Avon • Imari • Fragrances

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FancyShmancy on 4/16/2013 11:10:00 PM more reviews by FancyShmancy

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This was the first bottle of perfume my mum ever bought me as a teenager :-) And I still love it! Not sweet (like SO many others are!) And for such an affordable price, has good staying power. I haven't purchased this perfume for years, but think its high time I call my Avon lady :-) Beautiful.

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Kellergirl on 1/26/2013 4:09:00 PM more reviews by Kellergirl

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I tried this on me in a sample, and when I first put it on, I thought it would not be for me. I went on quite strong, and not so pleasant. But wow, they dry down is gorgeous! It dried down into a beautiful soapy floral. This smelled gorgeous! Will purchase this!!!

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MissRubyJones on 10/1/2012 4:49:00 PM more reviews by MissRubyJones

Age: Unknown   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Grey    

I received a sample of this with an Avon order. I always associated Imari with the kinds of perfumes my mother and aunts wore in the 1980s -- loud and obnoxious (think Giorgio, which to this day makes my head hurt). I tried Imari, and at first couldn't get to the sink fast enough to wash it off. But then, the strangest thing happened... hours later, I could still smell it on my shirt, and it smelled marvelous. A soft, sexy oriental. It definitely improves upon dry-down.

Like other reviewers have noted, Imari is definitely a fall/winter scent -- it's much too heavy and smoky for summer. I used half a purse-sized bottle last winter, and will probably repurchase.

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Ruby885 on 5/27/2012 5:54:00 PM more reviews by Ruby885

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I don’t like the way people always put this fragrance down, because it really isn’t THAT bad.

It’s definitely not something I would wear in the summer time, but it’s a perfect scent for winter evenings. A nice, sensual mix of Oriental florals, spices, woods and musk. I will say though, that it does come across as a little strong, but as another user already mentioned, it does mellow out very nicely. If you're afraid that it might be too strong, you can always try the Imari perfumed Skin Softener or Body Powder. They tend to have the same scent, just not as strong.

And no, I’m not an old lady.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Shanplum on 7/21/2011 8:46:00 PM more reviews by Shanplum

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

This fragrance seems to get as hard a time as the likes of Red Door. I personally love Imari, I wore it as a teenager and only recently went back to it. It is affordable and smoky, spicy with a sexiness about it. I am 26 and this is by no means an old lady fragrance, its all about chemistry. A couple of sprays and I get compliments all over the place. Not the greatest lasting scent but thats to be expected being an eau de cologne, but for the price you can afford to top it up more often. A classic oriental which isn't as dated as the likes of opium and not as harsh. I recommend giving this a go its affordable and a lovely scent.

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stilllovely on 10/7/2010 2:52:00 AM more reviews by stilllovely

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have the Avon Imari Summer Frost Body Spray.

I get compliments everytime I wear this.
For a body spray in a can it is very long lasting
The fragrance is quite strong and is definately not your typical candy sweet spray scent.

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laurenmf on 8/18/2010 9:12:00 PM more reviews by laurenmf

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a clean floral/oriental. It's a warm blend of spices and woods and has a soapy-smelling quality. I love it. I think if it was made by an upscale brand it would be much more popular. It is a bit strong, but mellows out beautifully. I love it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* clearady on 5/7/2010 4:55:00 AM more reviews by clearady

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

It's a nice scented backup lotion I like to keep on hand. Avon really has some of the best fragrances, always qualified. And I hold everything up to a high standard.

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*TOP REVIEWER* violette on 4/23/2010 7:08:00 AM more reviews by violette

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I'm sorry, but I don't like this one. All I could smell on my wrist was plain floral-scented soap, maybe mixed with a bit of talcum powder. I really don't understand why this perfume is still around when the company's other classics from the same era & before that have long been discontinued. Unfortunately, I've never had the chance to try those other classics (& probably never will), but judging from the many glowing, nostalgic reviews of them, all I can say is it's absolutely mind-boggling why Avon would cease production of those wonderful scents forever but still retain the unremarkable Imari to this day. Looking at the company's current crop of generic, mediocre wishy-washy perfumes that are being churned out by the dozen each year, they desperately need to bring back some of their popular classics to help resuscitate the ailing image of their fragrances which, beginning of the 21st century, has seriously gone down the toilet... It's so sad to think that for a company that has been around since 1886, at one time, their perfumes were well-respected & legends in their own right, but are now commonly viewed as 'cheap & tacky' & have become the butt of jokes everywhere (the same fate which has befallen Coty & Dana).


Back to the review, if you still want the Imari name, I suggest buying Imari Velvet, which is a fruity-floral-oriental (I don't know if it's still available elsewhere in the world, but the Avon in my country still carries it). If you're not able to get hold of it anywhere, then another alternative is the company's Vanilla Soft Musk (it has the same raspberry/caramel undertones, in fact, the two are almost identical). I don't recommend Imari Seduction though, as it has a somewhat annoying powdery/medicinal edge (to my nose). Sadly, on me, the purple orchid note completely overwhelms the plum note, so I don't get the same smooth, delicious scent that many others seem to experience on themselves. If you have the same perfume tastes or body chemistry as I do, don't bother with this one.

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*TOP REVIEWER* SexyLittleMe on 2/8/2010 9:32:00 PM more reviews by SexyLittleMe

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

On me this is a warm, powdery musk. It smells
kind of like tobacco. It is not flowery, or
sweet, just clean, warm, dark, and rather comforting.

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*TOP REVIEWER* genica on 6/11/2009 8:05:00 PM more reviews by genica

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I've tried to like this fragrance on multiple occasions and it just never works with my chemistry. It always smells like the perfume has "turned" or gone bad from age even though the bottles are new. It smells like stale, old body powder. Or powdery bandaids. It's an interesting olfactory experience but not a pleasant one.

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*TOP REVIEWER* DLYNN on 6/11/2009 4:04:00 PM more reviews by DLYNN

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

I like Avon's Imari fragrance. But not because I am an "old lady". You have to understand something about my scent selection philosophy. I select fragrances by seasons, mood or even the weather! Imari and the newer "Imari Seduction", which is my current favorite, are great scents for Fall and Winter. They evoke an intimate fireside in a log cabin, a profusion of fall leaves in the woods, a warm, spiced powder-musk scent that suits a specific mood and the season, in general. Around Christmastime or whenever I'm in a domestic sort of mood, I enjoy the sweet smell of baking scents, such as cinnamon and "Warm Vanilla Sugar" by Bath & Body Works. In the Spring, light florals such as lavender body powder from Yardley of London and fresh ozone "after-the-rain" scents, such as Avon's Haiku and a touch of Avon's discontinued "Spring Showers", are ideal. Sadly, I have to avoid many of the overt floral scents — particularly anything that smells of roses, which basically describes my sister's entire house thanks to her Yankee candle collection — because they aggravate my chronic asthma. There are a few scents I can get away with in reasonable quantities and Imari, which has been a top-selling fragrance for Avon for years, is among them. I would put Imari, in fact, in my top five all-time favorites. In fact, I own Avon's Imari body powder, hand cream and deodorants too. (As a rule, I never recommend applying one than more perfumed product at once, though.) On warmer days, by contrast, I prefer fruity and tropical/beach fragrances. A little coco butter lotion, light citrus scents or one of my favorites, Avon Naturals "Peach" body spray, are fabulous fragrances in the summertime.

Choosing a fragrance is about three things: Application (too much of anything is obnoxious); chemistry (how it reacts to your body); and perspective (context). There is a scent for every mood, occasion or season. Age has less to do with the selection of a perfume than any other factor, IMHO. Ironically, of all the department store brands I've bought, the high-end fragrances seem most inclined to overpower with a chemical perfume scent and yet at the same time a pungent, nose-stinging alcohol base. After many years, my Avon fragrances — one of them approaching 30 years old, which I keep because it was the first perfume I was given as a child — smell EXACTLY the same. I cannot say the same for my costlier department store brands. None of my department store perfumes have held true over the years and I no longer buy any of them as a result. (I feel a lot of the markup on department store colognes and such involves the brand name, advertising campaign and the top-tier packaging as much if not more than anything actually in the bottle.) I stick, instead, to what works for me: Pure oil essences, scented lotions from Bath & Body works, Yardley of London and Avon fragrances. I urge anyone who has an adventurous streak to try this approach. You don't have to wear the same scent the rest of your life — it will probably be discontinued sooner or later anyhow — and the added benefit to this technique is that if any one of them is offensive to someone you know, before long you'll rotate it out for something else!

Imari is about as nuanced and sophisticated as a non-department store brand gets. And while my current favorite is the revised Imari Seduction, which is more powdery than musky, I will most definitely buy this product again. The only products in the Imari series that I will not be repurchasing is the hand cream and the deodorant because those are a bit more harsh (the body powder is fine, though). Imari fragrance, in conclusion, goes on nicely and has a subdued finish to it. It is not at all like those department store brands that reek for hours on end. Imari does, in fact, have staying power, but only those you are intimate with or hug are likely to notice once the fragrance has "set". In short, don't be put off by the negative reviews. Everyone is entitled to a personal opinion, but don't let anyone make up your mind for you. Fragrances are one of those things where you really have to try the product for yourself to appreciate it (or not). Good luck!

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*TOP REVIEWER* JonMoss on 5/25/2009 9:29:00 PM more reviews by JonMoss

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Tan, Neutral   Hair: Black, Relaxed, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I agree with the reviewer under me. I get tired of people calling sophisticated scents "old ladyish". I'm young, 25 years old and I love this oriental scent. But I also love other scents like pink sugar, coco mademoiselle, etc. And I believe if this scent was made under Chanel, people wouldn't be bashing it. I disagree with the perfume being called 'harsh', it's pretty womanly and soft----one to three light sprays is all it takes. I don't know how much some people are spraying, but it's all about chemistry

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*TOP REVIEWER* PARA_NOIR on 5/11/2009 5:55:00 PM more reviews by PARA_NOIR

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I find that women will compliment other ladies on fruity and floral scents, while men tend to compliment on strong musk and oriental perfumes. Imari is definitely a fragrance made to entice men (and subequently get you dirty looks from girls)! I think that the girls who come on here and call anything that's not Pink Sugar an ''old lady'' scent are not very confident. Ladies who wear scents like Imari, Opium, Tabu, and others tend to be more secure with themselves and do not feel the need to fit in with the pack in every aspect of their lives, or in this case, smell like the pack. Don't get me wrong, go ahead and wear your Pink Sugar and Light Blue. But I, being age 20, am NOT an old lady and I wear spicy oriental scents. Be happy - more Pink Sugar out there for you, and more Imari for me.

Okay, back to the Imari description! It has notes of incense, spice, and a musk base. Men seem to like this - I NEVER get complimented on fruity florals, but Imari draws compliments from co-workers, friends, and complete strangers on me. Spray it LIGHTLY, one or two sprays. Let your body heat and natural scent do all of the work. As far as the price of this... it's so dirt cheap! If they threw this into a bottle labeled ''Serge Lutens Nuit de Incencee'', it would sell for hundreds. But of course, since it is cheap and sold by Avon, too many preconceived notions surround it for it to get a fair chance.

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c0ntemplati0n on 5/1/2009 11:42:00 PM more reviews by c0ntemplati0n

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

Ah Imari.

When I ordered a batch of several purse sized perfumes, this was included in it.

Now mind you I am fairly neutral on this product.

Firstly, it is a VERY strong musk. By musk I mean just that, a woody, deep, mature scent. On my body, it smells hideous, I litterally sprayed it on my wrists, and then spent several minutes scrubbing it off and layering sweeter scents over it to try and neutralize it.

However thinking of my mom, who wears things like patchouli oil and sandlewood, I offered it to her and she loves it..

And honestly when she walks into a room and she's wearing it I often comment without realizing "hey you smell nice mom" and she says "oh its that perfume you gave me" and I am like "wow, it smells good on you.."

So in that I think that if you are a more, natural, woodsy, hippy-ish, mature woman, this would probably be an ok scent for you..

but if you like floral, fresh, or well pretty much any scent that isn't deep, woodsy and highly musky, then this is not for you!

=]

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*TOP REVIEWER* candystripelegs on 1/11/2009 5:29:00 PM more reviews by candystripelegs

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

The first scent was not the first I owned, but the first I loved. I was about 13-14 and I distinctly remeber wearing this to my first school dance.

I was different than the other girls who wore Love's, CKone, Exclamation, etc. They were dressed in pinks , wore sparkly eye makeup and fruit flavored lipgloss. I wore a green satin dress, dark burgandy lipstick and Imari. this began my love affair with orientals and most warmer/musky scents.

Thes days, I wouldn't buy the perfume again only because I wouldn't use it all. The skin softener is nice and you can usually get it on sale for $1.99. Plus, it's not as strong:)

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*TOP REVIEWER* shandrews on 12/30/2008 11:00:00 PM more reviews by shandrews

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Ya'll know I love most of Avon's stuff, but this never did it for me. It was too heavy in scent and gag-worthy.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Princesa7 on 12/30/2008 4:51:00 PM more reviews by Princesa7

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I don't hate this or love it. Its definitely a "winter" scent tho. I do like it but its not my style at all......I got it as a gift and wouldn't buy it personally.

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tiky232 on 10/28/2008 3:59:00 PM more reviews by tiky232

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

My mom bought me this as a present, so I wouldn't throw it away. I personally don't think its stinks or is bad, but it's something i wouldn't wear. I like it because it makes me nostalgic of the visits to grandma's house. If I ever needed cheering up, I would wear this scent because it makes me feel warm inside :) But other wise I like to wear fresh or fruity scents.

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*TOP REVIEWER* BuffyDaLipGlossEater on 10/11/2008 8:53:00 PM more reviews by BuffyDaLipGlossEater

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

This is probably one of the worst scents that Avon ever released, and boy does this stuff smell to high heaven!
To me, this smells like dirty old socks, rubbing alcohol, and wilting flowers left standing in stagnant water.

Quite frankly, if you're considering wearing ANYTHING with the word "Imari" on it, I would suggest Imari Seduction, as it is a VAST improvement on the formula!

The original -- I'm sorry -- is crap in a bottle.

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