I would only recommend wearing this with more casual clothes if you’re a real fraghead. If you’re a bit of a dandy, Portrait of a Lady is a scent that will match your character, and your sense of style, quite well. Wear it when you’re feeling confident in yourself. This is a great fragrance to accompany sartorial style. I derive pure enjoyment from this scent, from start to finish. It’s not cheap stuff.įull marks for this aspect as well. Especially when you’re paying the price that the Frederic Malle range commands. I get that the focus is on having fantastic scents, but it doesn’t hurt to have the presentation spark some interest. This is the only real letdown to this scent, and the rest of the Frederic Malle range. It makes itself known, and leaves quite a trail of sillage in the air. It’s also a scent that will grab attention. Portrait of a Lady has some serious staying power, and I find it lasts through to the next day on most occasions. As such, I wouldn’t find myself wearing it once temperatures ascend past around 24 degrees Celsius.įor a primer on my ratings system, read this post. Benzoin is also cited in the olfactory notes however, my nose is either not currently trained well enough to sniff that out, or just doesn’t pick up the balsamic vanilla note that it should provide.Ĭharacteristically, I do find this scent powdery at times. Once the top notes have dried away, this incense is complemented by sandalwood and a minor patchouli.Īfter some of these have dried away, the perfume lingers for a long time thanks to its base of musk and amber. In the opening, the scent is given a bit of punch from some sharper notes, of which I can only truly detect rose, raspberry and a blend of spices which is stated on the olfactory notes to be cinnamon and clove.Ī strong heart note of incense is present, even in the opening. There’s so much contained within it, which I would say makes it one of those scents you want to wear when you have time to dwell on it. Portrait of a Lady is a veritable olfactory buffet from the very beginning. Rather, it’s just a plain Jane bottle with a deep and complex artwork hidden within. It doesn’t look cheap, but I wouldn’t call it elegant minimalism. I do think the presentation is a bit boring, given how complex, opulent and interesting is the scent contained within it. It’s balanced, with a good mixture of top, heart and base elements – none feels particularly heavier on the nose than the other. A variety of musks and spices round it out. It’s got quite a floral character, with a strong backbone of incense. This is one of those scents that’ll have you let out a sigh of pleasure as you first take a whiff of it. He has created a number of scents for the house of Frederic Malle, including what is quite possibly my favourite scent from the house, Vetiver Extraordinaire. The perfumer behind this scent is Dominique Ropion, who has quite a catalogue of fragrances under his belt including works for large designer houses and niche houses. Interestingly, my partner ended up deciding she viewed Portrait of a Lady as a masculine leaning scent, and the sample returned to me. Apparently, the name for it was a reference to a 19th century novel. However, while marketed as a women’s perfume, it’s actually quite a unisex fragrance. When I first heard of it, I thought it was a ladies’ perfume, and I obtained a sample of it for my partner.
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