Portrait Of A Lady by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, 2010

In the opening I can smell fruity incense mixing in with patchouli followed by a sweet rose. This is a very complex fragrance with a lot of notes coming at you all at once. Once it settles the rose becomes more prominent and floral but with fruity undertones supporting the rose. In the basenotes the incense becomes more dominant and the rose note recedes from the spotlight. What makes this fragrance better than most other similar scents is it's superior execution. It has a symphony of notes that have been carefully orchestrated to bring you a complex and enjoyable olfactory experience. Very well done!

I received an amazing compliment from a beautiful woman while wearing this fragrance today. What an unfortunate name for such a middle of the fence, unisex fragrance. The rose is beautifully blended with incense,sandalwood, patchouli, and cloves. Any well dressed, confident man can pull this fragrance off. If you adore fragrances like Incense Oud or Jubilation XXV, give this one a sniff.

This is an absolutely amazing rose fragrance that is definitely not bright and cheerful, but lurks more in the darker deeper recesses of the fragrance mind. When I think of Portrait of a Lady I think of that scene in American Beauty where Mena Suvari is lying naked covered in rose petals. It is just that sexy of a rose fragrance and its one of those rare fragrances that makes me feel sexy as well. I completely agree that it takes a lot of confidence to pull this one off as it will smell very feminine to the majority of people, I often get asked by male friends why I smell like a women's perfume, until they see that women absolutely love it on me as well, haha. Definitely agree it is unisex and while I don't personally own it, I love it. As to why, as much as I enjoy this fragrance, I find it absolutely ridiculous on my girlfriend as it smells divine and enticing to me and to her. Therefore it is in her collection and not mine.

AWESOMEEE!!!!!! BEST ROSE PERFUME EVERY! ACTUALLY BEST PERFUME ENTIRELY!! I MEAN DAMNN what a beautiful turkish rose, then there is frankinscence and a little oud oh yes and patchouli after like 5-6 hours i get less hints of it on myself but i cant believe it that the entire is actually packed with it even after like a day people within 10-20 yards go crazy smelling it

Why does Dominique Ropion have such a hold over my nose? I am afraid to try out too many of his fragrances, because it seems that after one sniff I always end up obsessing over his creation until I buy a full bottle. I can't afford to do this. Anyhow, as soon as I smelled it, I knew. This was the rose I was looking for. Dark, sweet, sexy. The patchouli and sandalwood give it heft, and the hint of spice and incense keep it compulsively sniffable. 1-2 sprays will do you, and for hours and hours, too.

I am going to have to try this again because my 2 samplings of this have produced little love so far. Intially though this is what I think- it is a blast of patchouli ,woods and incense. The rose is not fore front for me at all . It's dark but verging more on the masculine side of scent offerings. Will try again. Edit : My third sampling of this . Now I appreciate this scent. However the rose patchouli / rose - oud combo is getting very boring and tiring. It is a gorgeous classic combination in truth and fairness but there are quite a few of these perfumes out there, to choose from. I prefer Portrait Of A Lady to Lumiere Noire by MFK though. Much more subtle but a lasting scent.

Well there's one thing most of the lovers and haters can agree on: this ain't no lady! How much you enjoy Portrait of a Lady will largely depend on how much a certain style of Middle Eastern perfumery agrees with you, namely rosy oud blends that can cost you anywhere from a fortune to a few cents, and are popular everywhere in the Mid-East. It's a style of perfume popularized among the western perfumista set by Montale, and in recent years is just everywhere. I can't say this is anywhere close to my favorite rendition on the theme of oud-rose-patchouli, a combination I'm not terribly enamored with at the start. It is, however, distinctly the most loud and most feral. This even leaves fellow niche monoliths like Black Aoud in the dust in terms of brute force, and only a tiny spritz seemed to choke out the air around me and entomb me in hefty rose, dusty oud, and a fatty, rough-textured patchouli. I kept an open mind, but frankly: I hated it. I cannot in the least say, however, that it's a bad deal. This is power in a bottle. A bottle could last you years ( though it just may age you prematurely... )

This is a heavy and heady one. For me very difficult to like. I'm not really a fan of rose fragrances in general. But this probably the least. The feelings I get from this is rose and bones (medical and dry vibe from patchouli-incence-oud), an old woman with bony white skin or make-up, black hair and red/black dress. That way it's neutral image, but it's not something I would like to smell. I could see this work for women with black and red dresses on Mexican Dia de los Muertos when people dress up like dead/skeletons. I would say that it is exclusively for special occasions, special dress up or party. I don't know. Not my cup of tea surely. I have a sample so I'll try it later but would be very surprised if I ever started wearing this more occasionaly, even rarely. Least favourite by far of the 6 samples I have of Malle's.

5/5 - I haven't taken the time to review a fragrance in quite a long time, but I felt I needed to add one for PoaL. This is probably the finest in the Malle lineup, rivaling Vetiver Extraordinaire, another D. Ropion composition. What makes it so brilliant is that the longevity is incredible and the sillage is just perfect. It is rose, spice, woods and oud in perfect harmony - never too synthetic or brash, just perfect. A little goes a VERY long way. I'm rather shocked that someone could find the longevity lacking, as 30 hours and a thorough shower didn't rid me of its sublime dry-down. This, along with Creed's vintage formulation of Fleur de The Rose Bulgare, are the finest, most perfect rose fragrances ever (sorry Nahema, Rose 31, DC 1913, etc. etc.!)

This scent reminds me of Agent Provocatuer in its smoky, musky, slightly dirty rose. POAL is more refined and more sophisticated, shines a little brighter and is softer around the edges. If these two were related, AP would be the evil twin. The berry top notes give the scent a dewy innocence, taken over by a mysterious incense, and finished with a musky woodiness. Ropion has portrayed women of all ages in a bottle which manages to be both youthful and mature at the same time. The top notes don't last for more than an hour on my skin (wimpers), I guess this is like childhood; short and sweet. A very enjoyable fragrance all round and hopefully will one day find a place on my dresser :)