Reviews of Samsara (1989)
by Guerlain

Samsara is powerful and if I could only afford to buy one bottle of perfume I'd choose Samsara, it's a well made oriental with such power that a small application is plenty. It works well from start to finish and it smells wonderful.

Sigh...I so want to love Samsara. As an oriental perfume freak, I thought this would be a slam-dunk for me. Every time I pass a tester, I spray my wrist with the hope that it will finally work on my skin. Nope. It's *almost* there, but the powdery drydown kills it for me (must be the iris). The "powder factor" is the same thing that kills Shalimar for me, too. I'm jealous of those who can pull this one off, though, as I can see how it could be amazing on the right person. It has the power to be a signature scent. I do respect it, so I'm giving it a thumbs up anyway.

First and foremost, this is a very well made fragrance. The notes are superbly adjusted and blended that one must admire the craftsmanship behind the intricate composition. Many people think that this is one of the most sensual feminine fragrances created, and I must agree 100%. It has all the components in it to be, or become eventually, a very warm, luscious, creamy, and sparkling scent.

It is unmistakably feminine, and very very heavy. Definitely an attention-seeker, if Samsara was a color, if could be the exact color of its bottle: a deep maroon/Venetian red. The scent is slightly decadent in its nature: because of its heaviness and boldness, and unapologetic femininity. Today, scents like Samsara or original Coco by Chanel are not being favored by the younger generations. What young girls and women do prefer now are fruity florals with woodsy bases. Samsara could be that fragrance if it was watered down by 50 % and would not rely so heavily on the slightly decadent, but very exotic ylang-ylang all that much. That being said, watering this scent down would be a crime to its soul and ultimate magnificence.

The scent opens with a heavy dose of fruits as peach and bergamot and equally overpowering and intriguing ylang-ylang. It is bold, confident, heady. Then it effectively lines up all the florals that it can in its heart, including iris, orris root, violets, narcissus, but more prominently than all the other, a combination of wet roses with rich jasmine. Now, I will say that Samsara smells kind of synthetic, and I believe that is the result of that infamous rose and jasmin marriage on top of that ylang-ylang note. It can be a little much, but like I said, this scent does in no way apologize for its confidence. The scent ends its run after many many hours with an impressive drydown that makes this combo of flowers meet with amber, vanilla, musk, sandalwood and tonka bean. That being said, the smell does not metamorphose into something completely different from the beginning: it just evolves ever so slightly. I guarantee not many noses will pick up the sandalwood near the end.

Samsara is great, and I can understand why people would be surprised with the fact that there is, for some reason, not a masculine version created of this scent since many notes in it are the usual suspects of masculine scents. This has Guerlain's stamp all over it, and like its name, Smasara has a slightly Eastern/exotic feeling to it like YSL's Opium. It is definitely remarkable, and will leave some impression and mark to the person who experiences it.

I do own a bottle: someone left it in my house and been using it in my apartment for quite a while, especially to bed while sleeping, because it has such an exotic and sensual feeling to it that I love falling asleep in this scent. But it is in no way unisex. The bottle could be one of the most beautiful bottle I have seen: so smooth and sexy, it looks like a gorgeous historic artifact almost, carved from a precious ruby with gold accents. It suits the juice and the name very well. It is sexy, bold, and worth a try if you like exotic smells loaded with luminous flowers.

I first smelled this on a co-worker and I loved it! I ran to the store, bought the EDT and was so dissappointed. This is a BIG fragrance that deserves to be worn at least in the EDP if not in the pure parfum. If you love Giorgio's Red, you will love this. It is so spicy and so warm. It is more complex than Red. But it also is more expensive. There are two things that I have learned over the years: one is that you usually get what you pay for; two is that perfume doesn't always need to be expensive to be good.

My signature scent. Even though I do have other permanent menbers in my collection which I could never part with, it is with Samsara that I have been with the longest (probably around five years). I was given a sample of her by a Guerlain counter consultant and it was love at first smell. Between the EDP and the EDT, the EDP wins hands down, but of course, as with all fragrances nothing can top the parfum, as that is when all the notes can all be truly come through in their own ways. Sensual,serene, and sexy (but in a refined sense) the whole concept of Samsara appeals to me as the gold stopper of the parfum bottle is said to represent the eye of Buddha - which for someone of my spiritual persuasions is particularly endearing.

What I love about Samsara the most is how, during the drydown, the sandlewood element comes roaring through, stays there, yet never overpowers anything else, plus the way it joins up beautifully with the heart note of jasmine - truly wonderful.

A big surprise. This is excellent--magical. I love it. I once tried a store tester on papar and hated it--I thought the terragon was revolting. On the skin, it is a totally different story. Samsara is a wonderful fragrance. It has won me over. Fascinating, cool vanilla and sandalwood with florals and spice. Overall, the fragrance affects me in the same manner as heliotrope, smooth and cool like vanilla ice cream. On my skin it becomes a shifting melange of flowers (feminine but not cliched) with a creamy/spicy base. Smooth, slick, sleek. Blends totally with my skin. Sinks in, takes hold, and spreads its fluid layer of seductiveness. Warning, buy the EDP. Unlike most Guerlains, the pure parfum is actually inferior, with a strange plasticy, coconut note. The EDP was truer to the intent, with the emphasis on the vanilla and jasmine notes.

I totally agree with tvlampboy about this lovely fragrance - there really should be a men's version! However, there's already something available that's very similar (and closer to the unisex arena). It's called Hypnotic Poison by Christian Dior.

Both are truly wonderful creations but a man could easily pull off wearing Hypnotic Poison, in comparison to Samsara.

I tried this at a local departmental store and was figuratively blown away, so to speak. Its very rich and sensual, and had my lady friend looking at me differently. She had only one thing to say, "It's so sexy, you're looking attractive to me," :)

I think what made me smell this perfume twice and more on my wrist was its woody notes that are of course one of my best preferences in a fragrance. What made my friend very interested in the perfume was its androgynous quality, its almost like a perspiring man wearing Samsara.

Interested, I am for sure. This is a perfume that needs a real woman to wear it and make it whole. I love it.

This was a gift from a dear friend, so I really should wear it. Didn't care for it much at first, too rich. But over time, I realized it was one of the few florals I reached for, and the only jasmine I could stand. It's a powerful floriental and very intense, but it's just wonderful. It seems to be a fragrance that needs time to grow on one. Just give it 3 tries....

I bought this perfume smell unsmelled so to speak, based on reviews and recommendations. This is a fairly risky thing to do, of course, and for a while I thought I'd made a big mistake, because at first, I just didn't like it at all.

The bottle sat in its box in my perfume drawer for months. I wore it once, didn't like it, and didn't wear it again. Then one day recently I was restless and wanted to wear something different and decided to try Samsara again.

Perhaps it's the time of the year (autumn, getting noticibly cooler). Perhaps it's just my sensibilities changing. Whatever it is, I quite like Samsara now.

I find this a very smooth, spicy, rich floriental, a bit old-fashioned, in a good sense, reminding me of some of the lush, heavy, silky perfumes of the past. It makes me think of boudoirs and elegant women with kohl eyeliner, and black and white glamour photography.

I must say, most of the jasmine seems to be lost on me. I can certainly smell many of the other notes, particularly the sandalwood and narcissus in the middle, and the tonka and iris in the base, but not the jasmine.

Another odd thing is that if I smell this in the bottle (just have a sniff around the spray nozzle, as you sometimes do when trying to decide what to wear), I really dislike this one, which may be why I resisted trying it again for so long. Once it's on my skin, it's quite delicious, though, so I'm glad I didn't give the bottle away (which I frequently do with perfumes that I just find I can't stand to wear).

After a rocky start, Samsara and I have found that we like each other, which is good. As far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many florientals in your collection. ;)

On my skin Samsara EdT is a fresh oriental, suitable almost all year around. It is potent, so at work I only wear it as bodylotion and deo. Samsara is an obvious Guerlain, speaking to my emotions, being exiting and komplex, and is also very longlasting. Thanks to the reviews here at BN, I am happy with "just" the EdT, and I will not get the stronger koncentations. It is the freshness of Samsara who appeals to me.

This fragance is DH:s favourite fragance on me. If I could, I would give it two thumbs up.

I tested if from a peel-off promotional card. As the aroma was a bit plain there, I had to rub it onto my wife's skin.

The first notes I felt when peel off the promotional card were citric, like lemon or bergamot. The sensation was very fast and gave me the idea of a lot of notes trapped in a small can. To have a second opinion, I rub it onto my wife's forearm.

On skin, a dominating Ylang-Ylang could be felt as middle note. Traces of flowers also appears, but persists a spicy sensation like clove. On both skin and peel-off card, a base note of sweet vanilla could be smelled.

A fresh kind of an oriental fragrance, suitable for both summer and winter seasons, mainly office use. Range of ages over 30 years old.

I've loved Samsara since its introduction. I think it's elegant, sensual, mysterious, and very provocative. Very few fragrances reach the sandalwood-vanilla apex that Samsara epitomizes for me. So beautiful.

I got the EDT for daywear and I love it -- warm and spicy without the heavy fruitiness of some orientals, and the vanilla note is understated. It's feminine without being overly flowery, subtle but with good staying power.

I don't find it especially fruity as others have suggested, and I don't get tuberose at all -- a funtion of the wearer's body chemistry, maybe?

Samsara is one of my very favorites. The beautiful smell of Sandalwood and Vanilla are toned down ever so slightly with Jasmine and Ylang Ylang. It does not smell floral, but the florals are just barely there enough to take any sharp edges off the Sandalwood and Vanilla. This ends up being such a delicate oriental blend that I certainly hope they never quit making it or change the formula because it is just perfect.

I love this scent and start to wear it as the weather cools. It is too spicy for humid summer nights, but is lovely and sweet in the right climate.

Would LOVE to have a men's version of this. I've worn it once or twice, but it remained altogether too feminine on my skin. (Unlike Shalimar.)
Great stuff.

I am a Chanel girl through and through but I am sold on this fragrance. I passed it by so many times because I thought it was going to be too spicy and heavy for me. I always equated Guerlain with the older generations. I am 32 and cannot get enough of this scent. It lasts all day, isn't too heavy and is just very pleasing overall. I am glad that I finally took a moment to smell this wonderful fragrance and I think I'll be requesting more of this one in the future. It kind of reminds of Chanel No 5 but without the punch. My mom wears Chanel No 5, I love the scent but don't necessarily want to wear what my mother is wearing. This has its own identity, yet just as lovely and sophisticated.

It comes out of the bottle very strong, but it dries down quickly and smells spicy and beautiful. I would only wear this on formal occasions though.

Samsara is an all time fav of mine, it brings back memories of my late teens & the naughtiness me & my friend used to get up too. I first wore this scent 14 years ago & LOVED IT, it was a favourite for many years. Then i found so many more wonderful scents I moved on, altho my friend 'STILL' wears it!!! I've thought about buying it again because nothing is like Samsara, if u like it u can tell if someone is wearing it straight away...It has such a unique woody, sweet scent and in 14 years i haven't found anything else that smells like it.
I have to say I'm not fluent in describing scents like many members here, but for me I can find the top/middle/bass note info anywhere, I want to know how ppl feel about the scents or how they describe it in 'down to earth' terms rather than a collection of descriptive words that u might find on the back of a perfume box!!!

Samsara is exotic! A brilliant combination of spicy sweet floral and woods, it reminds me of burning incense. My husband likes this one more than I do. I believe it is a scent to try.

The magic of guerlain come through in this timeless bottle. The scent is fantastic for those who prefer warmer, vanilla-like, very sexy without being trashy and very passionate smells. It's better to use in a fresher climate cause on a warm weather the notes will jump out of you and it may be just too much. It's very much an woody floral oriental that stays on for a long time. Very nice!

Sexy and sensual. LOVE IT! One of my favorites. The bath products and the ritual lotion are great too.

long lasting, warm scent
exotic and rich

Without going too much into the meaning of the name, I would just hint that the sound of it is actually much more attractive than the actual meaning. Perhaps Guerlain overlooked some of the deeper meaning of the name while making their decisions, but nevertheless, this is a beautiful perfume, that have become a modern classic, and is perhaps one of the best creations of Jean-Paul Guerlain, in my opinion. Perhaps the one scent that he will be most significally remembered for.

Perhaps the one thing that characterizes Samsara most of all is its homogenous scent, without being flat or one-dimensional. The theme of Sandalwood-Jasmine accord pervades throughout the composition, but at every stage it has a different nuance to it, which adds interest and depth. In that sense, Samsara is at once simple (a-la the modern linear scents), and complex (because, thanks god, it is NOT linear!).

Samsara is constituted of three major themes: Woody notes (mostly sandalwood), White Florals, and culinary sweetness.

Sweet and fresh fruity top notes of peach and bergamot engages you to explore the creamy, fruity-floral ylang ylang notes. That brings you to the heart of Samsara - a few different types of Indian jasmine (grandiflorum and sambac), with a hint of Orris root in the classical tradition of Guerlain.

The base is dominated by a rich, vanilla-infused woody note of fine Mysore Sandalwood and is further rounded by the warmth of Atlas Cedarwood.

The overall impression is sweet, woody, and subtly floral. It is an ideal for floriental fans, and is excellent for almost all seasons. I find the EDT nicer, where as the Parfum is a bit overly sweet, and for some unknown reason smells more synthetic and somewhat rubbery. The woody-powdery notes are more accentuated in the EDT.

Top notes: Peach, Citrus, Ylang Ylang
Heart notes: Jasmine Sambac, Jasmine Grandiflorum, Orris root
Base notes: Sandalwood, Tonka bean, Amber, Atlas Cedarwood

WOW! As someone who is accustomed to the magic of the older, classic Guerlains, I was pleasantly shocked by Samsara. It’s hot; it’s steamy; it’s passion in the raw. Samsara is in the same family as Estee Lauder’s Tuscany and Victoria’s Secret exotic Rapture; it is one major, roiling heat wave. The treble notes in Samsara play second fiddle to the big, booming bass notes of Mysore sandalwood, a second type of sandalwood, amber, and musk. The floral and fruity top notes tend to dissipate fairly quickly, especially in the warmer months. Samsara is a big wallop of pure carnality. I’d classify this as an exotic, sexy fragrance. Ardent, passionate, seductive, and steamy, Samsara can roar into the room way before you do and stay there well after you depart, so apply this one lightly, please. This is the way Cleopatra must have smelled. I like the shocking compliment Horace paid her in his Odes 1.37: “ No lowly woman she!!” The same can be said of Samsara.

I love this, second to Dune on my all time sensuous women's fragrances.