splendidissima

Just wonderful--I'm so glad I gave in and got a bottle of this. It's like a more complex version of Hermia, which has always been one of my favorites. But this might be better. Orange and honey (and I love orange scents), with a strong (very strong) wave of pepper and ginger, adding spice to the sweetness. The florals are there, but only in the background, more of a grounding note than anything else. Which is fine by me, as I'm not a big fan of florals usually. Just gorgeous, and as others have mentioned, multifaceted--it's feminine and sweet, but sparkling with a bit of mischief. My mom (who usually likes tropical fruits and florals) also told me that I smelled wonderful. I think I'll have to get her a bottle so she won't take mine.

I was hoping that I'd get a stronger lime note from this, and less tobacco...but alas, not to be. In the (very cute) bottle: sweet gingerbread cookies and tobacco. Like the pipe my great-grandpa used to smoke. Wet: Tobacco in full force. I'm not getting any lime, and I'm not sure about this... Dry: The sweet cookies are coming back, finally, and cutting down the tobacco a bit. I'm still hesitant, but the boyfriend actually likes this one (he thinks most bpal scents are either baby powder or fruit loops, so getting an actual comment is impressive!). Have been told that I smell like gingersnaps. Never any lime at all. Verdict: will probably keep the partial bottle and test again on occasion; would be willing to share the bottle with others, since I'm not sure I'll wear it all that frequently. Might be more of a cold-weather scent, too.

My first review! Let's see... In the bottle: very complex cinnamon, with a note that's probably the maize keeping it from being overwhelming, and some sweetness (from the wine?) Wet: my skin tends to amp booze notes, so the wine gets a lot stronger, but that's okay, because it's a pretty wine. This is like really good semi-sweet chocolate alongside a glass of rich spiced wine. Dry: The chocolate comes back, and now it's like Mexican spiced cocoa, with some wine still lurking around the edges to give it a hint of fruity sweetness. Lasts for ages--from morning until evening. A wonderfully unusual and complex scent--not quite my usual (I like sweet fruits, foody-fruits, or sweet mint) but I'm glad I got a bottle of this. Somehow suits the dry desert summer out here.