• Barbara Orbison Pretty Woman EDP Perfume Review

    Date: 2010.09.01 | Category: fragrance | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

    Barbara Orbison Pretty Woman EDP

    Barbara Orbison has launched Pretty Woman, an oriental perfume with rich florals, spices, and smoky woods. This is a rich, warm fragrance that wears and wears. This lasting power of this fragrance beats my pure parfum of Guerlain Shalimar!

    You guys know I love smoky, spicy fragrances. Barbara Orbison Pretty Woman is a smoky, spicy oriental. The fragrance is spicy but not from things one would find in their kitchen. It has spice from stargazer lily and carnation, slightly peppery and clove-like but still floral sweet. These florals also have a cedar woodiness to them as well. The peppery florals wear on me for a while, mixing with creamy, resiny amber. During a short time during “mid” wear, I pick up on wet, fresh rose. It somehow manages to add a slight greenness/freshness right before the fragrance gets “smoky”. The dry-down is smoky and woodsy. I love how it attaches itself to my skin. It’s contemplative because of the spiritual incense smokiness,  but very sensual too. The dry-down has many things that I love: ambery incense smoke, crisp cedar, woodsy patchouli, and creamy vanilla.  Something about the entire fragrance is a bit “romantic gothic”. This fragrance is more than a “pretty woman”. In my opinion, it’s a “bewitching woman”. She’s beautiful, mysterious, sagacious, and yes, complicated. This is a femme fatale fragrance. It reminds me of a bewitching woman wrapped in a velvet robe lounging on a chaise or a film noir dame smoking a cigarette, half of her face peaking through the dark shadows.

    I really like this fragrance because I like intense spicy, incense fragrances. This scent is not for everyone. It’s “heavy” and it has sillage. The lasting power is wonderful. I’m talking 12+ hours of steady wear. I’m talking it’s on until you bathe. I see myself wearing this frequently in the fall and winter. It’s a “warm” fragrance. I see this as a fragrance that you’ll love or you’ll hate. That’s how dark, moody, spicy, woodsy, oriental fragrances are. I also find that people either love or hate fragrances with sillage. I’ve sampled the EDP and it wears like a pure parfum. * A friend of mine, a retired woman who spends all of her time and money on traveling, glasswares, wine, Chanel Vamp pedicures, and perfume sampled this and loved it. She often wears Prada Intense EDP, Original Dolce & Gabbana, and Tom Ford White Patchouli.

    Roy and Barbara Orbison 1970

    Roy and Barbara Orbison circa 1970

    I need to add that Barbara Orbison (who’s even more beautiful now than she was 40 years ago) was married to Roy Orbison. Roy Orbison is one of my favorite musicians ever. So, the name in itself makes me happy, but I don’t think the juice is as upbeat as the song “Pretty Woman”. This fragrance reminds me of Roy’s heartbroken love songs such as “Crying”,  his vulnerable voice echoing through a dark, smoky venue. This is a heartbreaker fragrance. I’m Nashville born and raised. I can’t get away from my Nashville upbringing. I wear cowboy boots, red lipstick, and use lots of hairspray. Over half of my LPs are Western Swing and Country Western (the other darkwave or Morrissey). I’m very familiar with heartbreaking love songs :) Nice to have a fragrance from the area. It makes me a bit homesick.

    Notes listed include: bergamot, stargazer lily, red rose, carnation, amber, patchouli, atlas cedar, and sacred incense.

    Give this fragrance a try if you like smoky incense fragrances that are on the feminine end of the spectrum or if you like fragrances such as Comme des Garcons Incense Series, Tom Ford White Patchouli EDP, Tom Ford Black Orchid EDP, Trish McEvoy Precious Oud EDP, Prada EDP, i Profumi di Firenze Mirra EDP, Crazylibellule & The Poppies Encens Mystic Crazystick, Cartier Le Baiser du Dragon EDP, Dolce & Gabbana Original EDT, and/or Miller Harris Fleur Oriental EDT. There are many fragrances like this. My husband doesn’t understand why I like Pretty Woman so much because it isn’t a “ground-breaking” oriental. He says “it’s nice but you have so many incense fragrances” (all the ones listed above). He’s right, I do have many cedar and/or amber heavy incense fragrances in my perfume collection, but the entire point is that is what I like. These are “me”. I don’t care if I have 15 others. I like what I like and I’ll add 15 more. He has 10 grey Banana Republic t-shirts, so whatever.

    I really do like this fragrance and I find it difficult to explain why. I think I like the carnation but I  have limited exposure to carnation and stargazer lily fragrances. Has anyone else tried this one? Do you have any carnation fragrance recommendations for me? I also have limited exposure to stargazer lily fragrances. My neighbor says “stargazer lilies smell wonderful, like a funeral home”…hmm?

    A 1.7 oz. bottle retails for $80. A pure parfum rollerball retails for $50. Pretty Woman is available on Barbara Orbison’s online boutique and now DERMADoctor carries this line.

    Want more reviews? Try…

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    *Disclaimer- This product was provided by “Pretty Woman”. I am  not financially compensated for this review or any others. My opinions are my own.