Vivid
Eau de Toilette, Liz Claiborne (1993)

Discontinued but, still around. For me, this is a sharp, shadowy, floral woody scent. Just rich enough for me to call it a winter-into-spring scent. It's top notes are a little different from some of this early century's offerings. A spicy-citrusy concoction of violet, freesia, sage, bergamot, and peony, with a touch of the tropical tiare flower. These notes linger for quite some time before lily and rose, move in.
The base of sandalwood, amber, and vanilla create their own musky smell, even though I don't actually detect any musk. The longevity for Vivid is long and lush. I consider this overall to be a dark, floral scent. Maybe a bit brash, even. It's like a new student who arrives in the middle of the school-year. Their presence is somewhat disruptive to others who have settled in to their routine and now have someone new to embrace or harass. It is a perfume misfit. Vivid missed the 80's era of big, bold perfumes. Yet isn't quite in league with the niche clan of the 2000's.

Sillage is good without being over-bearing.

Vivid reminds me, in its jammy, fruity-floriental design, of parts of Raffinee, Nicole Miller, Catalyst, and Organza. It's a playfully sweet bouquet with a lightly powdered top and a sweet base, and it lasts and projects admirably. It is a little too dense for me, though, at times seeming unfocused and pushy. I would take any of the aforementioned over this one, but I'm glad to have tried it all the same. Vivid smells like a stepping stone between towering florals like the classic First by Van Cleef & Arpels and the modern semi-gourmand Princess. Certainly one to try for lovers of green-and-white floral scents.

This was my signature scent through most of the 90s, and probably went through more bottles of Vivid- in all its incarnations - than any other single perfume before or since. I was actually quite devoted to it. I had absolutely no idea what 'notes' Vivid contained (this was well before I discovered information about perfume on the internet)... to me it had an intensely delicious quality, invoking the colours deep blue, sea green and aqua. Before 'aquatics', this was my aquatic scent. Fast forward to an older, wiser perfume collector who has read up on Vivid's alleged notes and scent classification - it's a rich 80s-style floral! I think the violet and freesia were what I liked about Vivid all along: I just hadn't made the connection. I understand why a few of the other reviewers called this a 'purple' fragrance, but I just can't shake the association with deep sea colours. Vivid is in the same Michael Edwards fragrance sub-family as Jardins de Bagatelle: I adored that one too during the 90s, but couldn't afford it.

Having a small vial if Vivid, I decided to try it. As they say, there's a first for everything, and there is also a last. I have it on now & I definitely won't be wearing it again any time soon. It smells like a grandma fragrance, for sure.

This is one of my favorite perfumes. All notes blend together and compliment eachother beautifully. It smells very good with my skins chemistry, when I wear it I can't help but sniff myself throught the day. It smells like a very light floral with amber and vanilla hints (at least on me it does). It has a very clean and fresh smell that has a slight sweetness to it. It also has staying power, on me it lasts from day to night without reapplying. I love this perfume and recomend to all who haven't tried it. It is not overpowering but is strong enough catch someone's attention. I always get compliments when I wear it from both men and women. To me it is romantic, enchanting, alluring, and femminine. Vivid is something special with a mysterious sex appeal that everyone admires. I can't believe it's discontinued, I'm glad I still have two bottles left =).

IMHO, and it's very humble indeed, they just don't make florals like this in the new millenium! It's lush and clean-not a mushy porridge of notes, but a real bouquet of flowers. It lasts and lasts, and on me there is defintely a progression from top to base notes. The middle notes are where it's at for me. A lovely, big boned floral with generosity of spirit and not too refined to be worn while running errands and getting the car gassed up. I have a well preserved bottle, over 12 years old, and it still smells gorgeous!