Lady Million by Paco Rabanne is a Floral Fruity fragrance for women launched in 2010. Lady Million was created by perfumers Anne Flipo, Beatrice Piquet, Dominique Ropion, and Bruno Jovanovic.
Lady Million is part of the Paco Rabanne Million collection, and it followed two years after the release of the edition for men. Lady Million is still one of the most popular fragrances launched in the last several years, although comparatively, there’s been a bit of a decline in the last five-odd years.
The keynotes of this floral fruity fragrance are raspberry, Neroli, orange flower, jasmine, gardenia, patchouli, and honey.
A note from the perfumers:
“It was clear that this perfume had to be as charismatic as 1 Million, with as strong a signature, yet without a direct olfactory link. The Lady Million woman is dazzling, always seductive. This ‘playful’ aspect inspired us immensely. Lady Million is fresh, floral and woody, like a nectar of voluptuous flowers, trailing delicately but still very present”.
| Perfume Name | Lady Million |
| Brand | Paco Rabanne |
| Year Released | 2010 |
| Concentration | Eau de Parfum |
| Scent Family | Floral Fruity |
| Gender | women |
Personally, I always found the design of this perfume a bit tacky, and I think it put it off from trying it. However, I decided it was time to put this preconception to rest, and I purchased a mini from my local stockists. This is my experience wearing this classic from Paco Rabanne.
What does Lady Million by Paco Rabanne smell like?
Lady Million smells like a slightly sweet and feminine floral. There’s nothing masculine about it. The honey and raspberry notes are blended well into the florals and rounded out by the patchouli, so the sweetness is there but muted.
This fragrance makes me think of juicy raspberries dipped in honey. I’m honestly surprised by what a delicious fragrance this is and that I’ve been ignoring it for this long. It’s certainly sweet, but not overly sweet or in a gourmand way.
When I smell it, it brings to mind a super successful businesswoman that’s taking charge of a meeting in a luxurious board room. On the weekend, she wears Lady Million on her yacht in Monaco. The fragrance definitely also has this warmth to it – like the sun shining down on the raspberries and white florals in the scent.
I have to admit that the imagery this scent brings to mind definitely contradicts what I first thought when I just looked at the design of the bottle, but wearing it certainly changed my overall feelings toward the fragrance.
| Top Notes | Raspberry, Neroli and Amalfi Lemon |
| Middle Notes | Jasmine, African Orange flower and Gardenia |
| Base Notes | white honey, Patchouli and Amber |
My Experience
Every time I try this scent, I always find the opening so beautifully juicy. There’s a little bit of sparkle from the raspberry and Amalfi lemon. This is followed by a burst of bright neroli.
One of my favorite moments of wearing Lady Million is when the orange blossom makes its appearance. The orange blossom has this narcotic sweetness to it that just completely catches me off guard every time. This phase doesn’t last very long as the gardenia and jasmine take the edge of the orange flower and makes it more mellow and more subtle.
As the scent continues to dry down, I can start picking up the patchouli, white honey, and amber. I feel the patchouli rounds out the honey in the most beautiful way preventing the sweetness from taking over the scent. So the honey in the dry down isn’t overwhelming at all.
These notes are so well blended, making the scent smell so elegant without being stuffy. The overall composition of the scent has a youthful and sexy vibe.
Sillage & Projection
The sillage throws quite a long way, but it’s not overpowering. Instead, it lingers beautifully. The projection on my skin is moderate.
Longevity & Versatility
I rate this scent highly in terms of versatility. It’s definitely something that could be worn the entire year, even in warm weather, which isn’t always the case with sweet fragrances as they can get quite sticky. It’s fresh enough to wear during the day, for example, to the office, while being feminine and sexy enough for date nights without being too heavy.
The longevity of Lady Million is also pretty good, and I get around 6 hours of wear on my skin, although I can smell it on my clothes for longer than this.
Closing thoughts
This scent is going to please everyone, so test it before buying but either way, it’s a scent that people will notice. At this price point and with such good performance, I’d classify this scent as being of really good value. It’s an absolute workhorse and perfect for when you want to smell nice but don’t want to put too much thought into what you are going to wear.
This is a fragrance anyone could wear, regardless of age. While heavier musky perfumes are more commonly worn by older women and floral and fruity scents by younger women, this fragrance combines the best of both worlds. So, in the end, you get that musky sophistication with the lightness of the raspberry and bitter orange, making it the perfect scent for a mature young woman.
At this price, I expected a more generic smell, but that’s not the case at all. So if this is a fragrance that you like and works well on your skin, it could be a great signature scent making an investment in a bottle well worthwhile.