Notorious Ralph Lauren for women

I had never smelled Notorious so I didn´t dare to take a chance on a FB but bought the body lotion at a great price. The scent feels very chypre, reminiscent of Chanel Chance when it comes to the patchouli, very dry and refined in my opinion, not the earthy variety. I cant stop smelling my skin so that should mean that I like it a lot. ;) :) Now I'm incredibly curious about how Edt smells!

Starts off with a sweet/sour blast of black currant. Peppery patchouli top notes dry down into creamy white chocolate.
Overall it's smooth and not too sweet. Sensual, but not overly feminine. I had no idea what to expect when I blind bought this but I figured either way it would be interesting.
Whereas Fantasy comes at you like a wall of Symphony bars the white chocolate in Notorious is soft & subtle. It gives Notorious a gourmand quality without overbearing sweetness.
It smells a bit old fashioned, but in a good way. It's almost reminiscent of a more modern version of Elizabeth Arden's 5th Avenue series.

NOTORIOUS is a gorgeous mix of tarte fruits and chocolaty patchouli. It is smooth, warm and sexy. The choco-chouli is infused with sweet spice and baby powder.

NOTORIOUS is suggestive - it hints sweet flowers, mouth watering plummy notes, sour and spicy peppery chutney. On the skin, it reveals beautiful layers of fresh fruits and sensual floral all wrapped in a cashmere cloud. I happen to love this controversial perfume.

If a perfume can be empowering, NOTORIOUS will be mine. I love wearing this when I feel daring and womanly. It's the equivalent of a push-up bra or red lipstick in fragrant liquid form.

I liked the idea behind this perfume - inspired by yesteryear actresses who were glamorous, bold and sexy! However the perfume itself doesn't live up to the concept so much. It smells okay, to be sure, but it spoils easy and in a humid city like Mumbai, it just doesn't hold up!

Huh, interesting. All I smell for the first 30 minutes is sparkling Sprite, strong on the lime and not much else. Then a little of the pink pepper comes in, and Pink Pepper Sprite is a strange scent indeed, and I'm glad this only lasts a few minutes. Finally, I smell some vanilla and spicy floral which must be the carnation, but the sparkling lime Sprite scent remains. Strange as it sounds, I find I quite like it. It's a refreshing but slightly spicy citrus-floral that makes me look forward to spring. Based on the notes listed and the reviews I expected something quite different, but I am pleased enough with the results to it put on my wishlist for spring.

Update: I saw a good deal on a bottle of Notorious while shopping for something else so bought a bottle and put in a drawer for Spring where I assumed this scent would go, or maybe Summer because of the very strong lime scent I experienced with my sample. Not winter, I was sure. But, I very soon realized I was mistaken, and also that some part of me knew it. Today, a warm morning in January, mid 40s, with low clouds, a light rain and a close humidity in the air, I heard Notorious calling to me from inside its box hidden away in my dresser drawer as I contemplated the two scents sitting on top I had deemed more appropriate for the season. I couldn't shake its persistent voice. So I took it out and putting it one, thinking, what the heck did I have to lose? And it might be fun to be a little off kilter. Meanwhile, I had visions of coworkers giving me strange looks and visions of myself walking around sighing in distracted irritation at a scent that just didn't quite fit. But, Notorious turned out to be the absolute perfect choice for the day! I didn't get the strong Sprite scent I had with the sample. The lime was still there, but it was a background scent, sparkling like crystal rain or a tiny stream in the sun. The spicy floral is stronger, and I get a woody green scent like wet evergreens, pine and cedar, but not too strong as to be medicinal or sharply bitter. Its really the absolutely perfect scent for a warm, rainy, dark morning, the soft, spicy scent of a still sleeping evergreen wood, with warm, sunlit rain, and the very light scent of citrus blossoms like a promise of Spring!

Simply Delicious and makes me feel extremely fine: that´s what it counts. The secret is to wait a few minutes after you apply it to feel the sensation. Lovely!! ^_^

It's too Spicy for me. If it Was for me to decide I Would add sweetening notes - but what do I know :-)

Some negative reviews here, but I must say I like this juice. Notorious has a papery, woody feel that reminds me of an abandoned building, in a good way-- dark, heavy baseboards, chipped paint, romantic recollections of the past. Nevertheless, the perfume itself is on the light side, not too strong, a bit floral and very wearable. I would wear it on a cold, dark day if I was in a quiet and contemplative mood (like today!)

the name, notorious, seems so scary. but the juice, doesn't scary at all. it's safe to wear to the office and nothing special to write about.

This one has lasted about a minute on me. I have used up a 30ml bottle in a week!!! Those who know Coco M and So Elixir from Yves Rocher will most likely agree that Notorious is not so distant a relative to both. Corporate it is ( thanks to the masculine note ), also sparkly and light ( thanks to the citrus essence ), but it doesn't make it there into the rang of Chanel, and it is neither cheap nor cosy enough like So Elixir. If it had ANY staying power at all on me - I would have probably even considered wearing it to the office in autumn ( for me it seems to be best suited for those days ), but being a brunette, I am almost sure that it would suit a blonde much better, especially someone, whose skin does not absorb every scent's molecule at a remarkable speed!

Oh, the most horrible parfume I have ever had. Just horrible. Avec mes excuses.

I loved it when it had just released. But now it's just a lot of patchouli. My skin has a tendency to vamp up the patchouli i guess.

Indian Member's - I'm open to swap a 75ml full Edp bottle :).

When I first tried this I thought the name was very appropriate indeed because I really disliked it and thought it was for my taste one of the if not the fragrance I disliked most. I still have the same reaction to this fragrance although I might consider it interesting because although there are plenty o chocolate smelling fragrances these days, I do not know of any other scent which smells so much of chocolate. Well, this is chocolate. I do love chocolate, but not this particular recipe, which makes me think that if the chocolate bars I like so much smelled like this I would never touch them. Anyway, I can easily imagine someone really liking this fragrance and also it becoming almost as addictive as chocolate itself.

Proper adjectives: enchanting, fresh, modest, innocent, your everyday use and very very safe.
Not not not notorious.

Stepsister: Amarige D'Amour

I cant believe the same company that produced Lauren made this uninspired perfume. On my skin this is a linear scent that starts and ends the same. Chocolate and Berries, thats the main accord that stands out. To its credit its not too sweet, but oh so Boring.

And as far as the name?? Notorious? This perfume is about as Notorious as a Catholic school girl who buffed her saddle shoes with a different shade of black.

Starts off too strong for me, but does improve after a little while. Just not for me.

Well just got this perfume today, a bargain on ebay, I've still not decided if its for me or not. Not usually the type I would buy as I like a more oriental scent. For me the first spray smelled like lemon furniture polish, very citronella like, I think this would be the bergamot top note, it's settling down a bit now to quite a florally smell, prob peony or carnation. It's getting better the longer it's on, can smell the vanilla coming through now warming it up a bit. It's ok, probably an office type perfume, definately day wear, spring/summer, bright,clean and citrus fresh.Packaging and art deco bottle are beautiful, very subtly glam and expensive looking. I could see a well dressed, professional lady wearing this.

The impression I get from this fragrance is oriental, spicy seductiveness, with splashes of chocolate. It reminds me of Yves Saint Laurent, Opium. I love it.

This is great and I think it does represent it's name well - it is like a diet coke with a slice of champagne cake and a bite of chocolate on a silver fork - there is a cola, champagne, tiny metallic note and a little chocolatey whiff The pink pepper at the beginning goes away very quickly but it is nice and a bit fruity at the first whiff. It reminds me a little of Noa after the dry down but more exciting. I do think it would be appropriate to wear day or night as it seems to stay pretty close to skin

I love black & white movies, film noire and the wonderfully sassy, empowered and 'cool' leading ladies. The name and the thought behind Notorious had given me such high hopes I bought it un-sniffed. I liked the box, the bottle with its art deco sharp lines, perfect! It was all very promising. But the scent? A disappointment.

This is definitely not something I imagined Marlene Dietrich wore whilst wearing her tux, Lauren Bacall smelled like when telling Steve how to whistle, and Ingrid Bergman walking into Ricks Cafe wearing this? Never!
It is too watery, easily mistaken, and over all very 'plain'. The black currant and pink pepper is all I pick up once the perfume settles, and only in a hint at that.
Than it's like it develops a watery smell and it becomes deluded and fleeting.
It definitely doesn't evoke in me the thrill and charm of the era and the characters it's suppose to represent. Those ladies had a spine, this perfume is ordinary and can't stand its ground. Nice thought, wrong scent. Shame!

::Fun Fact:: After some digging it appears the the above mentioned actresses wore the following fragrances:

*Marlene Dietrich: Bandit - Fracas - Tabac Blond - Creed Angelique Encense (which was made for her.) - Indiscret Lelong - Vol de Nuit.

*Lauren Bacall: Calandre.

*Ingrid Bergman: Mitsouko.

Very interesting. As if you mixed a gorgeous gourmand oriental with notes of chocolate and patchouli with 1/3 Cool Water. I first smelled this in 2008 when it came out, I somehow got a little sample from a fragrance counter. I really liked it, but I couldn't afford a bottle at that time. Now, you can find minis on eBay for $6, so I quickly bought one when I saw it, remembering how much I liked my little sample. The scent seems more aquatic now than it did before, I don't remember it smelling this much like Cool Water. I still like it but it seems like it will be a hard fragrance to wear for me - who wants to smell like chocolate in the middle of summer?, and I don't want to smell like Cool Water in the winter. I'll stick to wearing it on gloomy, cloudy days like today. It does have a fizzy beverage quality that lightens my mood.

I Love this on girls. Its very nice fragrance.

There were 2 "Thomas Crown" Moviews.

First, 1968, Dunaway and Steve McQueen.
Second 1999, Rene Russo & Pierce Brosnan.

Just to clarify.
Faye Dunaway also did print ads and commercials for Norell.

What I got from this was a loud, booming mess of chocolatey, floral and Sea Island Cotton-y notes :( It stayed this way the whole time, leaving me nauseous and disappointed. It's a beautiful bottle and smells delicious on my mom. Definitely test on skin before buying.

Notorious starts off with notes of sweet,peppery,chocolate cola.The florals stay in the background and act as back-up singers to this overall chocolate-patchouli fragrance. It is a sexually suggestive scent and has excellent sillage. I like it because it's not a faceless ditz in the sea of commercial conformity.

Very strict, aloof and alluring at the same time parfyum.Idealen for office .. and business meetings

A nice, spicy peppery rose scent. Quite strong, walk through one little spritz and it lasts all day. I don't find it unisex at all, I think it's very womanly. Not a scent for your teenage daughter, this is a serious grown up woman scent. I only use it in the winter because it feels so warm to me. It's not for everyone, so if you're into "me too" scents this isn't for you. I find it to be unique and wonderful!

Oh this is very heavy and sharp. got sick smelling it , run and scrubb.
to much sharpnes and pepper in the opening. carnation is pretty strong to .
i was hoping for somthing moer subtle in this one . It reminds me so so much off another perfume i had , but i can not put my finger on which ... luckely i only have a mini off this one , to much off everything.

I guess thhis would be lovely one somebody else , but i cant take this close to my nose at all.. got so dissy..
Not many perfumes do that to me

Opening on my skin: sharp peony. When it dries down (slowly, maybe 2h) it turns lovely, sweet and earthy. Love it!

The smell is classy, has a great lasting power and it's pretty but I can't wear it. Why? It reminds me of funerals, there is a smell of cemetery flowers... the bottle with an inscription looks the same.

I tested Notorious today and i'm really glad i did. I almost bought it blind a little while ago.
It just doesn't go with my chemistry at all. At first all I got was a heavy dose of mosquito spray. Oh well, I thought, let's just wait and see. It's not that unususal for me to dislike the opening of a perfume and love all the rest of it.
Too bad, the bug spray stayed on. It didn't even seem to change at all. Half an hour later I gave up and scrubbed it off.
It was really awful on me. Too bad, I was so sure I'd like it.

Wow this is such an unusual perfume! I bought it blind based on reviews here and very pleasantly surprised! Wish I'd bought the 50ml now!

I agree when you first spray it -its a bit harsh and unisex. The drydown of this is a musky chocolate vanilla, at least on me. What really made me buy this is that feeling of pure style ( somehow it makes me think of a woman from the 40s or 50s wearing something elegant but during the day not the night) this perfume exudes 15 minutes after you put it on -its like airborne!:)

It's all about chic, glamour & seduction.
Not as many many fragrances in the perfumeries, this one is formulated strictly to give you that kind of world - yeah, well, cinema world you admire on the screen. Without knowing who was inspiration during creating Notorious, I was like, yeas, that what I name `blast of neverending glamour`. I see in it Hitchocock`s blond actress, cold and always keeping distance but so irresistant, monumental beauty of woman's charm. Notorious has icy spikes of distance but at the same time soft velvety touch of dark chocolate. Flowers are elegant and almost unvisible, what I can pick is cool brisk of crystal & warm seductive sweetness.
Well, yes. I quite love it.

This is so insane - if I didn't know this came out in 2008 I would have sworn this is a early to mid-nineties kind of scent. It's got a feisty, peppery bite that very much screams "successful business woman in heels". It's what the Giorgio-wearing office gal would wear after climbing up the ladder and moving into her corner office with skyline view.

A little too in-your-face to me, although I like its androgynous tendencies. A guy could definitely wear this; this scent has that much "balls", if you know what I mean.

This smells like a strong executive sexy women with a secret wild side.I like this Fragrance it smells very nice but not great, but nice with a nauthy wild side.It open up strong like an agressive man in need but it gets Femme fatale after 20 min.Is for everyday use for a modern mature women with a edge.Someone about 25 and up can wear this.This would be perfect for a sex kitten like Samatha from sex in the city!!!

atiet97, I think I know what you mean! There is something of a softdrink in it (if spice-cola exists, this would be it!) and I find Notorious very american, too, although can't really name why!

People seem to hate this one, but I really, really like it. I even get the glamour part, because the drydown is quite classy and very sexy, Gucci-like way.

It is not a complicated scent but the very combination of notes makes it quite difficult. The opening is mint+bubblegum+yeah,maybe coca-cola+pepper, after that it gets incredibly sweet, with a spicy undertone that makes it somehow dirty. After a while a strange, a bit stale and detergent note emerges.

Doesn't sound too attractive, but it all makes sense somehow! These 2 stages are quite difficult for me but not repulsive. Then, further it goes, more chocolate-with-pink-pepper it gets, very enjoyable this note. Patchouli is there all the time, but not separable from other notes, just to give edge to the composition.

The drydown is musky and warm, with detectable orris root and vanilla. The base notes combine in a very special way and are definitely the most successful part of Notiorious.

I love the ad, Laetitia is so beautiful here and I like the style. I think it fits the perfume well. But to be a classic and really hollywood-glamourous it should improve a lot both on lasting power and sillage, as it is quite delicate all the way.

Love the overall theme, the design, the bottle, even the juice. However this reminds me too much of a Cola soft drink.

That's why it instantly matched the images of stars and stripes, red, blue and white; the USA's flag! People dancing in a ballroom, in a 50's scene of summer prom night, dressed in young and classy fashion but trapped in time.

So strange...does anybody get the same feeling, or it's just me and my imagination?

For those of you who tried covet by sjp but found something went wrong on you then try this. This one has the smooth chocolate but the spice as well. It is not cupcake chocolate so Britney lovers need not apply. This one may help you replace covet as well because I think that has been discontinued.

this is a very uncommon. chocolate flowers vanilla ... smells strong and manly when you first spray it on then it fades over night and you can smell soft sweet smell next morning. this, is some good stuff...this is classy and elegant perfume.

I love love this. It smells like chocolate and vanilla and spice on me. I never get sick of it. A male could wear it. It does have a coldness to it I was very annoyed when Safari became really hard to get but this is just as good. I think this and pure turquoise have hit the spot very different but somehow you can't stop sniffing them.

Still one of the best feminine I've ever smelled.
This one opens a little bit boozy and the booze is Raki (a famous Turkish beverage). But it’s hidden and if you hadn’t smelt Raki, you cannot recognize it in the blend because Raki doesn’t smell alcoholy.
It opens with pepper and bergamot and is sharp and unisex but after a while its feminine heaviness appears and black currant plays boldly. In the second step currant still play and more than flowers and still in the dry down this story continues!
It’s not a sexy feminine perfume but immensely attractive especially for girls more than 25 and newly married women! Presents charismatic and charming in an absolute feminine way. It’s smoky and sweet scent make men to near you and sniff sniff fff ff... and such a great pleasure for the moment of being told “you smell wonderful today”! I know girls are crazy about it!
It has a bitter pattern too which reminds me Ferre for men.
Anyway, I suggest it for whole day and whole seasons but not so good summers. It’s an everyday perfume and easily can be worn for official occasions and ceremonials. Casual? Take a look again to the bottle…!
Longevity 10/10
Sillage 8/10
Scent 9/10

The first time I smelled this is was on a strip in a magazine. It struck me as quite different than anything that was out at that time so I had to try it. It's extremely feminine & classy smelling. I love that it doesnt change on my skin all day and you can still smell it on your clothes the next day (without smelling stale) Its a cozy cool weather smell to me.

Too serious, too strong, to plastic, at least on my skin... It starts with bergamot in the morning (on me) and doesn't change until evening (boring). It only gets a little subdued, but does not develop at all - it's the same in the morning and in the evening after a long day. This is how I imagine a strict school teacher, with a bun and turtle shell glasses would smell. Too classical. It's sweet and sour at the same time and something about it just makes me sick.

All femme minus the fatale!

Pure elegance with no room for behaving badly. It's refined & poised with a floral bouquet of utter femininity. Subtly sultry & effortlessly chic.

A plunge into scentsational delight. A beautifully blended swirl of pink pepper, black currant & bergamot, a trace of peony & just enough vanilla to keep the senses soaring.

men can easily use it, it is for them. notorious is like a dry, bite gin.....

This is a warm fragrance. In the opening i smell burst of something minty about it, which i like. It stay about few minutes and became less minty..after that all i can smell is warm sweet floral. I love this scent in someone else but when i wear it, i i just know this is not my style. It does smell nice however. Just swap this with local girl.

Oh by the way i almost shock when i see patchouli note in it...because i really can't detect patchouli in this fragrance. What a surprise, my skin always pick up patchouli note, but not with this one.

yesterday, I try to test. I couldn't detect exactly what the notes contained by this fragrance. But I was feeling warm by sniffing it, and a hint of mint comes to my nose. Like it!

When I first tried Ralph Lauren's "Notorious" it wasn't Love At First Sight. Sure it smelled good, but it was nothing special to me. However, I tried it again a month ago and it sent my olfactory into a buzz. It invoked in me images of my mother as she dolled herself up for a night on the town with my papa when I was just a little girl. Immediately, I was overwhelmed with love inducing aromas of my childhood. I was swept away by complete nostalgia. Black currants, pink pepper, bergamot, carnations, orris root, peonies, patchouli, musk and vanilla. There isn't an element of this fragrance that I don't enjoy. I love this bottle of juice. It reminds me of scents long forgotten from my childhood with it's old hollywood personality. Words can barely describe the wonderful feelings this perfume invokes within me. It truly is that beautiful......nuff said.

notorious is addicting,seductive, sexy perfume, i see where the ad came from it absolutely capture old Hollywood glamor when i first smelled and has this sparkle halo around when u wear it .i was captivated by the first note and i wasn't sure what it would turn into since it started so good usually thats doesn't end well but notorious did not let me down i can smell peony and little carnation although the pink pepper is detectable then vanilla and musk appear stronger than begining...its beautiful oriental journey if u want to stand out this is the fragrance for you and i was actually surprised when i read many negative reviews about it ,its divine ,compliments guaranteed... and long lasting too.

Why on earth does it feel aquatic to my nose I am not sure as there are hardly any aquatic group notes listed here.
I wish carnation was more 'visible', I also cannot detect pink pepper which I love, neither can I detect any vanilla?
It is a very interesting fragrance, where notes do not stand out on their own.
Very soft and aquatic, it is so soothing to me. I really love it.
Well worth having in your collection as it is a little work of art in perfumery.
Can be worn in any season and certainly will have that head turning factor on your work colleagues :-)
No cloying, no headiness, no nausea, it smells special. Expensive.
Well done, Ralph!

Hi.

NOTORIOUS by RALPH LAUREN is one of those perfumes that Everyone can Love or Hate it But in My opinion this is a Priviege for this kind of Perfumes for One reason.This kind of perfumes are Unknown for Most People so Never Comes to a Common Perfume.

I love NOTORIOUS. It represents the Essence of Femininity.The Seductive Blend of Pink Pepper,Bergamot and Black Currant Meets with Subtle hints Of Peony Touched With Vanilla and Makes it Feminine,Classic,Little Sweet,Spicy, Charming,Romantic,Elegant and Audacious.

It is a Very Well mixed Combination and I Would Recommend it for a Lady want to make a Lasting impression and turn heads Specially Men as When you wear it Men will think you are a Femme Fatale. It is a Nice pal for SPECIAL Moments in AUTUMN Evenings.

Sillage?Great.

Longevity?About 7 Hours on my skin.

7.5/10

To me it smells like black licorice and artifical cherry. The smell of alcohol lingers long after it's dried on your skin.

I am with Action on this one. It is a lovely Floral Oriental and the only Ralph I own that smells sexy. I have Pure Turquois (day), Safari (my fave for day), Love (night romantic), and Notorious (night, sexy) It will not beat out CK Obsession for pure sex, but it is still enticing. Notorious has a rich creamy scent.

The silage and longevity are both good. It is not a silage monster though.

I am happy most people are not all that fond of this because that makes it more affordable.

I find this one very easy to wear but a bit unchallenging. It reminds me slightly of Brandy and Coke. Not remarkable enough to be bottle worthy though it's reduced in a lot of shops now (musn't be a best seller) Shame, as it's quite nice.

I sniffed this at a local discount store recently and i have to say the actual juice smells very different from the magazine ad, which had a distinctive licoracey-mintyness to it.

On my skin, peony and vanilla dominated. It smelled sophisticated and slightly distinctive but safe - not "notorious" at all. A forties siren would never wear such an agreeable perfume.

The note of chocolate is missing here, but I think that might be an important fact for some members here!
:-)

Notorious happened to be pretty distinctive perfume. At start I felt that I need to understand it as it's not so easy. Something in it smells like chamomile tea. I feel spiced up peony, but can't figure out if carnation here is flower or spice. I keep thinking spice. There's also a little saltiness present to it. Which made me remember Diabolo Rose. Worth a try.

I bought a gift set at Marsall for 10 dollars without trying. And I just love it !! On me it is sweet & sour very wierd and very beautiful . I get lots of complements !! and it last 5+ hours or more Just love it.

Covet & Notorious have something in common - they both make me feel a little uneasy.

Covet is quirky & tries hard to please. Notorious is an odd beauty, & she knows it, she likes it, & she just doesn't give a damn what you think.

Both try to combine the same idea of zesty freshness with sweet & warm chocolate-muskiness. It shouldn't work - but it kind of does.

Notorious smells a little fierce on my skin - a dry, peppery ginger & bergamot boots me awake before it starts mixing it up with 85% cocoa dark chocolate bars studded with blackcurrent & fruity pink peppercorns. The flowers are all but drowned out as the base fights the top notes for supremacy.

Notorious would suit a Boadicea of the boardroom... gilded, bold, different & just a little disjointed & unhinged. A love/hate relationship for me - the naughty minx!

I do not understand why people do not like it, I love it, it is subtle but surely present! GREAT!

Wow, this is such a unique scent! First smell was quite strange - a lot of pepper and bergamot - but I love the way it dries down! It's really sexy and classy and the lasting power is great! Of course, it's not for everyone as it is different from all of fruity-florals out there, but if you like spicy fragrances, you should try this one. I LOVE it and had to have it.

This reminds me of Sprite for some reason

I wish I could just have a chat with this fragrance: Love the dress, hate the shoes. It's like wearing a lovely strapless designer gown with Doc Marten boots.

If only I could keep the sunny opening notes and the cheery floral peony - and ditch the fussy vanilla that feels completely out of place and overpowers everything else. The vanilla is headache-inducing. It does, however, last a really long time.

Got this as a gift from my husband. I hated the scent when it was in the bottle but once I sprayed it and it dryed down it smells quite wonderful:)

This is a deep scent Reminescent of Icy Ingrid Bergman to Notorious. Tough Streetwise Barbara Stanwyck to Double Indeminity. The distant fire of Rita Hayworth to Gilda. The Grand Dames Of
Noir. they'll love you by day
Kill you by night The Chocolate and woods will lure you to her Trap full
of Sexual Intrigue Jealousy Revenge
until your life will run out.
and no ESCAPE!

Something about Ralph Lauren NOTORIOUS really does not click for me. The bergamot-currant opener, for starters. While I cannot say that it is repugnant, it seems somehow forced or strained, like a double knit dress one size too small...

The artificial florals that emerge next seem misplaced, as though they really belong somewhere else. Perhaps at a theme park or atop a frozen daquiri...

The drydown, too, somehow does not come through to rescue NOTORIOUS. Neither the vanilla nor the musk, nor even the patchouli sings through. A general dissonance reigns throughout this composition.

Perhaps this is the sort of confusion that the Ingrid Bergman character felt as she slept with the Claude Rains character, although she was in love with the Cary Grant character. So maybe the name is fitting after all.

I actually really like this; It's a little citrus-y at first because of the bergamot, but then it quickly starts drying down, and you can really smell the rest of the notes begin to work together to create a lovely warm, fruity finish. To me, it smells like a cross between 'Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel' and 'W by Banana Republic.

I’ve been testing loads of fragrances as I want an image overhaul. Ralph Lauren’s NOTORIOUS is in the middle for me. It’s not a fragrance I want to wash off, but I wasn’t wowed.


I couldn’t pick out any individual scent notes.

There wasn’t a noticeable difference between the top, heart & base notes either. All of the fragrance notes seem to jump out and hit me at once.

NOTORIOUS seems quite masculine to me and I’m a girlie girl.



The staying power isn’t very good considering the initial strength and the price. The bottle is pretty though.

i smell kind of a gingery smell..it could be the pink pepper..it also smells like it would ddry down to a very spicy soap if that makes sense...really good but kind of pricy...if you want it get it...its pretty good

I'm quite picky about my perfume because most make my nose itch or make me feel sick but I absolutely LOVE Notorious. It it such a classy and high quality smelling perfume without being hoity toity (spelling?). People are right that it could almost be a man or woman's perfume but don't let this turn you off. I have asked my two brothers and another male if they like the smell for me (a female) and they loved it. Men always love a perfume with a little vanilla in it. I don't see how you could go wrong with Notorious. Its fantastic!

I got this today after sampling it a few times and I asolutely love it.I smell chocolate in this and something else it smells so good and lasts a long time.I found my signature scent.

Well the notes sounded good but unfortunately I can't say I like how they pull together for this one. It's heavy in a syrupy way. I suppose there's a note you could attempt to call chocolate if you really wanted to find it. It was very strong at the beginning, then faded after about 30 minutes to a more wearable level. This is good because there was a sour note that was begging me to wash it off. The sour note didn't soften until a good hour had gone by. It's interesting, I can't say really bad, but the sample vial I received is all I'm going to need.

Very masculine scent. Not spectacular though. At first I smell only spices, and then bergamot and vanilla. I think I would enjoy this on a man, certainly not on me!

Love the vintage appeal of the bottle, the name and the ad with the superb Laetitia Casta... love everything but the jus.

Oh my gosh CAT PEE..... You must have one beautiful smelling cat. I love it. I wouldnt call this NOTORIOUS at all, its not a loud scent. Its classy with a little c, meaning you feel classy without all the diamonds. Its definetly floral with spice. For a second it smelt quite manly but that died away (Lucky). I love it. Bottle is pretty too.

it´s very classic and spicy, almost a bit unisex. i like this scent but unfortunately it made my eyes itch. what a shame.

Cat pee? What?? I think this stuff smells amazing and very womanly.
Very exciting scent with a beautiful, deep dry down. At the very and it reminds me of a lovely spicy xmas cookie.

my boyfriend brought me this. It smells ok. Hey spent a little more than I thought. Anway he really likes it so I wear it for him.
=)

It's nice, classic, good for special events. For me it is remembering Fuel Of Life by Diesel. Black currant in the opening makes it bold and amusing.

1st few dabs, I smell beer..?? Yes, beer. This only lasts a few seconds, then gives way to sweet spicy flowers. Ok, but nothing special. After that, the drydown is so close to the skin I can't tell I have anything on. Has no real presence.

Update: I can't believe I'm seeing comments about this being a strong fragrance...are you kidding me??

wasted my money on this.. i started liking it.. but as i used it, i became bored.. plus the musk smell made me feel like..old.

Notorious has nothing to do with floral. I think it is oriental-spicy. I can wear it only in the evening. I don't recommend to use during the day. Anyhow it is special scent. Just need to understand it.

I actually quite enjoy Notorious and like Allexa27, I too cannot understand why so many people dislike it.

To me, this fragrance isn't overly spicy nor flowery. It's a little fruity and sweet, but not in a cheap kind of a way. Notorious smells expensive and is really quite classy.

Black currant, bergamot and peony are the most dominant notes when applied to the skin. This fragrance makes me feel very elegant and feminine, I really don't sense any hints masculinity within this scent.

The lasting power and sillage are both pretty powerful which makes this fragrance worth the money.

I think that Notorious would make a wonderful Autumn/Spring fragrance because it is so cheerful and pretty. It just makes me think of beautiful, sunny, cloudless days.

I actually think that Notorious smells a little like Coco Mademoiselle, however I much prefer Notorious.

i cant understand why so many people dislike it!?I think it is modern,fresh and sparkly with lil spice ,chik,elegant and classy frag.it reminds me a lil bit of Coco mademoissele on my skin.It is very long lasting and noticable.It smells expensive.I really wanna have it ,although it is not exactly my style ..

I like it but its not my favorite.I really wasted money on this scent because i really don't wear it that much.

I’ve been testing loads of fragrances as I want an image overhaul. Ralph Lauren’s NOTORIOUS is in the middle for me. It’s not a fragrance I want to wash off, but I wasn’t wowed.

But I couldn’t pick out any individual scent notes. There wasn’t a noticeable difference between the top, heart & base notes either. All of the fragrance notes seem to jump out and hit me at once. NOTORIOUS seems quite masculine to me and I’m a girlie girl.


The staying power isn’t very good considering the initial strength and the price. The bottle is pretty though.

I bought this perfume after reading its glamorous profile. Once I sprayed it, it definately came on strong but the bergamot and vanilla notes wear well on me. It definately gets better with time in wearing it because the hint of the other notes make their presence known...a very intriguing fragrance meant for the bold. :)

I love this perfume. I think it wears differently on me than what some of the reviews have described. I definately find the patchouli, musk and vanilla smell. I am NOT a Ralph Lauren fan because I find most of the fragrances to leave a harsh overly sweet smell on me that gives me a headache. Notorious is entirely different, and I really like it.

Ok, the name doesn´t match the fragance. But this doesn´t mean that this isn´t a incredible perfume. It´s a question of skin. In mine, smells wonderful and really sexy. I feel sofisticate. And I think that the perfume must marriage whit your look in that day. Is not a fragrance to wear whit hawaianas, definetely.
And I agree that is irresitible for men. Smell a litlle citrus at the beginig, a bit gourmant, but not to much. It´s precious.

This perfume is irrisistable for men. It's a very sexy perfume, unique and different. The scent started out as woodsy and spicy and I really loved it, within a couple hours had changed to a sweet flowery scent.

I was very dissapointed in this perfume. I loved the PR, the name, the commercial directed by wong car wai.
It didn't give me this 'femme fatale' feeling. I wanted it to be timeless, but it has this disturbing fruity scent to it.
It's not all bad, but it could have been way better.

This smells like Estee Lauders Youth Dew or Cinnabah (two of my mums faves), for a younger audience. I like it alot, and i'm quite generous with the sprays. This is in my top 3 at the moment. I think it is a refreshing break from the generic smelling fruity florals.

Ick! I agree with the other reviewers that called this scent cheap, boring, synthetic, etc...all of the above and then some. It reminds me of something I used to wear 10 or 12 years ago. Can't put my finger on it though...and back then I only wore cheap drugstore perfumes. For the price I'd expect something more original and feminine.

You know I have never been a huge fan of Ralph perfumes but this is the only one I would consider wearing! I think it is nice for spring and summer. I have to be honest I haven't found my HG but this is a very lovely perfume and it's worth a second try!

I sprayed a generous amount on my hand at a shop. The perfume is very strong, it must not be used the same way I sprayed. Very intense, in a large amount it can give a headache.
After a couple of hours the smell get fantastic. It´s chic, fancy, elegant... I reallt liked it.
It´s a little powdery with sweet traces.

Didn't like it.
To me it was too flat and powdery. The vanilla, the flowers, it was all too much for me. I really couldn't smell anything specific, it was like a generic scent of powdery flowers coming to slap me all at once.

Deep Warm and elegant dry down makes it my new favourite :)

Doesnt smell like a notorious at all.. I was hoping for something provocative and perenially intriguing, even dirty. But no......... doesnt work for me. Wrong name too.

Luv it!!!! Very elegant and luscious.
Draws compliments day and night.

oh well notorious...
I really liked it at first but now I am starting to think it doesn't really fit its name and promotion.
I really like the pepper and the warm base notes but there is this synthetic part that makes it kind of girly. I think it is the black currant together with something else (maybe the flowers) that gives it that chewing gum note.
It is realy not that obvious as it might sound right now (I still like to wear it) but I think that I could or will get tired and annoyed of it some day.

I'm currently running retrials of it, but haven't tried it's staying power better properly.
I like it a lot, keep thinking about it, but there's something not enough in it, don't know. At the moment I have on my sleeve Byredo 'Gypsy Water', and it tickles me that the dry down of it after 4 or 5 hours would be very nice 'extra dimension' for the Notorious, just a dab of it in composition perhaps. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I easily imagine it adding the fragrance some more depth, mellowed juniper berries perhaps.. though I think it is already very good
thinking about possibly buying it..

an Update: don't think I'm going to buy it,feels chemical and slightly too flat, just cannot deal with it

I think it smells a little masculine but still with a woman's touch. Elegant, sexy and daring. I think this sophisticated scent is a great provocative addition to any perfume wardrobe. It's a well balanced fragrance with the right amount of spices. The bottle is an elegant accessory to any bedroom decor.

hated it on the card.
love in on my skin.
very elegant and subtle clean smell.
always love the bottle, sort of Art Deco inspired design in my opinion.

I figured out what it smells like!
Ginger Ale!

Gorgeous and very elegant perfume, just love and adore this.

The bottle's unremarkable, and the name had me dreading some petrol opera on my skin. I was hit hard by the top notes and could immediately detect blackcurrent and chocolate, but couldn't work out what kept it from being too sweet. Then it melted into a fizzy-dizzy texture, again not too childish, the kind of sherbert feeling I also get with 'The One' but far more subtle.

By the time my partner got to smell it on my wrist, (just under an hour, so longevity is not its strong point), the knock out punch had worn well away, but he described what remained as 'very sexy...' and made lots of the right mmmmmnoises. He's not a floral fan, so I was impressed. Going to have to try this again - I'm not convinced but I am intrigued.

Coco Mademoiselle wannabe, except cheapened and a synthetic berry note added. Longevity and sillage not as good as the Chanel.

This stayed on through 2 showers and a few bouts in the Jacuzzi! Still forming an impression of it...

Notorious...the most inappropriate name for this frangance. Generic, sinthetic, raw...If you want to be special there are so many greats scents to try, not this. Poor sillage and longevity.

Nice, exciting; but lacking something; there is not perfect harmony between all the notes... The after-smell is quite light, surprisingly light - almost powdery! Better, in my opinion, than Lauren Style. Like Style -with- something. Like it, but wouldn't purchase it.

I was pleasantly surprised. I am not a huge fan of Ralph Lauren fragrances, but this one is really very nice, and it is perfect day fragrance for the upcoming season as well. It might not be the best premeire of the year- time will show, we still have two months left, but I would place it in top 5 for sure.

Nothing here for me...A non-offensive, ordinary, flowery, peppery. If you re looking for something real notorious, it`s not it!This one will not turn heads, will not make you constantly checking on your own wrist and your boyfriend will not ask - mmmm, what is this beautiful smell? Your mom will approve it though - cool, calm, collected.

quite floral and a bit citrus, pleasant but a bit sharp scent

I believe the actress in Thomas Crown affair was Renne Rousso.

For me this scent feels like something intemporal and classy. I like the way it dries downs to something warm and enveloping, perfect for cold days. It seems to warm your soul and make you capable of facing rain and wind. Don't be scared by the first notes.

it`s look like orientale , i`ve receive stock today , talking busines , he can make good sales , personally , i love it ... !

Nice smell, has something in it, but I don't know how much of it I have to spray to feel any presence of it. Have some doubts about the lightness of this scent.

Flowery and more subtle and gentle than gourmand or fruity. It is good universal fragrance for daily use to work, for interview, rather average though.

i smelled this in a magazine and fell in love. it doesnt spark me as overwhelmingly oriental but its very fresh and classic...definately adding this to my wish list

finally got a chance to sample this and I adore it. Not a big fan of ralph but i love the spiciness of this one..great winter fragrance. I love the combination of bergamot and pink pepper...i really dont smell the chocolate chance...

I can't wait to try this perfume on my skin. When I smelled the sample it instantly reminded me of blackerries and something sweet and spicy and sparkly. Like champagne or something!
I hope it sits well in my chemistry.
I like the bottle too, very classic.

smelled this in a magazine and I cant tell if i like it or not. I like the classic bottle with clean lines.

I LOVE this! I got a sample in the new Marie Claire - its is so classic and chic. I love it, can't wait to buy it.

I'm getting a floral gourmand vibe with this one. I know there is chocolate cosmos in there and that's what I'm pulling out. It smells powdery like chocolate powdered donuts, and sweet in the way tonka smells waxy sweet. I like it don't love it and probably won't need a FB.