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синий – :
This is one of my favorites from Avon, I have a vintage round bottle with the fan cap. This is a warm woody fig tree fragrance with some sweet fresh fig and sun warmed gardenia. There is no lily or grapefruit on me at all, but mid and base notes always do come out stronger on my skin. This is expertly blended and perfect for all seasons, but I do feel it suits Autumn really well. The cedar and fig tree give it a dry feel (some have said pencil shavings and I can see that a bit, but I like that so I don’t mind it), but the fresh juicy fig + gardenia temper it into something almost a hint more tropical. Definitely a favorite—from the notes to the bottle design, to the 5+ hours of wear (not bad for an Avon cheapie). It doesn’t hurt that Sapphires are my birthstone, so I had to have this one. 🙂
lakedonec – :
I don’t get grapefruit at all. In the top it is a tart tart rhubarb or plum. Then some light florals and that dryness of fig leaf. Not getting a ripe, sweet fig at all. In the final fading base, it was almost like iris.
rulkovz4bipu – :
My latest in a series of disappointing Avon buys. I am not overly fond of grapefruit you think I would know better. The sweetness (fig?) added with the grapefruit smells like citronella candles and fruit loops. I just couldn’t do it. Can’t remember the last time I scrubbed so hard. Avon scents are very much hit and miss for me ( the hits being mainly far away +flankers and CL Absynthe) but my recent Avon experiences will probably keep me away from buying any others in the future.
женя113 – :
I have the entire RARE line and am testing them one by one.
When I first spritzed this on my skin-2 spritzes-I just smelled an ozone like freshness. this is a vintage bottle so I have no idea if it has aged well.
I read here about many fig or grapefruit tones but to my smeller it was very “light” …no real standouts…a bit powdery(as usual)and woody.
On me it dried to a smell reminding me of Shower to shower powder…fresh and perhaps botanical.
OK for everyday -I’ll give it a 2.
RW_Gen – :
This is a very sweet exotic fragrance of fig, gardenia and woods. I was expecting a fruity floral fragrance something a bit typical of other Avon perfumes but this is probably the most exotic of the Rare Jewel collection. It smells of grapefruit at the first spritz a big grapefruit punch. Delicious but rather strong. Then it softens into fig and vanilla-scented gardenia. It dries down to wood. It has a green feel to it courtesy of the fig tree and vetiver which is like grass. It smells Oriental. It has incredible longevity on me all day. It’s very nice.
shystrui – :
WHERE IS THE FIG??? _______________________________________________________
Ever since I discovered fragrances, one of my favourite notes has been fig. I find it to alluring, charming, interesting and provocative with a hint of shyness.
When I read that Avon had a fragrance with fig, I wanted to try it out… and unfortunately, I did.
It opens with an explosion of lily – more like the stench of lily. On my skin it almost is like catpiss and it stinks. I kept waiting for the fig… but there was nothing more than reeking lily.
Some people may like it, but unfortunately, it’s not for me.
Longetivity: – 3/10
Sillage: – 4/10
All in all: 1 out of 10 points.
safo21 – :
Got this as a blind buy based on the reviews here…and I agree! It is definitely a different kind of perfume.
To get an idea of how fig smelled like in a fragrance, I had tried Atelier Cologne’s Figuier Ardent. I had liked that, and found it nice, light, and sweet. I thought that perhaps this one would be something like that…and it was! Sort of.
Differing from Figuier Ardent, the bitterness of fig leaf was more prominent in this fragrance. Perhaps it is the vetiver or cedar, but there is an almost tobacco-like pungency underlining the sweetness of fig when I first put this frag on. This initially turned me off and had me regretting the purchase.
However, about a minute or two in, the tobacco-ness was gone, and in its stead is the prolonging sweetness of fig and maybe a tinge of lily or snowdrop to keep it light. On my skin, this frag seems to just linger as a sweet fig. Not sugary, but nice and light, like earthy daisies~
I definitely find myself sometimes loving this frag, and sometimes disliking it…but I guess this is why this frag is interesting. It’s a lovely scent in the fact that it has something you’re familiar with, but then again, it is not completely what you know. There’s always a bit of strangeness within the familiarity. It is certainly not a mainstream headturner, but it is a scent that would have people wondering “What IS that scent? It’s oddly good…” This is je-ne-sais-quoi in a bottle. It’ll definitely give you that extra quality that people are wondering about but can’t quite put their finger on.
Fluserbulsesk – :
Is this discontinued? I love the smell of fig, so this sounds so perfect! Can’t wait to try it.
angafanga – :
This is one I fell out of love with, but adored at first. Its a unique, pretty gardenia without being saccarin sweet or heady. It hasn’t been worn in years, but will periodically get picked up, sniffed, and the nostalgic memories come in. I never wear it out, but would maybe keep it around for its comforting smell.
kolumbo – :
Beautiful, white, soapy gardenia with some creamy fig, at least on me.
Weedfantfal – :
Very unique, although it’s a fruity frag, my skin picks up the woody notes more. Since they brought this back, heres hoping they bring back emeralds and rubies…
shemsheli – :
It does really smells like philosykos !!! To me smells like dusty fig and until the end i can easily smell coconut. Mature, long lasting and timeless smell. Check it out !
Vidic15 – :
I am nearing the end of my reviews for Avon’s Rare Collection with only Rare Diamonds yet to come. The gorgeous blue bottle Sapphires presents in is a total throw-off for what is actually in it. Somehow, the bottle does not quite fit the fragrance but that is irrelative as for a helpful review, though this scent would be better suited in a clear bottle like the rest, with a deep plummy-blue top. I love the blue bottle but they did not color the rest so, hmm.. on with the show…
As a lover with particularly high appreciation of unusual, intriguing scents this is another winner in my book. It is not my favorite of the group or the least, but it IS the most unique and I value and LOVE that aspect. Also, to my surprise, this one is the least powerful, much less sillage and longevity which is also odd. I do not mean soft or powdery as there is nothing powdery about this, simply less “glam wam wow” than the others. After complete dry down, it is beautifully soft with a fruity, woodsy cedar edge I find delectable. This one is the earthiest of the entire rare collection and I have decided I love it! (And.. to the tune of ACDC “Big Balls” *sings* This is the strangest …rare of them ALL!)
As I expected, the grapefruit top note hit me first as citruses are always right on top and strongest. The green figgy and cedar notes are in there too but overtaken by the strong grapefruit for the first 30 minutes, so it is a weird fragrance at first but this is one where patience is definitely a virtue. Do not expect to squirt this right out of the bottle and even presume to form an opinion until at least an hour has passed, preferably two or more, because the dry down turns into something brilliant one would never expect… such as a completely different scent altogether which is highly unique and lovely compared to modern, trendy mall scents. Strangely sultry, almost a skin scent, mild.
This is very much a green scent; a green, citrus floral and a bright, happy one but not so bright it loses its sex appeal. It is light spring/summer frag in every way with an uplifting aura about it that is very sexy and enchanting due to the fact it is so natural smelling in an earthy, mysterious “What IS that” kind of way. I do not pick up much floral but they are there, balancing the fruits with the woods to make this sweetly beautiful, though this is also the least sweet of The Rares. Rare Sapphires is truly lovely and distinct. It is the model in a high fash mag that makes you wonder how she got the job. She is oddly unattractive, yet the more you look at her the more compelling her face becomes until you find yourself drawn in and staring, enjoying her rare beauty. So the unusual (not stinky) fig and cedar is an auto dispose for noses who only prefer what they recognize from mags, malls and department stores. Good. More for me! *clink* Cheers!
Rare Sapphires is somewhat the ugly ducking that never becomes a swan, but it is simple and beautiful in its own right. It says “I am not va-va-voom, Marilyn Monroe, flowers, amber, fruit, honey, Dior, Tom Ford, V’s Secret or Bath and Body. I am different from the rest but that does not make me less beautiful, important, desirable and special. I am down-to-earth gorgeous today and fine with that.” It is outdoorsy “Earth Girl” without patchouli and musk who smells really good and pretty… AND sexy. I personally love such blends.
This will have a place in my wardrobe for the love of it uniqueness and to serve a great purpose on days where I am not in the mood to smell like all the rest or have not yet decided what kind of mood I am in. I can see where Rare Sapphires will fit that bill perfectly. 🙂 It’s a keeper. Avon does it again! *applauds*
Naomi_fromAF – :
I have been on a fig kick and I couldn’t resist trying this one out. I must say that I do not regret it at all. I was able to buy two vintage partially used bottles on ebay for less than $12 and I absolutely love them. Of course,there are more expensive fig scents out there, but for me this one is a hidden gem. The fig note is both creamy and soft and I really enjoy it.
ShuraWolf – :
At first it smelled like fly spray and furniture polish but then I read these reviews and began to appreciate the beauty of it – yes figs all the way. Classy figs if there are such a thing. At first the sillage was very strong and I thought it was disgusting but now I just keep spraying it all over myself because I really really like it. It’s a very odd one. I should have read the reviews more carefully though because it’s not what I expected: I expected more of an Elizabeth Taylor Diamonds and Sapphires glamour, but I can’t describe this as glamorous, more classy avant garde, quirky. It doesn’t smell like Womanity by Thierry Muglar but it has the same sort of weirdness about it. Not for everybody. I had to get used to it.
EncotsEngenny – :
I’m glad to discover the notes of this rather unusual scent, which I’ve just started wearing. I’m really surprised to see there’s grapefruit in it at all because I’m usually very sensitive to that and try to avoid it if possible. I’m not detecting it at all on my skin, thankfully. I think it’s the combination of fig and vetiver I’m finding so oddly compelling in this scent, it’s not your everyday combination. I like unusual and characterful scents so I’m really appreciating this one, but I suspect it’s one of those that will either work very well on your skin or not at all. As with the other perfumes in the Rare range, it is longlasting – I’ve been putting it on to go out in the morning the last few days, and can still smell it when I’m getting ready for bed at night. At the start of the day it is energising and by the end it is comforting. A strange one, but glad I bought it.
mzi847Diobtetty – :
I’ve recently obtained this smell. I pretty like it. It smells like a cake with cream or a bit of vanilla, which is strange due to lack of vanilla in notes. I have no idea if the formula was changed. I didn’t get the chance to smell previous versions. The newest one is pretty nice, warm, long lasting, sweet smell. For winter – a must have! I was nicely surprised after I got it because I found the reviews not promising.
lider – :
If you like the smell of unripe figs and fig trees, you will probably like this one very much.
I personally find it one of the most interesting perfumes of Avon. Unusual, fresh, summery! Like walking by a fig tree in a hot summer day, heading for the beach…
(And actually if you can’t afford Philosykos by Diptyque, this one is a good alternative!)
9643247820 – :
No idea why it is called a woody fragrance, it isnt at all woody to me. I smell fruit and citrus with a prominent smell of blubells and violets. To me it is beautiful sophisticated and uplifting however it takes a certain personality to pull it off. I would say it is for the mature lady with refined manners who is child like and innocent at heart & always pleasing and harmonious in her dealings with others. It is very blue and fruity, possibly even sweet smelling depending on one’s skin chemistry. It is earthy and dreamy at the same time. Not to mention that it lasts around 6-8 hours which is incredible for an avon scent
Чучмек – :
It’s advertised as a gourmand fragrance, but it didn’t appeal to me. The strong aroma of bitter grapefruit paired with the characteristic fig spoils the scent. It smells dusty.
Vitalii19 – :
I have no idea if this scent was reformulated, because I have the original Rare Sapphires. I bought a brand-new EDP bottle at a tag sale many years ago, for five dollars!
Sapphire is my birthstone,and the bottle was gorgeous, so that attracted me even if I hated the scent and did not want to wear it. But I LOVE the delicious fig notes! This is “something different”, very rich but not overpowering.
It is woodier than Womanity, with a sharp white grapefruit accord towards the drydown.There is a definite “fig leaf” note too. Sillage and longevity are both good.
woxab – :
If avon reintroduced this one, (something not usual in this brand), is for the people who love it! Sapphires and emeralds are the only 2 that i didn’t had the chance to smell it in the rare line! But i remember rare rubies, and that one i really like it a lot, crossing fingers thinking on, that avon would reintroduced that one too! Well i’m on my way to search for rare sapphires and take the chance to smell it!
sladnad – :
Haha White_ that sounds awful indeed! It’s a shame, I was looking forward to owning this one in the future!
yojegg – :
I really like this one. Something different from the present fragrance trends.
Fig note is strong but fresh rather than cloying. Grapefruit appears more in the drydown, which is a bit unusual. Don’t get a lot of floral notes myself, would personally describe this fragrance as more green gourmand than floral fruity. I could imagine a man who liked adventurous fragrances wearing this one.
Long lasting and quite powerful sillage.
And, very importantly, the whole production is not PALE PINK, which I am getting sick of the sight of. My bottle (Avon UK) has the whole top in blue, like the usual Rare line, not like the picture here. Bottle is a pale blue glass when empty, I think.
I never had the previous Rare Sapphires, so cannot compare. Believe this is reformulated but am not sure.
Overall, smells like a subtle blend of Molinard’s Eau de Garrigues and Guerlain’s Pamplelune. I loved both of those, so obviously I am biased towards this one.
serg060870 – :
I soo adore the Rare line, I would love to add this one and emeralds to my collection as well!
oskar15 – :
The bottle looks different in my catalogue. It is advertised as being floral-gourmand, and the main notes are grapefruit, gardenia and fig.
In my opinion, it is NOT gourmand.
The fig note is strong. I do not like this, it lacks character.
stoun – :
we have it in greece now. neither i like neither i hate it. i received it yesterday. not very interesting perfume at all.
edzpua – :
We have it in Poland now.
The notes are: Grapefruit, gardenia, fig
Very different kind of scent. But interesting:)
v_a_d_i_9 – :
it will be reintroduced with new notes and new bottle (same as Rare Gold but blue) for Christmas 2012
torya – :
I found this to be one of the oddest fragrances that Avon ever came out with. To call this woody is an understatement. The only note that came out on my skin was the cedar. Not even a masculine fragrance kind of cedar, just cedar. No florals or fruits of any kind. I’ve never smelled this on anyone else, or at least haven’t recognized it on anyone else. I would love to know how it worked out for others.