it is almost gone. And this is with layering the lotion and matching powder with it! Avon seems to have a bad habit of discontinuing or messing with their best fragrances. Soft musk is gone, Imari has been ruined, next thing you know Timeless will be watered down as well. And yet they keep adding to the overly floral sillage bomb line of Rare whatever.

  18. :

    3 out of 5

    My mother’s signature perfume along with Chanel No. 5, I loved Imari since my childhood. At times I would sneakily grab Imari, spray it on me, go to school. My mom knew I wore it since she would smell it on me then would spray it on me every morning I went to school. She bought me one of the mini ones as I got older to learn how to wear perfume. I would wear it until Seduction and now Elixir, M by Mariah Carey came along. I still wear it occasionally, and it brings back memories.

  19. :

    3 out of 5

    My mother used to wear this for church every single Sunday

  20. :

    5 out of 5

    I smelled this at the drugstore yesterday and was transported back to when I was 21 or 22 years old. I purchased this from a pushy Avon lady at my workplace because it was the first one I laid my eyes on. This brings back many great memories, long hot summer nights and parties and get-togethers and nature trail walks….I wore this scent to any and everywhere. I wasn’t a fragrance fanatic yet so anything went. In retrospect it’s a tad mature smelling, glad I didn’t care then though. I love the floral, aldehyde, powdery, spicy muskiness that is Imari. I was so nostalgic for the few hours it was on my wrists that I was the first one at drugstore this morning. Yup had to purchase it and I’m wearing it now, loving every whiff and waiting patiently for tomorrow so I can wear it again….

  21. :

    4 out of 5

    FYI All you IMARI Lovers….AVON’S Re-launching their Iconic perfume to celebrate IMARIs’ 30th Anniversary!… with a beautiful NEW Bottle design & packaging along with IMARI Seduction…Avon’s also Launching at the same time a New Flanker “IMARI Elixir”…which the notes will be juicy Blackberry…Rose Absolute…and Pure Vanilla EXTRACT…smells delicious!

  22. :

    4 out of 5

    This was one Avon’s scents I always wanted to get as a young girl, and thought it was just HHHHEAVENLY. Years pass by, the opportunities were there as I always knew I could buy it anytime I guess, but just didn’t (?).
    Then, about a month ago, I went into the bathroom of an acquaintance, and there it was.
    I sniffed.
    Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.
    It’s been 30 years too long…..and I just have to get it. Ods Botkins, I have to stop putting it off!!
    Yes, it reigns in there with the other incense-y, heavy thick powerhouse scents that I’m not wild about, but there’s something different about this one, and I will review it when I get it…..and I WILL get it, dag nabbit, I will!! *shaking my fist*
    EDIT:Well, dagnabbit, I got it today! 3/2017….took long enough!
    New bottle~ reviewed.

  23. :

    3 out of 5

    I love this perfume and think it is one of Avon’s best. The newer version is softer than the original but the fragrance is still pretty much the same as the original, in fact, I prefer the modern version over the original which was much heavier and mature smelling. I wouldn’t compare this to Chanel No. 5 as it is more woodsy than Chanel No. 5. CN5 is more of a floral. Also, the dry down of Imari is reminiscent of dried flowers pressed between the pages of old dusty books in an attic. This “old” smell is not offensive, it is elegant and comforting, at least to me. It reminds me of my Mom who wore this in the 80’s when she sold Avon. I loved the way my Mom smelled when she wore this perfume. It was her signature fragrance for several years until she discovered Tresor. I really like Imari, but I’m not sure if I could wear it as my signature because It was my Mom’s. I think it’s one of those perfumes that you associate with the memory of someone who wore it because it has been around for about 30 years

  24. :

    4 out of 5

    Delicate chalky powder tempered by woody and floral notes. When I smell my wrist, the aldehydes and sandalwood really pop. Has a such a soft, feeling – very feminine and graceful. To me it smells like a gossamer powder used in oriental makeup. If you are looking for a perfume that smells like powders, this is one to add. Sillage good – about 5′ and longevity all day.

  25. :

    5 out of 5

    Imari is different that is for sure. Do I smell hairspray? I think this is supposed to be musk, incense, woody like alot of the orientals. But I think it is lacking in depth or something. I am not an expert on perfumes but I smell what I smell and this is lacking a “something”. Maybe it is because it is an edc and should be an edp. I think it would really blossom if it were more concentrated. I am wanting Avon to produce an edp on all the classics. Are you with me!

  26. :

    4 out of 5

    I recently ordered this and several others from Avon’s online store. This was one of my mom’s signature fragrances. As soon as I sprayed it in the air….I actually teared up. It was exactly how I remember it on her. Soft, comforting, quiet. Mom. I remember us laying on the couch when I was younger and I would lay behind her legs with my head resting on her hips, and she always smelled so good. This and Ciara wafted in with her gently on her clothes.
    I do actually like this fragrance but I just can’t seem to get it to stay on me. It is powdery and woody, and has a grown up woman vibe, which I like. I also like Charlie for those same reasons. I spray before work and it is entirely gone when I get home. If I spray in the evening it just fades so quickly, which really is a shame.
    If you are a person who likes to wear fragrances ‘just for you’ and not necessarily to project out to everyone else, you probably would really enjoy how this wears. It is snuggle worthy to be sure.
    It is a lovely fragrance, just one that drifts away moment by moment.

  27. :

    4 out of 5

    Woody floral. This was my mother’s signature scent for some time so it has warm, mature feeling to me just like the color of the bottle. I called it the cabbage perfume because of the little flower on the bottle which I thought was a cabbage head. Not my fave because of the aldehydic side but I like the memories it brings.

  28. :

    4 out of 5

    I don’t hate this or love it. Its definitely a “winter” scent tho. I do like it but its not my style at all……I got it as a gift and wouldn’t buy it personally.

  29. :

    3 out of 5

    I had totally forgotten that I owned this perfume, until I found a body powder that was coming along with it and remembered it. In a way it reminds opium, although it is less heavy, but, not my kind of scent that I would have rebuy. I remember someone has given this as a gift when I was 14. I wore it for a whole winter and I forgot about it. Nothing special to remember in my opinion. I remember the sandalwood and the musk though…I would have given this perfume something like 2.5/5.

  30. :

    3 out of 5

    I graciously discovered an original bottle from 1985 and I have to love this lost classic. I was always afraid that it was an “Opium clone” due to its red plastic bottle. Its not an oriental at all. In fact its a very green playful chypre that has all of the beauty that Avon could produce. Its closer to its cousin Charisma than anything and that is quite impressive.
    It opens with familiar bergamot and heady galbanum that delivers a beautiful floral heart that the above tree totally lacks. The tuberose is well done. I get some rose, carnation and jasmine in here that behave well together with lily of the valley, ylang ylang, iris and mix in some incense you get an elegant creation that held its own with the competition of 1985. In the day everything had too much civet. This is a nice alternative.
    Mix in some patchouli, vetiver and oakmoss resting on a bed of soft amber musk woods an you get this refined beauty that can seem graceful, elegant and ladylike without shouting. As an Avon fan since childhood, Imari shines like many other of its lineage.

  31. :

    3 out of 5

    Serene, evening spice with a breeze of “fresh air” aldehydes. I love how the grainy, velvet greenness of galbanum always gives a nocturnal air to a scent; it smells like cool, evening dew accumulating on greens still warm from the day. The subtle, underlying soapiness and greenness belies what would be an otherwise thick, vaporous incense and spice blend.
    However, with the galbanum taking center stage, “Imari” never enters the heady, bone-dry, intoxicatingly smoky density of incense orientals like “Opium”, which is as dry as an ebony box holding a burning incense cone in metal.
    “Imari” hints at “Opium”, in that it references the 1920’s flapper revival by way of the 70’s and early 80’s but it’s more personal and casual than “Opium” and when I smell it, I imagine an elegant woman in a well worn and faded but still beautiful, silk kimono, walking along the path by a pond, admiring water flowers and birds, as The Sun goes down. I really love the quiet, shadowy, casual beauty of this blend.

  32. :

    4 out of 5

    Avon spray perfumes have excellent sillage….a little TOO excellent! However, do not give up on Imari if you think the spray perfume is too strong. If, like me, you like powdery and woody scents, give Imari Perfumed Skin Softener and powder a try. Go ahead and slather on that classic Vaseline Intensive Care lotion in the yellow bottle, put on your good old Powder Fresh Secret deodorant, and then apply about a dime size of Imari Perfumed Skin Softener and sprinkle a little of the powder on your shoulders. With this method you will have just the perfect amount of inoffensive classy vintage vibe.

  33. :

    4 out of 5

    This is definitely a scent you have to try on to truly see what it does for you. It’s warm and deep. I had the deodorant roll on while growing up and it always made me feel pretty. I would say this is best for Fall and Winter.

  34. :

    5 out of 5

    I used to sell Avon and Imari was a popular choice among my customers. It is a head turning, woody, powdery scent that lingers a good long time. I have worn it myself and I love it. Avon really gets an undeserved bad rap.

  35. :

    4 out of 5

    I was given a number of Avon samples by a fellow Fragratician and I’ve been waiting expectantly for a cool day to test this perfume.
    Oh, the aldehydes. Happy me! I do love them. There’s a lovely trio going on with the galbanum, the flickering incense and the dry woody base. The elements are very nicely balanced, although I don’t think I have the ideal skin type to get the best out of this fragrance. I seem to smell spice, although not listed. The only flower I detect is lily of the valley.
    Imari is rich smelling and elegant when worn sparingly. It is a good quality perfume for a small price. I could do with having a small bottle of this for cooler days or nights as I quite enjoy its depth and composure.
    Thanks CathieH for the sample!

  36. :

    4 out of 5

    OtakuKitteh, my guess is that you are not a fan of Galbanum!

  37. :

    5 out of 5

    I am an Avon rep, and occasionally bundles are offered to reps at a discounted price. This was one of several small bottles of perfume for less than $10. I don’t mean to be overly critical, but this is just so foul to my nose. There is something that is very musty and off about the original Imari. The Imari Seduction and Imari Blossom are both nice, but I am just not a fan of the original. It seems really strong, and has sort of an attic and dried flowers aroma to it. The smell of it reminds me of an old house or old clothes. I never like to say that I can’t see the appeal in a scent, because everyone is different, but this one is very hard for me to imagine anyone liking.

  38. :

    3 out of 5

    Dear Readers,
    I was recently gifted this this fragrance by Avon and I have to say I like it a lot.
    Frankly I don’t care cost and brands for I know some audiences will squirm hearing the word Avon . But I have to say sure its not ultra fine quality of French perfumes but Avon has good decency of quality and spirit that its quite fun to wear.
    Imari ,the perfume:
    well on its own, its a very warm,balsamic and woody fragrance with touches of vanilla that gives it a lot of lovely female intrigue and exoticism.
    I saw a few people comparing Imari to the avenue of Chanel in aroma, but I must gracefully disagree since I grew up with all the lines of Chanel’s in my lifetime, doesn’t smell like Chanel.
    Although , When it comes to Guerlain on the other hand, yes I do see definitely how Avon got their inspiration in making Imari.
    In my mind, if Samsara by Guerlain and Old Spice had a baby, I think Imari would be it, it has that exoticism that’s warm, inviting and alluring strength that just makes you purr.
    Imari on my skin:
    it lasts quite a long while, I delight that I was given this in gift set and I would wear this definitely again, I could see why despite of decades trends that came in and out, Imari will always be Avons Olympian in their fragrance category.
    If you delight in womanly Orientals with warmth, balsamic strength that creates a exotic creature, Imari is it, makes a good gift .

  39. :

    3 out of 5

    There is really nothing to fear from Imari. It’s a soft, lovely, old school woody-floral-soapy fragrance but lacks any of the harshness that may turn some off from such fragrances of the genre as Chanel No. 5 & Van Cleef & Arpels First.
    The first spray has a definite bite from the galbanum, but in moments Imari is a delicate, musky aldehydic fragrance with very mild tuberose and creamy sandalwood. I also smell bergamot, lily of the valley and that signature old school, powdery & barely there vanilla.
    Although I can’t see it being a love for everyone, I’m surprised at so many dislikes.
    I find Imari very easy to wear and still quite similar to the version I recall from the late 80’s / early 90’s. It’s just perhaps a bit too nostalgic, but I’m glad I bought a bottle (for $5 on Ebay!) and experienced it again.

  40. :

    4 out of 5

    I have had the good fortune to have been gifted a number of Avon samples by a generous Fragrantican.
    I would go so far as to say Imari is centered around galbanum, which makes it very astringent. It is powdery, soapy-floral, vanilla-sweet, peppery and faintly woody. I do not detect any tuberose or loud floral.
    I generally do not like galbanum, but this is soft, so I went for a second opinion. This is falling between good and weird. Critical of much that I wear, I considered this more positive than negative. Side note, men are as, or more generous toward Avon perfumes than women, in my very limited sampling.
    In the end, I think I will not get a FB of this, though not because of the galbanum. Something about the notes that contribute to the sweet and powdery aspects of the perfume are detracting from the green-ness of the galbanum, which is handled beautifully. However, I suspect the powdery sweetness is why it has been a much-loved scent for as long as it has.

  41. :

    5 out of 5

    I love Imari – it reminds me quite a lot of Shalimar and, as others mentioned, a woodier version of Chanel No 5. On me, though, it’s more of a floral oriental than a floral aldehyde. I have the Imari body wash, lotion, and dusting powder that I layer on with something like Shalimar, Opium, or Tabu; it blends nicely with any vintage perfume. Like a lot of the older Avon fragrances, this one is womanly and sophisticated. No Froot Loop scent here!

  42. :

    3 out of 5

    The accords here at Fragrantica are absolutely correct for the current formulation of Imari, which I find to be both interesting and useful for layering. It is a floral aldehyde with a nice blend of incense and gentle greens. The base seems to be that of clean white musk – very inoffensive and pleasant.
    BUT!
    I have just had the great good fortune of smelling the vintage Imari, and they are truly different. Oh, the same greens, well blended with incense….. and there the difference begins. The vintage comes off as a far richer blend of incense, with a much “thicker” feel to the opening and heart. Even the drydown is sweeter and more dreamy-creamy by comparison. I can smell cozy powder and old fashioned musk in the base. Now THIS is no floral aldehyde!!!! A refined floriental would be more like it. 🙂
    For all intents and purposes the vintage and the current Imari are both lovely. But I would have preferred that Avon name the current version “Imari Light”, to clarify the changes that have taken place in it’s composition.
    Bottom Line – I’m still very glad I have the current Imari, since she is a pretty and versatile layering perfume. That said, the rich and comforting vintage version is MY cup of tea. 🙂 Many thanks to the kind and generous Fragrantican who brightened my world with such an elixer!

  43. :

    5 out of 5

    I was given this as a gift for Xmas. At first whiff I was pleasantly surprised at how rich it smelled and the list of notes seemed promising, but alas…it seemed there must have been one chemical or other which didn’t let this lovely scent blossom on my skin. We weren’t meant for each other, this was quickly established. On me, it turned somewhat boozy and medicinal…but, I felt bad thinking about throwing it out and held on to it.
    So, fast forward one night where my beloved came home aching I went ahead and used the body cream to massage my boyfriend and wow, seemed Imari has a thing for testosterone or something because on him…it smelled quite sexy! It had a rich, balmy, slightly spicy but mainly woodsy/musky aroma.
    I figured that since it smelled pretty good on him, I should take it a step further and spritz him with the perfume and yes, the cedar took happy residence on his manly pores. I asked him what he thought of it and he replied “I think I smell like hot chick but that’s ok, the guys at work already know I got one at home”
    Quite smoov there hunny. What can I say, he’s pretty fly for a white guy. But, anyway…lovely scent!

  44. :

    3 out of 5

    This is an ok perfume. It smells good but its not me. I smell alot of powder in this, and that reminds me of old lady. I wear it sometime when im going out on the town but not very often, I really like gucci by gucci for that 🙂

  45. :

    4 out of 5

    The fragrance world is highly dominated today by the sweet fruity floral scents. With that reason I always make sure I pick a fragrance away from mainstream. One reason why I decided to get this fragrance was simply because reviewers claim it to be a ‘cousin’ of Chanel No.5 & Shalimar.
    At first spritz it honestly turned me off. For someone who isn’t used to aldehyde the opening was right in your face. I decided to put it aside.
    I gave it another chance and the trick is to apply lightly and waiting for the aldehyde to settle/dry off which is about ten min. For someone who burns incense everyday like me, Imari captures the scent perfectly. A mature, bold and confident fragrance which is a classic. More importantly it evokes and wraps the person wearing this fragrance in an aura of COMPLETE EXOTICNESS. Apply it sparingly so that you wont get overwhelmed by the scent.
    Not a lot of people know that Avon makes very good, seductive fragrances. This is one.

  46. :

    5 out of 5

    I’ve smelled this in the past and thought it was a nasty old lady perfume, but I just got some in an Avon fragrance sampler and tried on just a small amount. Very interesting fragrance. On me, the smell actually alternates between clean/powdery and spicy/woody every 30 minutes or so. I just may consider buying a full-size bottle.

  47. :

    5 out of 5

    My sister sells Avon and I buy a lot of Avon fragrances. One day she said to me, ” You like incense, why not try Imari.” I ordered a bottle, the prices of Avon are so affordable that even if I don’t like a scent I can pass it on and not feel that I am out of pocket. I am so glad I did, what a wonderful warm, incense, chypre, powdery, sexy scent. I think this will be my favourite to wear this winter. It has great lasting power on me, and I wore it to work, though I did not go mad applying it, just a spray on my chest. It made me happy all day and I know this is because it is reminiscent of my beloved Shalimar, just missing the vanilla undertones of that glorious perfume. Imari is definitely a fragrance I will keep buying.

  48. :

    3 out of 5

    I bought myself a bottle of this in 1988, after trying a sample given to me by a student’s Mom, who was an Avon Lady; the kind that still rang doorbells and showed up at your house wearing a knock-off Chanel suit. I was aro

Imari (Original) 1985 Avon

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