Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
06/26/2023
PetitePinup
26 Reviews
PetitePinup
1
Lovely, elegant floral that needs Home Maceration
My collection of La Rive fragrances is pretty extensive with 12 bottles, but I'm already certain some of them will be sold off or gifted, and others haven't made the repeat buy list - or I'm not sure yet. The latter is the case for My Delicate which is said to be a dupe of either Chanel Allure or Dior Joy. I don't know these fragrances, but from what I've read Dior was most likely inspired by Chanel first... and a year later La Rive released My Delicate.
Maceration versus Initial Spray
The reason why I'm not sure if this La Rive will make the cut has to do with the difference between First Spray and the one I often spritz several months later. If you're like me and forced to buy the majority, if not all, of your perfume online then you've also noticed that travel, temperature differences between your place of residence and the seller's and grey market vs expensive webshops have plenty influence on what comes out of the atomiser initially. And what you'll smell weeks to months later.
Now, even most brick & mortar acquisitions need some maceration on my own shelves nowadays, so it seems (only 5 -10% of my 170 bottles didn't), but online purchases - particularly cheaper fragrances - ask a lot of "Home Maceration Time" [HMT™️], some even more than 6 months. Half a year to reach a proper fragrance where the juice was on a "normal" strength and the pyramid could be satisfyingly found back in what I sprayed. The majority of my La Rive perfumes fall in this category (which also means it is smart, if you have the space and patience, to wait till the new SS season to decide 'Sell or Stay'.)
I got this My Delicate bottle 8 months back and there certainly can't be any chance of "damaged" notes due to travel or temperature differences anymore. However, my first spritz came out of the atomiser only 6 weeks ago. Back then I could barely smell anything. My rosewater face spray is ten times stronger than what I got.
The Scent
Were I to judge projection, sillage and longevity now, then you'll get the rating as seen above. A meagre 6, 5 and another 5 for the unmentioned projection. The scent I'm getting now, however, makes me wonder how My Delicate will fare in '24. Because I do like it. Both the Dior and the Chanel give the impression to be very light, carefree, non polarising, but elegant fragrances - and that's exactly what the La Rive is giving me as well.
The opening is still much too weak for my taste. Very aquatic with just a hint of mandarin. But it won't last long anyway, giving way to first a soft push of jasmine and half a minute later a rosey blush to make up the heart. It gives the middle of this fragrance quite the 'pink' feel, but not in an immature way. More in a white summer dress with elegant strappy sandals, or white linen trousers with cute blouse top & moccasins- kind of way. Not beachy, but a summery casual Friday at the office. And beyond.
The black currant leaves are nowhere near the surface right now, and I get zero peach as well. Since I'm not a peach lover I don't mind the latter, but the black currant could give My Delicate the tart hint it needs to come out of mere "sweetness" and into a more complicated perfume that won't bore quickly. I expect to experience that next spring, honestly.
One of the other reasons I'm so focused on extra maceration, is because there is barely any base in the current perfume. And with notes like sandalwood, benzoin and cedar (white musk & patchouli aren't necessarily heavy hitters) I certainly expect to notice those.
Instead, My Delicate remains a very light elegant mixture of jasmine and roses with a hint of the aquatic (sometimes peach does that to me). When the intimate projection reaches skin scent territory I get a whiff of warm woodiness - sandalwood most likely, but it is unidentifiable - but that's it.
Conclusion
So, what to make of My Delicate? Let's just say that I have high hopes. I hated Moonlight Lady Prestige (a H. Boss Nuit Pour Femme dupe), since that smelled like weak, airy peach with a vague muskiness at first. It was on my to sale pile, forgot it and now it's actually standing on my vanity because it smells delicious. My Delicate seems to be quite similar, with the important difference that what I dó get now, I already like.
Where you buy, skin chemistry: all important. Based on what I get with mine, on my skin, I appreciate it as a nice, all- pleasing scent that can be used in the gym, to the office, to lunch with friends or just lounging in a chair outside. It's soft, but has a certain professionality to it that'll attract women over 30, but the current sweetness I experience can still please a tween who isn't into bubblegum juice as well.
The current longevity (one spray: about 3-4 hours, mostly as skin scent) and projection are disappointing. I think it's part 'type fragrance', part HMT™️ and maybe even part price. (Though River of Love's SPL game, La Rive's Angel dupe, is on point! ). I would still recommend My Delicate if you're looking for a light floral summer fragrance that isn't the typical citrus juice or laundry detergent concoction. In my opinion this edp is Clean Girl appropriate AND definitely acceptable to floral lovers.
Especially if you're a professional, you need something that's both pleasing to the many without smelling cheap. My Delicate fits that brief. Ideal if you don't care to spend Chanel money, but want a similar vibe wafting from your skin.
With the price of €6.99* for 90ml it doesn't matter much that you'll be overspraying in the morning and respraying during the day. And if you follow my instincts Re Home Maceration Time I'm quite sure that next year you'll have a fragrance that's on par with its inspiration; both scent wise and SPL wise. For the smaller wallet that still wants a fancy wardrobe, even if that's faux, My Delicate is a careful recommendation!
----------
NB* That's what I paid online, but outside Europe or In-store these fragrances will cost you a few bucks extra. My mom paid €9 in Douglas and I've heard non Europeans name amounts between €12-€15. Comparable to the regular Zara fragrances in price. Even when they're 'more expensive', they're still very affordable.
Maceration versus Initial Spray
The reason why I'm not sure if this La Rive will make the cut has to do with the difference between First Spray and the one I often spritz several months later. If you're like me and forced to buy the majority, if not all, of your perfume online then you've also noticed that travel, temperature differences between your place of residence and the seller's and grey market vs expensive webshops have plenty influence on what comes out of the atomiser initially. And what you'll smell weeks to months later.
Now, even most brick & mortar acquisitions need some maceration on my own shelves nowadays, so it seems (only 5 -10% of my 170 bottles didn't), but online purchases - particularly cheaper fragrances - ask a lot of "Home Maceration Time" [HMT™️], some even more than 6 months. Half a year to reach a proper fragrance where the juice was on a "normal" strength and the pyramid could be satisfyingly found back in what I sprayed. The majority of my La Rive perfumes fall in this category (which also means it is smart, if you have the space and patience, to wait till the new SS season to decide 'Sell or Stay'.)
I got this My Delicate bottle 8 months back and there certainly can't be any chance of "damaged" notes due to travel or temperature differences anymore. However, my first spritz came out of the atomiser only 6 weeks ago. Back then I could barely smell anything. My rosewater face spray is ten times stronger than what I got.
The Scent
Were I to judge projection, sillage and longevity now, then you'll get the rating as seen above. A meagre 6, 5 and another 5 for the unmentioned projection. The scent I'm getting now, however, makes me wonder how My Delicate will fare in '24. Because I do like it. Both the Dior and the Chanel give the impression to be very light, carefree, non polarising, but elegant fragrances - and that's exactly what the La Rive is giving me as well.
The opening is still much too weak for my taste. Very aquatic with just a hint of mandarin. But it won't last long anyway, giving way to first a soft push of jasmine and half a minute later a rosey blush to make up the heart. It gives the middle of this fragrance quite the 'pink' feel, but not in an immature way. More in a white summer dress with elegant strappy sandals, or white linen trousers with cute blouse top & moccasins- kind of way. Not beachy, but a summery casual Friday at the office. And beyond.
The black currant leaves are nowhere near the surface right now, and I get zero peach as well. Since I'm not a peach lover I don't mind the latter, but the black currant could give My Delicate the tart hint it needs to come out of mere "sweetness" and into a more complicated perfume that won't bore quickly. I expect to experience that next spring, honestly.
One of the other reasons I'm so focused on extra maceration, is because there is barely any base in the current perfume. And with notes like sandalwood, benzoin and cedar (white musk & patchouli aren't necessarily heavy hitters) I certainly expect to notice those.
Instead, My Delicate remains a very light elegant mixture of jasmine and roses with a hint of the aquatic (sometimes peach does that to me). When the intimate projection reaches skin scent territory I get a whiff of warm woodiness - sandalwood most likely, but it is unidentifiable - but that's it.
Conclusion
So, what to make of My Delicate? Let's just say that I have high hopes. I hated Moonlight Lady Prestige (a H. Boss Nuit Pour Femme dupe), since that smelled like weak, airy peach with a vague muskiness at first. It was on my to sale pile, forgot it and now it's actually standing on my vanity because it smells delicious. My Delicate seems to be quite similar, with the important difference that what I dó get now, I already like.
Where you buy, skin chemistry: all important. Based on what I get with mine, on my skin, I appreciate it as a nice, all- pleasing scent that can be used in the gym, to the office, to lunch with friends or just lounging in a chair outside. It's soft, but has a certain professionality to it that'll attract women over 30, but the current sweetness I experience can still please a tween who isn't into bubblegum juice as well.
The current longevity (one spray: about 3-4 hours, mostly as skin scent) and projection are disappointing. I think it's part 'type fragrance', part HMT™️ and maybe even part price. (Though River of Love's SPL game, La Rive's Angel dupe, is on point! ). I would still recommend My Delicate if you're looking for a light floral summer fragrance that isn't the typical citrus juice or laundry detergent concoction. In my opinion this edp is Clean Girl appropriate AND definitely acceptable to floral lovers.
Especially if you're a professional, you need something that's both pleasing to the many without smelling cheap. My Delicate fits that brief. Ideal if you don't care to spend Chanel money, but want a similar vibe wafting from your skin.
With the price of €6.99* for 90ml it doesn't matter much that you'll be overspraying in the morning and respraying during the day. And if you follow my instincts Re Home Maceration Time I'm quite sure that next year you'll have a fragrance that's on par with its inspiration; both scent wise and SPL wise. For the smaller wallet that still wants a fancy wardrobe, even if that's faux, My Delicate is a careful recommendation!
----------
NB* That's what I paid online, but outside Europe or In-store these fragrances will cost you a few bucks extra. My mom paid €9 in Douglas and I've heard non Europeans name amounts between €12-€15. Comparable to the regular Zara fragrances in price. Even when they're 'more expensive', they're still very affordable.
