Cialenga

Cialenga is an excellent example of a classic, old-school chypre. Inky-dark, mossy and richly floral, it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as its more famous compatriots, Givenchy III, Mitsouko, Femme et al., but Cialenga is significantly less well-known. I have a vintage miniature of the parfum, and it is superb stuff - dense and complex but adhering to the classic chypre structure. Fruity up top, Cialenga opens with bright citrus, followed closely by blackcurrant, which, alongside the mossy chypre base that emerges early on, reminds me of Cartier So Pretty. An big, powdery bouquet follows, led by rose and sweetly clean but intense white florals. Powdery iris is surprisingly dominant here, a beautiful inclusion. There is an underlying greenness, stem-like and slightly dewy, but the mossiness continues to develop in the background. The drydown is leathery, ink-like and dense - an unapologetically dark chypre base. The beautiful vintage oakmoss note is king here, rounded out nicely by a cloud of patchouli and dry, woody notes. I get a hint of cloves too, adding warm spice. The leather quality is dry and woody rather than animalic. It fades to a mossy skin scent with a hint of powdery florals. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. Unisex by today's standards, Cialenga is a timeless, surprisingly wearable beauty despite being very 1970s in style. A top-notch leathery chypre, Cialenga is an underrated gem. Extroverted elegance in a bottle. 4.5/5.

Another worthwhile vintage Balenciaga fragrance that you don't hear a lot about. Cialenga holds it's own with the better known green chypres that became popular in the 60s and stayed through the 70s such as No 19, YSL Y, Ivoire de Balmain, Coriandre, Amazone, Calandre and even Guerlain's Chamade. It has similarities to all of those and is a duplicate of none. Cialenga is more aldehydic in it's opening than No. 19, and then overall somewhat softer, warmer and rounder with a lower dose of galbanum and the addition of blackcurrant to it's heart (Interesting that neither aldehydes nor galbanum are given as notes here since without those there is no Cialenga but anyhow) and then a powdery, sandalwood and moss drydown. I've got to admit, green chypres are a genre I don't wear as often as any others that I own but sometimes green is just the thing and in that case Cialgena is one of my favorites. (I'm not a fan of No. 19, so shoot me now.) A little of the parfum goes a long way - the edt needs to be used more generously. It's not seen that often but if you like any of the fragrances mentioned at the beginning of this review and you're into vintages, chances are that you'd like Cialenga. If stored properly (boxed and/or in the dark, cap closed tightly) my experience is the top notes in 2016 are no less than they were in 1975 - though if you're not into aldehydes you may wish they were. =)

I still remember vividly the day I discovered this masterpiece among my best friend's bottles . This happened exactly 27 years ago and I was just 23 . When a frangrance makes you smile , opens your eyes wide with amazement and you feel your jaw fall because of great surprise you are definitely in front of " your masterpiece fragrance " . I was young and loved so much this gorgeous chypre with green notes added to splendid oakmoss , vetiver , cloves and a hint of rose so beautifully blended , a light sweetness by ylang-ylang ... I never tried to buy a vintage bottle of it because I am afraid of getting one which has gone bad because of time , although it is not impossible to find it online nowadays . It is a fragrance which has marked my tastes : I always appreciate well blended smells with oakmoss , cloves and vetiver and tend to put aside very sweet perfumes . I remember I also liked Michelle from this house but not as much as Cialenga as I found Michelle too sweet ! This makes me giggle today as Michelle elegant sweetness is nothing to be compared with the candies in bottles you can smell these days . It was another era then and a girl aged 23 could never think about smelling old lady wearing a real perfume such as Cialenga and probably could never conceive to dress herself up into some fruity candy .

I’ve never thought that I would like so much a perfume like Cialenga. My grand-aunt own a 120ml EdT bottle that she bought way back the 90’s. The first time I opened the box, a woody smell reached me hard enough to turn off any possible interest (I’m a huge oriental lover). Tried it once more in a Buenos Aires trip. This time it went better! After a while, I found a 1oz pure parfum bottle (with just a little perfume in it) and bought it for my collection! What is this!! What a scent! I’m completely in love with it. It’s mysterious, woody-earthy kind of perfume that you feel powerful when you use it. A lot of people say that it’s possible to link Chanel n°19 with Cialenga. Well, sorry but in my opinion Cialenga is far much better than n° 19! It envelop you with only two drops for the hole day. I’m not that good in finding out all the notes but what I get is a wonderful oak moss, soaked in a clove kind of potion. After a while I get vetiver and cedar. It takes me to a 70’s Paris, walking through stone streets and feeling the ice cold wind in my face. Inside the luxury boutiques, the yellow lights warm everything around. A real mist of luxury and power! Unique!!!!

Song sparrows sing outside my window as I contemplate Cialenga, and it embodies springtime: it's not cold, but cool, there is an inky dampness of thawing earth, the verdancy of young leaves and the silhouette of white florals, in the periphery. There is a cassis that renders the opening movement tart and palpable, tinted with rose. Most notably, the iris forms its crux, anchoring the seemingly gossamer elements to a violet-hued, powdered woodiness. The mossiness of its base is translucent and luminous. It feels disciplined, restrained, poetic. It reminds me of the emphasis of line, color and form in minimalist art, like Ellsworth Kelly: down to the bare elements. In its sparseness, each component breathes, each outline is lucid. This may underwhelm noses hungry for lots of heft and activity, but in a more meditative state, it all 'comes together.' I imagine this would've been more popular with the well-read than the extroverted party-goer. I'd love to try this in parfum form as the EDT is quite beautiful.