Girl by Pharrell Williams

Girl is more like Boy. At first, and until the dry-down, violet predominates, a violet that reminds you slightly of Dior’s Fahrenheit, 212 Men, or even Narciso Rodríguez’s For Him. However, here it doesn’t develop anxiously; accompanied by neroli, pepper, and iris, it feels more pleasant and less cloying. I absolutely hate violet and run from it like the devil, but in this perfume, I’ve found it interesting. What I liked most is the dry-down: it smells of woods in a powdery, wet way with a musky, soapy touch. An hour after application, I’ve been smelling my wrist non-stop; I’ve found it delicious. Girl is a fragrance with a design and name that deceive and can be a burden. The bottle resembles a typical kids’ cologne, the name says it’s for girls, and since it’s by a celebrity, you expect the worst. However, inside, it contains a classic and very masculine fragrance treated in a modern, refreshing, and interesting way. It goes its own way and has nothing to do with current trends in men’s perfumery. It’s not a fruity-fougeré with ambroxan, a sweet ambipure, or an all-in pseudo-oriental, but a classic fragrance that, if not for the misleading bottle, I’m convinced many more people would have approached. Longevity and sillage are good for today’s perfumery. I don’t believe in age ranges, but Girl looks great on a fifty-year-old man.

A rare, underappreciated scent that deserves more attention. I know celebrity fragrances often get skepticism, and this isn’t different. It’s not for everyone, nor is it strictly unisex by gender; it’s unisex because it’s different, distant, and label-free. I love it. Neroli opens strong, followed by an intense violet (if you don’t like it, run) and iris over sweet sandalwood. I enjoy florals in unisex or men’s perfumes, so this is perfect. The violet here is dense and full-bodied, with a fresh green touch reminiscent of stems or ivy. The vetiver isn’t overpowering on its own but enhances that vegetal side. Black pepper appears quickly, dry and sweaty, adding an intriguing note that softens the violet invasion. The progression isn’t abrupt; the constant violet is like a kiss after a late night. The spice blends well with the warmth of the sandalwood, adding freshness and woody spices until it all rounds out. Smells great. It doesn’t have a strong sillage, but it’s perfect (lasts about seven hours on me) because it’s never overwhelming, just present and attractive. Worth it for everyone to decide for themselves, just like in life.

Girl is a twist on the daily canons we assume. It’s the crooked line of the traditionalism we impose on ourselves in perfumery at this level. Slaves to prejudice and preconceived patterns. Its bottle is the deserved insult to our denial of the obvious. And its elixir is a slap to wake up; a kick to our snooty noses that come out into the world pretending to know everything. Slaves in reality. Girl is the dream of the impossible; incredulity made into form and figure: palpable on our skin, visible to the narrowest pupil. Unexpected (yes, unexpected) for the most delicate pituitary. Brilliant, delicate, powdery, spicy, dark, mysterious, intoxicating, balsamic; it gifts us a wonderful accord of purple flowers, pepper, and creamy gray woods that turn us upside down. Girl is the balance of sexes. Her equidistance. Girl is in you, man or woman, that thing you long for on your couch when surrounded by the void of loneliness. And you’d want to spray it in that moment to transfigure the longing. But if you dare, you’ll suffer the pleasurable pain of wanting it even more.

First and foremost, despite its name, Girl seems 100% masculine to me, not even unisex. The best part is the opening: a violet in the line of Narciso Rodríguez or Fahrenheit, perhaps less threatening, with softer, rounder, and kinder edges. It’s attractive, cosmopolitan, and mysterious. Unfortunately, the dry-down comes quickly, and most of the floral nuances disappear. What remains is a solid woody base with a good charge of pepper that lasts many hours. It reminds me a lot of the Chanel Bleu perfume version in this phase. I think it’s perfectly constructed, with good components (CdG rarely fails), has personality, and acceptable presence. It definitely has style. What doesn’t convince me is the dry-down; it’s much flatter, more conventional, and boring than the spectacular opening.

Girl is an intense, characterful fragrance. It has a potent, spicy opening with pepper and lavender that might scare some women, but don’t worry; after half an hour, it calms down and the flowers emerge, especially the violet, which with vetiver becomes earthy rather than powdery. In the end, cedar and sandalwood make it deeper and slightly creamy. Women who enjoy very sweet aromas and find YSL Libre or Ariana Grande’s Cloud too ‘masculine’ should stay away; you won’t enjoy it. On the other hand, if you like the ‘tomboy’ vibe, try it: it has beautiful nuances on feminine skin.

I don’t know another perfume that smells like this. On my skin, it’s very strong; it smells like perfumed lavender and violet soap. That’s exactly where it takes me: lavender, iris, violet, and after an hour, vetiver takes over. Definitely not sweet. Since it smells so strong on me, I’ll be careful with the sillage and apply it to my liking. Very niche on my nose and very unique, worthy of Comme des Garçons. I love the creativity of the bottle and give it a super like for creating a niche aroma that requires effort to discover and wear. Excellent.

We are looking at a great and peculiar fragrance; everything from the box, the bottle, to the liquid itself is top-tier art. Each bottle has small differences that make it unique. Back to the juice: there’s a lot to say about this Girl. It’s very multifaceted: it starts ‘feminine,’ becomes ‘unisex,’ and ends ‘masculine’ (I put quotes to make it clear, as a reference). This Girl has been a revelation for me, an oasis in the middle of the desert. I need to get another bottle. The downside is that it’s hard to sample. Masters.

After months of searching, I finally managed to buy it in Madrid, and the truth is it has become one of my favorites recently. It’s a very different and long-lasting unisex. You wear it, and someone on the street always asks what perfume it is… isn’t that cool? 🙂 The truth is, what describes it most is its longevity: so long-lasting that the clothes keep the scent. You wear it to go out to dinner, and hours later, it’s still intact. You get home and you’re still perfectly perfumed. It’s soft yet very rarely intense.

@demopop, I wore it two weeks ago, went overboard with sprays, and reached a point where I got dizzy from that spicy violet aroma. Even my father, to whom I gifted it months ago, told me that while playing dominoes with friends, someone asked: ‘Hey, come on, I can’t take it anymore, what the hell cologne are you wearing today?’. On me, it lasts perfectly for five hours with great sillage, but if I go to the gym and sweat a bit, it comes back to life…

Bought it recently and it’s not for me. The opening is as potent as it gets; it’s never happened to me before, but applying it gave me a headache in minutes and I had to shower. Same thing the second time. After half an hour, it drops and becomes bearable. I found similarities to Fahrenheit and Narciso Rodríguez for Him in the opening, but X2 if anyone wants to trade or sell it hassle-free.

Skip it. Smells like Walmart hairspray. Ugly, horrible, and chemical. Does it remind you of Fahrenheit? 😆 There are confused noses on Fragrantica. It smells more feminine. I don’t see anything unisex about it.

Horrible… that’s pure and simple.