Gucci Eau de Parfum is a floral, musky oriental (depending on your nose), that first appeared from the ethers of Tom Ford's imagination in 2002, brought to life by perfume nose Daniela Roche. It is not to be confused with the similiarly titled Gucci by Gucci, which came later (why Gucci persist in blandly confusing perfume names is a mystery). I have had a lasting affair with this perfume for almost a decade now. Trends come and go, but for me, this remains a signature scent for cooler (this year bloomin' Arctic!) temperatures.

What makes this glistening, brandy coloured liquid (to sound as battily Nigella-esque as possible!) so special? Even the heavy glass cube it comes in is more akin to a crystal decanter than a perfume bottle. For me, it is a complete perfume experience, in that it starts out as one thing and transforms in its base notes into something increasingly, deeply beautiful. It's rather spicy and unquestionably heady to start with, with a mildly unpleasant blast of sharp herbs. It flirts with being cloying without going over the top, unlike many more popular fragrances (cough Angel). It is sweet, but it very quickly smells more seductive than blatant. The citrus and dry spicy notes I would think cause this.

It is unquestionably an earthy scent, I have seen the musky base notes often described as "dirty", with the enjoyable perfume tome Perfumes:The Guide going so far as to describe it as "sleazy". Gosh, I felt a bit offended at that as this is hands down my favourite scent! The implication I take away from this is that it is too good, too enjoyable, to be a perfume aesthetic's creme de la creme! There is something a bit boozy and seductive about it, it blends in with its wearer in my opinion and you don't feel your perfume is wearing you, rather the opposite. It is sexy, undeniably, but less obvious than many others in my experience. It is more velvet than satin, if that makes sense.

Within half an hour of application the pretty scent of orange blossom subtly emerges from beneath the layers of balsam and sweet musk. In using citric florals like orange blossom, combined with the dense sweetness of heliotrope, and the spicy hint of cumin, this remains ever so slightly crisp in amongst all the woodiness on me. The herbs, which smell a bit tinny to start with, settle down to round the musk into something more interesting than your basic vanilla musk combination. After several hours' wear it does become slightly more muted and universally palatable, so I would advise anyone trying this to give it a chance if they don't enjoy the start. It has excellent staying power, especially on me as many perfumes disappear on me rather easily.

I would highly recommend this to fans of floral musks, and for those who shudder at the thought of Poison or Opium (which are too strong for me), give it a chance to evolve when trying it for the first time, it is not quite so potent once it settles. It is undeniably heady and female, I find it far too strong in the summer and possibly daylight (although I am wearing it right now for research sake!). It is always a pleasure to wear and always feels a little bit decadent - somehow I never get bored of it. I have had my current bottle for a couple of years now and it has aged with little if any change (I think perhaps the top notes start a bit sharper but it ends up exactly the same), unlike some other perfumes I own.

I hope you will give it a sniff, it has been around for a while now and for whatever reason Gucci don't bother promoting it in favour of its newer, inferior (in my opinion!) perfumes. I think it's a modern classic and wearable for most, although perhaps slightly too mature for the very young perfume wearer. It is a slightly less common scent than some others so you won't have the Coco Mademoiselle factor of wearing the same perfume as every other woman in the room in most cases! If buying as a gift, if your giftee likes spicy and sweet things, this might tick the right box, if she's more into cool, watery or candy scents this might not be to her taste. It's all subjective, for me this is my amber box of golden, glorious spice spasms (sweet Lord, I have been watching too much Nigella!).

Gucci Eau de Parfum

Top notes: orris, heliotrope, orange blossom, and vanilla absolute.
Middle notes: citrus, cumin, and thyme.
Base notes: patchouli, vanilla, and deep musk.