"Australia Tax": The Price Conundrum

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle 100ml Eau De Parfum...US Cost US$105+tax (about AU$125 tax-inclusive), UK Cost GBP95 (about AU$165). Australian cost? AU$234(!). Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Oil-free lotion, US price US$39+tax (about AU$50), Australian price AU$78. Clinique Post-Shave healer 75ml, US price US$19.5+tax (about AU$25), Australian price AU$40.

Is there a pattern in the aforementioned products and their prices? I certainly see one. And this is just 3 products picked randomly because I see them in my wardrobe or shopping stash. This pattern is repeated across entire brands and lineups. For some reason, US-based companies seem to be the worst offenders (companies owned by Estee Lauder lead the pack, and Elizabeth Arden isn't too far behind).

Ever had a look online at what customers in USA and UK pay for the same products as we do in Australia? Ever had a feeling our wallets are burdened significantly more than their American and British counter-parts? You're hardly alone. Anecdotal, and even more extensive data shows that we in Australia pay through the nose for identical products compared to UK and USA. 

In an upcoming series of articles, I will look at this issue in detail.

These articles will most likely be interspersed with perfume reviews, but the concluding article will be synoptic and link back to all of them.

Double Review: Chanel Allure (Eau De Parfum and Parfum )

Target Gender: Female; Price Bracket (Aus): High ($200+). Category: Complex, semi-linear oriental vanilla/wood/fruit/floral combination.

Review based on wrist and card samples. Special thanks to a very nice sales assistant from Chanel at David Jones Melbourne for sampling the scent on wrist. This review does not consider Allure Sensuelle. Pricing information provided by Chanel Boutique Chadstone and Chanel at David Jones Melbourne CBD.

My first encounter with Chanel Allure was a test-like-forget affair. Forward a couple of years, and this time, while purchasing my bottle of Eau Extrême, I tried this little gem on a card and on my wrist. The card sample attracted my attention, but the wrist sample had me thinking "Surely it can't be that good?"...

Still apprehensive, I requested the lovely sales assistant at the Chanel counter to volunteer and spray some on her wrist. And this time I was bowled over. This scent is absolutely jaw-dropping, knee-weakening, divinely good. Yes, it's that good. In a break from my usual style of reviewing, I'll slam a little spoiler here: this is my favourite scent by a furlong.

Allure came out in 1996 as an EdT, and the Parfum and EdP followed in 1999. They're similar in terms of their overall feel, but not exactly the same fragrance in differing concentrations. Like most post-80s Chanel scents, this one is also a Jacques Polge creation, and a good reminder of his perfumery prowess. It is scents like Sycomore, Coromandel, 31 Rue Cambon, Beige and Allure that make stereotyopical, conformist creations like Chance forgiveable.

100ml EDP Bottle; The cap on the
retail bottle is orange.

This perfume can be defined in one word: complexity. This is a complex, multi-faceted scent that is very hard to shoe-horn into a distinct category. Even though it displays some element of note hierarchy, this perfume has no distinct top, mid or base proper. Allure has elements of bergamot, mandarin, peach, vanilla, jasmine, rose, magnolia, vetiver, cedar, orange blossom, lotus and peony.

None of the twelve notes except for peach and vanilla take the character of headline, mid or base note. Instead, they all play hide-and-seek for the life of the scent. I have come across complex scents before (L'Instant De Guerlain and Coco Mademoiselle for example) but Allure takes the meaning of complex linearity a bit literally...Mr. Polge has really outdone himself with this one.

At first spray (EdP), the opening is intense, and defiant of any attempts to define it as fruity, floral or woody. The opening has a citrusy undertone, with peach and the two woods (vetiver in particular) making their presence felt, and the citrusy notes discernible alongside. But the florals will be perceptible from time to time as well. The overall character keeps changing from perceptibly floral to properly woody to intense fruity, and any combinations of these.

As it sits on skin for a while, the peach gets fairly prominent, but vetiver and cedar are still perceptible. After about an hour or so, I thought of this scent as a very pleasant floral cocktail of rose, jasmine, magnolia and orange blossom (peony and lotus aren't too easily picked). But seconds later, I was reminded that the flowers were not there to reign, and peach, vetiver and cedar reared their heads again. And vanilla, which so far had been a mild, smoothing note showed up and made it almost a vanilla scent. This whole dance continues for the entire life of the scent.

Another couple of hours in, vanilla takes over from peach as the holding note, and the flowers, peach, the two citrus fruits (mandarin and bergamot), and the duo of woody notes (dry cedar and moist vetiver) again resurface strongly. There's no tango here, but a whole group performance of woods, bergamot and orange blossom on a vanilla stage. It could be said that Allure transforms from a fruity/floral/vetiver top to a woody/floral middle and a vanilla/wood/flower/fruit base.

I could keep describing the different permutations of notes this perfume exhibits over its life, but that is rather redundant. It would suffice to say that it shows characteristics of nearly everything in its note profile, throughout its life, and does so with aplomb. It doesn't get cloying, screechy or overpowering at any stage.

The Parfum is sold in the characteristic Chanel flacon with bevelled corners and a glass stopper. The EdP and EdT are sold in clear glass bottles that are thicker down the middle. The EdP and Parfum smell much the same; while the EdP is sharper and brighter, the Parfum sits closer to the skin and is softer and more sublime.

Longevity leaves no complaints behind: the EdP lasted about 13 hours, and the Parfum clocked a mind-boggling 27 hours on the back of my hand. Handwashes aside, the Parfum survived an assault from dishwashing detergent(!). The EdP projects to about a few feet for about an hour, then progressively gets closer and closer to skin till it gets to about 6-12 inches, where it stays till it dies out. The Parfum projects about 6-12 inches throughout.

This is a very feminine, very intimate and quite a suggestive scent due to both its notes and finely balanced sillage. It is very true to its name: it is Alluring.  It draws attention from just the right distance, and has enough complexity and mystery in it to keep someone interested in the wearer. It doesn't overpower, doesn't characterise by one note, and doesn't trail far enough to attract anyone other than someone the wearer intentionally goes close enough to. This is not a generic, safe gift; it's a suggestively romantic, intimate scent that should be used or gifted with caution.

Price(unfortunately) prevents this scent from getting straight 5s on the scorecard. Being unchanged for several years, Australian prices for Chanel's female perfumes are in real need of revision; they are simply too high for the exchange rates over the past few years. Prices for the Les Exclusifs lineup and most skincare released post-2010 are well aligned with other regions, but the "core" perfume range still retains a sizeable price gap compared to Chanel's European pricing.

Ratings:

EdP: 4.9/5...Incredibly complex, very well-balanced, warm and seductive vibe, excellent profile of projection, marathon longevity...this is seduction in a bottle. Price could be better though.

(Balance of notes 5, Projection 5, Longevity 5, Value 3.5, bonus points* 0.3)

Parfum: 4.8/5...Incredibly complex, perfectly balanced, soft and sublime aura of projection, warm, suggestive and seductive character, and absolutely the best longevity I've seen so far from any scent. Priced very poorly owing to lack of availability in 15ml and 30ml sizes.

(Balance of notes 5, Projection 5 Longevity 5, Value 3, bonus points* 0.3)

Prices (Australia RRP):

Eau De Parfum Spray Bottle: AU$116 / AU$159 / AU$234 for 35ml / 50ml / 100ml
Pure Parfum: AU$175ml for 7.5ml

UVP: EDP 35ml $3.31/ml, EDP 50ml $3.18/ml, EDP 100ml $2.34/ml, Pure Parfum $23.3/ml

Click for more information on UVP

The Parfum in this scent is priced very poorly on UVP terms; Pure Parfum concentrations of No.5 sell in larger sizes (AU$270/15ml and AU$436/30ml) which makes the 7.5ml bottle very pricey in comparison. EdP is priced the same as all female Chanel scents barring Coco Noir and the Les Exclusifs lineup. Coco Mademoiselle and No.5 also have 200ml bottles, but Allure tops out at 100ml.

Stockists: Chanel Fragrance and Beauty Boutiques, Chanel counters and Myer and David Jones, selected pharmacies. Chanel pricing is uniform across all authorised stockists, and no discounts are generally applicable. I haven't seen Allure being stocked by any independent retailers.

*Bonus points of 0.3 to each awarded under "subjective assessment" category.

Perfume Review: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle (Eau De Parfum)

This review is for the Eau De Parfum spray, not the dab-on Parfum version (Extrait De Parfum).

Target Gender: Female; Price Bracket (Aus): High ($200+). Category: Floral/Chypre.

Launched in 2001, Codo Mademoiselle is today one of the top-selling fragrances in the world (and the best-selling in the USA according to the very knowledgeable and very lovely Victoria Frolova from the Bois De Jasmin blog). This is another of Jacques Polge's scents, and a definite home run.

The first thing I'll get out of the way before I go into details of notes: this is not a proper flanker to the much older Coco from 1984, and it doesn't bear much resemblance to the much newer Coco Noir either.

The top of this scent is quite fruity to me. Orange is very discernible, and because of the number of fragrances using bergamot, I can pick up the now-familiar bergamot undertones quite easily. However, what I really like about the top notes of this scent is the inclusion of orange blossom. The orange blossom really calms down the sharpness of the orange fruit, and the bergamot gives it a nice rounded softness to go along. Overall, it's a lovely top with discernible orange notes. It's not a very warm top though; it has a slight coolness to it.

In a good scent, the top should end after the mids take over, and this one is no exception (fortunately). The middle has rose as its focal point, coupled with the soft, white scent of jasmine and the slight powderiness of ylang-ylang. There is some element of sweetness in the middle which neither rose nor jasmine carry in their own right. However, the sweetness-carrying mimose is incredibly hard to discern individually here, because the rose is quite strong, and the jasmine is also quite potent to prevent the rose from drowning it. The middle, as it settles, starts showing patchouli quite strongly, and there's creaminess that is very trade-mark vanilla.

The base of this scent is very complex. It's one of the most varied compositions I've come across, and the fine balance of bottom notes is what makes this scent so good. There's very easily discerned vanilla and tonka bean (the creaminess is hard to leave unnoticed), musk, and the damp woody/mossy feeling tell-tale of vetiver's presence. There's a little touch of warmth as well, which I think is amber. The orange blossom, with creamy vanilla and slightly sharp patochuli is a real master-stroke.

Taming patchouli is a difficult task; Midnight Poison (Dior) smacks you in the face with patchouli at the top even though it's supposed to be a middle note. In this scent, the patchouli is smothered just enough that it wont overpower other notes, but prevents any one note from running away with the flag. So what could have been a complete cacophony in unskilled hands is a very complex, well-composed dry-down that really rounds out an excellent fragrance.

Longevity of this scent is absolutely marathon. Samples on my hands/wrist lasted well past 12 hours on the forearm, and about 8-odd hours on the back of the hand, withstanding several hand-washes. On clothing this scent will outlast a whole day with ease. Projection is variable but doesn't fall too low on most people. I found it projects to a few feet away from the wearer, although a friend who tried it said it projected about arms' length away from her. It also has a peculiar tendency to be more perceptible to others than the wearer (perhaps the strength makes the wearers' nose go anosmic towards it quite quickly).

The bottle is the iconic Chanel flacon (same as No. 5) with soft shoulders, bevelled corners and the convex inwards bulge at the bottom. The cap resembes the cabouchon stoppers seen in the dab-on parfum bottles with its bevelled edges, but is made of frosted transluscent plastic. The fluid is coral in colour, and won't stain clothing unless sprayed from close range instead of being misted. Unfortunately, price is something that prevents this scent from reaching its potential in the scorecard.

This scent is hard to categorise. It is sensual and elegant, yet it is quite imposing if used with that intention. It is not cloying or sharp, and spending extended time periods with someone wearing this scent is unlikely to fatigue you. It is a versatile scent, but the potency of the EdP may make it a less than ideal choice for boardrooms. It can serve as an outgoing scent, a social one or an intimate one depending on how much is applied, and where. My recommendation: Absolute, unqualified.

Ratings:
4.5/5...Soft yet powerful, imposing yet sensual, classy, fresh and very elegant. Impressive longevity, well-balanced projection. Price could be more palatable though. Applied in the right balance, and in the right place, this one is hard to go wrong with.

(Balance of notes 5, Projection 4, Longevity 5, Value 3, rounded and adjusted to overall 4.5)

Prices:

RRP: AU$116 / AU$159 / AU$234 / AU$350 for 35ml / 50ml / 100ml / 200ml

UVP: 35ml $3.31/ml 50ml $3.18/ml, 100ml $2.34/ml, 200ml $1.75/ml

Click for more information on UVP

Chanel don't allow discounting. The maximum discount I've seen at some independent retailers is about 9%. Australian prices for Chanel are quite high; however, my exchange-adjusted price comparisons with UK and Europe yield a decent score for value. USA-based retailers sell the US-made version of the scent, which is a fair bit cheaper than the French-made version sold elsewhere.

Stockists: Myer, David Jones, some pharmacies. Chanel Beauty/Fragrance boutiques would be my go-to for Chanel products. However, my personal experience with Chanel at Myer Melbourne and David Jones Melbourne CBD has been good as well.

Q&A: How do I score/rate scents?

Having written a few reviews, the response from my readers has been positive so far, and I intend to follow largely the same format for future reviews too. Of course, I will improve the format of my reviews based on suggestions as I go along, so eventually the reviews may look different to what they look like now.

So far, I divide my reviews into a few somewhat distinct sections: a brief intro about the house that makes the scent, a little history of the scent itself and the nose behind it, then a detailed analysis of its notes, followed by appraisal of its longevity and projection, and suggestions for alternatives. I also have distinct sub-headings for prices, stockists and bottle sizes.

One important issue that has been raised by some readers is the apparent lack of transparency as to how the scents get allocated scores/ratings. And it is a very valid question indeed. While I think it would be possible to get an idea of where I docked marks and where I awarded them based on reading the summary attached to the scoring and the body of the review itself, some explanation won't go unwarranted.

The answer to the transparency question is: deliberate opacity for the detailed breakdown of the scoring. And the reason is not sinister, it's to make it more convenient for the user. However, I will explain in this blog how I score a perfume, and going forward, readers should be able to get some idea of what would have caused the score to be as low or as high as I allocate.

I score a scent based on the following criteria:

• Balance of notes; a perfume that has a complex note profile handled well generally gets a high score in this category. I'm not looking for complexity as such; I look for a good balance of the different components in the accords, and more complex blends being more difficult to handle get higher scores if they strike the right balance.
• Longevity; this is a directly proportional score. A scent that lasts longer will get higher scores.
• Projection; this is not a proportional score. Scents that are meant to project further, and actually achieve it over their life get high scores, but a scent that maintains a decent projection over its life also gets high scores. I rely on information from the brands themselves, and online feedback regarding how far scents are meant to project. If my review aligns with the majority opinion and claims from the brands, I consider it as performance par for the course. More intimate/sensual scents generally wont (and should not) project as far as night-oriented scents, I rate them accordingly.
• Value; this is by far the most complex of the bunch, because of the volatile exchange rate of the AUD. I use the following:
• Use the price for a singular retail packaged bottle, as bundles or packs differ across retailers. Use only prices from bottles available across both countries where I get prices from.
• Assume 1 USD = 1.25-1.33 AUD, 1 GBP = 2AUD and 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD
• Add 10% GST and 5% freight to GST-inclusive price to USD and EUR prices; only add 5% shipment to GBP prices
• Multiply USD prices by 1.44375 or 1.54, GBP prices by 2.1, and EUR prices by 1.848 is the one-step method to get tax/freight/exchange-rate adjusted price.
• The AUD has't held at a level lower than 89 US cents for a fair while now, so I will be using 1.44375 as a multiplier for US prices rather than 1.54. Ideally, I would be using about 1.283 (90 US cents to the AUD plus 15.5% for freight/GST) but I do allow for leeway here because prices are slow to react to exchange rates, especially for a jumpy currency like the AUD
• If the RRP price in Australia is lower than what my adjusted price is, I rate the product higher for value.
• If the Australian RRP is higher, I deduct marks based on some subjective judgement; Higher priced items can get away with higher absolute deviations, and items that are very rare in Australia can slip through with smaller penalties.
• If the product is obtainable easily through B&M channels at prices lower than RRP, I will increase the value scores.
• If the consensus in other online forums leans towards the scent being overpriced elsewhere, I penalise the value score.
• Finally, I weigh the different scores and assign a final value.

Quite obviously, working out the scoring is a complex process, and I intentionally hide the details of how I work out individual ones. 

I hope this clarifies to my esteemed readers the criteria that underpin (and will in the future too) the scores I assign to the scents I review.

Armani Code: An example of the scoring process

To illustrate the above, here's the breakdown for my scoring for Armani Code (reviewed here)

Balance of notes: 4/5; it strikes a good balance of notes without being screechy, sharp or cloying.

Longevity: 2.75/5 (comparably priced offerings from Dior and Chanel perform much better)

Projection: 3.5/5 (nothing bad, but could be a tad higher for its category of scent)

Price: 3/5; details as follows:

Australian price is AU$140/75ml. US price is USD84/75ml and UK price is GBP 56.5/75ml.

The ceiling prices are therefore AU$121.27 based on USD84 multiplied by 1.44375, and AU$118.65 based on a GBP price of 56.50.

Considering the AUD has been holding between 0.9-1.05 USD and 1.4-1.5 to a GBP for a fair while, I rated this scent only 2.5/5 for value in Australia, and the ability to get discounts gets it up to 3/5.

Overall: (4+2.75+3.5+3)/4 = 3.31, which is reasonably rounded to 3.3/5

I will not display the detailed breakdown for each scent on its review directly, simply because it is a complex process that I don't want to bore or overwhelm readers with.

Perfume Review: Lancôme Magnifique (Eau De Parfum)

Target Gender: Female; Price Bracket (Aus): Medium-High ($150+). Category: Spicy/Woody Floral. Lancôme is a brand of L'Oreal.

Review based on wrist and card samples from retail bottles, and 5ml limited-distribution vials, all own acquisitions. Magnifique (the perfume) should not be confused with Genifique, which is a skincare product from the same brand.

Magnifique (Lancôme) was an accidental discovery for me, and a very good example of the adage that the best things are sometimes discovered by accident...the striking red box caught my eye during the closing down sale of PerfumeConnection in late 2011. The presence of this fragrance in the market was rather short-lived though; the last I saw of it was in the later part of 2012. It has since been replaced in the Lancôme lineup by La Ve Est Belle.

Magnifique was a creation of Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier, a duo with some very notable scents to their credit (both individually and collaboratively) such as Elle (YSL) (which I have reviewed), Bvlgari Aqva, L'Eau De Issey, Midnight Poison, Stella, Armani Diamonds and a fair few more. Elle came out in 2007, and Magnifique followed shortly afterwards in 2008. While Elle is more youth-oriented, Magnifique went the way of a more mature yet fairly loud fragrance.

The 75ml (2.5oz) bottle

Magnifique, at very first spritz shows up warmth and spice. Saffron and caraway are the most prominent accords, but rose accompanies them and matches them for strength shortly after first contact with skin.  A little further down the track, there's the lightly spiced woody feeling from sandalwood, and the smoky herbal note of vetiver. The dry-down has a slightly dry, powdery but florally enhanced woodiness to it, and it will constantly remind you that this is meant to be a fragrance where flowers hold things together. While the spice and wood play roundabouts, the rose is essentially the focal point for this scent. It transitions from saffron/caraway plus rose to sandalwood, vetiver and rose as it settles down.

There is a small patch of time in the middle when the spices are transitioning to woods where the rose really gets prominent. At that stage, jasmine is also noticeable, but being a white flower, it is inherently soft, and in this fragrance will be discernible, but to a keener nose. The rose is much stronger and in combination with the wood and spice, and can veil the jasmine quite easily. Though not a solifore by any means, this is a fairly linear (but not flat) scent.

An easily picked aspect of this scent is its relative linearity. It doesn't have 3 well-defined stages of transition, instead following a 2-tone profile which changes moderately over its life. The classification I would give this scent is a warm, woody/spicy floral. This is a flowery fragrance, but not floral per se. And it's warm and spicy, but not oriental. It had a relatively niche position among the hordes of floral and spicy ones out there, one of the few to combine flower, wood and spice all in one pleasant concoction without being a pure example of any of them. It has element of flower, spice and wood in varying combinations over its life, but no drastic changes...the scent retains is nature from start to finish.

Longevity for this fragrance is good enough for me to use it as a benchmark. The first time I sprayed some on my wrist, it survived a tad more than 10 hours before I couldn't perceive it. Let alone surviving hand-washes, it survived an outright shower. It doesn't project very far away though; about a few feet for the first couple of hours, and then it stays within arms' length range for another few before spending the last couple of hours as a skin scent. I found that showering or washing hands changed it into a skin scent quicker, but it took its time in completely dissipating. This one is a resilient scent.

This is an elegant, romantic scent, and even though very potent, it is quite sensual. It will make its presence felt, but it's not over-powering or cloying, and has the comforting warmth of the spice with the rose that gives it a very elegant feel. The potency is handled well enough that it tones down over time, so spending time close to someone wearing the scent is unlikely to make you feel overpowered. It's a strong scent, but not in-your-face strong.

The bottle is sleek, but vivid. While not as standout as Elle's bottle (which in my personal opinion is the prettiest bottle in mainstream scents along with the Manifesto L'Elixir (YSL) and Angel (Thierry Mugler) flacons), it is still quite a looker.

Unfortunately, this scent is now discontinued in Australia (and pretty much all around the world). Lancôme have indicated that La Vie Est Belle and the upcoming Tresor L'Absolu will be their flagship duo. La Vie Est Belle in itself is a very nice fragrance, with marathon longevity and a projection that follows a very nice profile, but it remains a distinctly different scent. Magnifique used to cost AU$178 for the 75ml bottle. However, the lasting power and projection justified the cost somewhat, considering how some scents priced not much lower would struggle to last half as long.

Alternatives: There's no analogue of Magnifique that smells appreciably close to it. Rose D'Arabie (Armani Privé 1001 Nights Collection) is a spicy floral, with strong notes of rose but coupled with Oud. Flowerbomb Rose Explosion (Viktor & Rolf) is also a rose-based scent, but is very oriental and warm; while it does have saffron, amber and oud make it much warmer than Magnifique.

Ratings:
4.1/5...Somewhat unique in its combination of notes; exceptional longevity, excellent balance of projection over its life. This scent, true to its name, was Magnifique.

Prices:

AU$178 for 75ml ($2.37/ml)

Information on other sizes is no longer available; 

Click for more information on UVP

It was a pricey scent, but I feel little inclination to comment further on the pricing considering this scent has been off the market for a few months now. It is out of stock all over Australia, and Lancôme have indicated the discontinuation is total and permanent.

Stockists: Discontinued

Perfume Review: Armani Code (For Men) - Giorgio Armani

Target Gender: Male; Price Bracket (Aus): Medium-High ($130+).  Category: Spicy/Leathery. 

Giorgio Armani (beauty/fragrances) is a brand of L'Oreal.

Review based on wrist and card samples, and use on person from both sampling vials and retail bottles

Few perfumes for men would be so ubiquitous as Armani Code (formerly known as Black Code). Since launch in 2004, it remains one of the best-known perfumes for males, and looks well set to join the ranks of scents known well past their conception. With parent company L'Oreal's sharp marketing, its popularity is hardly a surprise.

The scent is formulated by Antoine Maisondieu (who also went on to design Armani Code Ultimate), Antoine Lie (Z Zegna, Versace Crystal Noir being his recent ones) and Clement Gavarry (behind the new Untold from Elizabeth Arden, Ambre and Tendre from Prada).

The opening of this scent is quite dark and somewhat mysterious. It opens with a medley of different notes, a good balance of sweetness, sourness and hints of leather. Leather is the holding note for this scent, and most other notes build on it. The top is predominantly citrus when it settles down, and is distinctly a mixture of sharpness and the tell-tale mild sourness of bergamot. The leather with a hint of spice keeps things warm though, and the scent doesn't go the way of cold citrus like its Code Sport sibling does.

The middle is spicy leather. The leather from the top stays put, and becomes more prominent. This is not unrefined, animalic leather but a finely tanned variety, peppered with star anise. The olive blossom is also very discernible, and the three stay in good balance. The tobacco is also quite easy to pick at this stage, although it's not a sharp, powdery tobacco but a creamy one.

The base solves the mystery of the creamy tobacco: tonka bean. The vanilla-like smoothness of tonka bean lends the tobacco and leather a hand of transition from the top. Leather and tobacco both remain key notes, but the tonka bean removes the pungency of the tobacco, making it smooth and mild. This one doesn't have the raw tobacco feel of Tobacco Vanille (Tom Ford) or as much tobacco as Burberry London for Men.

The perfume is an EdT, and longevity averages around 4-5 hours on my hand/wrist, which is by no means exceptional. Projection is moderate, initially sitting at around one and half arms' lengths and settling to about 6-12 inches in about an hour, then gradually trailing off.

I would rate this scent highly, but the price is a real sticking point. With a high price, and the competition running away with the longevity flag, I consider this reason enough to dock a fair chunk of scoring. Another couple of hours of lasting power is not an unreasonable expectation; a number of offerings from other houses offer much better longevity at similar, even lower prices. I think Armani have missed what would have been a master-stroke in this otherwise very good scent.

The bottle is nothing stand-out; it's the exact same design used in Armani Mania and all its iterations. There's nothing wrong with the design of the bottle per se, but it does show some sloppiness in not taking the effort to ensure some individuality between the Code and Mania lineups. 30ml, 50ml and 75ml sizes are sold in Australia; the 125ml flacon remains off the market here.

Recommended? With reservations. Good, balanced notes, but mediocre lasting power. As a blind buy? safe enough. Overall, a very well-balanced, safe scent. It has a moderately intimate vibe, and will do well as an evening/night scent. Not very loud, and not very stand-out, but quite sensual going by feedback from some females.

Alternatives:

Armani Code Ultimate(Armani) (AU$145/75ml) was a limited edition exclusive to David Jones, and even though it solved the longevity issue, its presence in the Australian market was (ironically) short-lived. Dior Homme Intense (AU$138/100ml) and Fahrenheit (Dior) (AU$115/100ml) are both distinct, long-lasting scents, especially the former. Chanel has a number of good male scents, priced generally at AU$132/100ml.

Ratings:

3.3/5...Good but not exceptional; safe, sensual and balanced. Barely acceptable longevity. Priced poorly in Australia at RRP levels. 

Prices:

RRP: AU$84/ AU$115 / AU$140 for 30ml / 50ml / 75ml

UVP: 30ml $2.8/ml, 50ml $2.3/ml, 80ml $1.87/ml

Click for more information on UVP

UVP is decent for the 75ml bottle, but the overall pricing in Australia remains high at RRP levels. I have observed the 75ml EDT in a set with a shower gel and after-shave balm for as low as AU$84 when on clearance, but I only use full RRP for calculating the UVP, since street price is not accurately predictable.

Stockists: Myer, David Jones, some pharmacies. Occasionally packs are sold, and discounted post-Christmas and after Fathers' Day. Discounts of up to 30-40% are not uncommon, and the "Code Sport" variant (reviewed separately) gets discounted more often. MyChemist and its sister stores often stock this scent and its variants, and pricing is substantially lower than RRP.

It is best to check the catalogues for a number of outlets before you buy.

Perfume Review: Guerlain L'Instant De Guerlain (Eau De Parfum)

Review based on wrist and card samples from tester bottles.

Target Gender: Female; Price Bracket (Aus): Medium-High ($180+). 
Type: Fruity/Floral/Musky/Creamy. Guerlain is a subsidiary brand of LVMH.

Guerlain has a very long history, having produced some timeless gems of the fragrance world. L'Instant De Guerlain (2003) is a relatively young one in the lineup compared to its stable-mates, and coming from the house that has masterpieces like Shalimar, Chamade, Habit Rouge, Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleue, it has a lot to live up to.

I was a bit apprehensive coming across a relatively recent Guerlain without the name of Jean-Paul Guerlain or Thierry Wasser behind it. Maurice Roucel isn't a name on too many scents but he has managed to pull off a stunner, and show that sensuality doesnt have to be stereotypical, but can be achieved with a finely balanced combination of otherwise ubiquitous notes.

The top opens with a fruity accord; there is some citrusy sourness, but the very characteristic sweetness of apple mellows it down. Vanilla and honey are immediately noticeable as undertones. The top is fruity, but the vanilla and honey, even though not very prominent at this stage, drop a hint or two that this fragrance might have a sensual, soft nature. Some musk is also noticeable if you go looking for it.

The 80ml (2.7oz) bottle

The middle is very discernibly floral, with magnolia being the most noticeable flower. The vanilla/honey combo start to strengthen at this stage, and the projection of the scent scales back. The real master-stroke is the number of notes together in perfect sync. At second whiff, I got very prominent, realistic jasmine and and then iris to go along with the magnolia, and a third sniff made me sense magnolia and ylang-ylang. There's also a slight powderiness to the scent , most likely the ylang-ylang.

The base is where this scent gets very sensual, very chic, and even more complex. The florals don't retain much presence except for the iris, and the vanilla/honey duo is joined by very sublime and natural musk, and the warmth of amber and benzoin. They're balanced well enough not to overpower each other, and are discernible individually. There is enough overlap between the notes to make this appear a fairly linear scent.

The lasting power on my skin was impressive; samples on the wrist and back of the hand lasted about 8 hours, and survived a good three handwashes(!). The scent doesn't radiate far beyond arms' length for much of its life. That said, this is a very concentrated scent, and overdosing can become too heady and cloying. The bottle is understated but chic; there's plenty of glass, and it's tinged a slight purple. The fluid is orange, but very subtly coloured and is unlikely to stain clothing unless sprayed from too close.

This is a thoroughly feminine scent, and a very sensual one. Its vibe is smooth, gentle, sweet, warm and mysterious. It lasts a long time, has a complex but well-balanced note profile, and doesn't radiate too far away from the wearer. There's a lot of elegance, and an aura of formality in this perfume. For the same reason, I'm not inclined to recommend this as a daytime scent. My recommendation: Absolute and unqualified. This is also fairly safe as a blind buy, but look elsewhere if you want to be noticed across the room. 

There's no particularly close analogue of L'Instant De Guerlain, although Manifesto (YSL) has a similarly creamy undertone all through, and a fruity top followed by a floral middle. However, it is quite distinct in itself, and doesn't mimic L'Instant for its overall profile. 

Ratings:
4.2/5...Mystery, femininity, sensuality in a bottle

Prices:

RRP: AU$116/ AU$150 / AU$185 for 30ml / 50ml / 80ml

UVP: 30ml $3.86/ml, 50ml $3/ml, 80ml $2.31/ml

Click for more information on UVP

As the UVPs show, the 30ml bottle is very pricey for the volume of liquid in it. The 50ml and 80ml dont differ by much, so my recommendation is hands down the 80ml bottle.

Stockists: Guerlain counters at Myer and David Jones. Myer started including Guerlain in sales this year due to change of wholesaler/distributor for Australia (Cosmax taking over from LVMH).