Almost three years ago, I came across Jacomo Aura for Men. What caught my attention right off the bat, was the original bottle, an inverted U-shaped square plexiglass shield, which encases a green fluorescent, and opaque bottle. The overall result is gorgeous, very pleasant to see. Yet, only recently I found Aura for Woman online at a ridiculous price and ordered it blindly. Here we have a similar design. This time the bottle inside the shield is rounded and a bright sunny yellow colour. And the fragrance did not disappoint me, either. Just a tip. To appreciate Aura for Women, you have to appreciate the smell of wild flowers in all their forms and expressions, which I do. As soon as worn, Aura for Women makes me imagine a lazy and golden afternoon, spent reading the book of literature under a pergola of vines, crickets and cicadas that chirp in chorus in the scorching sun and the light whisper of the wind among the trees of the valley, all this cradles you in a quiet nap. The book flows gently from the chest, into the air, there is the sweet scent of a citrus grove and wild flowers not far away. I think Mr Edouard Fléchier did a marvellous job here.
At first, Aura for Women seems strong and complex, rich in fairly sour citrus fruits and carnal-looking flowers. The yellow grapefruit is thrown here with the bitter skin and the marrow, it smells like the sun-warmed fruit hanging from the tree, and it is not the sweet pulp of the pink grapefruit. Bergamot adds a touch of powderiness and tangerine lights up the complete citrus accord. Even the tuberose, perhaps mixed with the other blooms, white freesia and a pinch of lychee pulp mixed with sour blackberry, creates an aura that closely resembles the smell of hairspray. It is not the first time that tuberose-based scent has this effect on me, and I have already found it in other perfumes. Once that synthetic odour calms down, and the grapefruit and lychee stop struggling with each other, carnal and sensual tuberose reveals in all its beauty. Do not expect sensual and dominant tuberose as in Dior Tendre Poison, for instance, where Edouard Fléchier used it in a different dosage. In this initial stage, Aura’s got a bouquet of fruits and then the floral notes come out. They’re very delicate floral notes, slightly sweet, but overall fruity and a little artificial.
When I start feeling the wonderful heart, the perfume turns into a rich bouquet of multicoloured flowers, the tone of the lacquer disappears completely. There are many brooms, a golden yellow flower from a herbaceous plant that grows spontaneously in the Mediterranean countries and provides an odour reminiscent of orange blossom and grapes, dusty, somewhat leathery and neroli. Freesia is fresh and mimosa is chalky-sweet, while honeysuckle supports the scent with the sunbeam that characterizes it without being too honeyed or overbearing. Amid this riot of flowers, the sweet jasmine peeps out, does not dominate, but completes the floral bouquet. This intermediate stage I would describe as all floral.
Finally, the dry down turns out to be soft, clean, musky. The well-known sweet and enveloping notes of white musk have the best of those creamy sandalwood and vanilla gourmand. There is a powdery base given by the root of the iris, and that beautiful heliotrope note, which nicely rounds the overall base. And I know that much modern taste just rebels at heliotrope. To like this scent, you have to have an open mind and tolerate both change and tension. When the base comes out, it almost has a carnation quality. Interesting to observe here are the base notes, which are the same as Tender Poison.
Why is Aura not more popular? It is fresh, with clean musk, mimosa, greenish honeysuckle, and freesia goodness. It absolutely shines in the warm weather, once it dries down. With questionably too moderate longevity and sillage, the perfume fits well during spring and summer days, perhaps you have to reapply if you want all-day longevity. Not obnoxious or offensive. The fragrance is appropriate for office wear. Give this one a chance, especially if you can pick it up as cheaply as I did. Aura for Women is unusual, tropical and sour to start, then floral and powdery. Elegant but not old-fashioned, and I like the bottle being so different too.
I base this review upon a 75 ml (2.4 fl. oz) I own since May 2020.
- Elysium
Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
Lalbino
Elysium
