Armani Code Femme Eau de Parfum

- About -

Giorgio Armani is an Italian designer who was born in 1934 (now aged 74). The company Armani was formed in 1974 with his partner Sergio Galeotti when he launched Armani with a menswear label, and a womenswear line in 1975. Armani has tailored for many Hollywood stars and as well as designing clothes, Armani teamed up with Samsung to make the Giorgio Armani mobile.

Armani Code is the female counterpart to the Armani Code fragrance for men. Created by perfumers Carlos Benaim, Dominique Ropion, and Olivier Polge, Armani Code has a scent that I like to call the three S's, Sexy, Sophisticated and Seductive (I'll probably keep repeating that throughout the review!). It was launched in 2006.

- Scent -

Although there are possibly more fruity notes than flowery, I do think of Armani Code as a musky, flowery scent. To me it doesn't have the sweetness or zest to be a fruity fragrance. It is slightly sweet, and that is down to the honey but the rest of the notes make the scent more musky than sweet. The vanilla note makes the fragrance almost creamy, and makes it a warmer fragrance. I'd say the top notes are Jasmine and Bitter Orange, the middle note Orange Blossom and the base notes Vanilla and Honey. As well as those notes, the orange smells quite gingery, this livens the whole fragrance up. The opening is quite fruity, though not completely; the bitter orange is quite strong when you first spray this onto your skin. Out of all the notes, the smell that is always there has to be the Jasmine. The other notes start to fade leaving behind a flowery fragrance after around an hour. I think I like the softer dry down more than the opening of the fragrance more as personally I prefer more flowery scents.

I think Armani Code is suitable for both day and night. Once it has dried down, the scent is quite soft and light making it ideal for daytime. However it still has the three S's, Sexiness, Sophistication and Seduction, making it ideal for evening or night.

The staying power is good; it opens quite heavily, although after about an hour it turns into the softer more floral smell. This scent lingers for basically the rest of the day although you'll only be able to smell hints of it. However, if you re-applied Armani Code about half way through the day, the smell would be a lot more obvious.

- Packaging -

I find the Packaging of Armani to be just like the scent, Sexy, Sophisticated and Seductive. It's very attractive and looks great on my dressing table! The box is blue but at the top it is quite a dark blue which slowly fades into a very light blue. At the top of the box, there is a black flower pattern on it making it look very sophisticated. Underneath that Armani is printed on the box in black capitals with code underneath it in white small letters. At the bottom Giorgio Armani is printed in greyish blue capitals. Under this it says Eau de Parfum Pour Femme in the same style along with the size of the perfume (30ml, 50ml, 75ml) underneath. The bottle is very similar. Again it is blue; dark at the top slowly fading into an almost clear blue, the black flower pattern is in the middle of the bottle and Armani code is printed at the bottom of the bottle.

- Other -

As well as Armani Code Eau de Parfum, you can buy Armani Code Eau de Toilette, the lighter version of the Eau de Parfum. It is ideal if you prefer lighter fragrances or ideal as a daytime fragrance. The packaging is basically the same; it just doesn't have Armani code printed under the flowers. The way it is tinted blue is also a little different. Another Armani Code perfume in the range is Armani Code Elixir. I've never actually tried it but has been described as "more enigmatic and more mysterious" than Armani Code. The other products in the Armani Code for women range are Armani Code Pour Femme Body Lotion and Armani Code Pour Femme Shower Gel.

- Prices/Availability -

Armani Code Eau de Parfum can be bought in three different sizes, 30ml, 50ml and 75ml (the same goes for the Eau de Toilette and Elixir).
30ml RRPs at £31.50
50ml RRPs at £45.00
75ml RRPs at £58.00
However, in some shops you will be able to find Armani Code cheaper, simply because there are now newer perfumes out and Armani Code has been around since 2006! The Eau de Toilette is harder to find in stores, easier to find online, and can be bought for about £4/5 cheaper than the Eau de Toilette, whilst, Armani Code Elixir is more expensive but easier to find in stores.

- Verdict -
If you like flowery or musky scents, this is the perfume for you. The packaging is very pretty and attractive, and suits the fragrance perfectly. Theonly thing that could be improved was the staying power, but I have used other perfumes where the staying power has been a lot worse. This fragrance isn't for everyone but it is a must have for fans of flowery or musky perfumes.