The Perfume:
Thierry Mugler’s Womanity (Exclusive to The Bay. Eau de Parfum $66 for 30mL; $86 for 50mL)
Selling Points
I was sold on Womanity, Thierry Mugler’s latest olfactory offering, when I learned that the edgy feminine bottles are ecologically sourced, and refillable. But I knew I still had to smell it. Because I’m so fussy when it comes to the scents I wear, there was a good chance Womanity wasn’t going to measure up to my standards. (I need my fragrance to be subtle without being boring, and deep without being cloying. The idea behind wearing perfume, as far as I’m concerned, is to leave a tiny trace of it behind, a trace that makes people wonder, Who is that woman, and where did she go? rather than, Thank goodness she left, I couldn’t breathe!)
The idea behind Womanity, according to Mugler himself, is to encompass energy, tenderness, and sophistication at the same time “ to evoke a feeling. That’s a tall order for a perfume. And it gets taller. Mugler also wanted to come up with a scent that encapsulated femininity as a whole. The name Womanity is a play on ˜humanity’, and is meant to suggest this is a scent that is for all womankind. Which made my head spin, and I hadn’t even opened the bottle.
The Spritz Test
My first impression was that it was going to be too heavy for me, but as I allowed it to settle, the strong top notes faded into a much more subtle fragrance that seemed to immediately absorb into my skin and mingle with my own natural scent. It’s a fragrance that tells many stories, says Mugler. Because each woman is different, each woman is a world of difference, and each woman sees herself through her difference.
An Unexpected Ingredient
After the initial sweetness faded, Womanity did indeed smell savoury, almost spicy, but with a fruit note of fig, which is fresh and warm rather than sharp and citrusy. And the salty component exalted in the product description? Caviar! Which has the potential to be a turn off (who wants to smell like fish eggs?!) but somehow works here in a big way, adding the perfect mid-note and the right amount of mysterious depth that evokes the ocean without smelling fishy at all. Finally, there’s fig wood and leaf, lending Womanity a sexy, musky quality.
And the final thoughts…
A few hours later, and Womanity was still on my wrists, but so subtle I could only smell it if I sniffed deeply. Which I couldn’t stop doing. (People were staring.) And when I wore it the next day, it smelled a little different, adapting once again to my skin. In this way, I think Mugler truly has indeed discovered the scent and essence of a woman: ever changing, and a little inexplicable. To me, femininity evokes the notion of totality, of completeness, says Mugler. Womanity is a musical fragrance, tuned to the emotions of the woman who wears it.
My verdict: “We’re an unlikely match, but I’m in love!”
