CD1810

Acqua di Parma is repositioning itself with the four eau de parfums Yuzu, Osmanthus, Sakura and Camelia and with Vaniglia, a new version of last year's Colonia Vaniglia, so far a Harrods exclusive. The whole Ingredient Collection was filled into the very noble new, black and gold flacons - and the prices were (at least only) a bit higher!

Although hardly available online yet, not even announced at Acqua di Parma, I was able to get samples of Vaniglia and Sakura from the fashion house / perfumery department of my trust in Oldenburg (not exactly a cosmopolitan city!). I want someone else to say that local shops wouldn't be worth it!

So what do we think of Vaniglia now? If "Colonia Vaniglia" was still marked as a men's fragrance, it is here classified as unisex - quite rightly so.

For Acqua di Parma Mr Demachy has created a warm and soft flatterer without corners and edges, but with a lot of harmony, endurance and quality. Actually, everything is as indicated in the fragrance pyramid: It starts slightly fruity-citric with mandarin and bergamot, heliotrope is also to be smelled from the beginning and gives the name-giving Vaniglia first, still slightly grassy room. And then the vanilla comes quite soon, very natural, not too sweet, but accompanied by flowery jasmine and therefore always clearly unisex. The mandarin has thereby amazing steadfastness. This is a great advantage as it retains a certain citric fruitiness for a long time. Cedar wood and musk get through to me after about an hour. And then the scent stops and stops. It remains as a woody, very noble, not too sweet vanilla really for hours on my skin.
The whole thing is very organic, unagitated, not too room-filling, but nevertheless self-confident. Maybe this Vaniglia is not too surprising, but it is round and soft and very noble made. It offers stamina and an exciting development.
I don't know if I need that scent yet. I'm gonna put my sample away and get it out on colder days.

We smell each other again - in November!

The silver gentleman fluidity is partly synthetic mainstream, one hears and reads. Not exactly a seal of quality for a niche fragrance of this price range and origin. So what's to think?
A little excursion for entertainment in between: I had ordered both GF on the net as paid fillings for testing. The golden one was perceived as very beautiful, but for me not really fitting, because too clearly feminine. The silver edition was important to me, and there I experienced a surprise: powdery, fresh, slightly woody, the bottling came along, that didn't fit the golden sister and the fragrance pyramid at all. Nevertheless, I was impressed and expressed this in a (meanwhile deleted) statement. But I got suspicious, the simultaneous test with universalis forte brought too many parallels, so I wrote the online shop again and got a new filling sent. And it became clear that they had actually made a mistake. So much for that.
And now what about the synthetic mainstream? The mainstream is already a bit accurate. However, I would choose the property pleasingly without any negative emphasis. Pleasing, but special: That's the core of Gentle fluidity for me. The described woody freshness is strongly present right at the beginning. That may cry out as artificial whoever wants. I find the freshness very noble and spicy and not cheap at all because of its clear woody and less aquatic impact. A pleasantly spicy fruitiness follows - I suspect from the juniper berry - and finally for Kurkdjian a very moderate vanilla sweetness. The woody freshness is always present. It is interesting that others perceived the scent of me as green-fresh. Interesting because I do not experience GF silver green with myself at all.
Durability and sillage are - as so often with Kurkdjian - very neat, but without being too pushy.
After only one and a half days in possession I have already received more than a handful of spontaneous positive feedback on Gentle fluidity.
Likeable and special at the same time - it could be, that Gentle fluidity in my (internal) highscore list could move on a medal rank!

With the Atelier Cologne brand I always admire that you really get what is written on it or what is in the fragrance pyramid. And that always in pure culture means: high-quality, noble and natural.
The same here again at Philtre Ceylan: The fragrance starts with a lively, spicy fresh kick of mint and bergamot: clear, cool and natural, but immediately accompanied by an incredibly authentic teen note. The tea then clearly dominates everything else. I have never smelled a scent that makes tea so pure and natural. Unlike most of the others here on this site, I perceive Philtre Ceylan less green than oriental. Whereby oriental is by no means to be understood as sweetish and powerful, but rather as the clarity of the spice notes used. And also here I can say again: In pure culture and as it is indicated in the fragrance pyramid - cardamom right at the beginning, cumin is added later. As always at Atelier Cologne, the whole is magnificently balanced, nothing pushes itself unpleasantly onto or into the foreground. Although Philtre Ceylan is already special and should not please everyone.
The performance is mediocre, and that's altogether okay, because the fragrance pyramid would probably have been very durable if it had been accompanied by considerable synthetics - and you don't want that. For me, Philtre Ceylan is a fragrance for men because of its spiciness, and it belongs in spring.
I wait for him now full of longing and then I will wear him with enthusiasm - with a cup of tea (but better from Darjeeling!).

Two headings and two focal points in my perception of this fragrance from the Ingredient Collection of Acqua di Parma:

First of all: Colonia Sandalo always fits, at any time, at any opportunity. So is Masculin Pluriel, my signature scent of Francis Kurkdjian. Not to be misunderstood: Sandalo and Pluriel are two completely different fragrances. But I find that both have very similar, namely very high qualities.

Second of all: Colonia Sandalo reminds me very much of Bleu de Chanel (EdP, but especially perfume) because of the great dominance of sandalwood. Only that Colonia Sandalo is much rounder, softer and more noble than the current milking cow from Chanel (which, by the way, I really appreciate in the perfume version). Much less spiciness and shower gel, just pure woody sandal freshness.

First comes the Colonia Ur-DNA with the known citric notes. I always find it astonishing how Acqua di Parma manages to get this start with so many and so different scents. The sandalwood, which I can smell after about 10 minutes, is clearly dominant. Here however every artificiality is avoided by little cardamom and with me much lavender. The Colonia reference remains clearly recognizable with me. After about half an hour to an hour Colonia Sandalo becomes softer and rounder due to tonka bean, but not sweet.
Colonia Sandalo is concise, present, but not loud and therefore a woody-fresh evergreen without synthetics - a Bleu de Chanel for adults.
Name comparisons in the area of footwear do not seem to me to be targeting!

...and out comes a pretty terrible brew, you'd think? The suspicion is obvious at first, because a mixture of two such contrasting scents can't actually work.
Yes, it can. Intenso d'Agrumi by Acqua del Garda is a mixture of citric spiciness (Versus) and gourmand chocolate (L'Instant), admittedly very unique. And if one looks at the respective scent pyramids once, one will also see the affinities confirmed.
Intenso d'Agrumi has a very special start which is also described below. My first association is: dark rum truffle! Contrary to the pyramid mentioned the dark chocolate is dominant from the beginning. I cannot say where the rum impression comes from, but it disappears quickly and gives way to the spicy citrus note produced by bergamot, pepper and grapefruit, the chocolate always remains.
This combination alone is extraordinary. But that's not all: sandalwood with a pleasant woody freshness and vanilla and tonka bean for a slightly sweet creaminess are added later. And it still fits wonderfully! I cannot recognize the other notes mentioned in the pyramid individually, but I can see that more notes are added. All in all, everything is very well integrated, and that means something in view of the enormous contrariety!
The shelf life is good, but not enormous: with me a good six hours. The Sillage is rather mediocre. And that's perhaps quite good, because not everyone will like the combination of different scents.
I like this combination and I like the risk of doing something unusual. Of course, Intenso d'Agrumi will probably repel as many people as it inspires. In a time, in which there are unfortunately far too many characterless waters without idea and statement, but with all the higher price, this Eau de Parfum from Acqua del Garda is a statement (and not even an expensive one.).
I'd like more of that!