Attraction (2003)
by Lancôme

I was at the Goodwill store today and there was a bottle of this in the case. I smelled it. I was not impressed. There was nothing about it that made it stand apart from any other mainstream floral from any decade. Lancome has a history of excellent scents, so I was surprised at how run of the mill this was. Oh, you could tell it had quality ingredients and any perfume from France is just going to be good. But this could've been some non-descript Elizabeth Arden also ran. Or worse yet, an Avon creation. Lancome should not be putting out bland stuff when they don't put out that much to begin with. It was a full 2 ounce bottle too, marked .95 cents. But even at that price, I couldn't be bothered. Now that's pretty sad.

12nd January, 2012.

Not bad, but not wonderful either.

My opinions on this fragrance keep changing. One minute I'll dislike it, the next minute I'll be somewhat intrigued by its scent.

When I first applied Attraction to my wrist I was really confused as to why the gardenia, neroli and ylang ylang blend smelt so spicy and almost bitter on my skin. I guess it's a matter of chemistry although my friend also had the same reaction.

Finally when the intial blast of the top notes pass, I am left with a rich and heavy blend of flowers, which in my opinion is pleasant but not very soft or feminine.

When Attraction begins to fade and transcend into the drydown the scent becomes sweet and 'vanillery'. This drydown makes me like this fragrance, yet for the first hour I really did not enjoy Attraction in the slightest.

To purchase this fragrance simply because I am 'attracted' to the drydown is silly and a waste of money, especially when this fragrance is extremely overpriced.

I'd say that overall Attraction would have many positive responses, yet for me it just didn't have the 'wow-factor'. The lasting strength was phenomenal, I guess that's one good point, however I'm not surprised that Lancome has decided to discontinue this fragrance.

4th June, 2011.

There is a very sweet element in the floral and green opening—I’m surprised that there are no fruit listed in the pyramid. Possibly what I’m smell is the vanilla and amber rising up from the base. Whatever it is, this sweetness dominates to my nose, and the opening accord lasts quite a long time. Attraction deserves to be called linear. The sweet floral accord itself is quite strong with full-bodied sillage, and I would have guessed that it’s a fragrance from the ‘80s instead of 2003. The middle notes remain floral—perhaps a little less sweet than the opening—but I don’t get any patchouli to cut the sweetness, nor can I separate out the individual notes, not even the iris: I don't find the fragrance's notes very clearly presented. And in the base I don’t get the cedar wood—just amber, vanilla, and perhaps a light musk. It's not a bad fragrance... just rather ordinary.

9th December, 2010.

Attraction opens with green notes and florals, but the musky, vanillic "skin" scent dominates the composition. It's billed as sexy, modern evening scent, which it is.

But it's sweet - almost sticky sweet. The cedar, patchouli and iris have to work to keep the scent "grounded." It's a mature scent, something I could imagine a ladder-climbing buisness woman wearing once "juicy couture" was no longer acceptable but before she gets her "perfume clue."

Overall, it's not bad. It's just not great.

4th May, 2010. (Last Edited: 12nd July, 2010.)

I am not sure about everyone's else, but the scent reminded me of tobacco. It's a bit woody to my nose anyway, but I really love it. It blends pleasingly with my body chemistry, I couldn't help felling fresh and sexy at the same time. Definitely would come back for another bottle.

18th June, 2009.

I bought this blind without testing it and I like it. Although it is a sweet smelling perfume and not particularly fresh, it is not sickly sweet. The flowers dominate the scent and I don't really smell the vanilla. Attraction to me is a mature scent and I mostly wear it on formal occasions. The scent lingers around me for a very long time after I have sprayed it only once, as is the case with other perfumes by Lancome. I suspect that someone who is sensitive to fragrances might not like Attraction because it is not light and might cause a headache especially if oversprayed.

5th December, 2007.