City Glam is a fragrance which was first released in 2005 by Giorgio Armani; I have always liked the Giorgio Armanifragrances and have quite a few of them in my perfume collection so as soon as I spotted City Glam in my local Chemist's I had to buy it, and I knew I would like it. I paid £25 for a small 30ml bottle of City Glam Eau De Parfum approximately 7 months ago although Boots sell a 30ml bottle of the perfume for £22 according to their website.
As you can see from the picture at the top of this review the bottle of perfume is supplied in a tall cylindrical pink bottle, which City Glam written in silver lettering. I think that the bottle looks quite stylish and plain because it is supplied in a metal tin as opposed to a glass bottle. Most of the Emporio Armani fragrances for both men and women are supplied in the metal tins, I think this is a good idea because there is less chance of the bottle getting broken or damaged if you decided to carry it in your handbag.
Top Notes of Black Currant Buds, Mirabelle Plum and Coriander The top notes are the first phase of the
perfume; they are usually the most volatile and evaporate from the skin very quickly. The top notes are usually very light and refreshing and their scent usually lasts for anything between five and ninety minutes.
Middle Notes of Bulgarian Rose, Freesia and Heliotrope The middle notes of a scent are therapeutic and balancing oils, sometimes the middle notes are often referred to as the heart notes of a scent. The middle notes are not always evident and can take between thirty and sixty minutes to develop on your skin, and they last for anything between two to four hours
Base Notes of Indian Patchouli, Crystal Moss and White Musk The base notes are the longest lasting notes in a fragrance, most perfumes use the same base notes. This is because they give the perfume more staying power and stop the top and middle notes from evaporating from your skin as quickly.
The Scent
As soon as City Glam is sprayed onto your skin it has quite a strong alcoholic aroma, although this initial alcohol aroma disperses after approximately 10 seconds or so. The fragrance is still quite strong and heavy after a few minutes or so but most of the other fragrances in the Emporio Armani collection are strong smelling and heavy at first. One of the main reasons this perfume has quite a strong scent is because it is an Eau De Parfum and it contains a higher amount of alcohol then an Eau De Toilette or Eau De Cologne does. The fragrance is quite strong for a few hours or so but it does gradually die down, I think that the fruity top notes of the fragrance makes this a great perfume to wear during the summer or for an evening out. The fruity top notes which you can detect a few minutes after the perfume is applied to your skin is that of Blackcurrant and Plum which is accompanied with a very subtle aroma of Coriander. I think that the addition of the Coriander gives the scent more depth and richness. I think that the coriander compliments the blackcurrant and plum nicely, the coriander isn't as overpowering as the blackcurrant and plum, it is more of a background top note which isn't too overpowering or obtrusive.
The top notes of City Glam seem to last for quite sometime before they start to fade and blend in with the heart notes of the perfume. I would say that the top notes linger for just over an hour or so before they blend and fade away. The blackcurrant top note seems to linger for a longer length of time than the plum and coriander does; but I actually like the scent from the blackcurrant because one of my favourite perfumes which is Paul Smith Woman has blackcurrant top notes and it sort of reminds me of it.
The middle notes of City Glam are completely different from the fruity top notes of the fragrance. The middle notes are of a sweet floral composition, even although the middle notes are mainly all floral the scent isn't too floral or cloying. I'm not particularly fond of heavy floral scents but the floral notes aren't heavy or overpowering like you may expect they have a sweet nature which gives the scent a lighter edge. The fragrance which is most evident in the middle phase of the perfume is that of Freesia because it has a lovely fresh, summery fragrance which isn't too floral it has more of a crisp aroma. The Freesia is complimented perfectly with the scent of Heliotrope which has more of a floral aroma with a slight powdery edge, I think that the powdery aroma from the heliotrope gives the scent more depth and a slightly musky finish. The floral middle notes seem to last for a long time, I would say that the middle notes of the fragrance last for approximately 5 hours or so before they fade away.
Again after the top and middle notes of the fragrance have worn off the perfume smells completely different again. The scent changes from being floral to more of a sweet musky/earthy aroma, which is good for those who aren't
Pictures
a close up of the bottle
particularly fond of floral aromas. The base notes of the fragrance are mainly musky/earthy tones, the white musk base note is the most evident at this phase in the perfume because it has a sweet powdery aroma which is really feminine and sweet. The musk is complimented nicely with a subtle hint of patchouli which gives the scent a slightly warm and woody aroma. He base notes have excellent staying power just like the top and middle notes. I would say that the base notes linger for another 5 hours or so before they completely fade and the perfume needs reapplied again.
Perfume Information
All perfumes smell slightly different on different people, and this is due to us having different oils in our skin. The staying power of a scent also differs from person to person because we have different types of skin oils too. I said in the review that this perfume lasts for about three or four hours on me, but it could last a longer or shorter amount of time on you. People who have dry skin types will notice that perfumes don't last long on their skin. If you have dry skin and have this problem you should try layering the scent of a perfume by using the matching body lotion or shower gel before applying the perfume. By doing this you are layering the scent and applying a base for the perfume to layer itself upon, so you should notice that the fragrance will last a lot longer on your skin.
If you like the sound of this perfume then I advise that you go into your local perfume store and test it before you buy it. When testing the scent spray it onto your wrist and wear it for a few hours before you decide whether you like it or not, because the scent changes the longer you wear it due to the different notes which make up the fragrance.
When testing a perfume don't smell the scent on a perfume card because it might smell lovely on the card and when you buy it and wear it at home it might smell totally different and you might not like the scent you are wearing. I made this mistake a few times in the past and wasted £30 on a fragrance which I didn't wear again and put in the bin.
Staying Power
Giorgio Armani City Glam Eau De Parfum has great staying power and lasts for approximately 10--12 hours before it completely fades away. I can apply a few sprays of this perfume in the morning before I got to work and I can still smell it on my skin late in the evening after I have got home. The perfume isn't a light airy one it is quite strong and heavy for most of the time although it dies seem to get lighter and muskier after about 6 hours or so. I think it is a great perfume to use during the day or for a night out because you can be sure that it will last on your skin for quite a while.
There is only one bad thing I can say about this perfume and that is~ don't use more that 3 sprays at any one given time because it is quite a strong spray and less is more in this instance. Use too much of this perfume and you may risk choking the people around you.
Price and Availability
Giorgio Armani City Glam Eau De Parfum is available from most large department stores such as Boots, Debenhams, Superdrug and Body Care. You can also purchase it from some online retailers too although priced may differ from place to place; so it is a good idea to have a look around and get the cheapest offer to you.
Here are 3 different sized bottles of City Glam available to purchase and the sizes and prices are as follows.
30ml £22 50ml £36 100ml £72
My Opinion
I think that City Glam is a lovely fragrance although some people may find it too strong and a little too floral and musky for them. Personally I think it is lovely and fresh even although it can be a tad too strong at times. You only have to use a little amount of this perfume at any one given time, so a 30ml bottle should last quite a while. The only problem with the bottle is the fact that you cant see how much perfume you have left in in because it is made from metal.
If you like fresh/fruity/floral fragrances then you may very well like this one. If you like perfumes such as Clinique Aromatics Elixir, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique etc then you should consider trying a sample of this perfume.
Giorgio Armani Emporio City Glam 30ml Eau de Parfum Spray - Launched in September 2005 more
City Glam for Her is vibrant and youthful. It enchants with sensual, delicate flowers and a tender touch of freesia, heliotrope and the prolonged caress of rose. City Glam for Her is glamorous, memorable and leaves a woody, musky base.
Spend over £25 and get a free £25 cosmetics pack and free delivery. A fashionable, trendy more
and electrifying interpretation of urban seduction, as seen by Giorgio Armani. This new fragrance calls up a vision of a dynamic moment of intimacy. City Glam is a glamorously intoxicating, fruity, mischievous scent with an exhilarating energy.
Emporio Armani City Glam Perfume for Women by Giorgio Armani. Launched by the design house more
of Giorgio Armani in 2005, Emporio Armani City Glam is classified as vibrant and bewildering fragrance. The thrill of pear sorbet blended with the sparkle of cassis and the murmur of star anise. The magic continues with sensual, delicate flowers; the tender touch of freesia and heliotrope and the prolonged caress of rose. Enchanting City Glam for Her leaves a memorable glamourous woody, musky base.
Giorgio Armani Emporio City Glam 100ml Eau de Parfum Spray - Launched in September 2005 more
City Glam for Her is vibrant and youthful. It enchants with sensual, delicate flowers and a tender touch of freesia, heliotrope and the prolonged caress of rose. City Glam for Her is glamorous, memorable and leaves a woody, musky base.
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