Agent Provocateur (2000)
by Agent Provocateur

If underwear had shoulder pads, this is what it would smell like. I think AP works better as a sachet. When this fragrance was first introduced, I received a pack of tissues scented with AP. I used them as sachets and it was lovely and intriguing. However, the straight-up perfume is too much for me.

hm .. "unwashed body" is right somehow, i guess!
i really like this fragrance - but it really smelled like "dirty" sex to me, in the first place! at least, how i think "dirty" sex is supposed to smell like ..!
when you shower twice a day, you don't know the real thing .. thank god! :)

An excellent, well constructed classic style dry rose with a major saffron note. Very smooth and consistent in development. It is dark only as much as you might think saffron is dark. Otherwise, it veers very close to being a well done rose style modern chypre with an excellent and yet sexy dry down. The right man could wear this.

Oh! I adore this perfume! It is so unusual. I bought it scent unsmelled and i am thrilled!

It comes, as one can see, in a pink "hand grenade". You have to "pull the pin" (remove the black ribbon) to spray it. And it begins with a blast!

It hit me with an intensity of woods and spices - very NOT sweet, very NOT floral. Modern and edgy, complex and sophisticated, adult and confident. Definitely not for the timid or conventional, not for little old ladies or mall rats. A strong and unexpected blend of saffron, coriander, cedar, and vetiver. There was also something salty there, and i swear i could also smell jatamansi / spikenard.

Very gradually the flowers began to emerge, peeking around the woods and spices. No one floral scent stood out clearly. As they got stronger, they remained a general rich floral tone beneath the woods and spices, softening them, but not taking their place, joined by an undercurrent of animal scent. Many contemporary perfumes use far too much musk, but this has exactly the right amount.

Even after dry-down, the scent remained as it had been once the florals and musk joined in. "Agent Provocateur" also has good staying power.

It is a relief to get a very contemporary perfume that doesn't smell like little girl candy, fruit salad, and vanilla. I want to smell special, not like a dessert table. Agent Provocateur definitely doesn't smell like any other perfume i've tried and i am so glad!

I haven't felt this excited about a perfume in a long time. If i could, i would give it MORE than 5 stars and MORE than one thumb up.

I agree with Nukapai. On me at least, this smelled really offensive. Maybe it works better on other people with different chemistry, to be fair. I would never wear this on a date because I believe it would give the wrong impression. Nothing says "love me" like the scent of unwashed body, loud perfume, and insect repellent all rolled into one bottle! Because on me that's the distinct impression I got. I will duck if you throw stones at me, lovers of this perfume;)

I can see a love/hate relationship here between reviews and this is kind of expected because I used to hate it
when I was first introduced to this scent. It was almost a sensory assault. I had a bottle of this as a gift
and having a bottle itself in the room, I could feel the strong and heady perfume evaporating out from it.
The first encounter is shockingly overwhelming and may be challenging even for soft floral wearers. You are warned here.

So yes, it is very strong and distinctive but it takes time really to be able to appreciate the true beauty of
this perfume. I guess those people who found this as "way too strong" (described as pee for goodness' sake in
one of the reviews here) did not give enough time for the scent to develop on the skin. I was really surprised to see
the reviews, especially the thumbs down ones, because I again, USED to feel in the same way.

Trust me. Give it some time. It will get you eventually and this is why I now love this perfume very much.
Definitely not for everyone, I cannot imagine this scent on a sweet innocent teenage girl.
If you think you and this perfume have a chemistry, you will really enjoy wearing it with confidence.

And thanks to the musky and dirty rosy undertone of this scent, I have to admit this scent somehow gets me more
attention from male species (on the street, at work, at the bar, with my boy friend etc). Not that I enjoy this but
I am adding this because it seems to cause a debate whether this perfume can act in such a way.

I am not sure whether I will wear this in blazing summer, again because of its strong heavy powdery tone.
(Then, I have AP emotionelle for summer). Anyway overall, its name speaks for itself and if you are the right type,
give it a chance (at least an hour) for you to appreciate this tantalizing scent.