I am not one of those people who are critical of hypes just because they are hypes. Quite the opposite. A fragrance that is hyped up by many arouses my interest. Not because I think so many simply can't be wrong, but because I want to know: What does a fragrance have to be like to be so liked? In the process, of course, I experience my surprises - some positive, as with some Kurkdjians, but also negative, as with Montale Mukhallat.
Recently, an also very hyped fragrance aroused my curiosity: Delina by Parfums de Marly, which is available as Eau de Parfum, Exclusif and La Rosée. Based on the composition, the EdP seemed to be the best fit for me. I was curious about the combination of the fruity-tart notes of lychee, rhubarb and bergamot with rose. Rosy-fruity is how I imagined this fragrance, so very appealing to me. With the Guerlain Aqua Allegorias, this composition always appeals to me as well, though it's mostly blackcurrant there. La Rosée doesn't fit my prey scheme so much because of its aquatic notes.
Since bad purchases of perfumes over the 200-euro limit but rather hurt, I first order two samples in the souk (thank you, NatRocks!) - One of the EdP, the other of the Exclusif, but I thought that would be too elegant and pompous with amber, oud and musk. In addition also still the sweet pear ...
In the reviews Delina is associated with spring feelings, summer garden, joie de vivre, optimism and luxury. That makes you want this fragrance. But somewhere there is also, quite hidden under all the euphoria, a statement that makes me sit up and take notice:
"Who expects a rose that blows all the senses, will be disappointed."
A warning that makes me think. Because I am actually expecting a wonderful rose scent. Nothing nostalgic, soapy, something new, fresh, intriguing, a contemporary interpretation of rose that enchants.
But what do I discover after spraying it on? A very feminine, floral fragrance that flashes fruity and green in the short term, but then becomes gourmand and a little reminiscent of caramel. I'm a little confused: Does Delina want to be floral, gourmand or green now? I can't make out individual florals like lily of the valley or peony - both of which are normally impossible to over-smell. For me, the fragrance quickly becomes a combination of scents that, as such, develops and retains its own character. Delina smells elegant, very elegant, sweet, gentle, harmonious. However, the rose fragrance experience does not occur to me. To me, the fragrance seems rather gourmand, creamy like a sweet porridge.
Parfums de Marly takes inspiration for their perfumes from the 18th century. Late Baroque, courtly, lavish pomp, luxury, playful ornaments, frills, lace, elaborate wigs, gardens constructed on the drawing board that have little to do with nature, prestigious palaces like the royal palace of Versailles. They were particularly taken with Louis XV and his courtly world: the lavish splendor of his refuge, Marly Palace, and its fairy-tale world of pastel colors, floral ornaments, and aristocratic ladies who wore entire landscapes in their towering hair.
Louis XV is known for his love of noble steeds and his extravagance with fragrances. He scented his suite of rooms at Versailles with sumptuous perfumes of flowers, animals and fruits. His famous perfumed fountains alone devour vast sums of money, while large parts of the population starve.
I never mustered much sympathy for the baroque lifestyle of the French kings, which always struck me as decadent in an incomprehensibly misanthropic way. But I would never transfer that antipathy to a fragrance.
Briefly, Delina reminds me of a cross between Un Jardin Sur Le Toit and Baccarat Rouge 540, both fragrances I hold in high regard. However, I would never layer them. That's the problem with Delina for me, though. Not layering, but combining the two irreconcilable opposites of fruity-green and gourmand. Such experiments can work if you are brave enough and innovative. Here, they obviously wanted to create a designer fragrance, but one that would also be accepted by the mainstream. Can it succeed? Yes and no. In terms of popularity and sales success, the attempt was clearly successful. The fragrance is pleasing, but for me too much effort construct, which as such even seems synthetic.
I had expected a fragrance with a beautiful rose note. From rose, however, I perceive nothing. Also nothing of lily of the valley, lychee, rhubarb and vanilla. There are no soloists in this orchestra. All I find is a synthetic conglomerate that shows virtually no scent progression to speak of. I feel the gourmand most strongly, but it does not trigger such idyllic sensations as Baccarat Rouge 540.
I don't find Delina very inspiring. The longer I wear the EdP, the more the fragrance reduces to a diffuse, synthetic sweetness. I keep trying to find something else sensational, special about Delina, but I can't. I am disappointed. Did I expect too much? Rose instead of indefinable sweetness?
The durability is at least good. The fact that the intensity decreases over time doesn't bother me. Delina is not a fragrance for me. The marketing, with its homage to Louis XV and the late Baroque period, is convincing and professional - from the tassel bottle to the perfume's dominant sweetness. But I'm not a wasteful baroque man at the court of Versailles, which is thankfully now a museum.
The fragrance wants to be elegant. However, it is too sweet for me for that. Due to the hype, I would have expected more ingenuity and creativity.
Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
Scentgorlie
FreshKatsu
Stacia
Carinaxx2506
MRoth
