One of my absolute favourites for life! Absolutely love it. I have a 2021 bottle and bought a 2024 bottle, which I ended up returning because it smelled much weaker. Like a very watered down version, but essentially the same. Between Epic Woman and POAL, I have all my rose, incense and Patchouli dreams answered! It is a fragrance that is akin to red lipstick in my mind. A powerful embodiment of an assertive sense of self. Confidence laced with wisdom. An absolute treasure. I am thankful we have such olfactory art to experience in our lives.
I thoroughly enjoyed the video, agree with everything said and if I may, I believe PoaL and Musc Ravageur keeping Malle's ledgers in the black, the production has increased greatly over the last few years and perhaps manufacturing of these scents is now done quicker, shortening the maceration time. Particularly noticeable with fresh batches like limited editions
Wonderful portrait of a lady , I only have a 10ml from 2023 but it's perfection along with Lipstick Rose and Musc ravageur and the much missed Dres van noten .
This is one of the perfumes that my husband told me that is a stunning perfume that smells so gorgeous, and we were in a tropical clime celebratingour 24th anniversary, in my skin really shining in this tipe of clime, I tried in coold and is not so beautiful ❤
Nahema was one of my favorite perfume ; I bought it the year of its creation!!! .You have no idea how sublime this perfume was. He was powerful and wonderful. The one that they currently sell, in my opinion, is completely reformulated not only because of the regulations on perfume compositions but to adapt the perfume to the current consumer and that is a shame. Amen!!
What I'm thinking for the sake of experiment, maybe it'd make more sense to smell the pre-sprayed blotters first, and then spray fresh. Because once you spray , aroma molecules fly in the air, and you also suck them in from the paper and they settle on the lining inside your nasal passages. And then it makes more difficult to assess those valuable pre-sprayed papers. Hope it's not too geeky and makes sense😂
Wonderful video! As usual. I really enjoyed the preamble the most. And from that I gather your old bottle smells different due to age. I have a small amount of POAL left myself but wear TFNoir de Noir more frequently.
My first sample ever of this is coming in the mail! But I'm confused by the packaging and imagery vs. what I've always heard was one of the ultimate "goth" fragrances??
Ah ha! I wondered when we might see you again. I look forward to watching this as I finally purchased Portrait of a Lady. I fell in love with it years ago, I believe within a year of its release. I actually purchased it about two weeks ago without testing again and have yet to open it. Today is the day!! I’ll sniff along with you.
I had a bottle of Portrait of a Lady the first day it was available at Barney's in Chicago, so, original. Sadly, last year my bottle fell off the shelf and smashed to smithereens.
I own an «early» bottle of POAL and I absolutely adore it. It feels like home to me scent wise, makes me feel strong , safe, cosy smart and sexy as hell at the same time. Suzy Nightingale said on the wonderful Betwixt the Sheets podcast that this is what Elizabeth I would wear, and I completely agree❤
I am quite the newbie to perfumes, but this one I do own and love since a good five years ago. I did not know this was a cyphre! Unknowingly of this I recently purchased Hermes Barénia. So thus it seems I am indeed a cyphre person 😅
@ I is lovely to hear a professional describe the notes in the few scents I do know, like Portrait today (and when you reviewed Barénia. It was that review that made me blind buy it.) I learn so much. Thank you and have a nice evening.
Great video. I think the caveats about aging (both to the juice, raw materials and of course our own sense of smell) are often ignored by other RUclipsrs keen to push a cynical narrative about reformulations. A part of me thinks it’s just another kind of snobbery and / or gatekeeping (‘back in my day’ ‘things aren’t what they used to be’ etc)
The whole territory is a minefield. And yes, I agree, there are many cases of people trying to insist they know better, they smell better, they remember better etc etc.
I love all the Frederic Malle’s perfumes except for the Portrait of a Lady. I’ve never liked it. It smells horrible on my skin, maybe it’s the Smokey combined with fruit.
Absurdalny pomysł! This type of packaging does not suit such a distinguished, elegant fragrance at all. It is not associated with either a “portrait” or a “lady”, it is rather for Courrèges and his plastics. Ugh!
One of my absolute favourites for life!
Absolutely love it.
I have a 2021 bottle and bought a 2024 bottle, which I ended up returning because it smelled much weaker. Like a very watered down version, but essentially the same.
Between Epic Woman and POAL, I have all my rose, incense and Patchouli dreams answered! It is a fragrance that is akin to red lipstick in my mind. A powerful embodiment of an assertive sense of self. Confidence laced with wisdom. An absolute treasure. I am thankful we have such olfactory art to experience in our lives.
I thoroughly enjoyed the video, agree with everything said and if I may, I believe PoaL and Musc Ravageur keeping Malle's ledgers in the black, the production has increased greatly over the last few years and perhaps manufacturing of these scents is now done quicker, shortening the maceration time. Particularly noticeable with fresh batches like limited editions
Ah, yes, thanks for mentioning maceration. Another layer of complications in the comparison game!
Wonderful portrait of a lady , I only have a 10ml from 2023 but it's perfection along with Lipstick Rose and Musc ravageur and the much missed Dres van noten .
This is one of the perfumes that my husband told me that is a stunning perfume that smells so gorgeous, and we were in a tropical clime celebratingour 24th anniversary, in my skin really shining in this tipe of clime, I tried in coold and is not so beautiful ❤
That's a shame.
I must say that, personally, I think it's gorgeous all year round.
Nahema was one of my favorite perfume ; I bought it the year of its creation!!! .You have no idea how sublime this perfume was. He was powerful and wonderful. The one that they currently sell, in my opinion, is completely reformulated not only because of the regulations on perfume compositions but to adapt the perfume to the current consumer and that is a shame. Amen!!
I think Nahema has been undergoing changes for quite some time. It's a real shame.
What I'm thinking for the sake of experiment, maybe it'd make more sense to smell the pre-sprayed blotters first, and then spray fresh. Because once you spray , aroma molecules fly in the air, and you also suck them in from the paper and they settle on the lining inside your nasal passages. And then it makes more difficult to assess those valuable pre-sprayed papers. Hope it's not too geeky and makes sense😂
I know exactly what you mean. I don't think there's a single perfect way. But thanks very much for writing, I appreciate it.
Wonderful video! As usual. I really enjoyed the preamble the most. And from that I gather your old bottle smells different due to age. I have a small amount of POAL left myself but wear TFNoir de Noir more frequently.
Glad you liked the video. Yes, ageing will doubtless have an effect.
My first sample ever of this is coming in the mail! But I'm confused by the packaging and imagery vs. what I've always heard was one of the ultimate "goth" fragrances??
Hmmm... I can see it might have goth appeal.
Just forget the imagery and be guided by your nose.
Ah ha! I wondered when we might see you again. I look forward to watching this as I finally purchased Portrait of a Lady. I fell in love with it years ago, I believe within a year of its release. I actually purchased it about two weeks ago without testing again and have yet to open it. Today is the day!! I’ll sniff along with you.
Excellent.
I hope you love your bottle.
I too had an original bottle it was ‘my scent’ for a long time until i sadly dropped my bottle! I need to replace it…💜🤞🏼
Oh no, that's terrible!
I had a bottle of Portrait of a Lady the first day it was available at Barney's in Chicago, so, original. Sadly, last year my bottle fell off the shelf and smashed to smithereens.
Nooooooo! Perfume tragedy!
I had my eye on this one so this was great. ❤ Appreciate your insights as always.
Ah, thank you.
Amazing review Mr. P. Ive got my ltd ed bottle in liberty in Dec when it was release as exlusive.:)
Wonderful. Enjoy it!
I've been wanting to really experience Portrait of a Lady for a long time. Thank you for this video!
You're more than welcome. I hope you like the perfume.
has nahema changed yet more? if i’m remembering correctly your opinions of it in 2022 were still positive, even in spite of the noticeable changes
Well, I don't think I smelt any 'new' bottles in 2024. Perhaps I ought to one of these days,
I own an «early» bottle of POAL and I absolutely adore it. It feels like home to me scent wise, makes me feel strong , safe, cosy smart and sexy as hell at the same time. Suzy Nightingale said on the wonderful Betwixt the Sheets podcast that this is what Elizabeth I would wear, and I completely agree❤
Ah, interesting.
Thanks very much for writing.
I am quite the newbie to perfumes, but this one I do own and love since a good five years ago. I did not know this was a cyphre! Unknowingly of this I recently purchased Hermes Barénia. So thus it seems I am indeed a cyphre person 😅
I'm so glad you love Portrait too.
@ I is lovely to hear a professional describe the notes in the few scents I do know, like Portrait today (and when you reviewed Barénia. It was that review that made me blind buy it.) I learn so much. Thank you and have a nice evening.
Great video. I think the caveats about aging (both to the juice, raw materials and of course our own sense of smell) are often ignored by other RUclipsrs keen to push a cynical narrative about reformulations. A part of me thinks it’s just another kind of snobbery and / or gatekeeping (‘back in my day’ ‘things aren’t what they used to be’ etc)
The whole territory is a minefield. And yes, I agree, there are many cases of people trying to insist they know better, they smell better, they remember better etc etc.
I love all the Frederic Malle’s perfumes except for the Portrait of a Lady. I’ve never liked it. It smells horrible on my skin, maybe it’s the Smokey combined with fruit.
Well, I guess not everything can work on everyone, right?
Absurdalny pomysł! This type of packaging does not suit such a distinguished, elegant fragrance at all. It is not associated with either a “portrait” or a “lady”, it is rather for Courrèges and his plastics. Ugh!