Metal Paco Rabanne for women

I was 10 years old when I first smelled this and fell in love. The first perfume I ever appreciated and requested for 1 for Christmas. I think it was the aldehydes and basil. It smelled fresh, floral and clean. Switched to eau de metal when i turned 16 and that was even better.

Le Chevalier aux fleurs by Georges Rochegrosse

The hyacinths bloom this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. They come in white, purple, indigo, pink, even cream color. They all have a hypnotic spiced, damp greenness, like a cupid's arrow through the heart, dizzying and rapturous. Metal begins with hyacinths all aglow, penetrating the senses and awakening the soul. Delirious aldehydes, showy bell-shaped petals, a kaleidoscope of colors, with the negative space colored in green like newborn foliage. These first twenty minutes of Metal are breathtaking. And then it takes a turn—for the better.

Its cornucopia of fecund flowers, lilies of the valley, all manners of white flowers, rose, the whole shebang, renders, a yes, here we go—a metallic quality. Metal only really gets its smell from the reaction to our perspiration and skin oils, which makes me think of the perspiration of all these blooms, their condensation, distilled here, so that it smells larger than life itself. The smell of metal is a matter of perception, green gone full throttle, gilded lilies, silver roses, stamens made of copper filament.

Metal is radiance, right down its last gasp of moss and vetiver. It's a "hope springs eternal" fragrance, with a cool, collected optimism. It's a compact composition with a sonority seldom felt in contemporary fragrances. It takes the right temperament to fully appreciate it, but if it's there, it's heaven on earth.

The previous bottle of Metal that I reviewed was the current formula in the rectangular bottle shown in the fragrantica description. I now own a vintage and it’s a very different experience. As tovasignature pointed out, the real oakmoss in the vintage is unreal, I mean stunning and the current formula is like a completely different scent in comparison. Basically, if you are a fan of oakmoss you WILL notice a difference. BOOOO IFRA The vintage is easily my number one green scent of all time silage is noticeable lessening after a few hours and while it’s softer on my skin after a bit it lasted all day

This used to be a nice green unisex 70's style fragrance. What ruins it for me is that the current version seems to smell like treemoss has replaced the formerly high quality oakmoss. As a result it smells flat and "off"... I've noticed that a lot in the older reformulated chypres that were popular - cheaper treemoss used in place of oakmoss rendering some of the classics unrecognizable.

I have the same issue with Guerlain's Chamade. I love the vintage. The current formulation seems to have treemoss instead of oakmoss in the base making it practically unrecognizable.

To me, the scent description is SO misleading! “The fragrance of Metal is another sweet, girly accessory” Wha? I can’t believe when this one launched it was targeting young girls lol Metal is the more unisex version of Calandre. It is missing the soft powdery feminine feel completely. Metal opens with strong galbanum; slightly sour (SLIGHTLY metallic but not much, you might be disappointed if you’re looking for a strong metallic vibe) shortly after that first blast of galbanum, the moss comes into play. Very green, very cold. You notice the hyacinth more here where I got more Lily of the valley from Calandre. This one is much less floral. If you’re looking for GREEN, this one is for you. Decent silage, will update later on longevity

In my opinion, one of the nicest perfumes in the world. Probably for women and men.
Amazing fragrance.

I can't believe I am finally reviewing this post haste due to overlooking how wonderful this fragrance truly is to me. This is a true, old skool chypre floral that I humbly failed to realize its ultimate potential until much later. This frag could have been seriously undermined as an ultimate chypre=dry-aldehyde-floral which stands on its own feet. It is sublime, but bursting with a deepening freshness that is a hard act to follow. . .. a true gem amongst the unpolished. I will always love it.

P.S. Reminds me of Eau de Metal/Paco Rabanne

Can't find this..It was my most favorite along with Calandre..That one has been reformulated..I wonder if this one still is available and unchanged?

Hmmmm.... Interesting.... A water pinkish lily in an aldyhides lake. I can sense some lotus, water notes, and greeny aldyhides, ^ within seconds it turns quite tough oakmoss, aldehydes, rosy, lily of the valley, vetiver, and ylang. It has that greeny sourness to it that makes it slightly fresh yet heavy chypre.

It begins airy for seconds then turns quite heavy within seconds as it settles down! maybe because of the age and the natural notes! but after all it's quite captivating.

Btw, this is NEVER near "Grand Amour" by Annick Goutal! i wounder how come there are people who sense any similarity!!!! Weird!

Congratulations to Grayspoole : she has pinned it ! A very precise and informative description of Metal I totally agree with .

Paco Rabanne --You MUST bring this back! And with its original formula..Please. I beg you!

This is a vintage chypre. It's all about the oakmoss. There's nothing metallic about it. It's woody. A chypre that chypre haters will hate. It's not really floral or aldehyde.

Métal (1979) is very, very beautiful and very hard to describe, especially since it is one of the best examples of a genre that is so out of style right now that Métal might very well seem like an untenable composition to lovers of warm and syrupy perfumes. Métal is sharp and icy, cleaner and less elaborate than Scherrer by Scherrer and, if you can accept this, not as warm and plush as vintage No. 19 EDT. (Did I just say the Great Wire Mother (vide Turin and Sanchez) was warm and fuzzy? Yes, I did. It's all relative.)

Métal is a silver green, angular perfume that doesn't ever become soapy, shampooey, powdery, or, praise be, aquatic. I believe its effect relies on the mineral bite of galbanum, lily of the valley (hydrocitronnel), damscones (roses dissected into their coolest and most leafy facets) and hedione, but I am just guessing here. Metal is a synthesized chypre that suggests many possible natural components...bergamot, rose, LOTV, hyacinth, jasmine..without allowing any fruit or flower note to stand out distinctly. Its little-known perfumer, Robert Gannon, knew exactly what he was doing.

The Fragrantica description above that suggests Métal is a "sweet, girly accessory" is wildly misleading. Métal is stone cold sober, an abstract perfume that is wearable anywhere, by anyone. I have used up a parfum mini, and I didn't perceive much of a benefit to the parfum, so I wear the EDT of Métal, quite often, with great enjoyment. There's a lighter Eau de Métal that I haven't tried yet, but perhaps I should.

I wore this from time to time for many years. When I ran out it seemed to be gone -- but I happily discovered that it is uncannily similar to Estee Lauder's Pleasures.

This is lovely. I have a tiny mico mini so cute.Really unique and dry scent, but fresh at the same time. Men or women would like this.

Just received a bottle today from a Canadian website and it is really quite nice. Once the aldehydes die down somewhat it's very very pretty. A little like Jacoma Silences which I also have. Will have to do a side by side comparison. Thumbs up ,and I was quite lucky to be able to still find it.
BTW, someone mentioned Galbanum was not shown on the list, but it is covered in the green notes.

I actually found a bottle of the EdT sitting inside a box on my mom's vanity. She never wears perfume and the box was covered in dust so I decided to take it and give it a spin.

On first spray it's very floral, definitely smell those aldehydes. I was worried since Aldehydes are harder for younger girls to pull off that I was gonna have to sit this one on a shelf and wait, but after a few moments it settled and was actually quite pleasant. I'm honestly not good at picking out notes so the overall basic picture I can give you is floral, with an almost lemon-ish kick to it.

Overall, it's very lovely and I think you could honestly wear this at whatever occasion you choose, however I would err to the side of caution for extremely hot and humid days and say that cooler days would be best.

The initial spray was a bitter galbanum blast that quickly turned to a tangy greeness with powdery oakmoss and sweet florals. A delightful yet mature fragrance for the summer heat, it's a feminine and lovely chypre floral. I really like Metal, it puts a happy strut in my soul.

The reviews here have reminded me that I used to love this fragrance. I remember it as the same family as Givenchy 111, but sharper, brighter,without the dark, mossy heart. Love the clean lines of the bottle too.I would love to get hold of some for summer but it goes for very high prices

I'm a man. I want this - it's gorgeous!

I can not wear this perfume straight ,so today I have decided to complete it .For this operation I felt that Burberry Woman ,the classic one was just perfect.
The result is absolutly divine .My Metal has a marone top and I think it is an extrait in a 30ml bottle.
The bottle pictured above is different.
Happy perfuming everyone !

When I wear Metal, I just love (smelling) myself. For me, it is unlike anything else. It is not really green, not really flowery, not really soapy clean, but all of these at once and in perfect harmony. But - and I hate to confess this - in all these years (I use Metal for more than 10 years), I never had any compliments or questions what I was wearing. Maybe it is less perceptible and more to the skin than I think. For me, the sillage is good and the longevity as well. No need to reapply - it stays for at least 8-12 hours.

Metal is a perfect summer perfume whether or not you are into the chypre style of perfumes.
Sweet flowers mixed in with the tangy greens held together with amber and sandalwood. The oakmoss does it's thing by creating a fizziness and the aldehydes swirl everything around like a swizzle stick.
The whole composition results in what is similar to live electricity jumping off the skin.
You will feel clean and fresh and vivacious.
Metal comes alive in warm weather!

Jasmine rose vetiver oakmoss Beautiful, Green, crisp and creamy (in a clean way). Lovely scent, very unique, I've been using this since I was like 10 years old, my vintage Full bottle is three quarters Full, a little goes a looooong way, excellent sillage, not overpowering but it certainly stands it's ground among modern, regular frutichoulis and "gourmands". Absolute LOVE!

This is the one I reached for on a beautiful day in March, when spring had suddenly arrived.

A blast of green from the galbanum, then the lily of the valley and other flowers emerge.

There are many excellent reviews here so I won't go on except to say -

Spring in a bottle :)

Along with Givenchy III, I do hope this doesn't become too impossible to obtain in the future. Very clean, confident, clear, dry and slightly masculine, definitely not girly.

I had the original Metal.It opens with a burst of freshness--very green, bright, and summery. Then it turns into a smooth, chic floral.

I won a sample from the giveaway from Conifer Lover. thanks again sweetie! I had heard good things about this scent. Now that I get to try it, I see that the reviews were being true to the scent. It's very green in the opening notes but then the green fades a little bit and move to the background and then the big florals become center stage specially the tuberose and the jasmine. The comparison to Chanel 19 are spot on, although this composition is more modern. This is a big floral aldehyde despite the green opening with a bit of powdery notes. It's quite strong when you first spray it but then mellow out and stays close to the skin. The quality is outstanding. It's got a bit of a vintage feel but is not old fashion. The bottle is so beautiful from the pictures so minimalistic and avant garde. If you like classic green floral aldehydes scent you should definitely try this one!

In addition to my previous review I must add this; I agree with other reviewers that put
Metal in the same class as Gucci Envy, and Chanel No.19. They could easily be cousins. I have all three in my collection and can see the similarities. Each enjoyable for their differences as well.

I wish I could find this in an edp! I have the edt (an older one that I found at a discount perfume boutique that has since closed down. To my dismay). It was so soft and lovely that I just can't imagine how amazing a stronger formulation would be! Sadly, the edt doesn't last more than an hour on me (at best).

This fragrance is sweet and metallic. A bouquet of flowers nestled into a modern metal vase, with moss covered rocks at its base. There is also a human quality to this scent. The natural metal fragrance of the skin. As well as the sweetness and warmth beneath it.

Growing up, my mother had thick metal bracelets that she got during the 70's. They were all made of different metals. Bronze, silver, gold. All different colors. She wore them with all of her other shiny metal bangles. She would spray on her lovely floral perfume with the sweet undertone of her body lotion whispering out from beneath it. I would bury my nose into her wrists when she kissed me goodnight trying to nestle the scent deep into my memory. With a smile she dissapeared with my father into our gold oldsmobile, for an evening of dancing. The metal scent left in my nose was softened by the scent of her warm skin, soft floral perfume, and sweet lotion. Metal by PR has all of this in one. Except for, of course, the gold Oldsmobile, and my mother. :)

Metal to me smells like an extremely dry, green floral chypre. An old-fashioned, strongly aldehydic, floral (mainly hiacynth and muguet) with a remarkable dry quality. Fresh, bitter, easy to wear...anything but metallic. If you're into Temps D'Une Fete / Givenchy III / No.19 type of stuff, you'll dig this. Much underrated...

Rating: 8/10

I was able to find a vintage bottle(thats all thats left) for a very reasonable price of this now forgotten wonder. Its well worth tracking down some. This was the herald of bright shiny springtime sunshine as the winter clouds move out.

The genius composition is shiny April florals that hold so much promise. Its flirty and womanly. It has a chypre(oakmoss-vetiver) character that soar into its own territory that few followed. Its drydown is that mysterious new class-Metal! Its contemporaries were Ivoire, Nahema and Anais Anais. They were larger than life and elevated modern perfumery to unmatched hights! I cannot say powerhouse, yet they set the course for the next decade, indeed!

I pick up a little of the damasceana rose in here. Nahema fans take note. Its rich, radiant and well composed, with notes intentionally peeking out here and there. This is fine art in fragrance. I mentioned that YSL Y is a diamond. Metal is pure gold. Both are very precious substances.

I could go on, yet fans(all of you are very wise) below have all agreed. Paco Rabanne stole my heart with this one...

For all the specific floral notes I can make out in Metal (lily of the valley, hyacinth, narcissus?) it doesn’t seem like a floral. Even with the connections to other green florals (Guerlain Chamade, de Nicolai le Temps d’une Fete) and aldehydic florals (its sibling Paco Rabanne Calandre), Metal stands in its own category. The only other scents truly akin to it are alike in their abstract construction, not in the similarity of their notes or categorization. Guerlain Nahema comes to mind for the fact that it is only tangentially a rose. Metal is considered a green floral because perfumery doesn't offer much to categorize it. I've had to make my own genres to account for Metal: Flinty Green Metallics? Oily Bittersweets? My favorite is the Venomous Gourmand Antagonist.

Metal is the successor to Chanel 19, not for the fact that it is a green floral, but for the fact that is one of the coldest, most aloof perfumes you'll ever smell. It makes me think of the expression, 'just as soon kill you as go fishing.'

One of the greatest scents in the entire history of perfumery and, in its heyday, very reasonably priced. Predictably, it's now extremely hard to find. But, it seems it's all about profits -- the bottom line on the balance sheet. Perfume houses will happily chuck out a scent regardless of its long and faithful following. They're only after numbers, big numbers worldwide and that can only be possible with bland, plastic scents that smell like supermarket shower-gels and don't make too bold a statement.
R.I.P Metal. I will miss you very much.

There's really no scent like it. It's green and somewhat sweet for a while. But very distinctive, sporty and elegant at the same time. While Calandre can be worn during the day or night. Metal is more a daytime fragrance but you could pull it off at night if needed. Very hard to describe its scent and notes. Just believe, try it if you're over 35 and you'll love it. Not sure if it'd appeal to younger generation.

When I asked for this in a swap, I expected something very "metallic", futuristic or "shiny"...what I got was a pleasant surprise indeed!

Aldehydes and galbanum greeted me with an airy and green embrace. Basil keeps it fresh, as opposed to just the resiny scent of the galbanum. Just enough citrus and fresh hyacinth keep this airy and crisp, with a hint of innocent sensuality. The heart of flowers is very well-blended, with the tender ones (muguet, jasmine and cyclamen) keeping the "power" flowers from taking over (rose, tuberose, ylang) while a cool steely iris provides the perfect fulcrum for this springlike see-saw. This was released in 1979, huh? This has all of the class of a vintage, without the "volume" of most fragrances from that era. PR Metal is a truly elegant floral perfume that lasts, without becoming cloying or tiresome. The drydown: slightly soapy with REAL oakmoss and vetiver...powdery and rife with green loveliness. Amber and musk? Musk, perhaps...white, but nice. Amber, maybe a hint of real ambergris-I find nothing overly oriental here. Just a beautiful clean finish to a lovely opening and beautiful bouquet-like heart.

Sillage: good
Longevity: very good
Overall: 3.75/5

As far as the Press Release on this scent goes: Joyful and bright...Yeah! Girly and sweet...not so much. I am a man and wear this scent. If you like fresh (NOT aquatic) green tinted scents with flowers and a nice clean dry finish; then this is for you, regardless of whether you wear pants or a dress. I do, however like metallic accessories, maybe THAT is why PRM and I get on so well!

Metal opens with fresh galbanum green--a refined green, though, not as sharp and acidic as Silences. The basil is there adding a herb freshness. This is very early Spring, when bits of unmelted snow still linger in the shaded parts of the garden.

True hyacinth scent follows the green, and then the lily of the valley unfolds with the jasmine. The heart is a beautifully balanced floral, with the Iris adding depth.

The drydown retains a brightness mellowed by amber and woods, and of course oakmoss.

This is a delightful fragrance, chic and complex--definitely bottle-worthy.

P.R Metal is like a cold blade glading across flesh
almost give a sense of vircera Secerations Magnifiques
without the blood and iodine, There is nothing soft
about this, Clean and Antiseptic lines make you think
of a monochrome colored room free of clutter there is
nothing execpt a large screen white chair staring at
a man controling your emotions thoughts like Big Brother a clinical utopia a Minimalistic Aestheticism in a bottle, Bladerunner's Femme Fatale and replicant Rachael must have worn this when trying to seduce
Deckard only the most iciest femme fatales can pull
this off there's no cozy Ambers no spices or warm
resins an unique scent that does'nt follow any rules a class of it's self.

Light weight girly floral with peachy sweetness. Too young, too simple and too thin on me. I sure wish I got the fresh basil and lemon Black Bacarra talks about. On me, this is just too plain and unexciting.

Absolutely gorgeous smell - clean, soapy, one of the best fragrances in the world in my opinion...I mean it..and the bottle is beautifully designed

I love this scent I am male and I am thinking of getting this one - beautiful......let you know later.......

Metal is a green-floral-lover's floral. It reminds me of firm healthy stems sharply snipped by a precise hands. Metal is the combination of green sap mixing with the rich dirt on the gardener's glove.

The opening is dominated by green notes, very ozonic and invigorating. Smoothly, though, Metal sweetens and thickens into plush luminous flower petals. The most dominant flower to me is lily. But imagine an immaculately dressed professional woman, middle-aged peering out of her spectacles at the report on her desk. She has a lover, but none of the office knows that. Well, one day a flower is delivered to her at work. It scents the entire floor. There's talk, scandal, but she chooses to be tastefully cryptic about it. A grown-up love story.

The closest perfume I would compare Metal to is YSL 'Y'. The green notes and florals in both are similar to my nose. The key difference, though, is that Y has a dry mossy feel to it whereas Metal is plush ripe and humid. I vaguely understand what Chat means with the 'oily' character in the heart. It doesn't remind me of meat persay, but it's moist. The texture . . . oozes . . . into your head when you smell it. Y, on the other hand, is dry, dry, and abrasive. The moss fairly hums in dry vibration at the bottom on the green florals. If Metal has a rounded and smooth-talking tongue, Y would be dry sarcasm.

I toyed with the notion of buying a bottle, but in the end decided I prefer Y. It was a close call, though.

Chat Lunatique described it well....
I like it-and I'm a vegetarian.

It's bright, green, and it speaks on the skin. Not a meek one, not a seductive one, and not a piece of metal from the bandwagon. This is a leader's type of fragrance.

Metal is very unique for a floral. I don't have anything else that smells quite like it in my collection. On my skin, it's more of a dry, woody floral than "metallic." No sweetness at all. It's even a bit sour. I get a lot of iris and rosewood, and the drydown has one of the prettiest musks I've encountered in awhile. Very lovely fragrance and full-bottle worthy!

Exquisite fragrance ! Metal is intense, dry, vivid, cutting, clear, dewy, lofty, refined, and -a touch herbacous. This is an extremely "modern" scent, and simultaneously, such a natural, true, classic, pure floral! The written description of notes here in the database varies greatly from the pictures of notes shown. I must agree more with the photo description of notes. The Aldehydes are a magnificent but small touch; not heavy or prominent, as in other perfumes; yet adding so much enjoyment and pleasure. There is a whisper of Galbanum mixing in with blooming fresh white flowers. The Cyclamen, and Iris, add a sense of playfulness to the white flower notes. The Ylang Ylang, Amber, Sandalwood, Musk, and Oak Moss give the perfume depth and weight so that it just does not disappear. One can enjoy all the flowers from a far with good sillage, and appreciate the excellent base when moving in close to the skin.

Metal is a bitter green floral with silvery overtones, like the shiny hood ornament on a sleek European car. It smells expensive, chic, and utterly heartless. I love it.

This was the very first perfume i fell in love with. I was nine years old when it launched and smelled like white flowers with fresh basil and lemon. Wow! Still wear it to put me in a romantic mood.

This one is spelled wrong. It's not Metall. But that aside, this perfume is a very green-y floral, that reminds me very closely of Cristalle EdT. It has the same sharp bergamot opening and a lovely green-y floral drydown. A bright chypre that puts me in a sunny disposition.