The Exclusives Warrioress Boadicea the Victorious for women

Boadicea apparently means "victorious," so the name of this line translates into "Victorious the Victorious," making this fragrance, then: Victorious the Victorious Warrioress. Hmmm... the similarities between the Boadicea and the Bond no. 9 lines are multiplying with each passing day.

First, there's the three-word name beginning with Bo. Next, the actual meaning of the name is either vacuous or tautological (Bond no. 9 being the address of the business.) Then there's the general aura and spirit of megalomania governing these enterprises: each of these houses appears to be attempting to take over the olfactory globe in its own way.

Added to that, each began with a neat, clean concept (Boadicea: adjectives of virtue such as noble; Bond no 9: New York City neighborhoods) but then admitted little inconsistencies here and there: WARRIOR is a noun, not an adjective; SAKS FIFTH AVENUE and HARRODS are stores, not neighborhoods; and where in the world do TEXAS and NEW ORLEANS fit into this neat little schema, pray tell??????)

Both of these houses produce new fragrances with mind-boggling frequency only to be roundly denounced and regularly thrashed by perfumista bloggers the world over. And finally, each has a bottle concept. Will Boadicea move next (as did Bond) to add new interest to their standard bottle, perhaps by inserting Swarovski crystals into the interstices of their Celtic pewter latticework? Only time will tell.

Until then, I have to say that WARRIOR is a pretty flat leather perfume, in both senses of "pretty", all notes considered. There is an ever-so-brief oriental opening, but the flowers? Wow, they were literally crushed to death by the heavy leather. To my nose, this is a blunt instrument, not nearly so nice as reformulated CABOCHARD. Désolée.

This perfume sends out its oriental message right on the spot. Apart from a plethora of luscious flowers, the scent also delves into mouth-watering fruits and exotic spices. You are in the middle of a very aromatic cauldron of smouldering incense and woody notes laced with exquisite leather. The drydown is warm, earthy and animalistic. You can picture yourself in a gold-spun Indian sari made from silk, you feel like wrapped into satin of intense red. This is not a day-time scent, nor is it for shy women. It shouts sensuality and earthiness. Should be locked away - because you should keep it a personal secret...