Pure Romantic

Pure Romantic is Jeanne Arthes at its most on-trend. It opens on bergamot, blackcurrant and orange blossom, and the blackcurrant is the note people remember: tart, purple and jammy, it gives the first ten minutes a lot more character than the price suggests. The heart is where the fragrance makes its case, a white floral pairing of tuberose and jasmine cut with a soft thread of passion fruit that stops the flowers turning heavy. The base is cedar, vanilla and musk, and it is the weakest section, going quiet within a couple of hours and leaving a clean musk skin scent rather than the creamy vanilla close the pyramid promises. Community opinion is unusually consistent on what this is. Four of the six user statements on Parfumo name Giorgio Armani My Way unprompted, with one calling it ninety per cent the same scent and softer than the original, another saying it is very similar with a lovely blackcurrant top and calmer overall, and a third noting that the vanilla finish is missing and the whole thing feels less rounded. The dissenting view is worth recording too: one reviewer found it screechy and harsh. That reading is consistent with the synthetic quality several others acknowledge and forgive. Performance is modest, roughly four hours with arm's-length projection for the first hour, which is normal for a 100 mL eau de parfum sold at eight pounds. It suits spring and daytime wear best, and it is a sensible pick for anyone who likes the shape of the modern tuberose and orange blossom florals but does not want to spend eighty pounds finding out.