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Post by Chairman Meow
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Hi APJ,
Recently, after combing through my local classifieds for an interesting scented bargain, I found myself in the thick of my old uni stomping grounds, knocking on a stranger’s door. It was answered by an ample bosomed young lady with a nuclear tan in Ugg boots.
“Come in, darl” she beamed, ushering me through the house. Her room, ascetically furnished, was redolent of a recently extinguished cigarette, masked by generous spritzes of Gucci Guilty. She waved an expansive hand at the half dozen or so fragrances sitting on her bookcase.
“I’m addicted to perfumes, babe. I keep buying them but I can’t use them all”. I politely agreed it was a splendid collection. Attempting to engage my young son in friendly banter, and receiving a churlish stare as her reward, she accepted my payment and I made a hasty exit to examine my prize.
Escada Magnetism by Pierre Bourdon and Steve Demercado 2003
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, black currant, melon, red berries, cassia and litchi
Heart: Magnolia, iris, green leaves, freesia, basil, jasmine, caraway, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, rose and almond blossom
Base: Sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, benzoin, caramel, vetiver and vanilla
But if you want an indication of what Magnetism is about, you need look no further than the flacon, the berry candy stalactite with its tongue-grazing chiselled edges, portentous of the juice within.
And indeed, Magnetism is a high-octane, fruit-astic confection with the stones to comfortably take on and take out the best of its ilk in a foxy boxing match. Its opening is familiar enough, a concoction of toffeed berries and that generic citrus note that seems to cut, like industrial grade detergent, through the tallow of many a sugary composition. It is accompanied for the first few minutes by something verdant, making for a crisp, if not bracing salvo.
After this point many of its poorer cousins will then trail off into some sort of perfume mumble, and evanesce into a vague vanilla-[insert unidimensional accord of choice] concoction, like an olfactory half finished sentence. Magnetism, apparently with more thought given to it, holds its shape for longer with quite distinguishable benzoin, patchouli and amber into the dry down. Later in its long, long life, I can make out something a little seedy, the faint whiff of smoker’s breath, as if the perfume had been imprinted with the memory of its former mistress.
Photo Stolen DeviantArt
Magnetism is aptly named, and evidently aimed at attracting the non-thinking sex symbol. Perhaps the most decisive indication of its common denominator appeal is the grunt of “nice” it got from Chairman Woof – high praise from one whose usual appraisals range from “non-specific” to “I don’ t like it”.
FragranceNet has $43/50ml before coupon
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml
One reviewer on Basenotes thought it would “be great as a stripper scent”, and whilst my limited stripping experience precludes comment, I will venture that it is a perfume for the extroverted, saucy even, for those liberal in their use of “darl” and “babe”. I’m saving mine to trot out when I need to get my slapper on.
Chairman Meow. X
Australian Perfume Junkies 
I read “Escada Magnesium” and I thought “My brain and muscles will surely like it!” 🙂
Well, yes, I know it and I’m convinced that every Angel devotee would at least try this (and Gloria by Cacharel) and nod in approval! Love it but it’s rare to find it these days round in Europe.
It’s not only for strippers, but makes a great good-night scent (worth only 1 spritz in the room, of course, otherwise you’d risk an unexpected bed attack)!
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An Angel devotee – check! Escada Magnetism – check! Now I need to find and try Gloria by Cacharel 🙂
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Hahah, glad you are on this wavelength, Undina, but unfortunately Gloria is discontinued and the people who own it don’t give it up without furious defence…no matter whether it is a high price or a prolonged and tediously negotiated swap! I had a decant. I loved it but I let it go because there are a lot more new challenging fragrances to sniff and adore (just look at the PG range, for example – I want each and every one of them, esp. the gourmand concoctions).
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Hey Chairman,
Next time you need to trot out a stripper frag, come sit by me. That is a sight I really could not bear to sniff.
Portia xx
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Any time Portia! I’m greasing my pole up even as I type.
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Dear Chairman Meow,
A big purr to you! Thank you for a laugh on a grey winter morn.
Jackie
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You’re so welcome Jackie!
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In my pre-perfumista life I went through almost the whole bottle of Escada Magnetism. I still think it wasn’t bad but, of course, nowadays I have so many much more interesting perfumes to wear that I retired the remaining 1/8th of a bottle (but I couldn’t through it away, so it just stays in my perfume retirement box).
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Undina,I love the idea of a perfume retirement box. I’m stealing it from you. I have given away some perfume bottles that I wasn’t using much anymore and regretted it. A lot!
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Heh the Chairman in this house thinks everything is either ‘vanilla’ or ‘floral’….I think floral means it’s a bit iffy!
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You mean your other can tell the difference between vanilla and flowers? Give this person some perfumista stripes already!
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Nice to see a bottle that so accurately represents its contents. I wish more manufacturers would invest in distinctive bottles.
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I’d have to say that the Enchanted Forest bottle is gorgeous – AND it looks like a novelty sized blackcurrant! Ingenious!
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Brilliant.
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Thank you Narcissus! I’m not worthy!
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Purr-fect, Chairman!
I now have the image of you marinated in All The Fruit, bumping and grinding your adorable furry self out of your little khaki army suit…
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You should see me wash my nether regions with my spiky tongue and legs akimbo during the encore!
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