Alien (2005)
by Thierry Mugler

Bold, nearly boozy jasmine. Creamy, like a liqueur. Overly sweetened woody scent a few moments later, that reminds me of a hyper-sweet incense or a glade room spray. It's soft then. It sometimes annoys me; at times delights me. It depends on my mood, what it does to me. Alien is one of "those". I don't wear it often as it can be cloying. My little one ounce bottle will last me the rest of my life.

The base is just as sweet with its amber tone. The sweetness of Alien never lets up. It is also good for its longevity. I give this a 3.5 to 4 star rating, depending on my mood.

Amber darkens & dominates later.

Interior in Strandgade, Sunlight on the Floor by Vilhelm Hammershoi 1901

I lied, I'm sorry. I love this perfume! I don't know what I was thinking. I think it just needed to settle, but it smells amazing! It is "grape-y" at first, but it settles and you appreciate the scent all day!
Previous review 11/6/18: I blindly bought this based on the raving reviews. I wanted something with good sillage and longevity, something I could spray on in the morning and last all day so I wouldn't need to carry a decant.
So, I haven't received it in the mail yet, but I did go and sample this at the local department store (and 2 others I blindly bought based solely on reviews-gucci bloom and versace bright crystal).
I know exactly how to describe this "alien" perfume for those who've never smelled...have a dose of children's grape dimetapp cold and cough syrup, it tastes the way "alien" smells. The scent of this fragrance is very (exactly) synthetic grape that lasts at least 4 hours, dominating any other notes that is claims to have in it. This scent is the twin of children's grape dimetapp's taste. "What's that scent you're wearing" they say, "grape dimetapp".

*yawn*

I've been trying to like Alien for some time now. I feel like Mugler outs so much effort into it, there must be something I'm missing. Alas, it seems to have been watered down over the years and is more banal than ever before. There's some jasmine, some woodiness, and...that's it.

I know it's no longer available, but but Miroir des Envies take the same concept of jasmine, toasted notes, woods, and "solar notes", but does it on an immensely more interesting scale. Since that's no longer made, the next best thing is Alien Essence Absolute, which leans more toward the warmer, vanilla tones.

Not terrible, but compared to Angel (of yore at least), and the most recent addition, Aura (who did "safe" right), Alien is a let-down.

If you want to emit the idea that you're wearing a fragrance, without any notion of which one, Alien is a safe buy. But you can do so much better.

Take a rich jasmine note, shear off its rough (indolic, green) edges, hook it up to an outdoor amplifier, and overlay it with a gauzy, vanillic amber accord that has roughly the half-life of plutonium. That's Alien. For what it is, it's great, and even slightly narcotic under the right conditions. This is a perfume for a woman with a capital "W" - or a confident man in an insouciant mood. (Alien dries down gorgeously on skins of either sex.) If you're a fan of the Mugler style - ie. "Go Big or Go Home" - and if every jasmine perfume you've come across so far has seemed just a tad restrained for your liking, Alien is nothing short of a must-sniff. Run, don't walk. For others....well. Spray at your peril. This alien doesn't come in peace.