Acqua di Parma Gelsomino Nobile

**Once again I "tip my hat" to the generous ElenaLondon, for the lovely gift of a carded sample of this, which (at the time of this review) is a Harrod's London exclusive. Cheers, dear!** Notes, and description (from AdP sample card): "A unique and sophisticated fragrance that celebrates Calabrian Jasmine, a noble ingredient used in classic perfumery. A blend of: Italian Mandarin, Pink Peppercorns, Tuberose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Cedar Wood and Musk." This is the first AdP woman's scent I have sniffed; and I must say it is lovely! Jasmine comes right at you out of the sprayer, not heavy or thick just sweet and heavenly...dreamlike, on a soft nocturnal breeze. The mandarin orange does lend a bit of fruity clarity to this, and the pink pepper adds a subtle warmth and savoriness. It is like Lady Jasmine is strolling through her garden. She is the Mistress here, surrounded by bright, sunny citric blossoms and a slightly smoky tuberose. This perfume makes me feel like I am out of doors on a beautiful temperate evening, perhaps at a Garden Party chatting with lovely people at a very classy villa or country house. Surrounding this soiree are tall strong noble cedar trees, aromatic and warm with shady green boughs and the faintest hint of musk is on the wind, not animalic or "pissy", just natural and enticing. Gelsomino Nobile (noble jasmine) is a very appropriate name for this scent. Naturally beautiful, poised and very very elegant. If you are a jasmine lover, (as I am) you simply MUST smell this refined and stunning take on one of the most used flowers in perfumery, that is anything but common. Sillage: good Longevity: very good Overall: 4/5 On reading the notes (and before actually trying this) my first thought was "Eeh, again...REALLY?!?". After spritzing and sniffing its obviously natural essence oils, combined by a skilled hand and learned nose; I can say this is one of the best homages to jasmine, surrounded by the perfect accents, I have sniffed. AdP is one of those houses that may cost more...but, trust me, it is worth it! NB: This perfume very feminine, but I find it to be just balanced enough to wear myself. Though scents are intrinsically gender-neutral, this is definitely one slanted more towards for the ladies (or a guy who is not ashamed of his "feminine" side): slightly sweet, VERY floral and subtly woody. Amazing...

8 sprays - chest, wrists, neck, hair Initial impression was wow what is that. It strangely smells white floral like Jasmine, and leather, but not the light but sharp leather from perfumes like AP Maitrese. This is strong and projects. My husband was able to smell me about 15 feet away, and asked what the scent was. 5min- the Jasmine/leather note still continues. The cedar provides the scent an incredible masculine edge. Coworker also says it smells lovely. 30 min- the scent is linear but wonderful. It's unique, feminine, but very edgy. 1hr- the Jasmine leather note continues. I can detect the mandarin slightly. 3hrs- Still going strong with the edgy Jasmine, Mandarin, and the leather note that I smell. On a business flight, and the gentleman next to me in the plane says I smell amazing and asks me what I'm wearing. The male air hostess agrees. I've never been complimented this quickly by strangers on a perfume. Probably one of the sexiest scents I've smelled. It reminds me of TM Alien, but with a twist on the Jasmine. It's got the woodiness in the Jasmine like Alien, which I think is from the cedar, but the mandarin orange adds something spectacular. It's equally sexy to alien (if not sexier). 5hr- The scent is still going although a bit lighter and the cedar has come out more while the Jasmine had faded a bit. I'm still in love. 8hr- Scent has died quite a bit but the cedar notes are still there. I can't smell it much, but cohort who was 3 feet away says she smelled it. 10hrs- The fragrance has completely died, or so I thought. I step out outside to get to my hotel, and suddenly smell a metallic Jasmine. Looks like it's still lingering. Smell: 9.5/10 (so fresh, woody, and unique) Sillage: 9/10 (you will leave a trail, and many will get waves of it when you move) Longevity: 9/10 (lasted 10 hours despite scent becoming faint) Conclusion: I love this as Alien was one of my favorite perfumes until too many girls began wearing it. This is equally sexy but with an edge. It's not as long lasting as Alien, however longer lasting than most perfumes. Amazing perfume!

I wish I bought a backup bottle as soon as I found out they were discontinuing this and Iris Nobile. I have all five EDPs from the line and they went and discontinued my two favorites. At least I have Iris backups. I love jasmine in all it's many forms. This is my special "Italian chic" jasmine. It's crisp and not as heady as one would associate with a white floral. While it can be worn all year, it shines best in the warmth of spring and early summer. Of course I blame LVMH for the decision to discontinue. I am going to have to be selective about when I choose to wear this, and do my best to preserve the quality of what remains now. There's no use in complaining about it. LVMH makes decisions based strictly on the bottom line, do once a fragrance is gone, it's gone. I see it is now selling on eBay in the $450 range. That should tell them something about the demand. If they had to "break up the band", any of the remaining three would have been fine for me, especially the Peony and Rose, which smell almost exactly the same in my opinion. EDIT - I see I already commented on my disappointment over this discontinuation. I almost deleted my new entry, but I'll let it stand as a testament to my frustration over the loss! 🌸

I met him in Paris, in the loveliest Le Marais near place des Vosges. He was Italian, but he felt free competing with French. He was so luxurious, rich, vivid and full of life, straight and clear but not simple, very complicated and intelligent, one of a kind I had loved and always looked for. This is very important he was resistant. Many of that kind couldn’t handle my hot skin and disappeared, but he stayed filling all the surrounding. He suited me and resembled me so much, but I wasn’t sure about that from the first sight. We were together for some time, then I promised to come back one day. I did. We met in Paris again, in Italy, he even came to Kyiv (who could expect!). But... you know, there are so many new tempting meetings, I can’t and don’t want to avoid them. I’ve got a new girlfriend Juliette who Has a Gun, I can play different roles with her, being Romantina, Lady Vengeance or even Mad Madame. And others... But there is something special between us, a strong connection, he reflects me perfectly. So we are keeping in touch. His name is Gelsomino. He is Nobile. Gelsomino Nobile, Acqua di Parma

This is a crisp, fresh and festive jasmine with some green undertones. Gelsomino Nobile takes me to a royal garden on a chill spring morning, in another era, where time stands still. A lemonade is waiting for me, but I don't care as I'm completely absorbed by a herbarium and some old books. I don't find it vintage, or old school, but there is something timeless and carefree in it and I blame the natural, high quality ingredients. Not creamy, gently sweet-but it's an elusive sweetness, genderless - because I cannot describe the woman wearing this, she's not vulgar, nor is she innocent, she doesn't want to stand out, yet utterly beautiful, you have no choice but to admire her because you cannot get close to her. Not enough complexity for a full bottle, I would have enjoyed more richness to it, although it has a weird aftersmell (I don't know if that's a thing), like the first breath of air is sweet after you take your nose out of your arm. Longevity 6-8h, soft sillage for 2-3h.