Paradisiaca

Wowsers! This stuff is heady and rich, and I love it! For the first 30 minutes the jasmine was so powerful and indolic that it was almost a chemical fire in my nostrils, but after that, it softened. Then the frangipani and coconut came forward. This sounds really weird, but I don't necessarily "smell" the coconut; I more "taste" it in the back of my throat as I sniff the fragrance. (I believe I prefer this coconut note to the one in Under the Elegant Coconut Palms.) I have no idea where the green banana note is; it's probably just a support structure to the tropical notes, as they do lean a bit to the drier side, rather than the "ripely sweet" side, like how I think a normal banana note smells. Really a lovely, lovely tropical floral. Brava, Sharra. EDIT: This reminded me of D&G Velvet Desire, so I wore them side-by-side, and--whoa! Now I can really perceive the green banana note in the Alkemia! It makes it a bit dry-fruity; it's not that sweet at all and has more stuff going on in it. The D&G is a total floral. Both have their merits, but I don't think I need to have both.