This was a blind buy. I decided to give it a try after reading positive reviews. Unfortunately, the scent is very unappealing to me. Extremely floral and cloying. It is long lasting but as it gives me a headache, this isn't a good thing in this instance. I got it on offer but I certainly wouldn't pay full price. It reminded me of the cheap stuff you get from bargain stores. I tried to give it away to a couple of other people but they didn't like it either. You know it's bad when you can't give it away.

I like fragrances that I can wear day to night, at work or at an event and this is definitely one of those! It’s a pretty, floral, zingy fragrance that is very uplifting and energising. While being quite light and summery it’s definitely not lightweight, it’s got that sweetness but is still a very classy/sophisticated scent. Lots of lovely comments from friends and my partner when I wear this! At the price point it’s a bit of a splurge but worth it for the quality and longevity of the scent. The bottle is a beautiful addition to my perfume collection too, very glam.I was kindly gifted a sample to trial and review and I would definitely purchase this for myself or for gifts in the future.

This is how far behind I am Paco Rabanne has already got Olympa Aqua on the perfume counters, and Im just getting around to reviewing the original Olympa. Ive actually had the sample for a bit, but its mostly just sat there, waiting while I reviewed other, more likely candidates. The folks over at Paco Rabanne have done a great job of keeping the brand relevant with the youth market, but have not shown much interest, so far, with the notyouth market, which of course includes me, and partly explains why the lack of interest is pretty much mutual. I did review Black XS For Her way back in 2007 but I skipped Lady Million altogether. Kevin, however, gamely reviewed Invictus ugly, he said, and I wholeheartedly concur, so here I go1with Olympa, the fragrance for the ... MoreThis is how far behind I am Paco Rabanne has already got Olympa Aqua on the perfume counters, and Im just getting around to reviewing the original Olympa. Ive actually had the sample for a bit, but its mostly just sat there, waiting while I reviewed other, more likely candidates. The folks over at Paco Rabanne have done a great job of keeping the brand relevant with the youth market, but have not shown much interest, so far, with the notyouth market, which of course includes me, and partly explains why the lack of interest is pretty much mutual. I did review Black XS For Her way back in 2007 but I skipped Lady Million altogether. Kevin, however, gamely reviewed Invictus ugly, he said, and I wholeheartedly concur, so here I go1with Olympa, the fragrance for the modern day Cleopatra. As is so often the case with these big designer launches, it took a team of big name perfumers Loc Dong, Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion to put it together. Its advertised as a fresh oriental and as a a unique fusion between a sensual salted vanilla accord and refreshing floral notes,2 and thats all reasonably accurate. Olympa starts with a very juicy, very green citrus overlaid with a decent lashing of ginger. It announces its fresh orientation right out of the gate, with vague allusions to Glade and LEau dIssey, but its otherwise a nice enough start. It sweetens up as the top notes fade, with candied but watery floral notes and then creamy vanilla over a woody musk with salty solar undertones. It has a summery, almostbeachy feel neither caramel popcorn nor coconut are listed in the notes, but there are faint strains of either or both, and theres just enough powder to lend a velvety finish to the far dry down. Verdict Its just fine. Its reasonably wearable and reasonably pleasant if applied in moderation despite the fresh and watery notes, it is not really a sheer scent. Not surprisingly, I found it both too sweet and too synthetically fresh for my taste, and in general, it called up modern youth on spring break more than Cleopatra. Still, not bad, and a far cry better than Invictus. If you want something along the same lines, but maybe a little more sophisticated, you might try Calvin Klein Reveal. If you want more fruit and less fresh, you might try Thierry Mugler Womanity. Paco Rabanne Olympa is available in 30, 50 and 80 ml Eau de Parfum and in matching body products. I think there was originally an Extrait as well, but perhaps it is already sold out The notes include mandarin, ginger lily, aquatic accord, jasmine, vanilla, cashmere wood, sandalwood and ambergris.