All in the name? [reviewing Fame edp, by Paco Rabanne]

  Playful. Sensual. Empowered. 

Capturing the irresistible Parisian spirit of the Rabanne woman, FAME pays tribute to a new era of femininity.

The quintessence of avant-garde luxury, the fragrance is a blend of exceptionally pure jasmine, succulent mango and an addictively sensual creamy incense.

Fame is something that I've been repeatedly been testing since it was launched and whilst I liked it, a combination of other releases, new-to-me finds & revisits kept taking my focus away from it.

For Christmas 2023 I'd decided to pounce on the Fame giftsets at Boots or Superdrug as soon as they were slashed in price by a third when the NY sales started... and I got distracted by last-minute Christmas stuff and too slow for the start of the online sales, so they had sold out by the time I got around to looking. However I found the giftset on the UK Sephora site [with the same level of discount] after managing to somehow forget that they sell fragrances until boxing day 😅 

Anyway; Is Fame as good as I seem to recall, or have I gotten it mixed up with Fame Parfum & made a pricy error?  [I'm writing the intro before it arrives and I'm already doubting myself]

I definitely pick out coconut milk alongside the mango, so I don't know why it isn't officially listed as a key scent note anywhere - it's more noticeable then the mango on me. The bergomot blends closely into the mild mango, so separating them is a bit of a struggle. 

I want to be able to provide you with a detailed description of the floral heart of the perfume, but I can't; apart from a teensy amount of the lingering bergamot, there is just jasmine - my nose refuses to pick up on any other florals. The frankincense boosts the citrusy sense from the lingering bergamot, but it doesn't distract from the super-charged jasmine. Lots of reviewers find the florals powdery, but I find the blend very creamy, thanks to the longwearing coconut milk.

The creamy base is something to delight us big sandalwood fans; there's plenty of sandalwood that is gently wrapped in vanilla and sprinkled with spice from the frankincense, which compliments the remaining mango & coconut beautifully. The frankincense notes come through a bit more fully as the jasmine fades, adding a touch of smokiness, and I also get a pinch of salt too - a musk?

Offical key scent notes: Mango, bergamot, jasmine, frankincense, vanilla and sandalwood. 

Many reviewers comment on Fame having poor longevity so I actually tried to cancel my order, but I was too late as it had already been posted. Turns out that it was fortunate that I couldn't cancel it, as the juice wears fantastically well on me; it's an all-day fragrance, and it doesn't become close to the skin on me. I didn't expect such a simple composition to wear so well, but it is really impressive.

I don't think that the name or bottle suit this soft, gentle & classically feminine fragrance; nowadays fame refers to reality stars & the social media crowd, which [coupled with the bottle] I think of as attention-grabbing, bright, youthful & modern, whereas the juice is smooth, timeless, ageless & elegant. For something I bought at a discount, I'm very happy with Fame - however I will still be watching out for tasty discounts on Fame Parfum in the more distant future, as from my comparisons & [mostly gibberish] notes, Fame Parfum probably is the one that has a bit more complexity in the florals & edge with the richness of the incense. The fragrance names are close enough that I became confused over which was which somewhere along the line. Nevertheless; a very happy accident.

Bonus round; Kayali Sparkling Lychee is simply fantastic to layer with Fame. Kayali Déjà Vu, Kayali Musk and Ariana Grande God Is A Woman also work really well with the key scent notes too. 

The original FAME fragrance is made in France, is vegan-friendly and is 90% of natural origin. 100% crafted in Grasse from sustainable ingredients.

Paco Rabanne fragrances are sold in just about every fragrance retailer: 30ML (£64.50), 50ML (£97), 80ML (*refillable - £118).

*you can buy refill bottles 30ml (£64.50), 50ml (£78), 80ml (£100) and 200ml (£145).