Phantom by Rabanne

Nothing new under the sun.

It’s sweet and earthy, not so much floral, though it starts with lavender and lemon. It suits me brilliantly in winter or autumn, and in spring, better in the evening. It features a sweet lemon, like a tangerine, not acidic, which transitions into vanilla and lavender. The smoky, earthy note is more prominent at first, clean like Tepeyac soap, but then settles to add depth.

The Little Robot was my first Christmas present, one of the few named ones that wasn’t from Lidl. For a seventeen-year-old in sixth form, it wasn’t bad. Upon spraying, the lavender hits hard and is noticeable in every note. Many people smell vanilla, but I always get lavender. A few hours later, the wood comes through and lingers longer. I think it’s a good scent that many enjoy, even if it’s not for my stage of life. For me, at seventeen, wearing The Little Robot was a symbol of an important day, a History exam, or a project with a teacher I really liked. Recommended for young people, and the bottle is very well designed.

I tried it and loved it, but now I don’t like it because I smell more earthiness. Sometimes I notice lemon, lavender, and vanilla, but it didn’t work for me. I’ll never try it again because I find it very earthy compared to other Phantoms.

I’m not an expert in fragrances; I understand it’s not a unique scent, but I believe ‘old works’. It’s a fragrance with a wonderfully rich lavender smell that complements the lemon perfectly. The only reproach is its poor longevity on skin (approx 3 hours) and on clothes 6/8 hours, but that’s understandable as it’s an EDT.

Well, to be honest, I bought the bottle because of the robot ad and that catchy song, haha. Since I only started into perfumes two years ago, that was what pushed me. The scent is sweet-citrusy; I’m not a huge fan of sweetness, but it’s rich and not cloying if you don’t over-spray, especially in the heat. The vanilla is very pleasant. It suits me well in fresh spring, autumn, winter, or rainy days; definitely not in the heat. It lasts almost all day on skin, over 8 hours, projects well at the start and then throws out bursts. The trail is medium-high. Girls, especially younger ones, love it because it’s a rich sweet. It works for the office in those seasons, casual outings, dates, or parties, but nothing for business or formal events; it’s more fun. It’s not my absolute favourite because I’m not a fan of sweetness, but I will definitely buy the refill again. I recommend it if you like sweets or want to turn heads at a casual date.

When I first bought it, I thought it was super rich, but over time it started to bother me. It has an extremely irritating opening that makes my nose itch; the mix of lots of lavender and lemon is annoying. The drydown is rich but nothing special. I see it for teenagers who want to use it in winter during the day or night.

It’s literally a vanilla bomb! If you like JPG, buy it and enjoy it.

I feel it smells like ripe mango 🫣😆

This is clearly the most hated and underrated perfume I’ve ever seen. For a long time I avoided it reading destructive reviews, until 3 days ago when I smelled it and I can’t describe what I felt. It’s exquisite, a truly unique scent, no matter what they say about it being similar to anything else. Its citrus opening with that earthy vanilla alongside the lavender makes this perfume a delight; I love it. Plus, it’s a compliment bomb; women love it. The only thing is I feel its longevity is short, at least on my skin; after 2 hours there’s no trace, but it projects very well. In conclusion, don’t listen to those critics and judge for yourselves. 100% recommended.

Super youthful scent with no rush. Does it bring anything new? Not really, but so what? It fulfils its mission: captivating the 15 to 25-year-old crowd. From the very first moment, it’s clear it’s linear, with no drastic changes; it smells sweet yet fresh, like a piña colada. The trail is a bit heavy (but not a bad thing) and lasts quite a while (over seven hours). The bottle catches the eye and suits the target audience perfectly, even with those QR codes on the packaging. I agree it gives a nod to ‘Le Male’, but as a 2020s version. I insist: it’s for young people; there are plenty of older individuals getting annoyed because it follows current trends.

To be honest, I think there’s a mistake on the website regarding the accords. It smells very metallic in the heart notes, yet the description states there is nothing metallic, only smoky, which I certainly haven’t noticed. It could be a confusion, but yes, it does smell of metal, something the page doesn’t record.

Like it or not, this is a perfume that offers nothing new, yet I absolutely adore it. It smells of biscuit and loads of lavender, it’s so relaxing, and I wear it at home just to smell good. 8/10.

An unbearable aroma, ultra-synthetic grapefruit, vanilla-sweetened, cloying, and soapy lavender. On top of that, it lasts long enough to be a real nuisance. You’ll get the house’s ‘chewing gum’ touch, common in Invictus, One Million, and so on, and you’ll suffer it here too. Four perfumers for this? They’re throwing good money after bad. The kitch robotic bottle is the work of a psychologist on call. Leave the Moschino illuminati to their greasy mess. Now, to vary things and show off their imaginary risk, they’ll release a flanker son to the robotic one, just as boring as the father, every nine months. For millennial kids or infantilised idiots with Play-Doh-level judgement.

It just doesn’t quite convince me. The marketing pitch is a citrus-vanilla fragrance for young people and parties, but I’m not sure it achieves its goal compared to giants like Scandal, One Million, or Bad Boy, which I find much better for those occasions. The lavender factor gives it a ‘classic’ character that clashes with a young audience and fails on its own to project a mature or formal image. So it ends up in a limbo: neither for young nor older, neither fun enough nor serious enough. It’s pleasant, yes, but I find it hard to recommend… and I can’t see myself wearing Phanrom outside of a moment of eccentricity or a passing whim. The bottle and digital aspects are interesting at first, but bland in the end. A case of style over substance that ultimately leaves me indifferent.