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zagros1005 – :
I was looking for an ylang-ylang scent I could wear during the day and blind-bought Samsara EDT mostly due to the glowing reviews here. I work in an office landscape environment and so I tend to stay away from fragrances with heavy sillage for fear of annoying scent -sensitive noses at work. In this regard, S. EDT is perfect. It stays close to my skin and lasts for eight hours or so.
After the initial assault of rubbing alcohol smell on my nose right after spraying, it quickly evolves into an ylang-ylang heaven. Ylang-ylang transports me back to my childhood. To the ancient rainforest which was essentially the backyard of my grandparents’ home. The scent of this flower is unmistakable. It is warm and comforting, like wrapping my favorite cashmere scarf around my neck and having the coziest feeling that money can buy. Having said this, this fragrance is not in any sense “homely”. It has a sofistication and edge that evokes confidence. It smells expensive and well composed.
Unfortunately though, on my skin, the ylang-ylang does not last for very long. After only about 15 minutes, sandalwood and vanilla is all I can smell unless I put my nose very close to my skin and forcefully sniff. So a little disappointment there.
Still, although it is not love, it is a very strong like. I am going to spray it on my wrist and expose it to outdoor air and see what happens. Also, where I live now it’s fall and the temperature is skimming 0 degrees centigrade. I’m looking forward to how this fragrance will wear in the spring.
Joe Kuvalda – :
I wanted to love this so badly for the iris and the touch of green and fruit in the notes list, but it seems my relationship with synthetic sandalwood is just too overpoweringly negative. This is a sandal bomb, and if you haven’t found that note to be flattering on you in other fragrances (maybe Lauder Sensuous or Feminite du Bois), there will probably be no magic revelation when you try this on.
Given I dislike this note and it smells awful on me, like I’m trying way too hard to turn myself into something with my perfume choice (an escort or an opera vixen or something), I should warn you that my opinion should stand relevant mostly to people in my age group who are unacquainted with sandal. The first mist delivered a powdery floral juxtaposed with oriental vanilla and it read to me as “common” and “familiar” but still very nice. Once it dried down, it became uncomfortably familiar; all I could smell was men’s deodorant with some other vaguely pretty stuff fluttering in there that had a semblance of elegance but was massively overpowered by the sandalwood. If you have a clumsy, millennial nose like I do, do not expect to be bowled over with the genius of this fragrance. Samsara is a distinctive classic and likely the model that most modern woody/floral deodorants sampled from; if you are not touched by nostalgia or a fan of sandalwood, the deodorant association may be disqualifying for you. Basically, post-2000’s cheap imitations ruined Samsara for me.
Xeroxtxkwc – :
This is one of (if not THE) my comfort food nighttime perfumes. It’s creamy and soft, and quite sweet, but never cloying like other “sweet” perfumes- especially with a peach note. Fortunately, I don’t really get the peach in this, it goes straight to creamy sandalwood on me.
esseroniews – :
Adorable, warm, cosy and soft. My All time favorite in exotics. I really am in love with this intriguing and addictive scent. Its so well adjusted and deicate. Reminds me of a walk in a autumm forest. Silage and logevity is perfect. Love at first sniff… cant stop respraying This one.
syroed-roman – :
Indeed I also feel that the miracle is in its transformation. I do not like the opening at all, and I was so sad at the first sniff after I brought it home… but after some time it just changes and changes, until it becomes this wonderful powdery softness. Complex and so alive perfume!
clf786speagoessenda – :
I finally understood why this perfume was highly raved on Fragrantica. A few years ago, I tested this perfume and liked it, but not enough to purchase the full bottle. I guess now that I’m older and wiser(maybe not this part hehe), I am a fan. Patience is key, the transformation of the scent leads to a wonderful powdery woodsy dry down. The initial spray didn’t win me over, I thought it was your typical classic/old school perfume. But overtime, as the smell developed on my skin, I couldn’t stop smelling myself. If you want to smell like an oriental princess this is the perfume; it smells so luxurious and opulent. This perfume is without a doubt a Guerlain perfume, I can catch (sniff) a tiny glimpse of Shalimar in this perfume – definitely worth adding this to your Guerlain collection.
rooslann – :
It took me two days and one Fragantica comment to learn to love this beauty. I blind-bought it after reading comments here, but the first time I sprayed it on I just couldn’t stand it. “Chanel N° 5 Eau de Banana”, I thought. However, I woke up the next morning wanting to wear it again. Then was when the magic happened. I read a comment here that said that for them, ylang-ylang smelled like cocoa butter, and… bam! the banana was gone, and all I could smell was creamy cocoa butter and sandalwood. Thank you, brain!
I wear it now for special ocassions in which I want to feel calm yet exotic.
Wes – :
A true masterpiece – a classic. If “Opium” is the undisputed King of orientals. then “Samsara” is the Queen.
Creamy sandalwood and incense, mimosa (not listed, but I,m sure it is there) and spices.
A Rembrandt of perfumery.
LAKH – :
I found this to be as strong as the EDP, but not as deep or rich in scent, just brighter and more ‘there’ with the sandalwood. I prefer the EDP but this one is truly lovely too and with as much lasting power. I could smell it on my shirt the next day. I don’t think you can go wrong with either EDT or EDP
Undundell – :
Gorgeous sandalwood and ylang ylang powder bomb. I have the vintage EDP, EDT and parfum, and the EDT is my FAVORITE! Vintage is the way to go for performance, longevity and overall fragrance. Back when it first came out, I only sampled it whenever I went to Marshall Fields. I never bought it for myself until a few years ago. Now I wear it whenever I am in the mood for sandalwood seduction!
wladuk – :
One word, Timeless
Abapel – :
Shalimar EDT smells less ‘plastic’ than its EDP version. It does not have as much this synthetic plastic scent which smells like a new plastic baby doll..To the nose that knows EDT is a better version.
asya3 – :
A beautiful, creamy sandalwood scent that seems to mimic the scent of skin (if it were intensified). There’s something about this that makes it perfectly unique to any other scent. A bit like cola at the start, sensuous in the dry down and at its heart. Beautiful and indescribable.
Lasts better and smells better on me than the EDP.
jpp871bedyWelty – :
I never thought I will wear Samsara one day because this Guerlain is so related with one of my ex collegue. For me Samsara is Carmelle’s perfume. Last spring I read Sur les routes de mes parfums and Parfums d’amour by Jean-Paul Guerlain. After this reading, I was so eager to rediscover Samsara that I forget my réticence to wear ”some one else” perfume. When you read Jean-Paul talking about his perfumes you want to smell it all.Today I found a bottle of vintage Samsara in a thrift store. I immediately jump on it. With Samsara Jean-Paul Guerlain created a unique accord of jasmine and sandalwood. I not crazy about sandalwood but in Samsara his use is perfect. Samsara is a real Guerlain. Beautiful, well done and timeless. A tribute to a woman he met in India.
Merci monsieur Guerlain to make me travel with your ” carnets de voyage” and your wonderful perfumes.
Danehadpgfogf – :
I have written a review for Samsara EDT before and I love this fragrance a lot. Not to create friction but I think the review from Solinger is not fair.
Samsara is not sweet, it is a deep Oriental fragrance….so I think the reviewer expected a candy cocktail concoction which Samsara is not.
I think she should have managed her expectations and did her research before purchasing Samsara or any fragrance.
regza – :
Solinger, edp is masteriece, not edt. This is what l am going to try.
ramulcik – :
First of all I want to say that I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time ( didn’t had a chance to try this before buying) so I ordered the 30 ml edt bottle. I have never heard of such good reviews about any other fragrances than samsara so that was the reason why I wanted it so much!
Today I finally got it!
AND…
I was so disappointed..-_- ( was wearing it all day)
It’s so dry like, like something is missing. Maybe a little bit of sweeetness.
I wanted to like this sooooo much, but unfortunately this I just can’t understand.. Why does this states as a masterpiece? Just because Jean-Paul Guerlain created it? Oh well, sadly I’m begining to think there aren’t any new-founded fragrances that could impress me.
Interesting bottle though.
EroSanin – :
This is my all-time favorite! I wear it mostly in winter and I certainly love all the layers of beautiful notes. The opening is so strong but it cools down quickly. What I love the most is the leftover smell on my clothes and accessories.So classy! It is very rich in scent and must be tried at least once.
zubenkosm1 – :
I bought an EDT version of Samsara on a girls trip to Paris in 2002 from a Guerlain boutique. I love the scent: spicy woods, citrus and florals with ylang ylang, vanilla and musk. Overall exotic vibe, heavenly.
However, like the reviewers state below, this does not last much past 45 minutes on me. I love it so much that I’m not giving up. The EDP is on my short list.
dnipro_2008 – :
Samsaraah… I love this one. Pure class. Warm yet clean. It has such a dressy, grown up feel, like having lunch with a group of friends at a top restaurant. It’s quite a linear scent on me, with no big changes from start to finish. But with a scent as nice as this why change anything? Longevity is very good with the EDT. I only tried the EDP once but it was possibly even prettier.
SantaBa – :
Love this but it has no staying power on me. Maybe I should try the EDP.
tema704 – :
I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this before. Such a beauty!
It took me years to appreciate Samsara. I found it musty, overly spicy and too mature in the 90s…but I was clearly an immature fool. Nowadays, I bow down to its greatness.
Yes, the Guerlainade is recognisable here. But Samsara is a unique and very special beauty. The blend of thick, creamy sandalwood, jasmine, ylang and amber is so beautifully done, honestly – it’s just perfectly, seamlessly executed. Creates a truly narcotic experience and leaves a sensual, soothing impression that makes me want to stretch out on my bed and purr like a cat. Especially delectable in cold weather.
The EDT is The One. Stronger formulations are a little choking and the jasmine comes off a touch indolic. But the EDT is a masterpiece. I will never be without it!
anna.udav – :
warm, sensual, creamy, exotic, rich, classy, perfect for cold/cool weather. It is amazingly well-blended. I have the red bottle EDT and I would never dream of wearing this in a Texas summer. Oriental but not overwhelmingly so. A perfect date night frag – men seem to love it – it’s grown-up and alluring.
Hourrymuh – :
weird at first like a shalimar but as dries down gets spicy, a woody, floral, citrus floriental; dries down a little fruity; there is sandalwood, ylang, iris, musk, vanilla
nastrodams – :
I purchased a small bottle of this at Goodwill and I hadn’t even smelled it yet.! I knew Guerlain is a famous perfume house so I just bought it for $2.38 and I fell in love with it. To me, it smells like a white floral typical old lady without the old lady notes. White florals typically give me headaches and nausea but this one does not.
maksimka_78 – :
I love, love, love Samsara. It’s bright with Jasmine, and creamy with Sandalwood, and lasts and lasts. (I have a sample of the edp and I would say it is a bit deeper than the edt, both are terrific. Hope to try vintage soon.)
This would be beautiful year round, and it is fantastic this winter. (I have the red bottle with the words Samsara closer together than the latest red bottle, before Guerlain decided to get rid of the lovely bottle altogether.) Anyway, this is a very beautiful scent.
killer93 – :
I soooo badly wanted to try this in vintage so I got vintage , the clear bottle from the mid to late 90,s.
Oh boy was I gutted to find that my skin brought out only the powdery notes and nothing else.
Well maybe a tad of the spices but not much.
On my daughter it smells lovely but she’s only 12 and more interested in her 3ds that she refuses to use on 3d and watches or plays it on 2 d !
So I could have kept it for her but I decided to send it to a new home.
I hope the new owner has more luck than me as going by
My little girl this was creamy sandalwood, soft sweet Oriental and light powder , with heavenly jasmine, but on me it was just a powder bomb that was very
Underwhelming , gutted …. Please don’t cry for me too much 🙂
Naughty skin !!
We never realise how much our skin chemistry plays a big part of the final result.
I must say my 2000s bottle was more zingy and suited me more so if I replace it I’ll have to go for a newer version.
vitvit3 – :
Not A Review…But Has anyone heard that Guerlain is Completely changing the Bottle of this Soon?, I saw a Rep on QVC mentioning that…Just thought I’d mention it incase people who love the bottle Might want to pick one or two up before they do!
dersavi – :
I wanted to love this! I wanted to love it so much. Time and time again it came up as a suggestion of something I may love based on my taste. I love the beautiful bottle, the notes suggest it should be pure seduction, and I love Chanel no. 5 – with which this has a lot in common.
But… I can’t stand the majority of this perfume. The only thing I truly enjoy is the drydown – and I can get something reminiscent of it from Chanel no. 5 in a form much kinder to my nose.
I don’t know why I can’t stomach Samsara. I had an almost visceral reaction to the blotter test, but, as I mentioned… I really wanted to love her. So I tested Samsara on my skin, in the EDT version, thinking maybe a less heavy version would be easier to appreciate. Unfortunately, the first couple of hours were hard to deal with. I resisted the urge to go and wash it all off. I persevered and the fragrance became less sharp and offensive, yes… but it never became something I could truly love.
I respect Samsara and I know so many distinguished noses must love her for a reason. For me, unfortunately, the smell is somewhat reminiscent of strong bathroom freshener – maybe in a bathroom where Chanel No. 5 was recently spilled. I also don’t sense any warmth to it, until that drydown.
Perhaps my nose is just too “new” and amateurish to truly appreciate this classic fragrance. I wanted to love you, Samsara, but you brought me only heartbreak…
This is my first review as I am just beginning to learn about perfume. Clearly Samsara is an emotional experience if she pushed me to write about her. I just wish I could write something else.
artemvdovin – :
One of the most beautiful perfumes out there…I haven’t bought it in many years, yet I can still smell it whenever I hear or read about it…A must buy!
andron91 – :
One of those rare perfume experiences, where it makes you glad to be alive. This fragrance works itself deep into your body and soul.
SenderYou007 – :
The most soulful fragrance I have encountered.
A woody dry sandalwood with dripping wet fruity notes.
Shurik76 – :
Gigantic, sultry floral. One of the least oriental orientals I’ve smelled; lacks the base-y warmth I usually identify with the genre. Would be a very crisp oriental if it weren’t for the floral overdose. It also doesn’t read as ylang-ylang to me, which is more banana/ suntan lotion-y; this is a sweet, tart, almost violet-like note, with a strong dose of synthetics (kind of like gasoline, but kind of not). Smells like red berries. I assume this smelled better before reformulation (I understand that the sandalwood on which this was initially based is all gone and has been replaced with synthetics). So far, my least favorite of the classic Guerlains… this seems to be where they started going downhill.
kilkax – :
When compared to the cloying Samsara EDP which totally overwhelms with its indolic note of rotten jasmine, this one is a real beauty – wonderful sandalwood with just a hint of fresh jasmine at its best – amazing for a hot, late June evening:)
gergiendy – :
Spice, creamy sandalwood. As soon as I put Samsara on I sighed, smiling….This is a bold, oriental scent that shows you her soft side. A confident scent that holds a wicked smile. Love this scent..
deathchamp – :
Holy cow, this is gorgeous! I thought I was ordering the edp and got the edt by mistake but it is so beautiful, I may just have to enjoy both! I don’t know how I’ve never encountered this creamy, soft sandalwood heaven before- but that’s okay because that means it’s completely mine without any other associations! Chanel Bois des Iles has been on my radar for some time, but the cost has kept me from committing. Not a problem with this little gem! If you love sandalwood get this- no questions asked!
kapsulest – :
Can you believe I wore this as a young girl? Around 12-14? I wanted to be grown up but I never truly liked the scent that much. I put it in a drawer one day and went back to Candies and Vanilla Fields( the shame ).Its a classic and all but ALL I smell is sandalwood, no sweetness, no flowers no other notes. Perhaps its just my sense of smell. If this were a bit more gentle or combined with rose or vanilla I think it would be more up my alley. Its instantly recognizable on anyone else. I’m sorry I dont give a glowing review but I prefer more complex scents like Shalimar.
sesoroff.ser – :
A very classy elegant scent. Very enjoyable to wear. Exudes femininity. Longevity is good as is sillage. Xox
pandavv – :
I don’t know why, but this one intimidated me a little, so I went with the EDT version. Any hesitation subsided with this, this is quite lovely..and rather unique. Generally I think this is more of a grown woman’s fragrance (or almost anyone who appreciates a timeless classic beauty, really). But not anywhere near “old lady”….Nope. Samsara is classy yet down to earth; sophisticated yet approachable. A league of her own. Not screeching to announce her presence but softly and beautifully captures your interest and attention.
This might be seen as a Fall/Winter fragrance, and yes, I agree, but this honestly is so lovely I would not hesitate to wear this year-round, if the mood struck me. No specific notes really stand out here to me, they are all playing nicely together and there is a smoothness to this. All in all a lovely fragrance. Definitely deserves it’s classic billing in the fragrance world. Timeless. Day to night, year-round loveliness.
Having said all of that, I will say I do not think this is a safe blind buy (but then what is..?). I think if you appreciate the classics, this is definitely worth checking out. For me, this is smooth, silky, loveliness. I might even pick up a bottle of the EDP at some point. But for now, this EDT, total love.
delkadorodov – :
An absolute classic! As soon as winter comes I reach out for samsara, and it has been happening for 10 years now.
kot_911 – :
An absolute classic! As soon as winter comes I reach out for samsara, and it has been happening for 10 years now.
fnw629bedyWelty – :
سيدتي
اذكر في اول مرة تقابلنا فيها
كنت غاضبة جدا بل اشبه بالمجنونة بعد اصطدامي بك في ليلة باردة
اعتذرت منك ثم اخذنا نتكلم و نتبادل اطراف الحديث
فاذا بكل دقيقة تمر اكتشف سرا من اسرار جمالك
تلك المجنونة اصبحت كطفلة خجولة
كانت صدفة
انتهت بقصة حب
..
السحر يبدئ بعد نصف ساعة
Sinful80 – :
I just received my bottle from 1997 and I am blown away. I can’t believe I waited this long to discover this little beauty. Especially considering how I love sandalwood. Samsara is serious wrist crack. a little sweet, a tad spicy, very creamy and comforting with a bit of a vintage face powder/makeup vibe. I also catch the tropical/coconut feel a few others have mentioned. Samsara is by far the best sandal EVER. I really liked Avon Casbah but the strong clove,nutmeg and Iris completely overwhelmed the sandalwood. It was TOO spicy and a bit abrasive. The sandalwood in Samsara is definitely not overpowered by the other notes. This is a true love for me.
jfz757bedyWelty – :
Samsara Eau de Toilette, the Newest Edition
This gal has been around for almost 30 years now and it’s inevitable that she’s gone through some changes. There are some Samsara devotees that only want her in her vintage 90’s glory and eschew any newer stuff. I am not one of them, I wear both the new and the old versions. Yeah, the sandalwood ain’t what it used to be, but they’ve done a good job making up for it, and honestly, Guerlain does a really good job with the new materials that they have to use. But we’ll get into that.
I really think that, for the most part, Guerlain has tried to maintain the integrity of most of their back catalogue of perfumes. I enjoy wearing a current bottle of Samsara as much as I do the older vintage stuff. It’s all there—the topnotes that are that strange combination of shimmering jasmine, ylang ylang, and thick vanilla-praline. As it dries down the florals really come out, the iris is very dominant, along with the white jasmine flowers, and a bit of violet. A difference that I detect is the addition of musk—older bottles are NEVER musky on my skin, but the newer bottles definitely have a note of skin musk. The drydown is lovely—sandalwood, lots of powdery iris, a hint of rose and jasmine, and still a bit of that vanilla praline note that defines Samsara as much as the sandalwood.
Sure the drydown is not that magnificent milky, creamy, woody floral that Mysore sandalwood will give you. But it’s pretty damn good nonetheless. Thankfully the Sandalwood does NOT smell like a dryer sheet, artificial aromachemical ‘woods’ or iso-e-super. The Sandalwood has a soft fluidity to it, liquid-smoothness that just gracefully rolls off the skin.
For me Samsara’s lasting power is excellent, I get a good day’s worth of wear out of her. And this, too—recently I’ve had compliments from mere 21 year olds on how good I smell when I wear this perfume. That’s how great Samsara is—kids who grew up on no perfume at all, or the sugary sweet/B&BW perfumes are telling me that I smell ‘really good’ when I wear this.
Maybe like 5 or 10 years ago Guerlain was formulating the EDT with a really heavy peach note, the praline/vanilla/ylang ylang thing was replaced by a really thick, sticky peach liquor accord that hung around for hours. That’s the only formulation of Samsara I wasn’t fond of, since that heavy top note kind of dominated everything. (I don’t think the EDP ever had that note.) I think that’s why some are noting that Samsara smells of peach and licorice. Thankfully I don’t detect any of that in the newest bottles.
gore231192 – :
This is just lovely.
I was lemming after the EDP, but found a small bottle of EDT for a great price and scooped it up. One of my best blind buys so far.
Samsara EDT is so well blended, to begin with. The sweet, woody, spicy and floral notes all harmonize into an elegant, long lasting cocoon of creamy oriental gorgeousness that causes me to reach for it day after day. Sometimes I’m at work for 11+ hours, and when I change into my pajamas at the end of a long day, I still catch whiffs of sandalwood and jasmine that make me swoon.
I now want the EDP, the extrait, and a vintage or two.
Samsara worked its way into my all time favorites in less than a week.
ищи – :
Just won a vintage bottle on ebay the clear glass bottle for a bargain price cant wait to sniff it will get bk once iv tried it and give a detailed review
ekazaayin – :
JacquieDS: That’s exactly what happens to me! After even 5 min., it’s like it’s just gone…not “worn off,” but it’s like I’m “smell blind” to most of the notes. It’s very, very weird. A few hours later, I might catch a glimpse of it when I move my hand or something, but mostly, there is just this weird trace of something slightly perfume-like. It makes me sad because I really want to know what it smells like!
iQkos – :
JacquieDS: That’s exactly what happens to me! After even 5 min., it’s like it’s just gone…not “worn off,” but it’s like I’m “smell blind” to most of the notes. It’s very, very weird. A few hours later, I might catch a glimpse of it when I move my hand or something, but mostly, there is just this weird trace of something slightly perfume-like. It makes me sad because I really want to know what it smells like!
maschinzer – :
You are (or were) probably anosmic to Samsara, smell it for 10 minutes but then your nose can’t handle something in the perfume and it disappears (the brain receptors tune it out). But sometimes anosmia can be lifted (it happened to me I was anosmic to Surreal Garden for about a year than, after a while without trying to smell SA I did and for the first time could feel it, such a lovely perfume).Your anosmia could have been lifted.
Sometimes you also can be partially anosmic to a fragrance: either you don’t smell a note (I also cancel cheap rose ingredients, and was dismayed by cheap rose perfumes where I could only feel the background) or the perfumes dies quickly and has low sillage (Far Away for me is low key and lasts for about 2/3 hours).
Сколевой Егор – :
I have the current EDT for quite a few months.
For some strange reasons, after an initial 10 mins of power, I couldnt smell it anymore.
So I kind of not wear it much despite absolutely loving sandalwood oil. I actually have an old bottle of Sandalwood Mysore essential oil left from 15 plus years ago, about 3ml left.
Last Sunday, I thought I will wear Samsara for my yoga practice, very fitting, I was in a melancholic mood, and Samsara just fits into my spiritual practice.
Well, 1 tiny spritz on my yoga top and It was so strong and growing in intensity to the point of I have to change my top power, for the next hour….it still smells good fhe next morning,
Somehow when our senses are more enhanced, we smell more.
I know now that if I cant smell a perfume, wearing it for yoga always brings out the best of the scent….just tiny spirtz…
My fav for yoga is Shalimar, to me, its just such deep spiritual perfume, perfumes for the gods and goddesses…..like my incense offerings….
stein1 – :
On me, Samsara opens very, very dry, almost astringent, musty and a bit stuffy. It then morphs into a mix of iris and sawdust, both cold and warm at the same time. Feverish, complete with menthol rub. I don’t dislike it.
sleuth – :
Bought an EDT from 2013 batch and meh. It’s nice. *shrug*
I’m a Guerlain fanatic, so Samsara was next on my blind-buying radar, and the EDT was certainly cheaper than the EDP.
It’s nice. About a “5” on the scale of lasting power/potency/longevity/sillage. I get mostly ylang-ylang and sandalwood in a pretty way, but also a pretty generic way. Haha. I do like it, and maybe if I have money laying around, I may want to get/try the EDP.
I wish I got “spicy” or “licorice/orris/tonka” or anything exotic… prob all faults from reformulations. I was hoping with 2013 being five years ago already, it wouldn’t be this “meh”. It’s just perfumey. Haha. No citrus, no Guerlain-powder… I don’t find it dated or “old” at all… it’s just basic?
Lydmila – :
Yes, yes,yes!! Found an original EDT online, got it, in heaven…
Fish97 – :
Im not really sure where to start with explaining all the things i love about this scent.
Firstly, the notes i pick up are creamy woods, powder, sparkling citrus and a kind of bitter note.
The memories that come up with this are my mother getting dressed up to go somewhere fancy. She would have red lips, hair full of hairspray and samara on.
And to me this smells very cosmetic, like the smell of creamy lipstick and face powder, but at the same time its comforting like a warm hug.
And yet its dressy, rich and classy smelling.
When it dries down it becomes very powdery sandalwood vanilla which reminded me also of the valentino poudre dry down, except this is stronger.
I tried the edp and to me it is more about the animalic jasmine, ylang and intense bitter sandalwood.
So if you are looking for intense sandalwood and jasmine, go for the edp.
And if you want softer woods with powder and some sweetness go for edt.
awamSnape – :
A lovely licorice floral powdery vanilla!
This is a sweet perfume!
The EDT is lighter and more subtle scent than the EDP. I compared & contrasted both frags and prefer this one. This starts off with a sweet burst of violet and iris, with a fruity smell. I thought it smelled like peach and melon, has a grown up kind of candied scent a bit like what you get from Lolita Lempicka. Some of the same notes as Lolita are in this: violet-vanilla powder notes fruit and woods. The peach and citrus is fresh and delicious but not terribly fruity. Before long it turns into a floral with distinctive rose, jasmine, ylang iris and violet. The top florals are indeed violet and iris. Super powdery iris known as orris. From out of nowhere comes a sweet and sour like licorice scent.
The dry down stage is balsamic and a tad more Oriental but nevertheless powdery and sophisticated. This smells spicy and peppery, inky. There’s an amber and sandalwood that really stand out. A touch of musk. The base notes provide it with longevity and a kind of sharpness. The whole thing is pretty sharp. All the notes are exclamation points: PEACH! VIOLET! IRIS! ROSE! VANILLA! SANDALWOOD! Not a youthful modern scent. Very old school perfume. It has an elegance that makes me want to wear a dress or evening gown in bold red, maybe even sequins. It’s a 1980’s Jessica Rabbit gown. Lounge singer gown. Glamour. Big hair. Not subtle at all but gorgeous. The sweetness is very feminine so I would not call it unisex. This is a beautiful stunning evening Oriental fragrance and I can’t wait to wear it for tonight’s date. It matches up with red cocktail dress and red high heels. I will wear red lipstick.
I will look and smell sexy!
She is a lady in red Samara
Thank You Guerlain!
alexstarr – :
If you like spicy, woody florientals then you should try Samsara – really nice. In the opening it reminded me somewhat of Lalique Le Parfum albeit less smokey. Further down the track the amber comes more to the front and gives it a slightly mellow feel but then in the dry down the florals start shining through mingling with the fruits and the whole composition gets a sudden lift. I am wearing one spritz on the sleeve of my shirt and it’s strong, so a little goes a long way. Nicely done indeed.
Edit: I forgot to mention that I am not sure whether I tried the edt or edp. Have to revisit the shop.
10100 – :
Like the music, the 80´s was a BIG perfume decade and a GREAT perfume decade, perhaps the last one there will be with all the restrictions upon us.
Upon first whiff, I see the Tuscany comparison and there is a sharp feature to the opening. After a couple minutes, the sandalwood comes out, ohh yes and NICE sandalwood it is.
I think this must be what they call a floriental. A very nice hybrid between woody, smoky, spicy and florals. And for an 80´s perfume, this one is soft. Sweet but not too sweet.
Very nice.
Testing a mini vintage EDT, I think…no label.
maga_maga555 – :
Tried this yesterday in Boots and it’s a dupe, as if you needed one at four times the price, of Elizabeth Taylor’s Diamonds & Rubies. Aside from a little extra cinnamon, I don’t smell much difference. For me the peach is quite prominent and overly sweet. Disappointing.
I went back to Diamonds and Rubies, and compared to Samsara, the Samsara comes off as the cheap copy that isn’t as nice. It’s too fruity. Also it disappeared in the blink of an eye. D&R lasts ALL DAY!
oleg666666 – :
This was my signature scent in the 90s when it came out. Loved Loved Loved it! I just recently bought the edt and I d