Cruise Collection Escale Aux Marquises

Without doubt the most inventive of Dior's Escale trio. As a lover of citrus cologne style fragrances in the humid months, I have a collection falling out of my cupboard. This one is grabbed most frequently at the moment. It begins with a slightly 'sherbet' sweet zing containing a good whiff of the orange top notes. There is something of 'Refresher' sweets here. It's not an obvious orange like L'occitane's, it's softer, tempered by a floral undercurrent. I think Tiare Flower can be a bit cloying but Dior seem to have balanced the citrus with the floral beautifully and made a gentle floral that is as sexy as is it fresh. Maybe it's because Tiare to me smells a little musky, slightly body-like, as if it's flirting. Towards the end it becomes a soft vague floral with a teeny hint of spice. In the main though, this isn't a spicy scent and the pepper is virtually invisible to me. Given it's cologne style, it seems to have a reasonable amount of longevity on my skin, you need a good few squirts and a top up midday but it puts up a much longer fight than my (adored) Caron Eaux Fraiche. Recommended for cologne lovers who fancy a bit of quirk.

This fragrance took me over a year to fall in love with. Why? It's sharp and bright and somewhat piercing in the opening. Our brains have been set to expect fresh scents completely devoid of any spices that when there is an abundance of it - our brains are like "WOAH what is going onnn?!". So I kept it at the back of my cupboard for the most part, until this summer. I went to the beach with my boyfriend and the night before, when I was packing my perfumes, I tested this. And my perception of it had changed DRASTICALLY! YUM! Blood orange! Tiare? Pink pepper?? GINGER!! Yum !! Wear this at the beach and it is so uplifting! It's a love, ladies and gents! (Both of you groups can wear this btw- its very unisex!)

What a wonderful scent! So clean, so fresh, so elegant... It starts with a strong but pleasant smell of lemon but in some minutes it dries down in a wonderful bright, sparkling and invigorating fragrance... This is a summer scent and now is winter but I can imagine myself the next summer with my new dress in a sunny sunday morning, maybe going to a wedding or a similar event and smelling this wonderful scent... This is citrusy and fresh but at the same time is very elegant and classy... of course, at the end we are talking about Dior... I love this fragrance and I recommend it to you if you like citrusy and fresh scents.

Fragrance that excactly captures the exotic aroma of hot, summer gardens in tropics. Put on your skin, it emits an extraordinary scent resembling that one coming from evergreen, moist and warm soil or a concotion of overblown and sun-drenched flowers. Not a sweet perfume but for it keeps an exquisite essence. The first sniff evokes zesty nutmeg melted with sunny citrus. Then goes a very lasting and pleasant aroma of tiare flower. Exceptional to a very high level of perfection!!

I love this one! I think it s the best one from the collection - not only lemonade, but wonderful summer diorish scent... perfect match with white dress and white wine on the terrace:) give it a chance:)

It bugs me that it's the only one from the Cruise Collection not classified under a certain scent group. Is it an aromatic fruity scent like Cassiano mentioned in the the previous comment?

Christian Dior was fascinated by sailing. And by this free and refined lifestyle, he was inspired to design some of his creations. The collection "Les Escales de Dior" (known as the Cruise Collection, in English) represents his alter ego in perfumery. Bright and light fragrances are prepared from natural raw materials, which are obtained in each destination. To keep the company's commitment in offering quality products, François Demachy, Dior’s perfumer, traveled to destinations in order to select the ingredients needed to develop such scents. Escale Aux Marquises means “Stop in the Marquesas”, as are referred to the Marquesas Islands, which make up one of the archipelagos of French Polynesia. This fragrance was created in 2010, after Escale à Portofino (2008) with its Italian profile and Escale à Pondichéry (2009) with its Indian inspiration. After its launch, there was the release of another fragrance inspired by Brazil, more precisely by Paraty (Rio de Janeiro State): Escale à Parati (2012). With respect to its composition, there are a lot of conflicting (and wrong) information about the fragrance, available on the internet. Luckily, we also have the official webpage, in addition to the text on the back of the tester bottle, which is my case. First of all, the Tiare flower (Tahitian gardenia), which is the big star, does not exist in the head or in the heart. It lives in the base of the olfactory pyramid. Similarly, the pink pepper goes in the heart, not in the top. So, let's get to it: the fragrance was conceived on 3 main accords: blood orange essence, pink pepper and Tiare flower absolute. But the composition isn't that simple! In fact, it brings notes of blood orange essence, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, lemon and elemi resin, on top. In the heart, pink pepper, Freesia, neroli and spices, such as: clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander. Finally, in the base, Tiare flower absolute, vanilla of Tahiti (locally grown and considered the black pearl of Polynesia) and benzoin. The result is fruity-aromatic, with citrus and floral nuances. And it's easy to understand the major accords, because that's exactly what we feel on the skin: a juicy orange output, which makes room for a sweet and spicy heart that lies on a milky and floral base. It’s a delight! The initial phase reminds me of Solo Loewe for Men, oddly enough. Unfortunately, it doesn't exude for a long time and ends up being very close to the skin, but the lasting is good (after all, it's a Dior). I don't know why, but this collection is labelled for women by the company itself. In my opinion, all the fragrances are perfectly shareable. To finish, the bottle has the Cannage pattern – symbolizing the golden wicker chairs used by Christian Dior in his first show, in 1947.

I'm a little surprised that this fragrance has received quite a few negative reviews, seeing that I'm quite a fan. I don't usually like citrusy cologne-type fragrances, but Escale aux Marquises has surpassed my expectations. Escale aux Marquises has a really refreshing zesty and peppery feel. It's a lot richer than Escale a Pondichery and Escale a Portofino, which were softer more citrusy fragrances. This perfume has a subtle hint of spiciness that intrigues me more than the other Cruise Collection fragrances did. Ginger is a note that I really enjoy smelling in Summer fragrances. It gives a scent that special touch, while remaining fizzy and light at the same time. Honestly I don't get much in the way of the tiare flower, however I do get a lot of the citruses and the heavy spices. Some are calling this masculine, yet I'll have to disagree. Despite smelling very much like a cologne, it's more feminine than masculine, especially on my skin. I also think it has a lot of character, so it's definitely something I would wear during Summer. The sillage is not as weak as you would expect, in fact it projects rather well. The lasting power is moderate, something that wears for a relatively long time, but may need a few applications during the day. Overall, Escale aux Marquises is a delightful fragrance, the perfect blend of citrus, pepper and spices. Fresh yet exotic, and in some ways, very sexy.

So after writing my review of Portofino I discovered that the sales woman had given me samples of Marquises that I completely forgot about! And I think I like this better than Portofino! It has similar citrus notes, but it bypasses the classic cologne scent that Portofino opens with. There's a slightly spicy warmth in Marquises that takes the citrus up a notch and the addition of flowers makes Marquises more feminine. On the dry down something even smells sweet mmmmm. Overall I think this fragrance will be great for summer and I might be tempted to pick it up after my samples are gone :p A lot of people seem to come down hard on the Cruise collection, but I quite like it. I think the art pictured to go with these fragrances represent them well. They remind me of a very fresh luxury and sensuality, especially this one. I don't so much think they represent the city they're named after, but rather, the classy woman who's traveling there - in her Dior of course. I agree with TeeTee: white dress and white wine, preferably on the beach ;) For Burberry The Beat fans, this smells like it could be a grown up and more femminine version; Probably from the shared pink pepper, cardamom, citrus, and floral notes. One thing I don't like about the cruise collection is that the fragrances don't last long. I don't mind reapplying them, but it'd be nice if I didn't have to.

I have three from this line and all of them have a citrusy overtone but with distinctive differences. This is one is predominantly citrus, ginger and tiare to my nose. The citrus starts of as a blood orange but I also get that lemon which is tarter and lasts longer than the former. There is a creaminess from the tiare flower, I reckon and a very subtle sweetness from the benzoin. I get maybe the lightest hint of the spices but because there so many whole spices listed, I honestly expected the note to be stronger, more discernible however it's not and I can't even pick up it every time I wear this fragrance. To me the star of this show is ginger, which in itself is a spicy note but it is a zingy note which I know well enough to distinguish without confusing it with the other spices and it lasts throughout the life of this scent. The zing from the ginger balances the creamy floral note preventing it from becoming heady. Like the others, this is not a great performer which makes sense since this line was designed to be worn in high heat, without being overwhelming. My favorite out of the three is Pondicherry followed by Marquises and then Portofino. Now on to the last one!

Escale aux Marquises was my love at first SIGHT - I fell for it when I saw the notes listed. Finally today I got a chance to try it. First notes & first thought: "oh, MY!!! Gorgeous. I'm in heaven". I love citruses and citruses here are CELESTIAL. But then my enthusiasm faded. I couldn't smell ANY spices. I counted for them! Pepper, nutmeg and cardamon, my three favourites. The creamy, very sweet tiare showed and ... I thought that at this stage the new Dior creation bears a strong resemblance to the new creation of Thierry Mugler! Alien Sunessence Edition Saphir Soleil. These fragrances are twins to my nose and skin. I prefer the latter - beacuse at least it doesn't cheat on me. Three notes listed, three I smell. Escale aux Marquises promised a lot, and then let me down. A pity ... I believe for those with right chemistry, it could be MIRACULOUS. Lasts very long.

Ottimo, ottimo, ottimo. La fragranza a livello olfattivo è spettcolare apre il "volo del profumo" con le note di arancia sanguinella, zenzero, cardamomo, limone, cannella e pepe rosa; questo mix dona un'apertura pungente al punto da renderla come un buonissimo cocktail frizzante cui aggiungere un bel prosecco ghiacciato. Passata la prima fase il cuore è speziato con noce moscata, pepe, chiodi di garofano e corindolo quest'ultimo quasi impercettibile. Il cuore anche se supportato da due resine come elemi e benzoino non mantiene in vita per tempo sufficiente la fragranza. Questa la vera pecca del profumo in esame. Profumo 9/10 Sillage 3/10 Longevità 3/10 PS consiglio questo prodotto per fugaci uscite in calde ed afose nottate estive.

It is a hot humid day and I am wearing this as I wanted a refreshing scent. It is indeed very refreshing, citrusy slightly spicy scent, very light. Perfect for this sort of a day, trouble is, I have sprayed lots and lots and after the initial citrusy blast, 4 hours later, I can't smell a thing. Such a shame as opening notes are soooo invigorating....but the longevity and projection are not very good. I feel like I need to refreh it, every 1-2 hours, and at a cost of this perfume it is just not an option.

I bought this one today. Love it. such a fresh yet spicy scent. I definatly can smell the cinnamon and nutmeg soft hint on the ginger. In the background the citrusses. Lovely summer scent if you want anything fresh and not overdone Update I have worn it several times now. And the staying power is not what I expected for such a expensive scent. So a big dissapointment that I can hardly smell anything after a while. I wouldnt call it a edt but more a colonge

It has a citrusy, sweet, and gingery opening that feels sheer at first, but then intensifies as it begins to dry down. The spices in the heart are subtle, and the base is powdery and resinous. The ginger is carried beautifully through this composition, balanced on the one end by sweet citruses, and on the other end by earthy resins and delicate spice notes. It also has a slightly soapy feeling to it, and I think it would smell great on a man.

I think it's a nice scent. Subtle and easy-going. I sense the tiare flower the most and I like it very much in this fragrance. It's also a bit citrusy, but just a litte, not in an annoying way. I sense it as beachy summer fragrance. Reminds me of holiday on a tropical island. I guess this is what it's supposed to do. Very nice one and the second best from that line. (My first from this line is Escale a Pondichery).

Escale aux marquises is my favorite summer scent. It works amazingly well with the heat. In Greece we have a lot of it! Actually it is the only fragrance I can stand in the heat. When I smell this fragrance I smell a combination of fresh citruses and pepper. So nice and refreshing!

Light summery fragrance that always lifts me up a little. Most pleasant and good to spritz on in heat. I have enjoyed mine but probably would not buy again, yet, I'd be happy to get it as a gift. I'm really curious about the others in the line.

Typical summer parfume. Refreshing, although I don't like the pepper, but you can really smell it, it's kind of unussual. All in all nothing really special, light summer fragrance.

In my opinion is the best perfume of the cruise collection escale of Dior. Smells clean and sophisticated, but is not yet for me. I just can see "old" elegant women wearing it.