Best Perfumes for Women

Guilty EDP Intense Pour Femme by Gucci

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Gucci Guilty fragrances keep on getting churned out year after year for both men and women. For 2022, the Eau de Parfum Intense Pour Femme version was released. Besides practicing the long name, I wanted to try out this scent and see if it was a worthwhile addition to the women’s line up. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Guilty Eau de Parfum Intense Pour Femme Smell Like?

Notes include: mandora, litchi, violet, plum, tuberose, ylang-ylang, vanilla, patchouli, and vetiver

Click here to try: Guilty EDP Intense

guilty edp intense review

My Full Review

Here’s how Gucci describes it: The new vision elevates the scent to higher levels of intensity for those looking for a declaration of love free from the rules and definitions of society. Designed to act as emblems of the connection between like-minded, eccentric lovers, Gucci Guilty Eau de Parfum Intense Pour Femme is an Ambery Floral Woody fragrance that rewrites the Gucci Guilty Pour Femme signature’s essential core.

With notes of mandora, plum, and litchi; I was expecting this Guilty fragrance to open up quite fruity. Sure, the notes are there, but it never has that intense explosion of these notes.

I mostly get the plum and the orange juiciness of the mandora. This is a darker and richer perfume versus being super bright and candy-like sweet.

I think that the patchouli really helps to temper the fruits and add depth to the composition overall. Ylang-ylang is the main floral note that I pick up on early in the wear, along with some violet.

The violet ends up stronger, but really doesn’t present itself too much on my skin, in the early stages of this scent. That being said, it isn’t ever dominant. Guilty EDP Intense is pretty balanced in how the notes come across. Which is good for me, since I’m not a huge violet fan.

The final dry down is a plumy patchouli with touches of vanilla and a general floral aroma. I can’t really pick out the violet, tuberose, or ylang-ylang individually at this point.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This Guilty starts off with a strong blast that produces a very noticeable scent trail in one’s wake. That opening hour can be pretty loud, so, watch your sprays in certain situations.

However, it doesn’t stay that way forever. Actually, it’ll become pretty moderate and then light, about midway through the wear. So, it’s bold up front, with a high initial peak.

EDP Intense lasts in the 8-9.5 hour range. It never went double digits for me, but it’s still really good and probably the top performer in this series.

The first 2-3 hours give you that stronger sillage and projection. The back two-thirds is gradually softer, until it is basically a skin scent for the last two or so.

Seasonally, it’ll be best in the autumn and winter months. Depending on where you live, it might be able to sneak some time in the spring, but that won’t be the case for everyone.

Less of a daily wear out of this Gucci, since it does have a period of being ‘Intense’. But, this could absolutely serve as something for the nightlife, dates, etc. It’s got a sensuous aroma and is attractive.

It’s sort of old school, with a modern twist. Mature, but not old and stuffy. Yet, it has the sort of refined character to allow it to be worn on more formal occasions.

Overall Impressions of Guilty EDP Intense

Overall do I like EDP Intense? Yes, I do. It’s definitely one of the best from the women’s Guilty line. I think that it’s second best behind Absolute, but not too far behind.

I really like it when a plum note gets to shine. The floral notes aren’t too overwhelming, especially the violet which can be bothersome. Not here, though. This is well done, giving you a sweetness and nice patchouli, with a balance.

The performance is very good, bordering on great. It’ll last for a long enough time and not completely go skin scent mode, after an hour. So, plenty of time to enjoy this one.

It might not be a good option for everyone. But, I do think that it is very much worth a try. Sort of safe as a blind buy, but if it sounds iffy to you, hold off on getting the full bottle until you sample it first.

Attrape-Reves by Louis Vuitton

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Louis Vuitton has come out with an extensive line of fragrances over the past handful of years, after it had little in that way previously. One of my favorites out of the women’s lot of scents is Attrape-Rêves, which I found rather captivating back when I first tried it. Now, I grabbed another sample, in order to finally do a full review of this scent. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it really still worth a try?

What does Attrape-Reves Smell Like?

Notes include: cocoa, litchi, ginger, patchouli, peony, bergamot, Turkish rose

My Full Review

Here’s how Louis Vuitton describes it: Cocoa as airy-light as a wondrous journey somewhere between dream and reality. Like the Northern Lights appearing out of nowhere, Attrape-Rêves is the fragrant embodiment of supernatural phenomena forever embedded in the memory of some far-flung exploration.

Attrape-Rêves opens with its fruitier and fresh notes, taking center stage. The litchi leads the way, flanked by you typical bergamot clean brightness. What’s nice here is the bit of ginger spice that kicks early on.

The ginger won’t be a major player throughout, but I like the touch during these opening stages. Sweet, fresh, and a bit spicy early.

The next main note to really pop is the patchouli. Attrape-Rêves does have a significant amount of patchouli, but it isn’t the focus. However, it’s probably the second or third strongest note throughout the wear.

So, we have a fruit-chouli start, that morphs into being more floral dominant.

Here, the peony is going to be the star. The bergamot and ginger begin to fade from the composition, which allows the cocoa, peony, and rose to emerge.

At this point, it’s a lot of the peony, patchouli, and remaining litchi. On my skin, the litchi moves on out and the cocoa takes its place.

Not a strong Turkish rose, this one will mostly be about the peony. Attrape-Rêves starts to have less of that initial freshness and things become more gourmand thanks to that cocoa.

The ending part of this is very much your typical floral-patchouli aroma, but seemingly dipped in a dry cocoa, almost like its powdered form.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Attrape-Rêves is a perfume that will leave a above average to strong scent trail behind the wearer. Usually, the first 2 or so hours gives me strong projection, whether it is on the skin itself of an old t-shirt I spray it on.

Testing that out, it seems like 6-8 feet of projection is about what Attrape-Rêves is capable of with normal sprays. But, that also will come in closer. Much of the rest of the wear will be more moderate, but still better than the average perfume.

In terms of how long it lasts, I get up to 8.5 hours with the Louis Vuitton. The range falls into the 7-8.5 hour frame, which is absolutely good enough for most uses. Though, some might expect more from a high end designer.

Seasonally, it’s a versatile option that can work pretty much year round. But, it’d be a good idea to stay away from extreme heat and cold. The springtime is probably the ideal, but in summer, probably stick to the evening.

It’s not too heavy of a fragrance or super cloying, but the heat and humidity isn’t going to present Attrape-Rêves at its best.

Daytime wear or nighttime is fine. It’s attractive, non-offensive, but not the most formal of fragrances. Casual, semi-formal, dates, nightlife are all fine, however. This is a perfume that will provide plenty of use cases.

Overall Impressions of Attrape-Rêves

Overall, do I like Attrape-Rêves? Yes, it is indeed one of the best of the Louis Vuitton lineup, nothing has changed on that front.

The formulation itself is familiar to many other fragrances that you’ve come across before, but steeped in quality, with the cocoa note really helping it to create a distinct identity among the pack.

It gives you a perfume that can be used daily or for somewhat dressed up occasions. Very versatile, pretty, and one that can gather complements. While the performance isn’t elite, it doesn’t really disappoint, even if you’d still might like more from something at this price point.

On the balance, Attrape-Rêves is a very good fragrance that is bordering on being absolutely great. It’s probably safe to blind buy, but with the price you still might not want to. However, it is for sure one that you should give a try, if interested.

Irresistible EDT Fraiche by Givenchy

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Irresistible is one of the popular fragrance series from Givenchy. L’Interdit seems to get more attention, but this franchise also gives you a variety of choices to go with. A few months back, I received samples of the different Irresistible perfumes, in order to add full reviews of each. Today, I am covering Irresistible Fraiche and presenting my thoughts on this scent. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Irresistible Fraiche Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, iris, pink pepper, orange, musk, cedar

Click here to try: Irresistible Fraiche at Macy’s

irresistible fraiche review

My Full Review

Here’s how Givenchy describes it:  A captivating contrast between fresh rose and vibrant spices. Liberate your energy and express yourself freely with Irresistible Eau de Toilette Fraiche. A fusion of sheer spontaneity and exhilarating vitality.

Fraiche opens up with a bright and energetic kick, brought to you by the pink pepper and citrus zest of the orange note. It’s not overly spicy or really all that warm, in the beginning. Indeed, it takes that Fraiche moniker and delivers with a light and refreshing aroma.

Interestingly, the rose and the iris are coming through early. They aren’t especially heavy or domineering in this mix. But, there is that soft powdery quality coming from the iris. Fraiche will become much more of a musky floral.

I actually get more of the iris than the rose on my skin. Again, though not heavy floral notes here.

Still, with that same freshness throughout, but retaining a sweetness from the early orange and even pink pepper.

In the end, it’s pretty much a mix of the floral notes, musk, and that cedar base. The cedar is pretty prominent in the dry down of Irresistible Fraiche.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is what could be considered average, overall. But, in the early stages this one has a bit of power, nice scent trail, and an ability to project off of the skin.

Is that a super long lasting ability? Not really, but it is there for a while. So, Fraiche deserves some credit for that.

The total time that it lasts on the skin, is about 4-5 hours for me. Again, this is nothing special, but about what I would expect for this Fraiche style of perfume. Just know going in, that this isn’t going to be as good as others in the series or when compared to many other fragrances.

Seasonally, Irresistible Fraiche is one to break out in the spring and summer months. In the warmer to hotter weather, this one is really at its absolute best. The citrus opening and the lighter floral notes were attractive when I wore them outside in August.

Fraiche is one obviously to use to freshen up. Outside of that, it can be used as a daily wear, if you can reapply, once it has faded. It’s easy to spray on, not particularly sexy or formal, but pleasant enough.

Overall Impressions of Irresistible Fraiche

Overall, do I like Irresistible Fraiche? The smell is nice enough, but it doesn’t really cover any new ground. It’s just quite likeable and simple.

The performance isn’t very good, which was to be expected with a Fraiche version of this Irresistible formula. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, if you know what to expect going into wearing this Givenchy perfume.

I like the opening act with the zesty citrus and pink pepper note. That’s a really good start. The rose and the iris are a nice combination, more rose for me, but it’s all pretty boilerplate with how it all develops. There’s nothing that is all that unique or interesting here.

That being said, if you can get a heavy discount and this sounds like something you might enjoy, it could be worth a try for some ladies. I don’t think that most people would think that it smells horrible and would probably have a positive experience with it.

For me, it’s just okay on the whole, and there’s plenty of other options out there.

L’Interdit EDT by Givenchy

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L’Interdit EDT is one of the flanker scents to EDP version of the same name. While Rouge and Intense get more fanfare, this eau de toilette version isn’t just an exact toned down copy of the original. In this post, I want to give my full review of L’Interdit EDT after testing it out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does L’Interdit EDT Smell Like?

Notes include: orange blossom, tuberose, Pavot flower, patchouli, musk, and vetiver

Click here to try: L’Interdit EDT

givenchy l'interdit perfume

My Full Review

Here’s how Givenchy describes it: White imbued with light. The shattering alliance of Orange Blossom & Tuberose is disrupted by an exciting floral paradox. A voluptuous white flower exposing a dark, hypnotic heart. The shock appeal of iridescent white provoked by deep woody undertones of Vetiver and Patchouli. Radiant, exalted. The underground flower emerges into light.

The EDT version opens up sort of like the EDP. Here it is more of a sparkling citrus/pear aroma versus that grape bubble gum like smell. But, still sweet and quite candy-like.

The Pavot flower is poppy flower. Which can create a fruity sort of effect and I imagine that’s a good deal of what I’m getting here. It’s still got an earthiness and dark quality, but the sweetness is nice.

Also, checking the chemical ingredients…citrus is also here, just not listed officially outside of orange blossom, but there’s lemon for sure.

Anyway, the poppy flower and orange blossom dominate the opening act of L’Interdit EDT. The initial citrus/sweetness will subside and it becomes more classically floral.  Between the poppy, tuberose, and the patchouli, this has a great earthy quality to it.

Not super dirty or anything, it’s weird almost truffle butter rich at times, with how it comes across.

As this moves along, L’Interdit EDT seems to lose a lot of its mojo. The poppy falls off of the map, the tuberose moves in, and it kind of becomes a basic white floral. Yes, very similar to the Eau de Parfum version, but somehow not as interesting.

It ends up being a dry and musky tuberose, with some of the remaining patchouli and orange blossom. Not bad smelling, just kind of meh.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Even the EDT version of L’Interdit will give you above average performance versus the bulk of the competition. This is probably what I would consider the lower end of what could be termed ‘strong’ sillage.

A scent trail of significant proportions for at least a few hours and a very solid ability to project off of the skin for much of the wear.

It lasts somewhere in the 7-8 hour range for me. Not as good as the others, but it is still one that is quite good in what it is capable of.

Seasonally, I’d say it can be worn anytime, outside of the height of summer. Summer nights might be fine if it isn’t too humid. But, just don’t wear it during the day.

Less of a casual fragrance. But not completely buttoned up and serious either. It has a sexy nightlife or date night vibe, even if it isn’t the most seductive perfume out there. I like it, it’s attractive, but that’s mostly in the early stages.

Overall Impressions of L’Interdit EDT

Do I like this scent? Yes, the whole L’Interdit lineup is really darn good. It might be unpopular to say, but I like this more than Intense in the beginning. Slightly more, but there’s something about it, I really enjoy.

That flips and Intense ends up being the better of the two, however.

EDT is maybe a notch below EDP, based on performance, and dry down. But neck and neck, with the different approach to the formulation early on. And Rouge, is the best of them for the duration.

On the whole, it’s technically my least favorite overall. However, it’s still a perfume that I like. The sparkling citrus and poppy flower are the absolute highlights for me. It gives you something that stays true to the L’Interdit line, but manages to do its own thing.

The performance is really good for an EDT concentration. Not an absolute bomb that will last all day, but really nothing to complain about either. L’Interdit EDT is one to try out. It might rank higher for you personally, in comparison to the others. It’s an enjoyable fragrance.

Eros Pour Femme by Versace

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Eros Pour Femme is a sample fragrance, that I unexpectedly received with another order recently. I thought that I had already done a review of it, but it turns out, I did the EDT version instead. So, this became another scent on my list that I needed to test out. How does this one smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Eros Femme Smell Like?

Notes include: pomegranate, lemon, bergamot, jasmine, lemon blossom, musk, peony, sandalwood, ambroxan

Click here to try: Eros Femme EDP

My Full Review

Here’s how Versace describes it: Attraction, desire, passion. Eros in a perfume. An alchemy of seductive, luminous and feminine notes. A refined accord of lemon and jasmine, enhanced with soft and sensual woods.

So, the original Eros Pour Femme starts out much more concentrated on the lemon note than the EDT version. Pomegranate is there too, but doesn’t play the same role as the raspberry sorbet does in the EDT.

Here, it’s a lot of citrus. Lemon, lemon blossom, and bergamot. It is sharp, bright, and doesn’t have the same sugary appeal. I do still kind of like it, after a few minutes, as that pomegranate does get to come out more.

When I saw the ambroxan note, I thought that it might be a heavy use of that note. Nope, not on my skin, at least. I do get hints of it, but this has more musk. Even that, isn’t super powerful.

Lemon, jasmine, pomegranate, and some peony is what I get for basically most of the wear. It actually does get a bit sweeter, after that sharp opening, which is a nice change of pace. But, it’s never too candy-like or anything.

The last bit of wear is a drier affair, less juicy. Still lots of citrus and a generic floral aroma. But, the musk still hangs around with woods and I still don’t get much ambroxan.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is actually quite powerful. This one easily leaves a scent trail behind it and projects far off of the skin. Seriously, this is a strong perfume. Not the boldest out there, but very much above average.

However, the longevity isn’t as good as I thought it’d be, based on that powerful opening. I get somewhere in the 7-8 hour range, on skin.

Terrible? No, but I was sure this one was going to hit double digit hours. That initial power is steady for a while, then, begins to fall off from that immediate peak performance.

Seasonally, this is a warm weather choice for the spring and summer months. Outside of that, it isn’t going to get as much use.

Mostly, a daytime casual sort of aroma. You can wear it as a daily wear, so long as you go easy with the sprayer early on.

Eros Femme, despite the name, isn’t really sexy. Not a romantic or nightlife perfume, unlike its male counterpart. Which is sort of strange.

Overall Impressions of Eros Femme

Overall, do I like Eros Femme? Ehh, I don’t hate it, but it wasn’t terribly enjoyable either. The EDT version is much better to me and something I actually did like.

This one is too sharp for my taste, at times. The opening has that effect, it’s nice enough, but can also be bothersome. Lots of citrus and the jasmine note.

I do always enjoy pomegranate and it gets some decent play here. It’s cool. The first third of this fragrance, definitely has its moments.

The back end, is kind of boring. Not too much development, but it gets dry and the generic floral isn’t too exciting. The early stages feel unique, but that isn’t the case later on.

Performance is fine. Didn’t do what I expected, but still no real issue there.

Overall, I’d go with the EDT instead. This isn’t that bad, but I don’t think Eros Femme is all that great either. Versace definitely has better options.