Reviews of Passion by Annick Goutal
Passion screeches in its opening. I mean this screeches like a banshee. These flowers have a bone to pick; this tuberose and ylang-ylang set the tone with an attitude, and I think it's because the tomato leaf is pricking them in their arses. Following several minutes of their continued shrieking and the rubbing of their bums from soreness, it dwindles to a mewl and they reveal their more noble and elegant side. Might I add, it's quite the pageant.
The verdant leafiness turns out to be just the right move in making these flowers find their proper voice in the heart after its shrill opening. It seems that a gardenia joins the chorus about fifteen minutes in, and then by the hour, I decide that this is the greenest white floral I've ever smelled. Does it resonate with me? Sure, but I have a surplus of reference tuberoses and white florals in my collection and this doesn't quite woo me as Tubereuse Criminelle or Balenciaga Michelle, but it's not too shabby.
The verdant leafiness turns out to be just the right move in making these flowers find their proper voice in the heart after its shrill opening. It seems that a gardenia joins the chorus about fifteen minutes in, and then by the hour, I decide that this is the greenest white floral I've ever smelled. Does it resonate with me? Sure, but I have a surplus of reference tuberoses and white florals in my collection and this doesn't quite woo me as Tubereuse Criminelle or Balenciaga Michelle, but it's not too shabby.
The sweet and rich opening burst of ylang-ylang and jasmine is a beauty. Softly caressing my olfactory capacities, it is of a velvety and quite creamy consistency, and clearly sweet but never too much. Lovely.
In the drydown the floral department remains strong, adding a tuberose to its arsenal. This is a bright and fresh tuberose that lacks any waxy or indolic characteristics. A bit later a herbal undertone is revealed, with notions of tomato leaves and transient whiffs of clary sage being noticeable.
Later on a soft patchouli arises that blends in nicely, but is a little bit nonspecific. An attempt is made to add a perfunctory synthetic non-event masquerading as an oakmoss, which is an insult to any specimen of this lichen that ever populated our planet.
The other import during the later phases of the development is a vanilla note, with a caramelised background that leads to an, albeit less intense, resurgence of the initial sweetness, and is tapering gently towards the end.
I get moderate sillage, very good projection and ten hours of longevity on my skin.
This spring creation shows its best side in the early stages of a rich and sweet floral bouquet as a Eau de Parfum, which avoids excessive and sickly cheap sweetness. The second half is less impressive, but altogether it deserves a positive score. 3.25/5.
In the drydown the floral department remains strong, adding a tuberose to its arsenal. This is a bright and fresh tuberose that lacks any waxy or indolic characteristics. A bit later a herbal undertone is revealed, with notions of tomato leaves and transient whiffs of clary sage being noticeable.
Later on a soft patchouli arises that blends in nicely, but is a little bit nonspecific. An attempt is made to add a perfunctory synthetic non-event masquerading as an oakmoss, which is an insult to any specimen of this lichen that ever populated our planet.
The other import during the later phases of the development is a vanilla note, with a caramelised background that leads to an, albeit less intense, resurgence of the initial sweetness, and is tapering gently towards the end.
I get moderate sillage, very good projection and ten hours of longevity on my skin.
This spring creation shows its best side in the early stages of a rich and sweet floral bouquet as a Eau de Parfum, which avoids excessive and sickly cheap sweetness. The second half is less impressive, but altogether it deserves a positive score. 3.25/5.
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This is a pretty Goutal. Dominant notes of tuberose, jasmine, vanilla, and some patchouli at the end. Tuberose seems to be the main star here. Not overly creative but, pleasant to wear.
Annick Goutal's Passion comes across as a very well balanced, well behaved white floral fragrance that is eventually a little unexciting given my personal tastes. I do get the fresh green opening with a lovely subtle touch of mint, followed by a bouquet of white flowers. I perceive a well mannered tuberose that is more beautiful than heady; this is complimented by a soothing ylang-ylang. The overall vibe is sunny, summery, uplifting. This accord of white flowers, laced with a touch of green, continues for hours before eventually becoming softer and revealing a faint musky-vanillic sweetness in the base. I do not detect any patchouli or mossy aspect. Passion exhibits a duration of six to seven hours on skin, though the sillage is subdued and close after about a couple of hours.
Passion, to me, is not particularly a tuberose fragrance. Unlike hardcore tuberose compositions like Carnal Flower, Fracas, Tubereuse Criminelle or Amarige, Passion is more of a refined white floral blend with tuberose taking the lead. While not too abstract, Passion achieves a great balance among its different elements. To me, Passion is a no-nonsense go-to white floral fragrance that perhaps works best in warm weathers, and possesses an understated aura and a refined elegance. Nonetheless, Passion is missing a spark somewhere, that elicits a neutral reaction personally.
3/5
Passion, to me, is not particularly a tuberose fragrance. Unlike hardcore tuberose compositions like Carnal Flower, Fracas, Tubereuse Criminelle or Amarige, Passion is more of a refined white floral blend with tuberose taking the lead. While not too abstract, Passion achieves a great balance among its different elements. To me, Passion is a no-nonsense go-to white floral fragrance that perhaps works best in warm weathers, and possesses an understated aura and a refined elegance. Nonetheless, Passion is missing a spark somewhere, that elicits a neutral reaction personally.
3/5
I wish I could smell this, but it seems my nose has a blind spot with Passion.
I can detect a very light, mild camphor-minty opening, but then only the faintest whiff of a non-descript white floral melange.
I am a great fan of both tuberose (Caron's Tubereuse, Piguet's Fracas) and Jasmine (Luten's A La Nuit), so I do perceive white florals, and find them both heady and joyous.
I can hardly detect Passion at all. From the reviews on this page, it sounds right up my alley. Sadly, the alley is empty.
I can detect a very light, mild camphor-minty opening, but then only the faintest whiff of a non-descript white floral melange.
I am a great fan of both tuberose (Caron's Tubereuse, Piguet's Fracas) and Jasmine (Luten's A La Nuit), so I do perceive white florals, and find them both heady and joyous.
I can hardly detect Passion at all. From the reviews on this page, it sounds right up my alley. Sadly, the alley is empty.
Genre: Floral
The resurrected Passion marries the brisk, refreshingly bitter green floral style that Annick Goutal exploits so well in Eau de Ciel, Le Chèvrefeuille, and Folavril to a lush arrangement of indolic tropical white flowers, centered principally on tuberose. With its minty top note and conspicuous galbanum, the result suggests a more demure and conventional variant on Serge Lutens's iconoclastic Tubéreuse Criminelle. In fact, if the 1983 version of Passion smelled anything like today's, it could well have served as Christopher Sheldrake's template for the Lutens!
From its mint, tomato leaf, and eucalyptus opening, Passion moves on to a sweet, luminous, and somewhat fleshy accord of tuberose, green jasmine, galbanum, and ylang-ylang. Persistent traces of eucalyptus cool the floral accord, which holds a linear course for several hours before trailing off into a gentle clean musk and vanilla drydown. Sillage and projection are both adequate but never intrusive, and the entire composition has pleasantly relaxed and natural feel to it, despite the tendency of tuberose to indulge in high drama.
Whatever the genealogy, if you're intrigued by the cough drop-plus-tuberose of Tubéreuse Criminelle but can't quite bring yourself to wear anything so strange, (or if can't get hold of a bell jar from the EU,) Passion might be just your thing. Likewise, if you crave tuberose, but feel overwhelmed by the traditionally buxom approach of Fracas and Amarigue, Passion offers a comparatively restrained and easygoing alternative.
The resurrected Passion marries the brisk, refreshingly bitter green floral style that Annick Goutal exploits so well in Eau de Ciel, Le Chèvrefeuille, and Folavril to a lush arrangement of indolic tropical white flowers, centered principally on tuberose. With its minty top note and conspicuous galbanum, the result suggests a more demure and conventional variant on Serge Lutens's iconoclastic Tubéreuse Criminelle. In fact, if the 1983 version of Passion smelled anything like today's, it could well have served as Christopher Sheldrake's template for the Lutens!
From its mint, tomato leaf, and eucalyptus opening, Passion moves on to a sweet, luminous, and somewhat fleshy accord of tuberose, green jasmine, galbanum, and ylang-ylang. Persistent traces of eucalyptus cool the floral accord, which holds a linear course for several hours before trailing off into a gentle clean musk and vanilla drydown. Sillage and projection are both adequate but never intrusive, and the entire composition has pleasantly relaxed and natural feel to it, despite the tendency of tuberose to indulge in high drama.
Whatever the genealogy, if you're intrigued by the cough drop-plus-tuberose of Tubéreuse Criminelle but can't quite bring yourself to wear anything so strange, (or if can't get hold of a bell jar from the EU,) Passion might be just your thing. Likewise, if you crave tuberose, but feel overwhelmed by the traditionally buxom approach of Fracas and Amarigue, Passion offers a comparatively restrained and easygoing alternative.
Marrakech ExpressYou're about to take a trip without leaving the farm.It begins at the farm where Grandpa is burning a pile of hoary leaves that didn't make the compost. They're comfrey and borage, sorrel and thistle, and the herbal smoke assaults your nose followed by the taste of bitter lettuce swirling in your palette. It blends strangely with your perfume, First by Van Cleef and Arpels. A worse combination would be hard to find. At this stage it's, quite frankly, unpleasant. The floral joss sticks mentioned by other reviews are there in abundance, wafting the attar of the funeral pyre. Whoosh! It's gone, you've dropped into the sultry air of the tropics, transported by a Matrix. Now you're engulfed by climbers, Mandevillea and Port St John creeper, the air treacle thick in the tropic of Capricorn. They exert their pressure on the jasmine as vines do on trellis work, insidiously twining. Passion is a boa constrictor. The dry down is beautiful, and it needed to be after the previous two hours. Is it worth the struggle?You must decide. Forewarned is forearmed.Pros: Stick shift is always fun to driveCons: A challenge at the outset"
Passion by Annick Goutal, a fragrance released in the early 1980s, is a loud blast of spicy floral when sniffed strait from the bottle. During the opening, the white floral is tamed by oakmoss and something green and spicy (tomato leaf according to the note listing). When applied to the skin, however, Passion morphs into something entirely different, with a touch of musty smokiness confounding the senses. Finally, a previous reviewer called it out: floral incense sticks! Passion is a white floral with a timeless Bohemian elegance. Another reviewer pointed out that the floral note treads the line between tropical and seasonal; I think that is, right on, man.
4/5
4/5
The emotion passion has come to be confused with the expression of passion. Focussing on quixotic symbolic gesture, passion has come to mean any attention seeking act. With a vocabulary borrowed from the romantic comedy, it's a very long short-hand. Set this in a culture where an action's value varies directly with the number of people who witness it and passion loses its meaning as an internal state.
Annick Goutal's Passion fits an older definition that describes an emotional state on the spectrum from enthusiasm to compulsion. Yes, there are objects of passion, but passion is what you yourself feel.
Passion, the perfume, is gorgeous. It's a blended floral, a prospect that by itself is hit-or-miss, but it's also a combination of tropical and seasonal white florals. A failure with this mix of genres could be a disaster, but Passion is exquisite. It is identifiable and has excellent form along with an ambiguity that lends itself to mystery rather than indecision.
Mixed florals such as Patou's Joy and de Nicolai's Number One show that the prettier' aspects of a flower, the sweetness and light, are important, but the expertise lies in the perfumer's use of the rawer, less obviously fetching side of the flower. Passion draws on this underbelly of the flower to paint a mixed floral, but because it used both classical and tropical flowers, it has a larger palette to draw on. I don't find Passion overwhelming or oversized. It is buttery and textured and relaxed. Passion lets its hair down. As for us men, Passion leaves its shirt-tails untucked suggesting not so much informality as the desire for an easy range of motion. Again, passion isn't about the reading. it's about the inspired state.
Annick Goutal's Passion fits an older definition that describes an emotional state on the spectrum from enthusiasm to compulsion. Yes, there are objects of passion, but passion is what you yourself feel.
Passion, the perfume, is gorgeous. It's a blended floral, a prospect that by itself is hit-or-miss, but it's also a combination of tropical and seasonal white florals. A failure with this mix of genres could be a disaster, but Passion is exquisite. It is identifiable and has excellent form along with an ambiguity that lends itself to mystery rather than indecision.
Mixed florals such as Patou's Joy and de Nicolai's Number One show that the prettier' aspects of a flower, the sweetness and light, are important, but the expertise lies in the perfumer's use of the rawer, less obviously fetching side of the flower. Passion draws on this underbelly of the flower to paint a mixed floral, but because it used both classical and tropical flowers, it has a larger palette to draw on. I don't find Passion overwhelming or oversized. It is buttery and textured and relaxed. Passion lets its hair down. As for us men, Passion leaves its shirt-tails untucked suggesting not so much informality as the desire for an easy range of motion. Again, passion isn't about the reading. it's about the inspired state.
White florals aren't my favourite and I gave this to my girlfriend, who loves it. I found its scent was vastly improved with heat ie after 10 min.s in the sun my body was wafting perfume, but before that, the scent was barely noticeable.
One balmy summer day in around the mid/late 80s, I was heading through Knightsbridge - intent on browsing around Harrods. Suddenly, I became aware of a bit of a commotion going on and suddenyl a stunning and slender tall blonde lady rushing along the pavement - with a handful of photographers in hot pursuit.
It was, of course, the beautiful Princess of Wales - Diana. My two abiding memories were the flashing blue fury in her eyes at once again being hounded by the press and, as she passed, a faint trace of the most beautiful fragrance I had ever smelled anywhere. Belive me, photographs have neve done her justice. Her beauty in the flesh was almost surreal.
Sometime later I read that one of her favourite scents was Passion by Annick Goutal and, curiousity and the memory of her beautiful fragrance, drew me so that the next time I was in Harrods, I tried it for myself. Oh Wow! This was the ONE! As soon as the sample on my wrist started to dry down, I was back in that street gaping in wonder at one of the most famous women in British history.
I still wear Passion very often and it almost seems to sum up everything I remember about Diana - it is graceful, feminine and warm. If ever a fragrance could so perfectly 'match' the wearer then it is this one.
I'm finding it harder to get hold of in the UK and in the Annick Goutal boutique in Knightbridge, they tell me that they no lnoger do the bath and body lines as there is no longer a demand for them. Thankfully, I can still get the EDT and EDP. I'm praying that the fragrance continues forever because in my opinion it is matchless. Reading the other reviews on here, everyone has summed it up perfectly. It is one of the best 'secret' scents - worn only by very few women - and as stunning as our lovely Princess of Wales was herself.
It was, of course, the beautiful Princess of Wales - Diana. My two abiding memories were the flashing blue fury in her eyes at once again being hounded by the press and, as she passed, a faint trace of the most beautiful fragrance I had ever smelled anywhere. Belive me, photographs have neve done her justice. Her beauty in the flesh was almost surreal.
Sometime later I read that one of her favourite scents was Passion by Annick Goutal and, curiousity and the memory of her beautiful fragrance, drew me so that the next time I was in Harrods, I tried it for myself. Oh Wow! This was the ONE! As soon as the sample on my wrist started to dry down, I was back in that street gaping in wonder at one of the most famous women in British history.
I still wear Passion very often and it almost seems to sum up everything I remember about Diana - it is graceful, feminine and warm. If ever a fragrance could so perfectly 'match' the wearer then it is this one.
I'm finding it harder to get hold of in the UK and in the Annick Goutal boutique in Knightbridge, they tell me that they no lnoger do the bath and body lines as there is no longer a demand for them. Thankfully, I can still get the EDT and EDP. I'm praying that the fragrance continues forever because in my opinion it is matchless. Reading the other reviews on here, everyone has summed it up perfectly. It is one of the best 'secret' scents - worn only by very few women - and as stunning as our lovely Princess of Wales was herself.
When I first smelt this, I melted. Passion is so unbelievably unique, warm, enticing and sexy. While wearing this scent for only a few minutes, and walking down a crowded street, heads were turning and men were stopping me and asking what I was wearing. With only one simple spray of this potion on my wrist, I felt confident, beautiful and glamorous.
The first initial spray is indeed rather heady and strong, but the scent itself is unlike anything else. The warm vanilla, jasmine and tuberose blend is to die for. The scent reminds me of old fashioned stores filled with lace, rose scented oils and antiques. Passion is such a comforting scent with a slight incense touch in the base notes which settles beautifully on the skin.
Because this fragrance is niche you won't find many women wearing this, hence the reason why I love this fragrance so dearly. The lasting power is fantastic and the warmth in the drydown is unlike anything I've ever tried before.
This is a must for lovers of floral scents, or women searching for something expensive smelling yet unique and sophisticated.
The first initial spray is indeed rather heady and strong, but the scent itself is unlike anything else. The warm vanilla, jasmine and tuberose blend is to die for. The scent reminds me of old fashioned stores filled with lace, rose scented oils and antiques. Passion is such a comforting scent with a slight incense touch in the base notes which settles beautifully on the skin.
Because this fragrance is niche you won't find many women wearing this, hence the reason why I love this fragrance so dearly. The lasting power is fantastic and the warmth in the drydown is unlike anything I've ever tried before.
This is a must for lovers of floral scents, or women searching for something expensive smelling yet unique and sophisticated.
Tuberose and jasmine from Grasse blend with vanilla to create the warm and heady scent... ~Annick Goutal's ingrediant listI first smelled this from the bottle and thought it smelled sort of peppery, bold and not very floral. It seemed to have that old fashioned smell that you are not sure if it smells good or not. Was I ever wrong! I wonder how anyone can smell a scent from the bottle and have any idea of what it really smells like? After letting it settle on my skin, it completely changed.This perfume is absolutely beautiful! I can see why it was Annicks' signature scent. It is just strong enough and the florals unfold perfectly. The tuberose does not have any of the sharp unpleasant side to it and it blends into the jasmine that also is soft and sweet without any of the jasmine sharpness. I don't really smell vanilla unless it is the holding scent that allows the Tuberose and Jasmine to blend smoothly. As with all of Annick Goutal's scents, that make me love thier whole line, there is a point that you can smell the trademark AG scent. It too passes through before getting to the final scent that lasts a while. I enjoy scents that last just long enough, then you start to think, "its time to put more on". ~The sign of a truly good perfume!
Tuberose, jasmine, vanilla, oakmoss.Captivatingly pretty scent from Annick Goutal. I find it lighthearted, joyous, uplifting and an ideal scent for springtime. I don't detect the oakmoss at all but love the jasmine and tuberose which are softened by vanilla.