Narciso Rodriguez For Her In Color Eau de Parfum — The Bold and the Beautiful

The newest fragrance launches from Narciso Rodriguez explore a novel concept: how scent might be interpreted via color. When describing the inspiration behind the scents, Rodriguez alluded to his penchant for pure color — be it delicate and faint or robust and full-bodied. The limited edition Narciso Rodriguez For Her In Color EDP ($84 for 1.6 oz. or $108 for 3.3 oz. at Saks Fifth Avenue stores and SaksFifthAvenue.com), an aromatic take on his iconic For Her perfume, then, is housed in a radiant fuchsia bottle as opposed to the black hue of the original scent’s packaging. The For Her in Color’s glass bottle, then, captures the luminosity and intensity of a hot pink tourmaline, darkening as one’s gaze moves upward.

So how does the elixir interpret the bottle’s vitality and dazzle? Well, the amber notes in the original For Her formula are cloaked in vanilla for a more sensual effect, while a vast array of woody notes are infused into the scent for a more enigmatic feel. The final scent is hard to categorize — it’s not as powdery as your traditional floral fragrance, not as dewy and fresh as your standard green, mossy scent, and not as spicy or smoky as most oriental perfumes. Like the original For Her scent (which remains on my list of best fragrances ever made), this edition belongs in the musky floral family, but the floral notes are even more subtle in this version of the scent so that the carnality of the musk reigns supreme.

As with the original For Her perfume, this edition’s top notes consist of rose and peach pulp but, again, the individual notes are hard to detect. In fact, the loveliest part of the fragrance isn’t the initial impression rendered by the top notes, but its musk heart, which is bolstered by the creamy vanilla paired with the mysterious amber notes and the enigmatic quality of the patchouli and moss base notes. The For Her in Color EDP is at its best after the first hour or so, when the sensuality of the woody and musky notes prevails, clinging to the skin and yielding a disarmingly sensual air.

I’ll admit that, initially, I wasn’t floored by the Narciso Rodriguez For Her, finding the top notes a bit too potent and abrasive, but once these ebbed and I really got acquainted with the core elements of the fragrance, I was powerless to resist its charms.