Penhaligon's • Amaranthine • Fragrances

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woodland on 1/29/2013 11:21:00 PM more reviews by woodland

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

The thing about this scent is that I can completely see why it's brilliant in its own way. I enjoy many of the notes - the warm milky banana and slightly indolic jasmine. If only it stayed that way. Unfortunately the smell of bum crack and ancient armpit BO ramps itself up my nostrils like someone who's been on the booze for a few days and was wearing filthy clothes in the first place.

Not sexy, not soft, in fact extremely harsh. I admire Duchaufour's experimental approach, for example I really enjoyed the opening of Enchanted Forest, his most recent release (pure Christmas and Cassis Liqueur) but that too dried down to an odd note - a manly patchouli aftershave.

I could have coped with a touch of Amaranthine on my wrists, but the final shock was the ammonia hit 1 hour into the fragrance - it was like I'd been sprayed by a tom cat. Seriously I do wonder if my nose is hyper sensitive. I can't find out what kinds of musks are used in this perfume. I certainly like the notes of musk in, for example, Bulgari Black or Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist (clean warm cat fur). I'm very familiar with Rochas Femme which my Mum wore and that was an animalic musk - quite nice - leathery, and I love the earthy 'dirt' note in Goutal's Ninfeo Mio, but Amaranthine just takes it to heights unknown - monster cat pee for me!

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Womanity on 1/24/2013 1:07:00 PM more reviews by Womanity

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Gorgeous scent ! So unique, it make me feel so privilege to wear and becoming posh ! Love it a lot and will buy again definitely.

I don't understand when some people here saying it's dirty smells or bad girl smells bla bla ... I don't think so, it probably strong at first sniff but after it dry down....Wow, this is heavenly. I can sniff myself all day long, and when out to work. To be honest, I don't smell anyone wears this scents like myself.

Amazingly, stands out !

A Beautiful scent for choosy person ;)

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skinnyfooted1 on 10/14/2011 5:25:00 PM more reviews by skinnyfooted1

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I don't know why anyone would ever want to wear this. It is truly awful. It's a scrubber all the way. Maybe you're lucky and have fantastic body chemistry with this, but on me it just smelled like salad dressing - and not good salad dressing either. Instead it smells like the kind you throw out because it has fluorescent mold growing in the bottle. It has a sharp toxic smell to me. Very chemically.

Update: I put a normal amount on my arm earlier to make sure it was as bad as my first impressions. Throughout the day I kept feeling my nose twinge and I was wondering what that awful rancid smell was - "oh yes," I kept thinking, "it's Amaranthine."

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*TOP REVIEWER* ashleydutta on 9/7/2011 9:15:00 PM more reviews by ashleydutta

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I just don't understand the reviews that say this is "dirty" or "bad girl" or "sexy". What? When I first smelled this, the first words that came to my mind were "soft, innocent, creamy floral." I let my husband smell it and he said "pretty, delicate floral." If I can imagine someone wearing this, it would be a children's Sunday school teacher on Easter morning! It is the exact opposite of dirty or bad girl! I think the softness of this fragrance comes from the combination of white freesia, orange flower, tonka bean and condensed milk (this is the listed notes) - this creates the ultimate creamy floral - it's just beautiful, and I usually don't like florals! So I feel like I am reveiwing something different from the people who call this fragrance bad and sexy...very strange!

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Giggio on 9/2/2011 5:03:00 AM more reviews by Giggio

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

My favorite Penhaligons scent. It smells like being on holiday in a paradise getaway....Fantastic and makes me happy.

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ajblondie on 7/5/2011 3:49:00 AM more reviews by ajblondie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I really wanted to love this fragrance after reading so many reviews on it but sadly it is not a perfume that I can pull off, It would be like doing the walk of shame every day that you wear this perfume, I would love to be this 'bad' girl, who doesn't? but I m just not her.
I can however appreciate this perfume for the masterpieve that it is, the dry down for example is stunning, a woody musky note that I just had to keep sniffing, I can strongly smell the banana leaf in this perfume but mixed with the musk it gives it that 'bad' girl skanky edge, I would still recommend everyone to try this perfume but I suspect there are only a priviledged few who can actually wear it.

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chrystelica on 1/3/2011 1:14:00 PM more reviews by chrystelica

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This smells very similar to another fragrance I used to have. I can't remember the name of it, but it was something I bought from duty-free in Athens airport. It was in a clear glass bottle shaped like a woman's abdomen, with a pierced silver hoop belly ring with a red heart dangling from it. I wore that fragrance exclusively for several years until it ran out. It bought it in 2004, so clearly was a precursor to this.

The top and mid-notes smell very generic to me. I was enjoying the tropical banana leaf note somewhat in the top notes, it gave it a slight tang of something different, but overall didn't really impress me. The drydown is even more disappointing. The woods smell very fake to my nose, all synthetic, and the vanilla makes it plasticy. This just smells like a bad copy of that other perfume I had (it was an EDP). Too bad I can't remember the name, but overall it has that generic, department store fruity floral vibe I don't like anymore. Would not revisit this one. Not exactly a 'scrubber,' but I'm in no hurry to ever smell it again!

Another note: I get only a very clean, over-sweetened cumin, nothing dirty in the slightest, and NO creaminess whatsoever! Just generic fruity-floral, identical to that other perfume.

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*TOP REVIEWER* zeynepd on 12/9/2010 10:01:00 AM more reviews by zeynepd

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

Amaranthine is undoubtedly one of the most unique combination of notes that I have had the chance to sniff. It sits at a crossroads of comfy, milky, spicy and exotic, and I feel very much at home with this line of exotic. I guess this is because Amaranthine takes its references from the most realistic cardamom - a spice I enjoy using in my milk and sometimes in my tea and milk. Therefore, this is a new understanding of exotic fragrances to me, rather than the usual exotic white flowers than often put a distance between me and themselves. With a single spritz, Amaranthine starts green, but this is a soft, steamy, pastel green on me, almost like leaves and cardamom crushed in a pestle and mortar. I can sense banana leaves in it but Amaranthine is everything but milk and bananas. At this stage it is a combination of a slight bitterness, a slight sweetness and a slight spicy note that never bites or turns into B.O. on me. These notes are the main elements that will show their faces from time to time. The mid-notes do not erase but add to these notes and although I can't single out all flowers, there is a ylang-ylang feeling to it. Penghalion's carnation and clove are also there. I can't say that I'm fond of these notes, but unlike some other Penghalion's fragrances, they do not disturb me here. After approximately three hours, the base takes the center stage and it is very very connected with the top notes, with milk and cardamom creating the most unique skinscent that I own. It is creamy, in the sense of natural cream, slightly sweet but not one bit cloying. With more spritzes though, Amaranthine turns into a spicier, clovier and hotter scent with sparkling spices showing their teeth rather than the caressing cardamom. With a tiny spritz, it is a Zen and calm fragrance to me and that's how I'm planning to use it. There is something in it that makes me thinks of an imaginary wintery, spicier and milkier version of Ellena's Un Jardin Apres la Mousson.

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*TOP REVIEWER* msm4slm on 8/12/2010 7:16:00 PM more reviews by msm4slm

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I don't get the "sexy" thing about Amaranthine. I asked my husband and he said "very pretty":. Amaranthine opens green, then dries down to a pretty, soft floral with a little spice. I totally agree with resemblance to Angelique Noire. I guess it's the green top notes and cream or vanillic drydown. It's very nicely composed, with good sillage and lasting power, but "corrupted floral"?

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whitecountess on 8/10/2010 5:25:00 PM more reviews by whitecountess

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Within the first three sniffs, you know you are dealing with a master, in this case, Bertrand Duchafour. This is the third time I'm trying this fragrance, and I get so many different notes , white floral, fruity, musky, green.
Amaranthine is incredibly complex and beautiful. It is the opposite of so many perfumes out there, where you know you've smelled this thing before. It does have a 'bad girl' note, which in the wrong hands could be dreadful. But here it is sublime.

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masha814 on 6/8/2010 12:48:00 AM more reviews by masha814

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a very "bad girl/bad boy" fragrance on some people I've smelled it on, yet almost a "comfort food" perfume on others. It depends on how strong the cumin-type note is - it can range from non-existent on some people to whoppingly strong post-coital BO on others. On me, it's slightly skanky, in a good way. I could not wear this in the classroom, that's for sure, but for summer evenings in my own house, it's tropical perfection. The quirkiest white floral I've ever worn, and my favorite in that genre.

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*TOP REVIEWER* fivezero on 4/28/2010 4:05:00 PM more reviews by fivezero

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

Oh no, I liked everything about this fragrance except for a strong spicy note (cardamom? cumin?) that lingers forever and just smacks of B.O. to me. Not in a horribly bad way, I suppose (if you can say that about B.O.!) but it isn't something I personally want to smell like. It just lasts and lasts and I can't get past it. The rest of the scent is really nice, a bit green, sweet and sensual, and kind of warm and creamy after it's been on for a few hours.

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*TOP REVIEWER* tessture on 4/6/2010 6:52:00 PM more reviews by tessture

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This one surprised me. I'd tried the tiniest dab on the way out of the house one day and all I could smell was a very masculine cologne scent. Now I've properly applied (a really huge dab from the sample vial) and it's another animal entirely. It's a creamy floral with definite dirty notes, like cummin or saffron. I can only call it a dirty floral, and yet it's layered, complicated and rather elegant. And yes, might not be a day scent, as it has that suggestion of naughtiness. It's smooth and thick and creamy without being heavy or smothering. That''s probably the banana, which I normally can't bear. Still, I didn't recognize it as banana until I read the notes, so fruit haters may rest easy. The fresh green notes keep it light, which is a good thing, to balance that thick creamy feeling. This might be horrid in large doses, but a moderate application is pretty darn nice. Very interesting scent. EDIT: On some days, this is almost a dead-ringer for Star Jasmine on the tree, which I've been looking for for a long time. Might have to find a full bottle. Lovely.

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zazie33 on 1/18/2010 5:36:00 AM more reviews by zazie33

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

Amaranthine is a perfume that could have been all wrong, and featuring recognizable banana, vanilla and milk notes it does come close to a banana smoothie... but it manages to stay elegant and refined, despite such edible soul. I usually recoil from sweet fruity fragrances, but Amaranthine hooked me! It hooked me because once the green initial blast settles, Amaranthine is smooth and velvety, with the spices adding a delicious grainy texture to the silky feel. It is a pleasure to wear, a bit tropical, a bit sweet and both sexy and comforting. It feels at the same time somewhat wild and yet refined, like an eccentric English beauty with loads of style and a rocky personality.

From the ad copy: “It opens with a dramatic flourish of spices and tropical green” followed by “an unctuous accord of jasmine and ylang-ylang, […] and clove swathed in spices, tea, musk and the rounded beauty of tonka bean absolute” . I find the description quite accurate; I would add that from the beginning to the heart, there is an holographic banana note, which recedes slowly in the creamy and really delicious woody and milky vanilla base. Creamy and slightly “corrupted”, are the adjectives for this strange beauty created by Bertarnd Duchaufour..

Head Notes
Green Tea, White Freesia, Banana Tree Leaf, Coriander Seed Oil, Cardamom Absolute

Heart Notes
Rose, Carnation, Clove Oil, Orange Blossom, Ylang Ylang Oil, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute

Base Notes
Musk, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Condensed Milk, Tonka Bean Absolute

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blr360 on 1/14/2010 5:32:00 PM more reviews by blr360

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This has a "bad girl" quality to me that I don't think I can pull off. Secretly I liked to smell this on myself, but I would not wear it in public.

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*TOP REVIEWER* rpolisk on 12/25/2009 9:50:00 PM more reviews by rpolisk

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Not sure if it's because this was released in winter, where the creamy floral quality of this scent can be appreciated all the more in the cold air, but this one really hit the spot. To be certain, this is a white floral, unabashedly so. The top notes are green and watery in the same way that the initial notes of Angelique Noire by Guerlain and Ormonde Jayne's Champaca first show up, although both are way more powerful scents than Amaranthine. The sweetness of the blooms then appears, jasmine and ylang ylang both dance in and out of a definitely vanilic background. The notes list something about milk, but it's vanilla all the way. However, the sweetness manages to remain adult. There is nothing about this scent that screams mall rat or tween juice. This is a grown up white floral. After 2-3 hours, the spices appear and remain there, mainly cardamon and maybe a hint of tobacco.
The structure of this one is what sets it apart from other in the same vein; this is clearly the work of a master nose. It has the "bones" of a Chanel or something worthy of Frederic Malle's collection. It's easy to see how in the wrong hands and using cheap ingredients, the same formulation could come out as so many revoltingly cloying conconctions which give white florals a bad name have ended. Not so with Amaranthine.
I own some of Le Labo's Jasmine and while I love this one, I have to admit that sometimes I feel self-conscious of how "young" I smell. A bit like the 40 yr old shoping at "Forever 21" store. Not that Le Labo's juice is cheap or tacky in any way, but it definitely wears better on a young woman.
The copy on Amaranthine reads " a corrupted white floral" and I think this is what I'm alluding to. Corrupted here, means adult not in number of years but in terms of being rough around the edges, in a good way; a woman (or man, why not?) who's lived a bit/been around the block. Think Angelica Huston. This scent was created with this person in mind. I, for one, am grateful.
FYI I've only smelled the EDP (of which I promptly ordered a bottle). It does exist in a (very) expensive perfume limited edition which I'd be very curious to try. It may be an absolute jewel.... For now I'll stick with the more reasonable and absolutely lovely EDP.

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*TOP REVIEWER* KelseyP on 12/3/2009 10:28:00 PM more reviews by KelseyP

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I am unabashedly enamored of Bertrand Duchafour, so I did not even blink when I heard he created this. I immediately had to have it, and it does not dissappoint. The official notes according to perfume shrine are top notes of green tea, white freesia, cardamom absolute; heart notes of carnation, rose and Egyptian jasmine absolute; and base notes of vanilla, tonka bean absolute, musk and sandalwood - I have also seen elsewhere banana leaf in the top notes, which contributes to the watery, almost melon like tropical feel to the very top. It gives me the impression of a pastel turquoise fog when first applied - not aquatic at all, but fresh green and wet. The floral notes buoy this initial green phase for quite some time, and then it starts to show the musky vanilla phase and in the drydown is where I notice more of the cardamom - it reminds me of that delicious drydown of safran troublant with the creamy base. Wonderful stuff - I can only give it a four because every once in a while the opening seems to teeter so close to melon that it scares me off a bit - but this phase passes quickly.

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