When Provocation is No Defence (Elizabeth Arden: Provocative Woman, Eau de Parfum)

Member Name: Ayesha-`

Product:	Elizabeth Arden: Provocative Woman, Eau de Parfum
Date:	22/09/07 (494 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sexy, evening scent

Disadvantages: Some may not like it

Having received this perfume as a gift, I wasn't really sure whether to review it. However, I will be as critical as usual as I'm sure is fair. It is my first perfume review & to be honest, although I seem to have acquired a large number of perfumes recently (mostly gifts) I've never been very good at the girly stuff like cosmetics. To tell the truth I don't even know which brands are most or least expensive, good quality or classy! Instead I will share with you my experience of this perfume as best I can describe it without those 'technicalities'.

Packaging & appearance

The bottle has a very up-to-date look to it, tall & slender like the current trend restaurant glasses. It's flaw is that like those glasses, this does in fact make it that much more prone to toppling over. I have a tendency to keeping my perfume bottles in their boxes as my mum once told me the sunlight & warmth will spoilt the scent, so this keeps it fairly safe & protected, but if left out, it is not one to leave near the edge of a surface or where it may get knocked over. The box itself is actually quite decorated, with holograms shaped as diamonds along the front. They actually look quite tacky.

The bottle is a little fiddly to get out of the box... note to self: do not turn box upside-down, shake hard & tap the end to get bottle out when aimed at floor. Once out of its box, the lid is big & chunky, so easily removed. The bottle has one flat end & one concave curved end. This probably fools the eye into thinking there is more in the bottle. Once the lid is off, the whole bottle looks a lot smaller. It is a typical spray perfume, with a silver button.

The fragrance

As the name "Provocative Woman" suggests, this fragrance does attempt to be different & bring out the sexiness of the woman wearing it. For some, the strength & style of the fragrance may have made the perfume itself seem quite tacky. It hits you hard when you first spray it. I also found that the spray itself lets out too much of the perfume, so that the bottle probably will not last me long (I haven't used it enough to say so - I use it very rarely, but I expect to use it fewer times than other bottles of perfume of the same size before it runs out).

To be honest, when I first tried the fragrance I actually quite liked it. It has a deep, spicy, sexy tone with a slightly fruity feel to it. In this sense it does reflect its name fairly well. It even reminds me of incense sticks a little! I suppose it is fair to say that if you do not like incense you won't like this but thankfully for me I find that quite pleasant & harmonious now & then. It also fits in well with other Elizabeth Arden perfumes, but I do not really normally wear this kind of thing as it is just not my style.

In smaller doses, I do not find it tacky at all, in fact it has that upmarket scent to it. Unlike the shape of the bottle, however, it smells quite old-fashioned (not sure how to explain that but hope the girls will understand!). I think it is aimed at a slightly older age group to myself, but I would still happily wear it. I think this fragrance is best suited for the evenings & can be worn at parties or special occasions. It is a very overpowering smell so not one for needing top-ups. It lasts reasonably well so you probably could wear it out clubbing etc too if you are nearer my age group & like this kind of thing.

Price

I haven't really seen this perfume much in high street stores recently. Obviously as I received this as a gift I cannot say what was paid for it & whether it was really worth it. I've had a look online for the perfume & it seems to be typically available for around £15. Amazon currently has it on offer for just over £8. Personally because I tend to be incredibly fussy with spending on perfumes etc. & this kind of perfume is not really my style I would not have bought it given the option. I don't find the quality to be poor but it is just not my kind of perfume, so I would try it, maybe use it occasionally but not invest money in it.

I can't really say one way or the other whether this is really the perfume for you as perfumes are quite a personal thing. Quite frankly, I think you have to try before you buy, but hopefully at least my opinion might give you an idea of whether it is going to be on your shortlist. I am only in my twenties & I think most people younger or in my age group will not be particularly keen on this one. I would probably only say below that I recommend the perfume everyone I know that has tried it liked it & I'm fairly sure most people would. This is not the case for this one, so I will not be recommending it, but this is not to say that everyone will not like it!

(I have written this review on Ciao as well.)

Summary: A strong, seductive perfume for evening wear