Rochas • Femme • Fragrances

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Dressingtable on 10/18/2012 5:34:00 AM more reviews by Dressingtable

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

This is for the vintage (which you can still pick up for NOT silly money). This Femme immediately struck me as a very peachy chypre and unlike many chypres due to it's extreme warmth. It does verge on the overwhelming due to its sweet heaviness. It has an awful lot of amber qualities and I would say that it has more in common with today's ambers (for example, Ambre Sultan) than today's chypres. Also, of course it has the sandalwood that many of us miss so much. A perfume for when opulence is required!

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*TOP REVIEWER* lucdiaz on 5/17/2012 6:31:00 AM more reviews by lucdiaz

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Black    

This was the perfume my grandmother wore, it was sophisticated without being over the top. I also wore it decades ago. A classic, and nothing modern smells like it. LOVE.

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Carolfemme on 5/17/2012 6:10:00 AM more reviews by Carolfemme

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Grey    

Rochas fragrances have been discontined by P&G so anyone who loves Femme like me, get your black clothes on and mourn the loss of what should have been respected and held as a Classic for all time.

So sad when big Pharmaceutical companies sieze a brand and then dump it. It is like carving up the Mona Lisa an absolute travesty.

Shame Guerlain did not take the formula and relaunch it.

Such disrespect and sadness for those who know !

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*TOP REVIEWER* rsmuskie on 4/27/2012 12:52:00 PM more reviews by rsmuskie

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I can clearly see now why Femme was the late Edie Sedgwick's favorite fragrance. It has a wild, untamed sensuality to it, and yet the dry down is refined debutante. It's like two perfumes in one, with a split personality. In the eau de toilette version, the cumin note is more pronounced. However, in the eau de parfum, it is the peach and the plum notes that are more predominant, and that seems to balance out the touch of cumin. I have the old version of this scent in extrait form(manufactured in France prior to 1975) and it's lighter; also heavier on the leather and lemon zest notes. No cumin in the original, but the dry down is the same as the reformulated modern version. The old version of Femme reminds me a lot of Chanel's Cuire de Russe (which also has a leather note). I actually like both versions of Femme. I could see why Edie loved the original, as it had that wild zing of leather vibe right in the heart note. You definitely have to have the right body chemistry for Femme. On many, it can be overwhelming. Just a dab or one spritz from the spray bottle is more than enough. I highly recommend the eau de parfum version if you can find it. It's best to pass on the eau de toilette version of Femme unless you are a true cumin devotee. If Alexander McQueen's Kingdom dries down to a body odor aura on you, then it's best to pass on the eau de toilette version. The best way to sample Femme edp is in the mini size. It delivers just the right drop or two to blend into the wrists. And, the min version of Femme will not leave you with fragrance overload. It'll keep the scent right on the skin, where it belongs.

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*TOP REVIEWER* awesomeness2 on 7/28/2011 2:24:00 PM more reviews by awesomeness2

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Oh, poor Femme Rochas. It's much maligned for being reformulated (in 1989), and it's under-appreciated for being wearable (today).


This reformulated version strikes me as a nice balance between older style fruity chypres and more modern ones. It's also knock-down, drag-out, 10-times better than the reformulated Mitsouko which sells for much more than Femme's discounted price.


I appreciate Femme for what it is, and I could careless what it was. It's beautiful, it's wearable, it's comfortable, it's gorgeous.

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chrystelica on 1/10/2011 10:05:00 AM more reviews by chrystelica

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

I obtained a sample of the vintage parfum from TPC. Yes, this is the original, my nose attests to the blend of lemon and what were aldehydes in the top notes, now are something that smells like satin stretchy undergarments warmed by clean skin.

Thank God I don't smell cumin, that seems like it would ruin this voluptuous lady's come-hither aura. I definitely would agree this is something Mae West would wear, or a woman that is truly free at heart and loves to indulge in sensual pleasures. Does the world really have the time and place for such a woman anymore? I'm not sure. She is probably of a vintage make, long discontinued, just as this beauty is.

The insinuating depth of the oakmoss, sandalwood and a touch of civet in the base is so inviting over the top of juicy, ripe plum and prune in the midnotes. It's dark and very womanly (I'm thinking hugely buxom, very well endowed here) under the peach and remnants of aldehydes thrown in with some sweetened, stewed lemon (it's not quite tangy anymore). I think I love vintage juice even more for this aspect of it... I'm not a big fan of aldehydes or citrus, but when they're almost all decayed from years of stewing.... it's quite delectable.... like some ancient text that wasn't really meant for you, reader of English, to devour with your eyes and heart.

But yet you are, and isn't it lovely :)

This isn't me at all, perhaps my aunt in her youth, who fits the description to a T (how many husbands did she have again?) I remember she'd tell me how she met her new boyfriend of the week when I was young. "Well, I just saw him at the gas station... and it was true love," sighing with stars in her eyes. Even at that young age I knew something was amiss. But I longed for that freedom, Crab that I am, watching this sexy Sag walk her way through a glittering path of fantasy. Wow, I thought, now that's pretty racy. Delightfully other, so not me, but love the same, just as if it were. Also this perfume is a little more mature than me. Even when I "grow up," there's no way I'm ever going to be able to fill out those satin garments...
EDIT: The drydown might be the most beautiful thing I've ever smelled. Vanilla/sandalwood to die for.

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*TOP REVIEWER* tessture on 7/11/2010 3:19:00 PM more reviews by tessture

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

Cumin cumin cumin. Are skanky musk and cumin interchangeable? Coz I'm not getting musk, I'm getting Indian food. It's basically a heavy plum and amber based oriental with an overpowering blast of cumin. There might be a nice scent under there, but the cumin mercilessly drowns, tramples it, then buries it. Not for me.

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*TOP REVIEWER* tabloid on 11/16/2009 2:49:00 PM more reviews by tabloid

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

Back in the early 80's, I obtained a sample of this and my thoughts were, 'Wow! What a fabulous, original fragrance!' and 'No way will I ever wear this!' I read that Rochas was inspired by Mae West in formulating Femme and I've always thought it was a scent for a 'Why don't you come up and see me sometime?' kind of woman - a sensual woman who defies convention, makes no secret of the fact that she loves men and sex, and lives life on her own terms.
A sensual fragrance, but never a cheap one. I admired it immensely at the same time I felt a bit intimidated by it.
Two decades later, I see a bottle of Femme at the department store and decide to spritz myself for old times sake, only to be brought up short. What is this? It's not Femme, certainly not the Femme I remembered (and in case you're wondering how I can be so certain so many years later, believe me, as a fragrance fanatic, I can tell).
Turns out that Femme, like so many other vintage fragrances, has been reformulated to appeal to the modern mass market. So sad - the original had personality and this one - well, I guess it appeals to the modern mass market.

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emmagreen on 6/30/2009 11:10:00 AM more reviews by emmagreen

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Wanted to love it, I love complex spicy fruity. I love chypres, I love mitsouko. This gave me a headache, and then I threw up. This is for the much messed w/ newer incantation of femme. I'm sure the classic was lovely.

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cjumper on 1/25/2009 5:20:00 PM more reviews by cjumper

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

Femme has been my signature scent for 30 years.

If you're tempted to buy it, you might want to wear it for a couple of hours first. The scent changes over time. Also, this is one of those perfumes that smell very different on different people. I got my first bottle from my sister, who found that on her it smelled like bug spray. Fair enough... she inherited my Joy because that smells like nail polish remover on me.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* ljanelle on 12/28/2008 9:10:00 PM more reviews by ljanelle

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Pennypencil said it best - I concur. I swapped for a bottle, then later reswapped it, because it was a bit much for me. I would still like to have a decant for a special occasion once in a while. . . .

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*TOP REVIEWER* pennypencil on 12/28/2008 6:07:00 PM more reviews by pennypencil

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Kinky, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

If this fragrance were a thing, (other than a fragrance, I mean), it would be the original wallpapers Cole & Son base their designs on. Opulent, excessive yet still a bit stuffy for all their feathers and plants with creeping tentacles. I can’t talk about the original, but the Femme I find in my local store is peachy and dirty. It’s as if Guerlain Mitsouko and Lancome Tresor had a love child, probably in the room with the wallpaper.
This is sexy, but a sexy antique dealer rather than lawyer, fashion designer or journalist. She’s probably a slightly older lady, but if she’s wearing this, you can bet she knows exactly what she wants and is used to getting it. I personally wear it for thrills, and almost always regret applying it, because it’s slightly ‘wrong’. But I come back for more. I have the perfect analogy for what it is like but I can’t possibly write it for fear of offence.
This is almost the predecessor of fragrances like Tom Ford Black Orchid, which have the rotten fruit note they wear with deviant pride. The cumin doesn’t bother me; I like the warmth and confusion it adds to a composition.
I’d say it exists somewhere between YSL Yvresse, Dinner by bobo and Hermes 24 Faubourg, and the pair above who got frisky on the dresser.

14 out of 15 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

debrsl on 4/17/2008 9:10:00 AM more reviews by debrsl

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I can't decide about this fragrance. The topnotes were offputting. Then it goes into a soft peach. Later, some very soft animalics. If you'd like a classic fragrances, but on the soft side, this one works.

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arianperfume on 2/29/2008 5:03:00 PM more reviews by arianperfume

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

My HG from now on. I adore it and it smelles divine on me. Not a bit oldladish, but fruity(first couple of hours) and vanilic the last hours. Lasts a lot to. I am goin to wear this all the time, besides beeing a very beatiful fragrance, it is unique, unlike any other perfume I tried till now.

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crystaltear on 2/27/2008 7:47:00 AM more reviews by crystaltear

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

Delicious woody-peach classic. Elegant and timeless. Great lasting power and marvellous sillage in cold weather. Very enjoyable.

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*TOP REVIEWER* CecileCecile on 2/19/2008 7:25:00 PM more reviews by CecileCecile

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

(EDT) Having sampled two Rochas scents now, I believe I have a good idea of how the rest of them might be based. As for Femme, I had a similar experience to the previous reviewer, that being that the cumin figured much too prominently on my skin. The florals mostly vanished quickly and it was mainly peppery cumin. I feel, however, that even if this scent featured its notes in better proportions on me, I am still not quite, shall I say, 'wise and traveled' enough to pull off Femme de Rochas - It is a Full-Fledged Grande Dame scent To The Utmost! Lasts quite a while too. No sale for me - not this decade anyhow.

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*TOP REVIEWER* drvogue on 2/4/2008 10:35:00 PM more reviews by drvogue

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I love it... on someone else. On me, the cumin is way too strong for my nose to handle. Too bad since it is often compared to Frederic Malle's Parfum de Therese and that one is far more expensive.

To address the ever present "old lady" accusations: yes, it is rather grand-dameish. But it is also rather sexy and flirtatious.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* UrbanSkies on 1/21/2008 11:01:00 PM more reviews by UrbanSkies

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This fragrance was not at all a match with my chemistry. No matter how much I try to like the historically significant "classic" perfumes, they just don't work for me. I don't mean any offense to the people who love them when I write reviews like this, but...

Femme reminds me of a faded and dusty plastic flower arrangement that has been sitting on a gravesite for a few years. Old, ugly, cheap, dark, dusty, and WAXY. Something cheap trying to be fancy. Plastic ornateness.

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kissmekate48 on 1/5/2008 7:23:00 PM more reviews by kissmekate48

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Sadly, a solidly old lady scent on me. It reminds me of attics and my husband reviewed it as "library" and "non-sexy". Not horrible, but nothing I'd want to wear, either.

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chreebomb on 11/29/2007 12:40:00 PM more reviews by chreebomb

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

Wow! This perfume is unlike anything I've ever worn. I tend toward the "baked goods" categories... on purpose. I love chocolate and cinnamon and vanilla. But I thought I'd venture out a little and try something more "perfumey."

Femme is really extraordinary. I can see how it might not work for everyone, but isn't that true of most, if not all, fragrances?

When you open the bottle, the sweet cumin really hits your nose. Honestly, my first reaction was, "EW!" But once on my skin it transformed into something very complex and quite lovely.

There is something in it that I'm not particularly fond of, perhaps rose, which smells terrible and powdery on me. But while Femme does have a slightly powdery quality to it, this is a full-bodied, spicy and fruity scent. It's woodsy, and you can smell the patchouli in it, but it works perfectly with the other notes. There's a definite musk quality to it, but I don't know if there's actually any "musk" in it.

I sniffed my arm today and thought, "Hmm... something sweet and curiously familiar about it." And then it hit me: it smells like *ahem* a Womanly Scent. Now I know why the reviews called it a "personal" and "womanly" smell. It's not offensive in its intimacy, though. My coworker, who is my sniffer ;), just came by to inhale my neck a little. Her input: "It smells like YOU."

I usually have no problem wearing tons of shimmery, dramatic eye makeup during the day/at work, nor do I have trouble wearing sexy, spicy "nighttime" perfumes. But this one I will definitely save for *ahem* nighttime occasions.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No