— fragrance —

Giorgio Armani Si EDP Perfume Review

September 12, 2016

Armani Si EDp

Mainstream Monday: Sniffing a Popular Perfume

I’ve been in a perfume funk where nothing new has really interested me but there have been some expectations.¹ Before this “Late Summer 2016 Reawakening”, I can only think of a few new things that I felt like wearing. Oddly enough, one of the things that I’ve enjoyed wearing over the past 2 years has been a designer perfume, Giorgio Armani Si.

Si opens with a blackcurrant candy floss. It’s sweet, fruity and slightly like burnt sugar. The rose comes into the picture making this smell like rose cotton candy. In that Mugler Angel-ish gourmand fashion, this is paired with a camphoric, cool patchouli which keeps it from smelling 100% edible. Most of the wear is like a vanilla pudding rose (like malabi)² with patchouli that eventually dries down to a sweet, delicious vanilla-amber.

As someone that loves roses and likes the occasional gourmand, I really enjoy Armani Si much more than I probably should. It’s a rose that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And as far as gourmands go, it’s a little more “sophisticated” because of the floral and patchouli notes. When I try designer perfumes I like to compare them to the brand. Initially, it may seem as if Si doesn’t really “match” Armani’s tailored coats or Dietrich-like suits for women (if this is what you associate the brand with). It’s more playful. I mean it’s like rose cotton candy. That doesn’t really bring to mind double-breasted jackets or somber, practical shades like gray and black. But, if you follow any runway fashion, you can see that Armani will get playful from time to time, introducing non-neutral colors and fabrics like tulle. Armani Si fits if you pay attention to the brand’s “off duty” aesthetic.

 

Sophia Loren

 

Notes listed include cassis, freesia, rose, vanilla, patchouli, amber and woods. Launched in 2013. PERFUMER – Christine Nagel

Give Si a try if you like sweet scents or like the thought of a cotton candy rose. Or perfumes like Mugler Angel Muse, Tauer Tauerville Rose Flash, INeKe Briar Rose, Montale Candy Rose, Lancôme La Vie est Belle, Lalique Amethyst and/or Annick Goutal Rose Pompon.

Projection and longevity are average. There have been many versions/flankers of Armani Si. I haven’t tried them all so I can’t comment on the differences between this one and Intense, EDT or Si Rose. I actually see myself buying a small bottle once I decide which formulation I prefer the most.

Armani Si EDP comes in a few sizes with prices ranging from $72 to $120 at Nordstrom. It can also be found at discounters like Perfume.com and Fragrance X.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Cotton candy rose. It’s frivolous, fun and I enjoy wearing it. It may not seem like much but it works well for me. It’s something that I’ll end up buying because there needs to be more frivolous and fun perfumes in my collection.

¹Here’s some of the perfumes that have me interested in perfume again.

²Malabi is a rose-scented pudding popular in the Middle East.

Want more reviews? Try…

Perfume Shrine

Now Smell This

Basenotes – Member reviews

The RAEviewer

Diaries of a Lipstick Addict

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from nordenergi.org. Sophia Loren pic from www.fanpix.net. Post contains affiliate links. Thanks!

13 thoughts on “Giorgio Armani Si EDP Perfume Review”

  1. I want, no make that need, that robe. Was in Sicily when Si was launched and had a generous size sample – really liked it, but then rose cotton candy sounds like a wonderful treat to me!

    1. I know, right?! That robe is the most amazing robe ever!

      After writing this, I’ve had a craving for a sweet that I’ve never tasted. I need some rose cotton candy in my life.

      1. When I was kid, back before things like child safety regulations, I had a cotton candy machine. Basically it heated sugar up to a gazillion degrees while the outside part spun around. Imagine making it with Rose flavored sugar! (I also had an Incredible Edible machine which heated “Plastigoop” that you poured in to metal forms, to about a gazillion degrees then you ate it! Yum!)

        1. Kids used to have more fun 😉 It is really funny to think about how stuff like that was ever sold at the scale it was. All those 3rd degree burns and burnt down houses keeps the kids of today from enjoying the rose cotton candy of their dreams.

          I’m now on a rose cotton candy hunt. Somebody has to be doing it! Or maybe I should see if I can eBay one of those machines…hmmm…

  2. I completely agree with your review. But I’ve tried several times to like Si and can’t get there. I’ve gotten so many free samples in misc shopping orders, and always give it a try, but I’m starting to think patchouli is no longer as tolerable as it once was for me. I have the same reaction to Flowerbomb. So this is a good reminder that I really need to try Angel Muse and not assume the scent strip tells the truth 🙂

    1. I’m thinking I don’t need to buy a bottle if it keeps showing up with orders 😉

      Flowerbomb is impossible for me. I don’t know how to explain it other than there’s this sharp rosewood thing going on that is too aggressive. I know there’s more to it but that’s all I can remember right now (and when I get those samples, they leave the house ASAP).

      I wish I could get a sample of it. I have worn it on the skin a few times (while out shopping) and really love it. The patch is toned down in it. But, you should try it!

Comments are closed.