As an avid lover of Si by Giorgio Armani, I am always on the hunt for more affordable alternatives or dupes for Si that I could use on a daily basis for a fraction of the price and that's what Always Red is. I'm unsure whether Elizabeth Arden set out with the intention of creating and selling a Si dupe or not but I’m bloody grateful they did. Always Red opens up with a warm spice - noticeably more sweet than Si, but very similar none the less. I’ve noticed AR is a bit more “boozy” than Si.
Its noted accords of being sweet, amber, white floral are the most noted to me, I wouldn’t have picked up on the citrus accord personally. I can note the praline, amber and the mahogany base at times. I am surprised there are no spices noted in this. Always Red tends to smell the same during its wear, it doesn’t deepen upon dry down or become overly complicated scent-wise. I own the EDT and get around 2-3 hours of longevity, which is were Always Red is lacking. Its weak longevity and silage are were I can note the difference against Si, which is superior in terms of wearing and wear time.
I usually like to review fragrances on their own rather than against one another, but AR is just so similar that it's hard not to compare with Armani’s Si. In saying that though, Always Red is truly great on its own and I’d highly recommend you seek it out whether or not you enjoy its higher-end counterpart. I genuinely love EA's Always Red, a very positive and fun, yet playful fragrance.
I was given a sample of this from my local EA boutique, i love EA perfumes and was very excited to try this (it now lives in my handbag even though its empty, it makes my handbag smell great haha)
It is a very overpowering fragrance, so not one for the faint hearted or subtle fragrance loving individuals. It lasts a VERY long time so go easy on the dosage ladies!
"Bright accents of red plum and passion fruit lead to a textured floral heart and rich ambery base, for the strikingly confident woman."
It is very rich and sweet smelling and it is definitely for the Confident women who wants to be noticed when she walks in a room, i am saving this one for those days when i want to kick ass!!