Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo - Mandorlo di Sicilia

It can be a little difficult to find yummy, cozy gourmands that work really well in the heat of summer. Mandorlo di Sicilia is one that smells amazing in the summer. It is airy and fresh and smells like a cross between and almond cookie and a fizzy rootbeer. The opening is fizzy rootbeer for me. It is sweet, spicy and effervescent. As it dries on the skin the effervescence goes away and I start to smell the almond and it transitions from fizzy rootbeer to spiced almond cookie. Sometimes the scent transitions fairly quickly, within an hour. Other times the rootbeer stage last 2-3 hours. I love both phases, so I am happy to enjoy both of them I wear this most often in the summer, but it's beautiful all year and it usually makes it into the rotation in cooler weather as well. It is a pretty unisex fragrance, but does lean a little more to the feminine side The first time I smelled this fragrance I was transported back to my childhood. There must have been a hair/skin/body care product that share a similar profile, because this is how my grandpa smelled on Sunday morning going to church. My grandpa has been gone a long time, so everytime I wear this I am reminded of one of the kindest, gentlest, funny men I ever knew. I'm sure at least part of my love for this fragrance comes from that. The performance of this fragrance is so much better than I expected. The Blu Mediterraneo line is not known for it's performance, but Mandorlo di Sicilia lasts all day and has a deceptively strong projection. I have been complimented wearing this most times I wear it. Even when everyone was wearing masks I was complimented by a cashier behind plexiglass, wearing a mask. I can smell it all around myself most of the day when I am wearing it, at leats 8-10 hours. I have a couple other fragrances that share some similarities with this one, but Mandorlo di Sicilia is my favourite. Lolita Lempicka Green Lover is a bit similar, but it is a bit heavier and leans more green. It is also a bit more masculine. It may be an good choice for anyone that finds this one a bit too feminine, but want something similar. The drydown of Nishane Ani is also similar, but it is the deeper, heavier version. The ADP Blu Mediterraneo bottles are a beautiful cobalt blue. The bottle has a generous sprayer and I only need to apply 3-4 sprays for excellent performance. The retail price of this line is pretty steep, but Mandorlo di Sicilia is an excellent fragrance with solid performance and attractive packaging. Tester bottles are often available for a steal and are an excellent choice for anyone on a bit of a budget.

Okay honestly I kind of get the root beer float comparisons, but MOSTLY, this smells to me like almond extract made into perfume. Literally as soon as I sprayed it, it smelled like I was sniffing a bottle of almond extract, but without the sharp alcohol that you get from that. The best way I can describe this scent is if you got a whiff of almond extract in your kitchen after making vanilla shortbread cookies 6 hours ago. You really get more of that gourmand 'almond cookie' smell in the air, while you get a hint of the star anise if you smell this directly off of your hand or wherever you applied it (I always apply on the back of my hand the first time I try a perfume). This to me is the definition of gourmand and I'm now realizing is one of the only "true gourmands" that I've ever tried. I can literally almost taste it. Beautiful stuff, if you like almond cookies or the smell of almond extract you will LOVE this. I don't think it's overly sweet at all but that's purely subjective and up to personal preference and sweetness tolerance, of course. Having purchased a 5oz bottle with about 4.25oz remaining for $50 off marketplace, I'm a very happy man. For the money I paid, this is an insane deal but even for the money Jomashop is charging for the full 5oz bottle, it's still an amazing price IMO. Projection is STRONG for the first half hour to an hour. One spray on the back of my hand completely filled my space (I was in the car at the time, which probably contributed, since my hand was closer in proximity to my face than it usually would be just walking around), and surrounded me in a delicious scent cloud on my drive home. After that first hour, it mellows out and has probably a half foot of projection but like I said, you will continue to get whiffs of it in the air. Even though the perfume itself is not super strong on my skin after two hours, I'm still smelling it in the air which to me is a positive sign. Great for going out for errands, maybe even for wearing to sleep or just around the house. I know low longevity is viewed as a negative by most of the community, who want something that will last all day, but it becomes irritating for me at times. A lot of the time, I want to be able to spray something in the morning and apply something else entirely in the evening depending on how I'm feeling then. Super strong perfumery makes this difficult and while I love a long-lasting perfume, I'm starting to find a lot of joy in perfumes like this that light up your world and give you the smell you're craving for a couple hours and then allow you to move on.

I agree with this being described as "fresh" and find it to be a fresh woody gourmand. It's almost like vanilla mint ice cream, or a root beer float, from the start and develops into a cedar-balsam based Jordan almond scent after a while. Sort of collectively reminds me of teaberry, which is a Pennsylvania-centric flavor made from a wintergreen plant, thus has a bit of a minty flavor, and is often an ice cream flavor at PA ice cream parlors (and where I'm from). At the same time, I do sense the anise and almond and see how that translates to a sort of minty-herbal sort of smell. Reminds me a tad of candy-coated fennel seeds as well (fennel seeds and anise give off a similar vibe in my opinion, although less licoricey in fennel seeds). It is largely a vanilla scent when all is said and done with hints of the aforementioned. Not a rich or heavy vanilla, but a chilled vanilla that is not at all overpowering on even the hottest of days. I used up an 8 mL travel spray of it and found it to be quite long lasting on my oily-leaning skin, especially in the summer. It made me feel yummy smelling, yet clean, and sort of classy while also wearable for work and the outdoors. Maybe I'm partial to this scent also because my grandparents on my dad's side are from Sicily and Calabria and feel a sort of connection to it in that way also. I want to get a full bottle of this at some point!

I'm quite surprised to see so many people saying that this doesn't belong in the Blu Mediterraneo line because it's not "summery enough". This, to me, is a perfect fragrance for people who don't particularly enjoy wearing overly fresh citrus scents. I'm one of those people and that's why I love wearing this in hot weather! This is a lovely, sweet almond & vanilla scent that's freshened up slightly with a bit of fruitiness. It's not at all overpowering and lasts quite a long time on my skin. It never jumps off the skin, but it remains noticeable when people come close to you. To me, the overall vibe of this fragrance is a kind of "glorified sun tan lotion" scent. I mean that as a positive. There's nothing cliché about this though. It's quite gentle. It's undoubtedly unisex. It's very inoffensive and easy to wear. I can't put my finger on it, but there's just something about this scent that reminds me of the summer time. I've loved wearing it for the first time this summer and I plan to always have a bottle handy in the summer time. I can perhaps see why people might think this is a cold weather fragrance, but I just don't think it has enough warmth for that. If you're on the look out for a summer scent that isn't your typical "fresh" citrus smell, you should definitely check this out!

Despite the name, Mandorlo di Sicilia leans far more orange creamsicle than almond on my skin. I understand the root beer comparisons floating around, but for me, it's a creamy citrus scent. The vanilla here is surprisingly wearable in the heat. Not cloying or heavy, but smoothly blended with the orange, giving it a soft gourmand quality that doesn’t overwhelm. For a fragrance marketed around almond, I get virtually none of it. It’s also not nearly as feminine as often described; I’d call this firmly unisex. There’s absolutely space here for a man to wear this confidently, especially if he has a taste for gourmand scents as I do. This isn’t your typical summer fragrance. Rather than reaching for freshness or marine notes, Mandorlo di Sicilia invites closeness. It’s a rare warm-weather gourmand that whispers "come closer" instead of projecting loudly. Speaking of projection: it's subtle. I catch occasional wafts, but it wears close to the skin. Longevity is still unconfirmed, but based on its performance so far, I estimate around 8 hours. Will pick up a full bottle to scratch my gourmand itch in the hotter months.