Christacita

It is these cozy summer nights that invite us to linger outside in the warm summer air until late in the evening and listen to the sounds of nature. Somewhere amidst the rustling of treetops and the gentle twittering of birds, the sounds of a dark piano grand echo the melody of the Moonlight Sonata into the balmy night. Enchanted and impressive. A fireplace with blazing flames illuminates the steadily increasing twilight, while the fiery wood whispers a cozy crackle into the night. A small, festively dressed party at round tables listens to the wondrous sounds, devoutly and overwhelmed by the delicate music. A dark-haired beauty in a long, dark red satin dress dances closely with her companion to the soft piano notes. Next door, a magnificent cherry tree with majestic deep red cherries invites you to nibble on the delicacies.

After two or three sprays of Over Red, I dared to make an immediate purchase, as I had a lovely voucher from Marionnaud Parfumerie in my handbag, which I received from my fantastic employer for my 50th birthday. So it had to be something right away. I first flirted with Devotion, which I am also very fond of, but decided on this red velvet cherry gourmand. The first spray immediately fascinated me; unlike its predecessors, this version seems sweeter and sweeter to me. The cherry is soft and slightly liqueur-like. Its heart of jasmine, tea and orange blossom is very feminine, with the orange blossom remaining discreetly in the background. The base exudes a light 1001 Nights magic and literally makes me melt away. Gourmand drunk.

The woman in the long dark red satin dress is still dancing with her lover. A summer night for lovers. And for cherry lovers. And gourmand fans. And summer children. And winter children.

There's a hint of happiness in the air, just like summer nights smell.

Flashback. Time zone early 80s. Cigarette smoking had passed its zenith at the time when our mother had smoked us up indoors to a Dallas episode. And the crazy thing was, it was considered completely normal. Well, the creep JR Ewing from the Dallas episodes could take quite a few nerves out of my mother, so a few deep puffs of her Muratti cigarette could straighten everything out. Despite my tender age, I was allowed to follow some of the episodes of Dallas, because sleep was out of the question when Jerrold Immel's dramatic score was playing downstairs in the living room, filling the high ceilings with cigarette smoke. Fortunately, our media consumption at the time was limited to a few episodes of Dallas or The Waltons.

Outside of these evening TV episodes, my life took place outside in nature, where we girls usually passed the time playing Gummitwist. This game started with feet and ended with heads. I have no idea how much jumping power we must have had back then, but I'm still impressed today when I think back. Maybe those hard jumps weren't so good for our feet and joints after all, when I look at my hallux today. Early sins take their toll.

When I think back to Pamela Barnes from Dallas, how beautiful she looked in her red dress and her stunning charisma and loveliness, I can well imagine that she must have worn a fragrance like Rouge smoking. A wonderful opening of sweet cherries and an irresistible pink pepper for the initial pinch of spice. The fruitiness is soon replaced by a beautiful vanilla blanket and heliotrope makes its presence felt. The base is not too long in coming and the blend of woods is reminiscent of smoke, albeit only on the distant horizon. A slightly fruity fragrance with that certain something, not too sweet and not too fruity with a pinch of spice that makes it unique.

And with the slightly smoky atmosphere on my wrist, my memories of back then vanish into thin air and I find myself in the here and now. Fragrances sometimes take me far back in time and conjure up memories that are priceless.

Good night John boy!

Your hand in mine. We stroll leisurely along the fine sandy beach, surrounded by the darkness of a deliberately dawning morning. Only on the distant horizon does the red-orange sun rise like a grail from the deep blue surface of the sea. Mystical magic. A few sports enthusiasts go for a morning jog, while the fishing boats glitter surreally in the middle of the deep blue ocean, as if they had sprung from a magnificent painting by Monet. The seagulls dance merrily, screeching their first-morning flight, individual bars on the Spiaggia come alive with Italian life. Tables are pushed, glasses clink, coffee machines make their obvious sound as the first cappuccino dribbles into the cup. A smile from you is all I need right now.

Sorriso is a sensual fragrance with a slight sweetness, but not an overpowering one. Dark chocolate predominates, setting the creative tone. The splash of bitter orange reminds me of a version of a limited edition from the Lindt confectioners, a wafer-thin, deep dark chocolate bar studded with bitter orange. At some point, the dark chocolate fades a little and a delightful vanilla unfolds, which has entered into an unconditional symbiosis with the chocolate. It is as if they speak the same language and would be non-existent, even ridiculous, without the other. The tropical woods give the whole thing that extra polish that leads to benevolent perfection.

Sorriso is not a screaming fragrance that is loud and shrill. Due to the dark chocolate and high cocoa content, it is also somewhat tart. Sorriso writes volumes of a full, slightly sweet fragrance that is sure to put a smile on your face. The longevity and sillage are out of this world.

The 4 Romans really have it in them. For the life of me, I can't imagine Giuseppe, Luciano, Maria and Felice ever bickering. I could bet that there is a lot of eating, hugging, talking and certainly a lot of laughing. One joke follows the next, guaranteed!

"We haven't known each other for long and yet we've known each other for ages. We've never met and yet I can see you in front of me. We've never spoken and yet you make me laugh."

Friedrich Schiller was not only a poet and philosopher, he was also a passionate historian and doctor. Today, he is still regarded as one of the most important German-language dramatists, poets and essayists. In 1785, he wrote his Ode to Joy, which he dedicated to the freedom fighter Carl Teodor Körner as a poetic declaration of friendship. A few decades later, none other than Ludwig van Beethoven set this divine poem to music in his famous 9th Symphony. The masterpiece achieved Europe-wide fame, bursting, sparkling and sparkling with drama and exuberant energy and joy.

Later, the ode even became the anthem of the European Union, symbolizing the whole of Europe in a broader sense. Now that we Swiss are not part of the party, we continue to sing our Swiss psalm, which is tinged with patriotism and "Bünzlitum". Long live "neutrality".

Our 4 convincing perfumers from Rome were also overflowing with joy when they ventured into their new work "Gioiosa". Their divine intention to create a joyful fragrance took its toll. The four of them sat for endless hours over pots and jars overflowing with hundreds of essences, tinkering with their next bestseller. Until a neat blend of vanilla, amber, bergamot, jasmine, coconut, moss and orange was created.

I perceive a very sweet and grounded vanilla that wraps its creamy cloak protectively around the fresh bergamot and orange. The coconut lingers discreetly in the background, but still sets a full tone, not a poisonous note, however, but a fine coconut that caresses joy. The jasmine and amber lend the fragrance a lambent drama on the one hand and an opulence of heaviness on the other. The mosses undertake to give the potpourri the rounded heaviness and resinous density that ultimately produces a masterpiece that literally epitomizes joy. It is an exuberant joy that fills me with gratitude.

I usually prefer heavy, sweet and creamy fragrances, so it was indeed a good idea to indulge in a little olfactory detox at Sinnesdüfte during my visit to the city yesterday. And lo and behold, it was worth it, because "Gioiosa" was released in Switzerland the second I set foot in the perfumery. The bottle even had to be stripped of its packaging materials before my eyes and I was rewarded with my first spray.

Shhhhh .....BAM!

What a fragrance, what a joy! For me, Gioiosa is a masterpiece, not comparable to the other lovely and very successful fragrances from the line. Gioiosa is special in a different way and also clearer, more striking and more expressive. I don't like coconut in most fragrances, but here it unfolds extremely attractively in the citrusy, vanilla top. It is clear that we are dealing with a sumptuous delicacy here, a delicacy reminiscent of a slightly spicy vanilla cream slice that literally wants to be eaten. With every spray, the abundance of sweetness forces me to pinch my wrist because I want to bite into the scent. A loud and cheeky scent that will bring lovers of resinous, opulent gourmands to their knees.

There she is. My girl. So innocent, pure and delicate in her nature and form. I usually find her tinkering at her desk or in one of her contortionist-like poses. She must have been born with the agility to do this. When she was born, she was already laughing all over her face just a few weeks later. It's a laugh that warms my heart like a thousand suns and makes me beam with exuberant joy. For this reason, it has crept into every birthday card that I write the following lines at the end.

"Every day you laugh is a beautiful day".

Anastasia - the joyful one

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter from Elysium,
We enter drunk with fire,
Heavenly ones, your sanctuary!
Your spells bind again
What fashion strictly divided;
All men become brothers,
Where thy gentle wing dwells.

Once upon a time, there were 4 siblings from Rome who had big plans. Their vision was to create fragrances that would smell so seductive and pure that no mortal would be able to resist the noble essences. And they succeeded. The fragrance variations, infused with loving Italianità, have been conquering the world since 1996. It seems as if this renowned quartet has made it their mission to pack memories, emotions and certain atmospheres into their - shall we say - rather simple flacons. A grandiose tinkering with simple essences, so to speak, to bring to life a composition that evokes memories and associations through purity.

In our pretty capital city of Chur, there is a tiny little niche perfumery in a small wood-paneled corner of a drugstore that has been lovingly decorated. the store is called "Sinnesdüfte" (sensory fragrances) and these senses are bursting as soon as you cross the woody threshold. Heaven on earth. There are valuable and informative details about fragrances everywhere, individual essences in small bowls, coffee beans are ready to be separated from the fragrance loop if you have sniffed too wildly. A guarantee for immediate sobering up. Sober enough to explore the one or other fragrance.

Aqua e Zucchero. As if life were only black and white. Not some far-fetched name, but quite simple. Water and sugar. Aqua e zucchero is grace itself. If we take a closer look at the actual ingredients, the fragrance should actually smell different. Or did the noble perfumers simply succeed in creating precisely this sweet and pure temptation with the tailor-made dose of orange blossom, forest fruits and vanilla? Lots of sugar and few forest fruits, a hint of orange blossom and lots of vanilla. It is a comforting fragrance that takes me back to my childhood and reminds me of unforgettable vacations in Italy.

For us people from Graubünden, Italian-speaking Switzerland and the infamous boot are just a stone's throw away. In 3 ½ hours we reach Milan with around 120 on the speedometer, in 5 hours we can even see the sea. Yes, yes!

Here it is. Whoosh. Aqua e Zucchero. Can you smell and feel it too? Not black or white, but the entire color palette and facets of life are represented here. Where families sit together at large tables and eat their typical pasta together, like each other, laugh heartily together and drink vino, support each other and pull each other up at the same time. Roaring laughter, red-cheeked children, happy people. I see a mystical Venice, a Firenze steeped in history, many beautiful beaches with the incomparable sound of the sea. Heavy Amarones, Sassicaias and Ornellaias pile up in front of my mind's eye like a genie in a bottle. Oops, now I'm no longer sober.

What fragrances are capable of creating?

Comforting, warm, sweet, pure.

883 would indeed sing it like this:

Una canzone d'amore
Per farmi ricordare
Una canzone d'amore
Per farti addormentare
Che faccia uscire il calore
Che non ti so spiegare
Una canzone d'amore
Solo per te