A beautiful, rich, sweet yet fresh dewy rose.
Some gentle sweetness and spices linger in the background.
Smooth touches of vanilla, and ambergris keep the scent well rounded. Resinous and balsamic warmth add a depth also.
I love this.
wherever you enter you leave your trail without a question even if you hug someone their clothes get your beautiful scent and ask you what you wear
I understand that this is an iconic creation but this smell is atomic! Kinda like Guidance, you can’t get rid of it. I prefer lighter perfumes so this one was a scrubber for me…
In a perfume isn’t it what your looking after the smell isn’t unpleasant in any way in my opinion and a best performer aiming other scents in the same room but its true that it may be overpowering when you first spray it
FREDERIC MALLE 🥀 Portrait of A Lady 🥀 (named after the novel by Henry James from the 1881) Dominique Ropion 2010 Totally unisex I wore this one of the best dark rose scent yesterday evening. Straight away after spraying the scent filled all the living room and my husband who was in the kitchen came to say “ wooow, what is this scent, amazing, it’s everywhere here”. This is always a magical, mysterious and so elegant scent. Dark Patchouli with dark Rose petals together with spices has been done in absolutely perfect way. The blend is intense, so mesmerizing and polished, it’s like a thick velvet which is changing the color from dark burgundy to the darkest green. Rose Patchouli combination is very popular nowadays and I just can imagine how spectacular POAL has been when released but still until this day nothing can beat it in this category. Amouage’s Epic was released just one year before and they have many similarities. Still, especially the base of Epic is more complex with Oud which makes them to stand out between each others whilst Tiziana Terenzi’s Porpora, released in 2017, is very close to POAL. Portrait of a Lady is a classic and it’s classy. It’s sublime and it’s wafting around you and everywhere you go in attractive way. It’s not joyful but not melancholy either which makes it perfect for formal occasions with dignity and solemnity. It’s respectful scent which makes you feel confident. You can find many different kind of note pyramids from different sources. This is what make sense to me and (Note pyramid from FM website) ⬆️ Rose essence, Raspberry, Black currant, Cloves (Rose) ➡️ Turkish Rose absolute, Cinnamon, Patchouli (Black Currant, Raspberry, Cloves) ⬇️ Sandalwood, Incense, Ambroxan, White Musk (Patchouli, Sandalwood, Incense) Somewhere Benzoin and Amber has mentioned but honestly I don’t find hints of them which can be as well the result of masterfully blended concoction. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Strong ambroxan, watery rest of notes. It's OK but it's not a masterpiece. Maybe it used to be. Also, I get more geranium than rose, with that specific mintiness that ofren comes with it, although geranium isn't listed. Lasts forever if you count the residue of ambrox-chemicals as perfume lasting.
Portrait of a Lady is one of Frederic Malle’s most popular scents, and for good reason. It opens bright and fruity with a prominent rose accompanied by raspberry and blackcurrant, with a slight spicy touch coming from the clove. A strong heart of earthy patchouli and smoky incense then begins to develop, blending beautifully with the rose and clove. The base is comprised of an ambiguous musky amber accord, which only provides an added depth to the overall scent profile. Throughout the life of the scent, the patchouli and incense are the most prominent notes, with the rose providing a gentle feminine touch. This fragrance has fantastic quality and smells divine, intensely creative and alluring. One of my favourite patchouli perfumes and a definite must-try from the house.
