Dolce Vita

What can I say about Dolce Vita that hasn't been said much better already here? Nothing, really. I can only give my own take on it. I see Dolce Vita as part of a kind of Perfume Trilogy which consists of Dolce Vita, Giorgio Beverly Hills and YSL Cinéma. All of them share the same kind of basic vibe imo: upbeat, warm and sunny, classy and sophisticated and definitely strong. If the colour Yellow had a scent profile, these three would qualify. Giorgio would be bright, rich summery yellow. Dolce Vita would be rich gold and Cinéma would be gold with glitters. Giorgio is like the "juvenile" version of Dolce Vita. Dolce Vita is what her older sister would wear. I suspect it's the name that makes me have the association, but I very much so associate Dolce Vita with The Sweet Italian Life. Anita Ekberg dancing in the Fontana di Trevi. The almost pornographic shots of gorgeously dressed Italian women eating in Eat Pray Love. Elio's mother chain-smoking and watching her friends debate each other with a smile in her gorgeous garden somewhere in Northern Italy. Dolce Vita embodies its name. It's beautiful and perfectly fitting for the concept it's named after. It is also one of those exceptional scents that - while strong and rather heavy - are very much suitable for warm weather. Sweltering heat even. The good thing being: you only ever need a little to last you a long time. It's suitable for everyday but evening events as well. I imagine roaming the streets of Rome in a sleeveless, sleek but airy black dress at night when wearing this. Or ambling about the shores of Lago Maggiore a glass of Italian wine in hand. It's really as though someone took Giorgio, with the assignment 'make it more classier and more grown-up', and ran with it. It evokes the same feeling but in a much more polished way. Dolce Vita is so much smoother yet - while strong - less attention grabbing. Cinéma is the last in this trilogy. It has the same vibe but it is much more obviously a 'special occasion' kind of scent; like for events that happen maybe once a year and are so special they almost require you to wear a ballgown. You could easily have Dolce Vita as a signature and have Cinéma as your 'special' scent. They work extremely well together. Also: I read a lot about reformulations here. I wasn't yet of age in the 90's so I cannot comment on vintage versions; I've only ever smelled and owned the Dolce Vita versions sold in stores after the 2010's. And they smell divine and last me forever.

Oh my, how can I even begin to explain... My one and only true love. Magic in a bottle. This is what perfumery is all about - making us happy. Words cannot explain how much I love this creation. It is everything I hoped and dreamed for. This perfume was my first and true love and it will stay this way until the end of time. I only wish I could be able to go back to this exact moment I experienced it for the first time - it was my mothers hug, dressed in her finest coat, perfectly beautiful, gently pulling me in and covering me with warmth and love. Ever since that time I was sneaking into her perfume drawer to experience the magic. Every time I put it on the most amazing memories and vivid pictures come to my mind - beauty, music, gold, silk, long hair, driving in a car with windows rolled down, a fresh and warm summer evening or maybe even a crisp winter wonderland, covered with woollen coat, or just that perfect time when the temperature is just right and you're content, truly happy, and love is running through your veins and radiating through this scent off your body. This is everything. This is my signature scent, no doubt about it. I do believe that the 90s version was absolutely superb - I do have and treasure my bottle from 96 like gold. It does spray on quite strong, but the dry down is still the same beauty. Modern version lost it's heavy punch, but nevertheless, it is still the same, unique and unforgettable creation. I do repurchase it every now and then, whilst using my 96 bottle for special occasions. There are no replicas and I am sure about this. I have not tried Shiseido's creation, but Serge Lutens Feminite Du Bois is not it, whatsoever. It lacks softness and it is way harsher comparing to Dolce Vita, where Peach and Apricot turn the spices around + coconut sweetness, magnolia and citruses make this fragrance shine bright. Serge Lutens is way more woody and astringent, if I can put it this way - I could see where the familiar picture comes from, but the details that make this fragrance so special are not there. Truly, this masterpiece of fine perfumery is the exact scent that got me into this craft and made me crave for more, and I am forever grateful.

I bought this fragrance last Spring but hadn't worn it until today. For some reason, I was nervous about this one. I had this idea in my head that it was going to be too flowery, too sharp and too sweet. I should start out by saying that I bought my bottle for such a good price after reading many reviews. Overall, the reviews were positive and that's what made me take a chance on it. I received the newer reformulation so I knew I'd never get to compare it to what the old formulation smelled like but beggers can't be choosers. Upon first application, I got the coca-cola vibe that so many people talked about but it didn't bother me. I actually kind of liked it and had faith that it would settle after some time had passed and it indeed did. Once it dried down, I could smell the cinnamon. I have to be careful with this note because it tends to not agree with my body chemistry, ending up smelling like bad body odour or strong, savoury food. At first, I thought that was the direction where this was headed but thankfully, I was wrong. It has to be said, that this fragrance is so smooth and so beautifully blended, it sits seamlessly on the skin in a glorious manner. It smells expensive! I find it surprising that this perfume isn't more popular but I'm actually happy that it isn't because I know when I wear it, I'm not going to smell like anybody else. There is a light sweetness which is understated. It doesn't reach out and slap you accross the face like the peach in D&G's The One or the lime in Lempicka's Elle L'Aime. No, it's not screechy here. It's subtle and blends perfectly with the warmth of the cinnamon and the cozy vanilla/sandalwood vibe. I honestly love this scent. It dries down into something so special. I find it unique in that it doesn't remind me of any other scent that I've tried. There is something comfortable about it, almost like slipping on a favourite item of clothing. The bottle is cute. I could do without the gold, plastic collar but the actual bottle is classy and playful all at once. I know that not every scent is meant for everyone and fragrance is subjective in that we all like different things but I'm really happy to have discovered this fragrance!

It was the mid-nineties when I befriended a Brazilian family, and subsequently came entranced one dinner party, when this hauntingly powerful feminine scent trailed behind my friend serving wine. She made tight circles around the table, for the spirits were consumed with the same veracity as the conversation. In the midst of an increasingly impassioned debate over the merits of modern art, and its impact on cultural development, I became too distracted to bite tight on my last critical objectives, and used my final moments to inquire what it was that broke my concentration and enchanted the room with the most provocatively ethereal illumination. The depth and shadow of mystical flora and burnished woods was worth the sacrifice. I needed a name. Dolce Vita rolled off her tongue with a casualness that seemed so confident. She didn't need to confirm, she already knew she smelled regal. A suffering student myself, I managed to miss a meal a day, slowly accumulating the cash funds for a purchase. It took me two full semesters, but finally the cheery yellow ball of a bottle, lay in my hands - polka dots embellishing the flesh of the glass, seemed to hold my fingertips, as if the design itself was an intentional act invoking the same tenderness one holds an egg. The juice I have yet to be able to dissect and describe in the context of a list of compounds. No, Bourdon and Roger have done so well incorporating individual components into a larger substance, that I am compelled instead to describe the emotions cast within each spray. Seeing the list itself, offers no hope either. Just a hodge-podge of seemingly random ingredients. Don't think by purchasing this you will be in possession of a peachy scent, just as you wouldn't have custody of a woody or oriental scent. This is about donning more than the physical realm of being. Bright, deep, spicy, sweet; staggering contradictions play out like a symphony dancing upon the ether. Resonating through distance, the sounds reverberate and exaggerate, lengthen and contract, as if the fragrance itself becomes a living being. Now that - That is Dolce Vita!

[775] Dolce Vita is a modern classic from Dior, a fruity-woody-amber, rounded out by lush florals and punctuated by warm spices. It infamously started life as an early version of Shiseido's Femininité du Bois, to which it bears a close resemblance (at least to the Lutens version - I have never smelled the Shiseido original). DV is less balsamic and spicy, more tropically sweet and fruity. I have a miniature from the noughties, housed in a scaled-down version of the retro-glamorous round bottle. When I au paired in France, the French mother had a huge factice of this bottle by the bath with some dried flowers inside. DV opens with sweet, juicy peach, bolstered to perfection by the lush lily that follows. Citrus adds freshness, more juice than rind. Peppery spice adds an edge, paving the way from the lush florals to the amber base. Powdery rose follows, bolstered by soft woody notes and sweet cinnamon. The peach-lily accord that defines this scent remains. It is rich and lush here; sweet, powdery, woody and softly spicy. There is a tropical undertone, unusually muted and giving just the right amount of sweetness. Soft heliotrope adds an almond-like edge as it develops further, rounding out the lush woody florals and smoothly leading to the amber drydown. The amber accord is sweet and balsamic, only coming to the fore in the later stages of this scent. Smooth, muted vanilla alongside the soft, sweet amber and heliotrope keeps things deliciously smooth. The woody notes really become prominent here, complemented to perfection by the warm spices that remain. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. A rich, beautifully-composed cold weather scent, DV is a more wearable, commercial version of FdB, but a gem in its own right. This leans feminine, rather than the unisex (despite the name) FdB. Neither are particularly to my taste on paper, but it is a testament to their quality that I adore both. Aptly named, DV is boldly glamorous, like a well-dressed Italian. 4.5/5.