Armani Code for Women (2006)
by Giorgio Armani

Bubblegum. I like it. It's childish in a fun way. It makes me hungry to chew a wad of sweet, dripping Bazooka bubblegum. Armani Code is juicy with flavor, tasty with sugar and vanilla. I was looking for a vanilla fragrance when I tried this, but it doesn't quite fit the bill due to its abundance of citrus fruit. Initially, the top notes impressed me as grapefruit, but later the fragrance seemed to be dominated by orange and lemon softened by vanilla. Someone here described it as "Cream-sicle," and I do agree with that assessment. I couldn't wear it daily even though I find it amazingly attractive. My appetite poses a problem for me wearing fragrances that smell like sweets; I can't take my mind off of eating. If I were out, driving around at night, this one would cause me to stop at the nearest gas station convenience store buy a big handful of gum.

28th January, 2012.

I smelled this on a female co-worker and was dumbstruck at how beautiful it is...in the air.

On the skin, the first impression I got was funny. Animal crackers! Sweet and sugary and buttery.

Perfumes are so complicated now, compositions using aromachemical molecules that are often imperceptible to the wearer (olfactory fatigue, anosmia) but that hover in the air in a brilliant cloud for those around them...paradisone, berryflor, International Flavors and Fragrances does nothing but try to produce novel molecules for this purpose, but it has rendered review and recognition of any single new fragrance almost impossible. They have become postmodern "simulacra" where the copy is so pervasive it is mistaken for being the true original. We cannot imagine what real deer musk smelled like anymore..

Armani Code for women is one of those mysteries. It is not a wrist sniffer. Near the wrist, it comes off as a cloudy, velvety "me too" fragrance. But the suederol, musks, and maybe even Iso E Super are blunted and blended so craftily that they equal a whole that does not represent the parts. Under it all is a lightly used touch of soapy generic Avon, but smudged with an ozone-like matrix scaffolding that comes across like the smell of a dirty refrigerator. Almost a metallic or mineral feel, dusty and cold.

How this all falls into place is not detectable to the wearer. It is for all of us around him or her to decide. I finally found this fragrance to be breathtaking...in a good way.

23rd January, 2012. (Last Edited: 24th January, 2012.)

Beautiful opening, bright citrus and orange blossom, but an hour on my skin and the drydown is nauseatingly bad. I've sampled it twice, but something in the latter part disagrees horribly with my skin--a rancid odor, like sour milk almost, appears. Luckily, the whole experience fades quickly after that. This is why I never buy a perfume upon a love-at-first-spray!

5th October, 2011.

Sexy, Mysterious, Exotic without being cloying... and yet Fresh, Feminine and Fun....

It makes me feel sexy and yet social, a bit of a paradox really....

It's classy and sophisticated and yet really accessible and youthful...

12nd July, 2011.

Armani Code is in one word; divine.

The best description that I can give: it's like a mixture of Deep Red by Hugo Boss, (not as sweet), and Euphoria by Calvin Klein. It also smells very much like Diesel Plus Plus Feminine in the drydown.

Ok, so obviously this isn't a unique scent, but it certainly is appealing. It's musky, mysterious, dark, hauntingly beautiful and spicy.

The bottle and the commercial suits this fragrance perfectly. It is quite a sophisticated, yet sensual night-time fragrance.

Of course you can never go wrong with Armani fragrances, they almost always exude quality and class.

I was quite surprised that Armani Code wasn't heavy with the citrus notes. I expected the bitter orange note in particular to be strong like in Moschino Funny!, however the citruses were soft and nicely blended with the jasmine.

The jasmine in this fragrance is most intriguing because instead of being soft, pretty and feminine, it is the opposite becoming daring and sexy. The honey and vanilla notes in the drydown are also worth raving over because together they create a scent that is truly breathtaking.

For something that speaks confidence, sexiness and allure, you simply can't go wrong with Armani Code.

4th June, 2011.

I bought this back in 2006 when it first came out and I still have about a little less than half a bottle. This isn't one that I can wear daily, or even weekly, as I have to be in the right mood for it.

I find the opening to be very harsh to my nose due to the ginger and oranges, but that only lasts a few minutes. The heart of this fragrance, IMO, is the best part...subtle, sweet, sultry, and musky all at once. I've found that I usually don't like fragrances with orange blossom notes, but this one is an exception. I think the jasmine & sandalwood are a great combination to tame the citrus of orange absolute.

The dry-down is very powdery...which I usually wouldn't like, but I can still smell the jasmine throughout, which makes it worthwhile. A strange fragrance with a beautiful bottle that I doubt I will purchase again.

Jan
08
2009

*Addendum: swapped!

27th March, 2011.