Davidoff Echo Woman Eau De Parfum Spray

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I discovered this Davidoff fragrance in 2004 when browsing in Boots. As I have smelled Echo amongst others in the atmosphere of the shop mingled with at least 50 other fragrances, I said to myself : Uhmmm this is exotic, this is sexy! Back then I just started learning notes in a perfume and what I smelled was musk - one of the first oriental base notes I was able to recognize at the time. I purchased it straight away. Trying it at home though ...
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Zino Davidoff - son of a successful tobacco merchant - opened his first cigar shop he took over from his parents in 1930 in Switzerland. Throughout the century he worked on his reputation as the producers of the best cigars as well as making wine and cognac and coffee.

In 1991 the Davidoff house created its first fragrance 'Cool Water' which was the first 'fresh aquatic' perfume created.
After the success ... more

Launched: 2004
Available: stores, online
Olfactive group: Green (chypre) floral

I discovered this Davidoff fragrance in 2004 when browsing in Boots. As I have smelled Echo amongst others in the atmosphere of the shop mingled with at least 50 other fragrances, I said to myself : Uhmmm this is exotic, this is sexy! Back then I just started learning notes in a perfume and what I smelled was musk - one of the first oriental base notes I was able to recognize at the time. I purchased it straight away. Trying it at home though showed me an altogether different character of the perfume.

The perfume house

Zino Davidoff - son of a successful tobacco merchant - opened his first cigar shop he took over from his parents in 1930 in Switzerland. Throughout the century he worked on his reputation as the producers of the best cigars as well as making wine and cognac and coffee.

In 1991 the Davidoff house created its first fragrance 'Cool Water' which was the first 'fresh aquatic' perfume created.
After the success of the ever popular Cool Water, Man, Cool Water Woman was launched in 1997. The new century saw the additon of a new line 'Echo' with Echo Man (2003) and Echo Woman (2004).

The packaging

Attractively packed in a solid pink, or more precisely, light coral red coloured square box which has Echo Woman printed across the middle and Davidoff's famous signature logo shown underneath. There are a few fine lines around the sides of the box in the shape of a quasi-egg. This is actually the contour of the bottle it contains.

I find this somewhat vertically flattened egg-shape very feminine (I have a soft spot for irregularly shaped, smooth edged bottles see Lolita Lempicka L). From the sides, you can see that the front and the back are concave, this gives it nice feeling to touch and hold it in your hand. The bottle is an almost clear but not entirely see-through glass due to its irregular shape. The perfume liquid is light soft pink. The bottle doesn't have a lid, the silver metallic atomizer sits on top of the 'egg'. as the top can be lifted up at about 5 millimeters and turned around around the top of the glass bottle. I personally don't see any use of this feature, it just makes the top wobbly.

The Fragrance

Top notes: musk, grape seed

Yes, musk is a very clear opening note in this fragrance. Sweet and sharp, it whisks you straight to faraway lands of exotic insense and rose. But this where the 'oriental' stops. The grape-seed gives the musky top a fresh woody nuance what will blend in and characterize the rest of the perfume.

Middle notes: carnation, raspberry leaves, peony, violet, osmanthus

I can feel the heart notes immediately developing, especially the carnation, which has a slightly spicy but crisp and fresh aroma, it adds depth to the lighter florals of peony and violet. The fragrance stays fresh and crisp with a hint of woods for 2 -4 hours. The middle notes of Echo will stay very close to the skin and give a poor sillage (the perfume trace that follows you) an dit will mostly contain the harsher, chypre notes.

Base notes: crystal amber, orris

If you smell yourself after 4 hours you'll hardly notice anything of it, it's all gone. A very subtle base is there with the same woody and floral notes or iris root (orris) but unless you've started off with a generous application first, you won't even think you're still wearing it. A shame for an Eau de Parfum as I know quite a few green florals that have excellent staying power e.g Coco Mademoiselle. The reason this Eau de Parfum is weak is because of the use of much less aromatic compound in the fragrance and not the fact that it's not concentrated enough.

** please skip this bit if you've read my previous reviews **

Music to my nose - What are fragrance notes?

Different plant oils break down at different rates, light molecules evaporate quickly, heavy ones slower. The composition of a perfume is called an accord where there are three set of 'notes' that appear gradually on top of each other thus creating an olfactive harmony.

Top notes (head)

The compounds that make up the top notes are usually sharp and volatile. When you spray the perfume on, you get the impression of these notes first. This note will last for about 10 - 20 minutes before it evaporates.

Middle notes (heart)

These scents appear just before the top notes die down and are usually rounded and soft. Rose, jasmine and lily scents are typical middle notes. The 'heart' gives the perfume its main character together with the base notes. The middle notes can start appear a few minutes after application and will last about 3 - 6 hours on the skin.

Base notes (dry-down)

These scents are heavy and large molecules that evaporate slowly. They emerge last and have a rich and deep character. They are also used to give lasting power to the perfume. You'll probably detect the first base notes between half an hour to an hour and they can last up to 24 hours on the skin.

** skip this bit if you've read my previous reviews **

How to choose your perfume

Each individual will have a different preference when choosing a perfume. Why?

Firstly, perfumes are a mixture of essential oils and aromas. The smell of a particular perfume will vary slightly from person to person, as each person's individual skin chemistry and body temperature will react slightly differently to a given scent.

Secondly, our olfactory memories are continually formed since the day we were born. Memories are formed in a biochemical process as an 'emotional imprint' in our nerve cells. We can unconsciously identify a staggering 10,000 different smells. so what we like in a perfume may be the smells our brain registered as a positive olfactory memory associated with people / events in our lives and the comfort / contentment we were experiencing at the time with them.

You will notice that even if you don't stick to a particular brand, you will most likely to choose a perfume from the same olfactive group(s).

Which group my perfume belongs to?

Fragrances are put into 8 main olfactory families or groups. I added another one, aromatic, which is a group made up of aromatic plants. Widely used in aromatherapy and herbal medicine their popularity has lately increased in high-end perfumery as well.

Perfumes rarely belong to a single olfactory group nowadays. You'll see that often 2 or 3 names of these groups are combined when classifying a particular fragrance e.g oriental woody, floral fruity, floral aquatic.

1. An aldehydic perfume contains chemicals from the aldehyde group. Character: pure and fresh. Example: Chanel No. 5 (Chanel)
2. An aromatic perfume is made up of various herbs e.g rosemary, basil or thyme. Character: rustic and fresh. Example: Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca (Guerlain)
3. An aquatic perfume will have a base of synthetic ingredients that give the sensation of the sea, mountain air or fresh linen. Character: clean and modern. Example: L'Eau d'Issy (Issy Miyake)
4. A citrus / fruity group includes bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin and sweet orange and fruits such as peach, red berries, watermelon. Character: fresh and light. Example: Dior Addict 2 (Dior)
5. A floral perfume will contain extracts of flowers such as rose, lily or jasmine. Character: sweet and delicate. Example: Pure Poison (Dior)
6. A green perfume formerly known as chypre is made up of bergamot, labdanum, patchouli and oakmoss. Character: woody and floral. Example: Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel)
7. A gourmand perfume contains notes like vanilla and tonka bean, chocolate or caramel. Character: sweet and edible. Example: Delices (Cartier)
8. An oriental perfume will have a base of amber, musks, vanilla and other exotic plants. Character: warm and sensual. Example: Dior Addict (Dior)
9. A woody perfume is made up of woods such as cedar, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver. Character: earthy and masculine. Example: Mediterranean (Elizabeth Arden)

How to try a perfume

The worst place to sample a fragrance is in the fragrance shop where all the different odours mix and float about.It's best to take a fragrance sample home and try it out for a day. If you want to test the perfume in the shop,make sure you squirt once on your wrist and once inside of your elbow.

Never rub it in your skin as it will destroy the small molecules of the more delicate notes. Make sure you're not already wearing a perfume on your wrist as this can alter the composition you're about to test. When you leave the shop, cover your arm up with a sleeve if possible so the volatile ingredients do not escape.

Let it settle for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the top notes appear without the alcohol fume.

Conclusion

Davidoff have mainly created fragrances for men and this tendency can be noticed in their women's range. Echo Woman is a delicate, but dominantly woody and green fragrance.

The blend is well-made, unusual and is perfect for everyday use in the office or on formal occasions. My skin tends to intensify whatever notes I am wearing which means a sweet note will get sweeter, a green note sharper, woodier. A sweet-ish opening note may not be so sweet at all later, and a sharper citrusy head can turn into a powdery flower bomb (see L'Instant de Guerlain). Take this into consideration when sampling Echo and make sure you wear it for a day before buying.

Additional rating

Composition: 4 / 5
Originality: 4 / 5
Staying power: 2 / 5
Overall value: 3 / 5

Price / where to buy

Boots

£24.50 / 30 ml Eau de Toilette
£18.49 / 50 ml Eau de Toilette
£49 / 100 ml Eau de Toilette

http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/

£ 12.50 / 30 ml Eau de Parfum Spray
£ 22.50 / 50 ml Eau de Parfum Spray

Other products in the line

http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/

£19.99 / 50 ml Eau de Parfum Spray and 75 ml Light Body Cream

Thanks for reading my review.

Lilla

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