Mainstream Monday – Sniffing A Popular Perfume

I say I’m not a snob. But, I am. I refused to try Paco Rabanne Lady Million because I didn’t like the bottle. Does that make me a snob or does it just make me shallow? Maybe you shouldn’t answer 🙂

Lady Million opens as a sweet and solar white floral. The florals are warm and woody. It is difficult for me to think about perfumes like this without thinking of Mugler Alien. And yes, people think power suit 80’s when they sniff Alien despite its post-2000 launch. But, wait…something happens. I get berries and citrus. This reminds me of a Mugler Alien and Cacherel Amor Amor love child (see perfumer notes below for more details). With time, the berries intensify with a musky-wood and I’m reminded more and more of Cacharel Amor Amor, a perfume that I absolutely adored back in the day during its launch (2003). Anyways, Lady Million is like Amor Amor if you take out the roses and add white florals instead while keeping the drunken red berries and vanilla-woods. To my surprise Lady Million takes some drastic turns and I love a perfume with surprises. The pleasant surprise – rich honey. The dry-down of Lady Million wears wonderfully on my skin. It’s a warm honey with woods to take away some of the “stickiness”. The only other honey that wears this amazingly on me is By Kilian Back to Black.

I look at Lady Million in two ways. #1 – This perfume smells like it is 10 years late. It smells like its “prime” is over. I feel if this fragrance was launched 10-15 years ago, it would have been absolutely amazing, a complete game changer. Now it smells very generic and like at least 15 other perfumes that were launched 10 years ago. #2 – This feeling of being generic could possibly be the point and not necessarily a bad thing. Think of it as a smelly compilation CD, yeah, a CD because that plays into the entire “irony” of this fragrance. Think of it as curating all the fragrance notes hits in women’s perfumes within the past 10 years. Here you go. Something that smells like almost better versions of all the hits. It had time to perfect the notes.

As far as the bottle, I know that some people love this golden diamond. I don’t. I think it makes the fragrance seem cheaper than it is. It’s trying too hard to convey wealth and the end result can be read as desperate or fun camp. I think I’m more of a “roll-on” customer.

Notes listed include neroli, bitter orange, raspberry, orange flower, sambac jasmine, gardenia, patchouli, honey, and amber. PERFUMER – Anne Flipo, Béatrice Piquet, and Dominique Ropion (yeah, the nose behind Alien & Amor Amor!!!)

Give Lady Million a try if you like floral amber fragrances or perfumes like Mugler Alien, Cacharel Amor Amor, Hanae Mori Butterfly, Nina Ricci Nina, Armani Code for Women, and/or Juicy Couture Couture Couture.

Lady Million comes in a few sizes with prices ranging from $20-$88. It is available at Sephora. It can also be found at discounters like FragranceX.com.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – The greatest floral amber hits of the past 10 years all in one little gawdy gold diamond 🙂 But, I like it. It’s a love child of Alien and Amor Amor with a yummy honey base.

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