Jacomo for Her (2005)
by Jacomo

I've given the house of Jacomo a few tries, always in the hopes that it might prove to be as bizarre yet worthy as that of Balmain, which for some inscrutable reason offers bona fide perfumes at bargain bin prices. In fact, with each Jacomo encounter, my hopes have been dashed, and JACOMO FOR HER is no exception to the rule. This mild, muddy floriental with a relatively declarative patchouli note does not commit the sin of sour synthetic sandalwood perfumes, nor is it too sweet. The lily-of-the-valley note, too, is not the horrific one found in Coty's ghastly reformulation of MUGUET DES BOIS.

Instead, the problem I find with JACOMO FOR HER is that it is simply too vague, the same problem I have with PARADOX, which I've tried to like but in the end feel is, again, simply too foggy for my tastes. I prefer crisp clean lines or thick assertive orientals, and with the creations of the house of Jacomo, I always feel that the presentation of even notes that I usually love has been muted somehow. This smells to me how even a fine perfume might seem to someone who is totally zoned out on sedatives. JACOMO FOR HER is certainly wearable enough, but it's not a creation that I'd reach for before, say, dozens—or even hundreds—of other perfumes. I just find it too wishy washy, in the end. Désolée.

19th July, 2011.

I'm sampling several Jacomo women's scents this week. Jacomo for Her may be the best of the bunch. It's a beautiful rose chypre available for a great price.

Jacomo for Her opens with cedar and crisp, clean flowers. I get pronounced cedar and rose notes throughout the fragrance, which evolves through the flowers to a typical chypre base. It's dry, woody and not really sweet. Whispers of Cabaret by Parfums Gres and a less-honeyed Ungaro Diva are drawing me in. It also has more than a few things in common with Guerlain's Idylle (but lasts longer than this one) as well as a cheapie gem from Avon called Urban Flowers New York.

Very different from the other Jacomo scents I have tried. I agree with the previous reviewer who calls it quietly sexy and quite sophisticated. This affordable gem is worth a try if you enjoy chypre floral scents. I see no reason why men couldn't wear it, too.

14th September, 2010.

I bought this based entirely on a review at the Scented Salamander, to which I was directed from the musk hall of fame. I usually go out and sniff first, but I found this huge bottle on-line for about $18, including postage, and took a leap. The first wet whiff was cedar chest that grandma unfortunately felt the need to fill with mothballs--cedar, metalic, floral. Ick. It immediately gets better and then good. After 10 minutes, this becomes cedar, slightly salty, dried roses and light indistinguishable florals--that's what I get. It's very subtle, not at all sweet, and quite sophisticated. It's gone too quickly even when applied heavily. I smell nothing resembling musk--certainly not a cheerful musk like Narciso, but this is a so-called skin scent. While it lasts, it's quietly sexy.

28th April, 2008.