Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta

Esta Colonia Assoluta puede gustar o no gustar; me explico: Es una explosion de bergamota asociada con naranja agria. Recuerdo la primera vez que la olí me dije ¿Esto es todo? y salí de la tienda con el perfume puesto en mi muñeca sin comprarla; pero poco a poco la fragancia me fue hablando y contándome cosas... Tarde días en descubrir que finalmente me había cautivado por completo... Me enamoré de ella y volví a la tienda a comprarla. Como decía al principio es una explosion intensa y suave al mismo tiempo, paradógicamente de cítricos y esto va a predominar siempre. No es un perfume piramidal, sino rectilíneo (En sentido vertical, además) ya que si bien los demás ingredientes se van a ir dejando notar a medida que el tiempo pasa, estos sirven para ensalzar a los dos primeros.Las resinas van aparecer inmediatamente con el fin de envolver los cítricos para otorgarles una "clase" especial de sobria elegancia; después las notas de vetiver les dará ese toque verde de mágica naturaleza que hacen de esta fragancia algo gratamente especial, misterioso y claro al mismo tiempo. Poco a poca van apareciendo las flores que van a ir adornando ese altar sin ostentacion alguna pero con una presencia autentica por parte de la rosa de Bulgaria (Aunque no esté presente en las notas oficiales) Finalmente el musgo y el roble como sabios druidas dirigen el sacrificio animal con el almizcle; al final el ámbar unge para darle un suave toque de sacra eternidad... que en parte lo consigue pues el sillage es perfecto ¡Aún después de hacer deporte, sudar y ducharse consigue dejarse sentir! Además es de los perfumes que dejan estela y sus efluvios se tranportan muy bien con el aire hacia los demás.... Reitero todo aquí: los obsequios florales,las plegarias y sacrificios, son elevados al dios Cítrico (de ahí lo susodicho de rectilínea verticalidad) Entiendo que a muchos les haga pensar en colonias antiguas y/o a vieja barbería por ese pico cítrico tan intenso y les digo que algo de eso hay en la intencion de sus autores ( Además los grandes perfumes ingleses del siglo XVIII y XIX comenzaron en las barberías como Floris o Penhaligon's). Esta colonia es todo un homenage a ellas y un templo al cítrico tan usado a través de los tiempos para desinfectar y purificar en definitiva: limpiar,lavar... y esta colonia es de las que te hacen sentir agradablemente limpio, fresco, fragante... TODA UNA SEÑORA FRAGANCIA. Una vez más J.C. Ellena realiza una obra maestra y esta vez en colaboracion con B.Duchaufour.

First thing’s first, this is a masterpiece. I own quite a few AdP’s (oddly enough not Colonia yet) and this is the first of the lot I could actually picture wearing on the Riviera. Per a previous review, Essenza reminds me of what it’s like to *BE* on the Riviera.. some floral, some citrus, but a little heavy and oppressive in a humid way. Don’t get me wrong I love wearing Essenza in the drier climes of my native Bay Area but it’s something that *reminds* me of being there, not something I would actually wear there. Assoluta is something you would wear in Santa Margherita, Vernazza, Portovenere. I’ve heard talk of “Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau Intense is what you would wear here!” Nonsense. There’s no... substance to LBEI that would ever make you remember that this is what you wore on a boat going from Rapallo to Riomaggiore. There is no romance to Eau Intense, no wonder, no journey. Assoluta just feels at home here. So let’s get down to it. Performance... moderate. Won’t fill a room but you’ll smell it on yourself and others will too if they’re nearby. Will not last over six hours no matter how hard you try. That’s fine. The citrus actually does a decent job for lasting almost half of that before you get into the greener stuff. As for the #1 listed note, bitter Orange... honestly I don’t get it much on me. Certainly not in the way that something like R’Oud Elements by Kerosene gives you (which also has it as the main listed note). To me it is not a singled out note in and of itself but something that takes the bitterness (in this case a sour note) and honestly gives me the impression of... Lemonheads. Yes, the sour, bitter lemon candy. This is what this smells like to me for the first 30-45 minutes and honestly it’s really refreshing and comforting. Like an old friend. It’s such a well blended and well balanced fragrance that it just.. works. And it’s still light enough to be a go to hot climate seaside fragrance with CHARACTER that will go perfectly well with your tortoiseshell Persol 714s. This is the Riviera in a bottle.

This is just pure class. Cold and bracing like stepping out of the sea and into the sun, the wind chilling you slightly as you pick up your sandy towel, suncream still clinging to your wet skin. This IS a fragrance of paradoxes, but very well balanced ones. It warms up, but always with this delicious coldness through the middle. Colonia Assoluta opens with a bright bittersweet orange and tart lemon — simultaneously bitter and sweet. It is also juicy enough to actually make my mouth water while paradoxically retaining a classic astringency. The citric tartness also stays throughout the dry down while marrying to some powder, clean floral touches, creaminess, light woods, expensive soap, and more suncream. It's thoroughly addictive and makes me feel like an aristocrat on an Italian tour. You won't smell like anyone else with their designer freshies — you'll smell tasteful, refined and, at the risk of sounding snobbish, like you have a clue. Someone below mentioned Dickie Greenleaf: that's spot on. Easy to wear, and perfect for Summertime or in high heat, I've been complimented by women (not men yet) whenever they get a whiff of it. Elegantly masculine in a refined but relaxed way (women could easily wear this, too), I get about 5 hours of arm's length projection, with longevity around 10 hours. I had a sample and loved it but hadn't tried any of the other offerings from AdP except Chinotto di Liguria (also very nice). So I tried them all out and Assoluta stayed my favourite by quite some distance. I couldn't get the Assoluta out of my mind — the way it made me feel — but knew it was discontinued and hard to get hold of. Nevertheless, online research led me to find a 180ml bottle at 50% discount. I bought it right away and am delighted, knowing that I made absolutely the correct decision to own this fragrance that I could not stop thinking about.

This is one of the best wear to the office fragrance i own. The citrus verbena/ bergamot ,oak moss musky vibe is very attractive. I have gotten great feedback. Longevity is not bad for a citrus fragrance, above average in my opinion. When I wear Assoluta I will reapply one good spray to my chest and one to a wrist right after lunch before coming back to the office. For some of my fav's that don't seem to last as long I use the small 3 mil atomizer just for that purpose. There are many that do not last the 8 to 9 hours I am at work. I try to never over do it to start the day. Assoluta is a very becoming fragrance for a man to wear. Assoluta just makes me feel good when I wear it, as well as being a very versatile fragrance. Classy quality about it. My wife likes this on me quite a bit. Sniff this out if you can. Acqua di Parma is a quality house. Price point is a bit high, I would opt for this when I am in the mood over a fragrance like Eau Sauvage etc. Purchasing Assoluta is a much wiser decision if I base on wearing it often or a signature scent. The difference in cost spread out over a year made a lot more sense for me to purchase. You would have to weigh that out. For us fragrance enthusiasts we all seem to wear many different ones so it becomes harder to justify many full bottle purchases. It is a quandary. I have no remorse for purchasing. If you love to wear citrus blends Assoluta deserves to be considered ,I tested some other Acqua di Parma citrus blends and opted for this one. Sometimes they are so close and you can go back and forth and drive yourself nuts..I have.. I give this two big thumbs up.

It isn't often that we use the word "ultimate" to describe fragrances, or anything in life for that matter. After all, overuse of that word would diminish its power. However, in the case of Acqua di Parma's Colonia Assoluta, it is the ultimate Mediterranean barbershop fragrance. Of course, there are many variations on the barbershop scent profile, but few are able to evoke images of the experience so perfectly. Anyway, it's no secret that its concept is not unique, but this concoction is like no other. Normally, citrus notes tend to be zingy, piercing, and trigger that familiar tingle in one's nostrils; such is the orange note in it's younger brother, Essenza di Colonia. Here though, the marriage of bitter orange, bergamot, and ylang-ylang creates a lovely bittersweet, banana-esque fruitiness that is both sharp and smooth as butter. It's character is one of wisdom and youthful purity, never veering too much in either direction. Initially, my snappy ignorance made me dismiss this fragrance. But, I saw its potential and gave it chance after chance, and was eventually rewarded. If rumours of its discontinuation are true, then I am glad I picked it up in the nick of time. Colonia Assoluta is one that will be cherished for many years to come.