Balenciaga Paris Cristobal Balenciaga for women

Slowly has this scent grown on me as I begin to unravel its story. You wander through an ornate rusted gate into a french garden. You watch the sunrise as a light breeze caresses your hair like Charlotte's breathy whispers in her rendition of Bob Dillon's "Just Like a Woman". You take a deep breath and fill your airways of the dew-kissed flora and fauna surrounding you.. taking in the moment.

This is a unique fragrance that takes a refreshing break from the fruity chypre scents I also enjoy. Such an great balance of masculine and feminine; perfect for a gamine like Charlotte and myself ;). Additionally the bottle is lovely, its a design I would love to display for years to come. I highly recommend trying this scent on the skin before making judgments as I noticed its much more difficult to detect my favorite patchouli note on paper.

Oh Balenciaga Paris! How I love thee! Thy scent envelops me with luxury and comfort. Thou loveth me and radiates elegance in me when I wear thee.

I absolutely adore this perfume. It reacts beautifully on my skin. Powdery floral and green earthy notes soothe my soul during cold winter.

The top notes of this are truly beautiful, but it doesn't last, and you are left with a fairly strong, sour, metallic musk that is difficult to wash off. Why, oh why did they do that? This is not youthful or edgy. The only way I can recommend this is if you want to respray yourself every half hour so you don't smell like an old lady who may or may not be wearing perfume.

I don't wear it much becz its a lil bit spicy. I was so disappointed I bought it on a blind buy and it wasn't what I envisioned it 2 b.

I don't wear it much becz its a lil bit spicy. I was so disappointed I bought it on a blind buy and it wasn't what I envisioned it 2 b.

Tthe bottle is just pretty!!!!

I have a miniature bottle if anyone is interested in swapping or buying

Agree with Sassy1 - absolutely a floral green; a group I would love if only I could be spared from the horrific citrus they always overdo the scents in it with. But this one? No citrus - LOVE IT! There is something aaaaaalmost vanilla in there, after the enigmatic, elegant green opening. It is just beautiful!

it is not overpowering at all. nice smell,soapy even.. you can use it everyday, it is like a day fragrance than a special occasion one. but this is not suitable for 'balenciaga' that I have in my mind. balenciaga is chic yes but the smell is not assertive as it should be. a nice addition to your everyday fragrance library. that's all.

Toothpaste???

Not unless you brush your teeth with lawn clippings and violet buds.

I don't get anything remotely like any type of mint be it winter, spear or pepper. Just typical violet powdery sweetness after a top of fresh grass. No carnation, no patchouli, maybe a hint of cedar in the drydown but if I didn't know it was there I couldn't swear to it.

This also is not a chypre...it's a definately a floral green.

Violets aren't usually my thing but I'll use up the mini I have this coming spring despite it's mono-tone presence.

Tried a sample on my skin today. Not one of my faves. Its a very 'neutral' scent- not particularly interesting . I would say its good for office use but its not warm enough for me. I dont like the carnation note at all, and I dont know why I pick up a magnolia note too. The dry down becomes really toothpasty. I'm sure its good for women in their early 40s + but not for a young woman. I think its a decent fragrance just not for me :)

I have this fragrance, it is one of my favourite! It is comfortable, clean and chic. And the bottle is very elegant.

I love this scent. It is not overpowering and very, very nice. It is a clean violet fragrance. It is not sweet, but sexy! I think just using the body cream will be enough to have a lovely scent that will last the entire day.

I simply can't stand this parfume. I can't even finish the miniature bottle. I love violet in general but all I can smell here is soap/ disinfectant and it makes me sick. I think a snob high- society lady going to church would smell that way. I don't find it feminine or attractive the slightest, but ''cold'' and ''distant'', not friendly at all.
Well, I might be too young to appreciate it, it's such a machure perfume for sure. Lovely bottle, though.

Very, very nice. Fresh, soft violet with carnations prancing around in back, juicy grapefruit...lasts very nicely for a freshy-scent.

Almost toothpastey, but never quite goes that far.
Fresh, sweet powder, made with those powder candies in the twist rolls...Rockets!

More complex & less gourmandy than it sounds. Reminds me of Byblos.

Just try it. Think it to be tops for a lovely inoffensive office scent. Hard to dislike.

Uplifting. Suited to spring/summer. Or anytime really....

Quite pleased.

I loved this perfume..it's soft yet elegant scent is very alluring and I have worn it several times and received compliments on it every time. The notes of violet, rose and carnation are a perfect melding. I have a hard time finding fragrances that have this hint of violet in it.

classy, flirty exclusively for women (guys do not get close to it) i tried it and the chemistry to my skin was horrible even though it smells gorgeous on my sis, i advice any classy clean woman/girl to wear it.

It's a nice violet-floral fragrance... for me the most obvious note is the violet, but it's so nice and smooth. not as powdery... i would not ordinarily go for a violet fragrance but i could see myself in this. it's sophisticated yet reminds me of the smell of a chanel or dior lipstick... i find it really pleasing...

After smelling the sample in Harper's Bazaar, I knew that i needed to try it. Sadly, it smelled nothing at alll like the magazine sample -the sample had smelled like opening a bag of whole black peppercorns in a room filled with violets. When i smelled it out of the bottle i was disappointed but i tried it on my skin anyways in the hopes that the scent would change. it did but for the worse- It smelled the way my grandmother's shower smelled to me. (not a bad thing necessarily, as a little girl i always enjoyed playing with the many different soaps and gels my grandmother kept in her shower)It smelled soapy and i couldn't find the black pepper anywhere! I was very disappointed. i expected more.

I love this fragrance! Sexy, classy, romantic. That says it all!

I am a huge admirer of Christobal Balenciaga clothes and perfumes! I love the old Balenciaga scents, such as Christobal,Prelude,Eau de Cristobal..All these of course are discontinued.Balenciaga Paris is a modern interpretation of Balenciaga's old scents.Spicy,sophisticated starts with creamy violet not harsh or too teenager-bubblegum type.As it stays,spicy carnation starts to spread out. The drydown smells like carnation and strong patchouli on my skin.I can see here that amost all of you didn't detect a huge amount of patchouli. On my skin it dominates!!Personally,I prefer the old Balenciaga scents but this is not a bad one either. It lasts quite long and the sillage is moderate.

This a dreamy smell, so so fine. The fragrance is melting on the skin providing such a luxurious smell.I am really impressed with this scent, just sensual.

To me this is a very nostalgic smell. It`s interesting, flowery soft, a bit powdery, smells like delicate dust of flowers. Romantic and unique. I prefer more vivid perfumes, but I can admire it`s mysterious character.

This fume opens very floral, bit strong and spicy with lovely grown up violet note that easily changes into something unique. Powdery, fresh, a bit sweet and creamy warm. I could smell all the notes. The evolution of this perfume is very dramatic. Just fascinating! It reminds me of Chanel 19 in a subtle way.

The drydown is stunningly feminine, elegant, sexy, modern, edgy and beautiful. The lasting power is delicately strong and that is very impressive. It last a long way. I love it!

The bottle itself is stunning with humor. The black pouch adds more beauty.

Overall, this is very sophisticated, modern classic, well designed perfume! Very worthy! Definitely one of the best perfumes on the market! Well done Olivier Polge!

It's very bright (not sunny) and soft.

Feels like moist cool morning air. I can almost smell dewy greenery and wet ground.

Unique and lovely.

What a luminous, light, but extremely sophisticated violet.

Normally I don´t like violet scents, because in general they are candy, intoxicating, very powdery and old fafshion

But Paris is a paradox: young and traditional; very classic, but modern; very light, luminous, airy but long lasting and classy. The French elegance.

I just love it!

This Paris is pure haute couture in a bottle!

Gorgeous!

I tried it today and LOVE it. I've got the sample at the department store, it came together with Jacob's Daisy. First I thought smth like 'well, one more too bold, too old, too strong...'. But after testing it on my skin I felt in love.
And now it's time to make a difficult decision. I'm 27, blond, curly and naive, a bit childish in appearance. There is no way I would have a chance to wear it with classical outfit and hills. Oh... Imagine this scent on a young lady with backpack and comfortable sandals! Balenciaga, you are killing me ;) Need I wait for 20-30 years to feel comfortable wearing this splendid fragrance?

For me, this was not good. It has that sweet-synthetic scent that I find violets typically do on my skin. There is something a bit spicy in it, which I like, but the intense violet-powder aroma drowns that out too much. I do see why some would find this elegant, but for me it just seems too old-fashioned and stuffy.

just got my 1st bottle of Paris, lucky blindbuy by online.. i absolutely love it.. smells expensive,extraordinary and shopidticated.. its fresh,clean,elegant,modern and cool.. powdery,creamy,dewy and heavenly.. lasting power is amazing. love love love it.

Firstly, I love the bottle. I was hoping to love this perfume, but no such luck. It is a very pretty, light scent, like a lovely flower garden distilled and put in a bottle. I think the old lady comments are coming from the fact that it's a chypre and normally I don't like chypres but I like this one. It's very inoffensive and pleasant. It perhaps isn't a young perfume, but that isn't a strike against it. It is mature and elegant, but not old-ladyish. That implies musty and over-powering which this isn't. So as a floral chypre, it's great, chypres just aren't my kind of fragrance.

When this came out I first thought I might like it. It's rather tender and a daytime scent. But after re-trying it several times I didn't like it anymore. I agree with most here: "old lady style" and a bit bitter.

This perfume literally drips with opulence...perfect for a classy 50-year-old woman, but not for me!

I have been looking for a new perfume to love and after reading the glorious descriptions here, went in to David Jones Adelaide to sample it. Whilst there I sampled several other perfumes, taking home the papers. The only smell that kept wafting my way was Paris. Went back to see what it would smell like on my skin, and have definitely found my next favourite. It has lasted all day and I can't stop from putting my wrist to my nose! The deep violet is dominant but I love that. I will put off buying my third bottle of Dior Poison in as many years, and purchase Paris instead.

I really.... REALLY love this perfume, it is the perfect violets fragrance. This is spring joy in a bottle, sillage and lasting power BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.
Olivier Polge creations always give something special to the wearer. For me it is like a hot couture fragrance that still can be worn with casual clothes and make you feel pretty and elegant.


When my bottle finishes I will gladly search for another. Delightfull!!!!!!!

a "peppery violet purple" perfume, quite gorgeous. elegant yet not too mature of a scent. has a nice
warm dry down also. The bottle, oh..the bottle is so unique with the crackle top and the classic bottle design. I bought this with the first smell and i never tire of it.

This one is very beautiful scent.
A sweet, floral surprise by Balecianga!
A little powdery, i get the carnation note but still it is soft and not spicy at all.
I love it for sping, it is like a big bouquet of fresh flowers!
It is quite ladylike and not unisex as someone mentioned before.
Longlasting and a little green it will be a nice choice for your days and nights!

This is a very beautiful Perfume, very Parisienne and youthful.
On my skin I can not tell the difference between this and Eaudemoiselle by Givenchy. The latter I own already so I wont bother..
Might get this one next time as the Givenchy is a perfume staple.

I was just on my way out from the TaxFree-shop as I saw this bottle..I sniffed many of parfumes that day, but I decided to buy one just in case I would not be able to leave the shop without it.
Chanel, Dior, Gucci, D&G, Lancome... All them became so borring and tasteless after I have tryed BALENCIAGA PARIS...
I had a chance to test it on my skin for about 20 minutes. On me Violet smells marvelous, the parfume is delicious...
I had to turn back for this one, becouse it is not possible to forget :)

I so wanted to like this scent! And while it smelled quite lovely on paper, it turned into a nightmare on my skin - it smelled the way blood tastes, including the weird metal-y note. Gave me shivers. What a strange and rather unpleasant experience, I've never had a reaction as bad as this one with my skin. I strongly suggest to test before you buy.

Thank you, Yamba1, dear friend, for the chance to try this classic. This is certainly a BIG perfume, ultra-strong and powdery-lovely, mainly violet and rose. So feminine. It lasts forever on my skin. I think this confident perfume is suited for a big occasion, it's not for office/casual and not suitable for young girls. Luckily I'm mostly alone all day so I can wear it whenever I like and revel in it. Massive sillage. I'm very happy to add this decant to my collection.

Watery, green leaves mixed with milky, slightly creamy violets. The carnation gives the faintest peppery note, while the patchouli and cedar provide a very subtle frame to this most gorgeous violet artwork. The composition feels utterly modern with its more restrained palette and subtle shifts from top note to drydown, yet it rests on solid classic ground, like a slice of history made new again.

Whoa, this sample came to me by chance and I'm so grateful it did. What a beautiful perfume from top to bottom. The dry down was just lovely and strayed from the typical musk/vanilla/amber scent in most perfumes, which I appreciated. I feel this is a masterpiece.

I love the violets you get in the first few minutes, but the drydown for me is pretty boring. I want to wear this, and I adore the beautiful bottle.
I just sampled Creed's Love in Black and I don't like the violet in that one...too one dimensional.
Any suggestions anyone?

This fragrance has my approval :)
I tried it yesterday and had the chance to smell it all day long.
It's femenine and sophisticated.
I think Paris is a very safe fragrance: it does not have weirdness in it; its a well balanced fragrance.
In addition, I love the name, I love Paris.

Unique and sophisticated scent that will be sexy if it fits your personality (do you love it?). I feel great when I wear this. I love the smell.

I think that this one could be like cilantro. Either you really like it and it works great with your chemistry or not.

I wish that this perfume had more staying power, compared with say, Opium. But, it's pretty good.

In particular it's not too sweet, woodsy. My husband really likes it.

I like this one, as an objective observer of a work of art might acknowledge something is beautiful, but not feel compelled to own it or hang in on the wall.

I smell a well-blended, floral-spicy, vintage-seeming (which is good in my book), and completely accessible perfume, but for me not "swoon-worthy" and will not be one of my great loves. And yet, I think it's beautiful.

I really, really like this one although I do not see myself wearing it any time soon. For some reason the opening really reminds me of Marc Jacobs' Daisy but it is much more serious and grown up, while Daisy smells quite girly to me. Once it settles on my skin it leaves no doubt that this is a very feminine fragrance for a confident woman who knows what she wants (I do not associate it with the stereotype of a 'cold businesswoman). I adore how it manages to smell fresh and quite raw while at the same time maintaing this incredible feminine aura. I definitely see myself wearing this in a couple of years and I really regret that, although I adore it, I cannot really pull it off yet as there is a note that is a bit too grown up. Oh, I wish so badly my nose was trained enough to know what is that note! I might actually manage to feel completely comfortable in it on certain occasions when I'm in a certain mood, the weather is right, etc. but I think it is better for me to wait a bit because it will make the reunion so much sweeter. Nevertheless, I am sure that while waiting for the years to pass I will keep trying this one occasionally in department stores just to treat myself to this fragrance which is so perfect for me but just 'not yet'.

I was disappointed that this fragrance did not smell good on me. It smelled soooo good when I sniffed the bottle. On my skin it wore down into a nauseating patchouli nightmare. I can definitely see how it could be nice on the right person though.

I absolutely adore Balenciaga Paris! It's light, floral, fresh, feminine and great for everyday wear. Lasting power is very good too. It's a little sweet but definitely not too sweet. Elegant and noticeable but not overpowering. It's the favourite scent of one of my colleagues, she smells great wearing Balenciaga Paris. Even though we're quite different types of women, I think it suits us both, and that's one of the great advantages of this perfume. It just makes you feel pretty, no matter what age or kind of person you are. I wouldn't wear it to a rock concert or any other kind of wild night out, but other than that it's fine for most occasions. Well done, mr. Polge!

I had the chance to test this gorgeous fume on this weekend. I really like it.
The first sprittz gives a fresh violet but with a bit spicy note to it. maybe its the patchouli I cant't really describe it. Then the perfumes start to settle in the scent I really like. The violet turns into a bit spicy woodsy one with the cedar in the back ground. To me this is a very sophisticated scent. Its expensive so maybe a christmas present.

I met this perfume today. It knocked me off my feet. I live for scents, and very few strike me as classics, the perfumes that will be around for the next 70 or so years. This one will be.
Everyone's olfaction is different. I sense green along with floral in this ---refreshing yet sophisticated. It would fit a walk in the country, as well as a night at the opera. If you like the perfumes of Chanel and Guerlain, you'll love this.

This one aims at being elegant and classy in a minimalist but snobish way, and fails due to too high expectations. It is a common floral with some powder and green-airy, ending in a musty-bitter villain melange. Intellectual on a false pretense,it lacks sense of humour and generosity.

tried it yet again after reading so nice reviews but i feel only the carnation, can't smell violets on me at all which is a pity because i LUV the scent of violets...

hard core unisex frag...tried it a couple of times already, waiting to like it but no avail...otherwise i love most Balenciaga scents but this one doesn't smell as complex, it is lacking something can't figure out what though....

The bottle is just gorgeous and the top notes are intoxicatingly pretty and then after about ten minutes they turn bitter and sour on my skin. The notes I am left with are a soapy tea musk mess that smells so bitter that my mouth puckers when I smell my skin!! Perfect for someone, but not for me!!

I have just bought this heavenly perfume - in a wonderful handbag atomiser which looks like a piece of modern art - heavy, angular, black and white decoration. Why is called Paris? - its just like the scent you get when you enter one of those sumptuous florists shops somewhere on the left bank. There are ferns and lemon balm, iris, an under current of carnation and of course violets. Fabulous! Like another fan, I am going to alternate with my other favourite, Hermes Eau des Merveilles. And, yes, it reminds me of Le Dix - bought for me by my first love oh so long ago ...

Balenciaga Paris is a notion of a perfume beauty. Apart from Cristobal, it is my beloved perfume.
The violet and carnation are dominant notes, but overall the fragrance is like the most wonderful sypmhony of floral notes with a hint of patchouli.
It is my little treasure and I will certainly wear it often, it is a masterpiece, a genius in its own right, it has been worth waiting 12 years for Balenciaga designer house to release such a marvel.
I am speechless :-)
Perfect for a classy, self confident, mature lady, I cannot imagine a teenage girl wearing it - that would be what I call a fragrance crime :-)
Gorgeous, I purchased in dark and do not regret it - the fragrance is worth every penny I spent :-)
If you fancy getting to know what violets at dawn smell like, try Paris and you'll fall head over heels :-)

This is nice, violet carnation powdery elegance, ever so slightly bitter, but it's just a little too chypre for me. There are soft nuances of something skin-like here, or metallic, as Guest A.Rose has said. This is interesting, but unfortunately I can't see myself wearing this. But Im glad to have tried such a wonderfully created scent.
UPDATE Im finding that I miss my sample of this more and more... so Im now onthe hunt for a bottle or large decant he he.

I tested this one today and it is lovely. Lovely, little fresh perfume, with a perfect amount of sweetness to it. Just reminds me of spring. Not offensive in any way. Perfect for any occasion. I think about buying this one. I also adore the bottle, but I never buy a perfume for the bottle (anymore). But it is a beautifull perfume to me.

One of the prettiest, daintiest violet scents I own! I get the violets, and some green notes. Some violets are just way too sweet (I'm looking at you, Feerie), or powdery, or earthy, but this is just unabashedly pretty. I find it a very ladylike, polite perfume that would be killer for the office.

Green, herby violet (it's all about violets lately, ha?), it has some strange, greenish note..."strange", I guess, because name really doesn't fit it. I mean, come, on - "Paris"? How stereotypical can it get? Nevermind.

This scent reminds me of green fields filled with violets, or spring dusk, basicly, something natural, green, but also sofisticated and aristocratic.

As time passes, it doesn't get any weaker, although violet reigns the perfume, a mixture of cedar and patchouli makes all that green harmony complete. Very, very nice. It's not for me, but...

So, if you're sick of rose/blueberry/sugary/celebrity like scents - Paris just might be a way to go.

I have kept coming back to test this one and today I bought a full bottle. I have been tetsting scores of perfumes lately and most of them merge into the "forgettable" category. Not so with Balenciaga Paris. It smells expensive, refined, luxurious and very ladylike. This a pretty romantic floral that is not too sweet and best worn for daytime.
Whenever I wear this I want to don a flowing floral dress and have a ladies lunch!

It's one of the scents I tried today.
First thing that came to my mind was: It smells classy. Next thing was: I'm not in love...
Like beauty can kill the fun, like photoshopped images kill character...
Kept it on my wrist to experience the drydown and it sure went dry and it sure went down...
Didn't get any chypre..did get sweetness that went flat.
It's a pitty because I love the bottle and the package as well as the name.

it oddly reminds me of trussardi skin that i was wearing years ago...

I couldn't say that I really know much about the composition of perfumes but i have been using every possible perfume that exists on earth or at least i have tried most of them. Nothing really exicted me apart from Hermes Eau des Merveilles that I have been using for the past years. I tried Balenciaga's perfume today. I didn't buy it because i'm very picky and if I don't really like it I will not wear it. It's been a few hours and it's still smelling wonderfully on my skin. Finally, I think I'm going to alternate between Balenciaga Paris and Eau des Merveilles.

A spring -like feel: airy dresses and fleeting glances. A
bouquet of violets also has an old-fashioned tone, the
antique charm of a few dried petals that we find
between the pages of a book by Colette, traces of
memories, the work of art so fine that is the past....

I didn't know it is a Chypre Floral. I thought it's more a grown-up sophiscated floral fruity.

It is weird, but I really smelt a lot of fresh crispy green pear scent with soft sweetness in the beginning and I told myself it's the best pear scent ever!

About 3 hours later, the pear freshness is still there, but with more floral added in, which made the fragrance softer and really elegant and femmine. However, somehow this reminds me of traditional cologne plus nice optimistic notes from some new pink perfume like Baby Doll by YSL, but all in a unique and interestingly good way.

The perfume is really modern and refined, nothing like old-school chypre scents, somehow I feel it has some notes make it float in the air. Quite an interesting scent to try.

Beautiful, soft, crisp green violet fragrance that I really love - I adore almost all violet frags! I would dearly love to nab a full bottle of this, violet is the star of the show here. Gentle but crisp cedar is there and the patchouli, which I usually hate, actually grounds it a little. Carnation is usually a spicy floral but I dont sense it a lot here, it does however add a slight powdery component that slightly softens the greenness of this scent. One to have and love if you are a violet fan, if not, then this might not be your cup of tea.

When I smell this perfume, it takes me back to the streets of Paris. This is how I would imagine elegant French people would smell like...lol...
Love this perfume, very elegant and classy yet little modern.

tried it loved it bought it....

Violet is the trademark note of the house.

To me this is Balenciaga-Le Dix revisited,tuned to the era,much more airy and soft.

That make-up-bag-lipstick smell,an aldehydic breeze(not too strong,to remove the No5 referance)and violet all the way.

Terrible choice of name.Couldn't they be a bit more imaginative?

If this is your cup of tea you'll enjoy it.But I don't think that you'll buy a second bottle.

Smells very similar to "Daim Blond" by Serge Lutens

Liking soft scents, this has become my new favorite perfume, in Canada it is only sold at one store and they only have the perfume, it did seem a bit higher in price to some of the other french perfunes, but I bought it anyways, the smell of this perfume seems to work well with the oils of my skin, and it is quite refreshing and playfull. I will be looking forward to the other products in this scent.

It reminded me of my long deceased mother. For that reason I liked the memories it brought back of childhood, but I do not want to wear it. It was NOT hip, urban or edgy as claimed. I found it very powdery and for a much older woman (I'm 40)and it wasn't young enough for me. I prefer more spice and edge.

I smelled it on a magazine perfume insert and it smelled like Chowards violet mints. Not interested in trying this on my skin.

I am lucky to test it with a sample sent by a dear fragrantica member and I really like it. A serious scent and I picture myself wearing it only when I wear formal, staying power is incredible and I cannot wait to hold the bottle itself.
Violets & carnation gives a powdery and spicy feeling but they are well balanced. And the scent becomes better and better as it dries down. This is a violet dominant perfume but not candied violets or not mixed with iris and heliotrope (they seem to do it very often to make the powdery feeling more stronger I guess) Instead a soft patchouli shows up later on and I like this unique perfume a lot.

i have simply fallen in love with this scent. it's sophisticated yet romantic, mature yet easily pulled off by magnetic women of ANY age - your personality decides. It is bottled elegance.

Paris is elegant, feminine, soft and chic. I am pretty sure she spends the weekend at the country club with her friend Chanel. Very understated but high quality - think old money rather than new.

Violet is the star of the perfume however it does change throughout. When first sprayed the fragrance is more green and then as it dries becomes a touch powdery and very creamy. After 30 min or so the musk comes through giving a beautiful balance to the silky violet.

Paris' lasting power is deceptively strong,so much so that at first I accidentally over sprayed and it became a little overwhelming. It is not in your face but you will have gentle wafts surprise you throughout the day.

This gorgeous, versatile fragrance for me has the potential to be a signature daytime scent.

Beautiful uplifting fragrance . A subtle sweetness from the violet, tempered with the fresh green leaf note. Refreshing in the beginning and with a creamy warm dry-down. Excellent stuff in a beautiful bottle - perfect for Spring!

Absolutely beautiful; opening on a vegetal-sweet burst of powdered, polished greens, with a hint of soft floral (that mildly sugary, but clove-like beauty of a carnation note), "Balenciaga Paris" then moves into richer territory, evoking hard soap lather (think: Shaving soap) and creamy skin; dewy, musky night air and polished wood. It's just a magical fragrance, capturing the watery-nectar essence of intellectual florals like violet, iris and wisteria; yet, never really developing completely as a floral itself--always playing with being a skinscent or a metallic...or maybe an earthy floral. There's also something milky and organically complex about "Balenciaga Paris"--despite it's sheerer qualities--that lends it a timeless feel and at moments it smells like female skin first thing in the morning, then fresh air, then polished wood. Truly, an olfactory masterpiece and a "must try" for anyone who's curious about how chypre's can retain their distinct character in modern times.

I tried it a few days ago and I like it.
It's a little raw and chypre with a distict violet floating over all. No candy violet, thanks god! It smells vegetable and bitter. All in all it's nice, both modern and classic. It's elegant in a casual way, suitable for spring and casual-chic wear. It lasts quite enough.
The ad is very beautiful even if I don't usually like Charlotte Gainsbourg.

I tried this one yesterday, but it is NOT what I know Balenciaga to be!! Beautiful bottle, but the content, no no..