Portrait of a Lady Frederic Malle for women

For some reason this was sharp on me. Too sharp. Not for me. :/ Liked it a lot at first........

I'm honestly not in love with this fragrance, or really any of the FM scents besides Musc Ravageur. I could tell they're of very high quality and all, but they generally don't work well with my chemistry, or maybe I'm just a little too young to be able to appreciate them. Many of the FM scents are unique, strong florals; wonderful creations, just not my cup of tea. Portrait of a Lady is exactly that. The sharpness of the patchouli and dirty rose is simply too much for me. Too bad...

Wow! excellent perfume, ultra feminin, very elegant...it is strong yet subtile at the same time. Very complex perfume, reminds me of Lumiere Noir but the notes are blended in a much softer way...It lasts all day ( + day after!).To my nose it ends up a bit soapy after 8 hours which I really enjoy. This is a masterpiece if you like sofisticated rose- patchouli perfumes.

One the best perfume.Very sensual,very elegant and modern now.Prima!!!

The lady is a tramp! After the blaring, elephantesque opening of Frédéric Malle PORTRAIT OF A LADY, I was not surprised in the least to learn that the perfumer was none other than Kenzo JUNGLE L'ELEPHANT creator, Dominique Ropion!

Huge opening with a massive blast of patchouli along with incense and rose. The spices are quite a bit tamer here than in L'ELEPHANT, but this is still much more of an oriental than a floral perfume to my nose. I would compare this composition to Juliette Has a Gun VENGEANCE EXTREME, except that PORTRAIT OF A LADY is much sharper (partly due to clove?) and more declarative, even intense. They definitely occupy the same general neighborhood on the grand olfactory map. PORTRAIT OF A LADY is much closer to VENGEANCE EXTREME than to either LIPSTICK ROSE or UNE ROSE, the other two Frédéric Malle rose perfumes.

The longevity is great and the sillage big enough to make this a wear-at-home-only perfume for me. Very voluptuous and, frankly, unladylike in its brazen, almost animalic sensuality. I like it a lot, I really do. This is a no-holds-barred oriental patchouli perfume with some rose accents. Seems omnisex to me.

I really like this fragrance very much. But why is everybody talking about the rose and allmost nobody about the incense in this beautiful perfume? The insence is very very strong. I like that but it makes this perfume not exactly versatile. I don't mind smelling like a Roman Catholic church. I was practically raised in it. But not everyone appreciates that insence blast. When I purchased this perfume I thought it would be my new all time favorite, that's how much I liked it. But it turned out to be just a beautiful fragrance in my collection. I don't wear it that often. I don't regret buying it though. By the way, I bought the purse spray refills. It's practical to have three little spray bottles instead of one large one. It's also more afordable. (If you don't buy the rediculously expensive purse spray itself)

Beware of this Lady,
Once noticed, you will be delighted titillated
seduced* enticed overwhelmed* infatuated piqued provoked* spellbound* enamoured* ensnared riveted compelled* charmed* intrigued lured* transfixed enthralled aroused beguiled hypnotised* tempted thrilled bewitched* overpowered* intoxicated captivated* enraptured attracted attached stimulated drawn* enslaved* allured* engrossed entranced mesmerised* ravished* tantalised...

Though I'm a great fan of Dominique Ropion, this is one of his creations that I unfortunately am unable to wear. After many tries it just dosen't sit well with my skin.

Its a beauty but a dark beauty. On skin I get mainly middle/base notes from this perfume and later on the bottom notes make an appearance. But after 3 wears, the top notes are virtually nonexistent; I get some faint rose, no cinnamon or clove at all, and a small amount of rasberry but I've got to plant my nose to my skin to smell it.

It has a smell of 'perfume' to it, this is not merely a 'scent'. And its quite a long wearing one. 10+ hours each time I've tried it though I don't awake with the smell still on my skin.

On paper this is an amazing scent, and I can appreciate the structure of the scent, but from what I smell on my skin, or NOT smell as is the case, its not worth a purchase.

I love rose & patchouli scents and I adore Dominique Ropion. Also, I love the movie Portrait of a Lady (by Jane Campion). Alltogether this would make me buy this beautiful fragrance, but still, I don't know... I've tried patch and rose scents like Idylle Duet and Lady Vengeance before. And the problem is that they are all so darn good!

What I'm trying to say is that I need further testing before making up my mind. Portrait of a Lady is a true and complex beauty. It has an immense staying power and it changes bit by bit while it's maturing. But I'm not sure that it's "The One" just yet.

On paper, it's fantastic. It has the consistency of dreams. I pictured a beautiful blonde lady looking out of the window of her white mansion, smiling. It reminds you of all the things you wanted in life but couldn't get, but the memories aren't painful. It brings you back to the beauty of desire.
On my skin, though, it lost everything. The dream was over, and all that remained was a pale, cold rose.

I tried this one on several weeks ago and I love it. dusty roses, incense; slightly creamy and spicy. a bit stronger scent not overpowering, perfect for evening occasions. classic vintage scent; i'm thinking victorian era - reminds me of that type of a lady.
excellent lasting power-all day.

This is all about the Rose. Whatever type of extract or Rose it is, it is superb and all else simply is there to bolster and support it. I sat for a good half-an-hour sheltering from the rain after having got a sample from the shop, with my nose glued to the sample strip and my heart in rapture. There are indeed all the notes mentioned by Malle present and correct in this fragrance, and unmistakeably the materials used here are neither cheap or generic. But plenty of other perfumers would not have been able to put them together in such a way that they generated (in this reviewer at least) such an ecstacy.

at my inexpert nose:
It begin with raspberry blackcurrent and a sea of rose
after you find incense and rose.
a very unusual composition very liquid intense and feminine
for a lady:-)

Portrait of a lady is startling beautiful. Dark, sensual and provocative to my senses. This is not a scent i would associate with the term "lady" especially one from a Victorian era who would one day face an ill-fated future. This fragrance offers me many things i love, the powerful and sesnuous smell of roses with the scent of freshly crushed berries, i can almost taste the berries and the way they would roll around in my mouth, my teeth ripping through their flesh and my tongue massaging it softly but eventually swallowing it and leaving that beautiful and very bittersweet aftertaste in my mouth. The incense note is beautiful to, it gives the fragrance depth and darkness. This scent is AU$510 here in Australia because i think it is still relatively new here but it is a masterpiece and one i feel honoured to have in my collection.

This was nicely gourmand on me and smelled exactly like Turkish Delight. If that's the smell you love, this is a must!

I was so confident I'm going to love this, as I thought it is going to be something like Back to Black by Kilian, which I liked.

But, Portrait of a Lady somehow turned out sharper and harsher than I anticipated. I think, the separate parts of these fragrance are perfect by themselves - jammy rose, cinnamon&spices, aoud&patchouli... But when they are smacked all together, it resulted in too much sourness and sharpness. PofL also has this air of old-fashionness, which often works for some perfumes, but here, I think, it becomes a bit annoying.

Maybe, I wasn't in the right mood when I sampled it yesterday, but at that moment, this perfume did scare me off.

I've just purchased this wonderful creation from Barney's New York during my vacation.
On my skin the oriental notes appear to come alive.
Whilst dining at Balthazar last evening a female guest sitting next to me to ask what fragrance I was wearing and recorded the name into her mobile. She said that it was exquisite and had to ask!
I was so pleased as I too fell in love with it after a trial in Barney's.
Guys don't be mislead, if you love it buy it; don't worry if it is marketed as a female fragrance!
Enjoy.

Don't let the name misleading you, Portrait Of a Lady is a perfect unisex fragrance. Despite the fact oud is not listed between the notes I get a consistent dose of it together with pepper and, obviously, rose. In the opening, the pepper/rose accord brings to my mind of a sort of Parfum Sacre without civet, but then incense and oud make their appearance giving Portrait Of A lady a different twist. Patchouli and spices add extra depth to this solid composition. Amazing drydown.

A master composition that If you're into bold and spicy rose fragrances you'll surely dig. Comparisons with Black Aoud are inevitable.

Rating: 8/10

I did not see the film, I am merely adding my opinion on the perfume ...

I was looking for a smokey rose and this one got many votes, so got the green light. I had a little preoccupation that it might be high on patchouli but being FM and Dominic Ropion fan could not let this slip away from my radar.

Honestly, this is not a new favourite for me. It is very medicinal indeed. When i applied, i was wondering , oh god why the blackcurrant had to be there and what else is giving the sour smell in it (this time i can be utterly sure the fume is fresh - my sample i got from the manufacturer).
With the fruity references I was hoping for a sweet rose but all i got is a rose pickled in apple-vinegar, mint(?!) and patchouli (guess the mint-like aroma is given off by the 'incense' note).

This rose is dark indeed. It is not red any more - it is dead, brown and dry - killed in a conspiracy by the rest of the notes. And the murderers are enjoying their feast of kill in utter delight. So sad.

P.S. This smells like my grandma's wardrobe. She had a real timber one and she stuffed it with dried lavender and/or naphtalene to keep the moths away. She had some other dried flowers there too

P.S.2 If this perfume is a real fit to a certain person's personality - I don't want to know that lady

:-( i usually LOVE all creations of the great Dominic Ropion but this was not good on me, im sad bc the notes looked very promising and would usually smell good on me! but alas...not for me

[Rounding up and rounding out my notes from a blind sniff hosted by kterhark].

First blast: A big, spicy (cinnamon included), jammy rose with easily discernible black currant, incense and resins. Trying it blind, I wanted to rifle through samples of spicy rose--Czech and Speake Dark Rose, Rose Kashmire, and Histoires de Parfums 1876 and Moulin Rouge for comparison, but I couldn't find them.

This has a balsamy, slightly medicinal, patchouli, incense drydown like many of the Via Profumo perfumes I've tried.

Loud and hardly lady-like, this one promises at first to be a sillage monster, but eventually softens to a gorgeous, polite drydown.

Very nice, but of the sea of patchouli roses that seem to be the fragrance du jour--not my favorite.

Opens as a deep patchouli incense rose- cinnamon gives it a hint of spice without coming to the foreground...and thank goodness I cannot detect the cloves! This reminds me of L'Artisan's Voleur de Roses but a touch sweeter; I think there may be saffron in it as well as a touch of powder(clean patch?). POAL is very much inspired by middle eastern fragrances though it is certainly softer and cleaner in the drydown (westernized a little, if you will). The rose seems to subside in the far drydown though it is still present, intermingling with the subtle spices and incense- this lady is relaxed and none too wild!

I have a feeling that this is a love it or hate it perfume. At the moment, I am definitely in the later camp. I will probably torture myself with it a few more times, but it feels really conservative, uptight and depressing to me. There is something about this one that reminds me of Rue Cambon- same suffocating feeling in both. Maybe they will work come spring or summer? Sigh.

Starts out as a woody rose, strong and muscular and harsh. I really don’t smell the fruits and spices that are listed, but I suppose it’s because they blend into and help form the shape of the rose. It’s a full-flowered, dark rose, accompanied by patchouli and a lot of ambroxan - so much that it almost overpowers the rose but never quite succeeds, so the two engage in a push-pull game, twirling around in circles, vying for top billing.

As the perfume dries down, the notes eventually blend into a whole, a golden rose carved out of aromatic, resinous wood, swallowed by a whale, and vomited back up again coated in ambergris, aged in the sea for decades, then washed up on the beach and put in a Victorian lady’s curio cabinet where it combines with the scent of the cabinet wood.

I like Portrait because it’s assertive. Like a good Arabian perfume or 80s perfume, it doesn’t tiptoe around worrying that it will offend someone. It has character. It has just enough sillage, and it lasts and lasts. I’d be willing to bet that it will still be on my clothing after at least one washing. It’s fairly linear, so if you don’t care for rose and ambroxan, here’s fair warning that you’ll be stuck with it for a long time.

Ooh, Perfection! But this is one of those fragrances that will be all over the place, it seems. I really love it. The opening sniff smells like a cardboard box holding a bunch of spring leaves, but this quickly gives way to an incredibly gorgeous floral.

Unlike other reviewer's comments, the rose sits loud and proud on me. It stays right under my nose and I feel like it fills the room. It spends 2 hours being an art nouveau rose, and if you wanted to know what color I would say chartreuse. Yes, I know this is a funky shade of green, but that's what came to mind. But I must add: my chemistry strongly amplifies green notes and this is what I get here. I'm also getting a powdery accord, probably from the benzoin.

Parting thoughts: I have two fragrances that rotate in and out of my 'favorite perfume spot': Mitsouko and Caron's Pour une femme. Une femme (parfum) is very similar to this; both are incense rose frags with a patchouli/amber/musk base. Now that Portrait is strutting off to the dry down it is becoming more and more like Une Femme. So much so that I may not need to buy it.

But my take is that this is a big Woot Woot!

On my skin it's a beautiful soft rose in a bed of spicey incensce, the rose much weaker than I'd expected from the perfumer's own description. In the top notes I ll get a lot of cinnamon and clove and rasperry but not rose..after an hour or so I can detect the rose in a whiff of musky amber and incense..it stays very close to the skin and has not a big sillage in my opinion. I have to spray and layer it again and again to get the rose out..maybe it s these cold days and dry heating air, it may turn out totally different in hot humid summer days:) can't wait to test it again then... For now I'm sticking to my stronger roses like Rose Chypree or Eau Suave d'Empire.

This sample came as a surprise in a swap with Celina. Thank you!
Absolutely a beautiful fragrance. I hope people will not mind if I speak about my impressions rather than the notes, because, well, you can all read the notes, right?
The opening was sort of like a soda at the beach - fizzy and a hint of salt. (No suntan lotion, I promise. It's a very elegant scent.) After a moment when my brain started to deconstruct the total total effect into components, it becomes clear that this is a rose fragrance. The light rose that was popular in late century green chypres, if you see what I mean. Remember the smell of walking into a department store? Like that.

If I have a criticism, it's that the perfume is cooler in the drydown than I anticipated. Often fragrances warm on the skin. It's not even really a criticism, more an expression of surprise.

Edited to clarify, that I'm not calling this perfume a green chypre, just to draw a comparison in the way rose is used, and clarify what kind of rose I'm getting.

Portrait of a Lady is softer, fruitier, and sweeter than I expected it to be. I could sense the berries clearly in the initial and middle stages of development. They are quite pleasant, actually. I can also feel the cinnamon, which, like the berries, gives Portrait a slightly sweet (though not gourmand) undertone.

The rose declares its appearance surprisingly gently, and it is a softer rose than the one I imagined (purplish, maybe, but not truly dark). It remains a constant presence in the composition. On my own skin, the incense makes a strong statement though it is softened by modern, delicate musk notes. What I especially liked in this fragrance was the spicy nuance (the cloves, I think), which tickled my nose warmly. I wish I had felt the benzoin better.

It is a tastefully done, beautiful fragrance, and if you like a combination of roses, berries, and incense, you should rush and try this one. It turns out I am not a great lover of incense after all.

Longevity is excellent.