Liaisons Dangereuses by Kilian (for women and men)

glitteralex

Chypre Fruity? OK, I'll go with that if we get "Oriental and Tropical" in there somewhere. The first 5 minutes are the highlight of this scent-not that I don't like the rest, but it pales in comparison. The top is warm and yummy: discreet citrus, domineering plum, & believable coconut, leading into cardamom. Aldehydic only enough to lift the heavy fruit. The heart is not outstanding. It serves to keep the top notes aloft rather than to speak its own voice. I get some deep rose, maybe Damascan? There is the inkling of a cat-pee note that I sometimes get in fruity scents such as guava or peach. The final drydown presents subdued exotic spice, sandal, and a trace of figgy plum atop a synthetic "white musk", akin to that in drugstore frags. Longevity very good, which it should be at $225 for 50ml of Eau de Parfum. The packaging is gorgeous.

Incidentally, there is a decent and easily available California Zinfandel by the brand of Rombauer which is the oenologic twin of this scent. I enjoy it with one particular girlfriend, since my husband won't tolerate it...On that note, I don't find this fragrance particularly unisex. It is a velvety, sexy, womanly scent. I agree with Beth Ashley that it's not "dangerous" in the olfactory sense, but it most certainly could invite a dangerous liasion....

BethAshley

"While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads" was the line that came to mind when I first tried Liaisons Dangereuses - Not that sugar-plums are actual plums - but either way it was the juicy sweetness of the plum that that made me think of it.

At the heart of this fragrance the plum mellows out and the wood and cinnamon notes add warmth to its sugary scent. The marketing of this fragrance makes it seem like a dangerously sexy scent, where I would classify it as being playful, warm and sweet.

Overall it is a wearable and high quality scent but still not complex or mysterious enough to warrant its name or price tag.

mariotgomez

My first attempt to try this scent from a sample given to me. It does have a strong plum note mixed with a slight floral note.

This perfume is kinda hard to wear. I have only had it on for three hours and has not blended well with me.

Before I discard this scent, I will give it another try on a different day.

Not a perfume you would want to wear after a night of partying w/friends (too much Sake, last night).

asilverfire614

Despite being termed unisex, I absolutely cannot imagine this on a man...it is entirely too sweet.

I *almost* love it. I say almost because it is just a little bit too sweet, too cloying, too much of something I can't quite put my finger on. Heart notes blend together to smell like some kind of berry jam, but then the cinnamon kicks in and it's just not pleasant any more and my head starts to spin.

After two or three hours, it's much more wearable and the dry-down is beautiful with a musky sandalwood, cinnamon, and just a trace of plum and rose. At this point it reminded me a little of Amouage's Lyric for women, which I adore.

I really want to like this, but it just isn't well-balanced to my nose. If I hadn't only used a drop of it to test, I would suggest sampling again in a smaller dose...but I couldn't get much smaller than that. Oh well...guess that saves me about $225 USD! :)

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Update:

Okay, I have officially eaten crow. I tried this sample again recently and fell in love with it. Maybe my chemistry was off that day or something, I don't know, but it sure works for me now! I dove in and bought a bottle...

It's "lazily" sexy...imagine two lovers laying around nude with rumpled sheets, feeding plums and grapes to each other while sipping champagne. I'll also add that it smells more masculine on clothing and paper than on skin. It's much juicier and sweeter when applied directly to the skin.

I was surprised to find that the lock and key in the packaging are fully functional...interesting, eh? I'll be able to lock it up and keep my step-daughter from using my expensive perfume...nice!!! ;)