Sicily

10. february 2015 I have had this fragrance in my collection for several years and i never actually understood it. At some point i even wanted to get rid of my 50ml EDP, since i found it very weird. It must have been a change of seasons and at some point i finally got captivated and carried away with a creamy smoothy banana note after trying it again. What at first didn ́t impress me, later got me swoon for it. I mean, how weird is it: Sicily and bananas????!! And who wants to smell like bananas anyway? Well i don ́t mind now and i see a lot of people do as well. Sicily has a perfect balance within the notes and i believe that thanks to nutmeg creamness and intense heliotrope it becomes so incredibly buttery and smooth that i am in love. I still don ́t get any associations with Sicily (been there and i believe the perfume does not refect the real Sicily at all). Lucky for me i don ́t get any soapiness at all (nothing reminds me of Chanel nr.5 even distantly, nor i smell any aldehydes!!), just a pure enjoyable fruit-floral combination. I simply enjoy it during colder time of the year, that ́s when it shows it ́s fll potential and creamness, during hotter period of the year it indeed becomes more soapy and less enjoyable for me, so IMO this is a autumn/winter time perfume. I am lucky enough to get a new 30ml boxed bottle for a steal and will can now enjoy my other bottle more often. Sillage is incredible and lasting power is great as well, you get at least 12 full hours from 1 spray and it is more than very detectable. A big plus! My review is for Euroitalia version, not the reformulated P&G prestige version! NB! There is one thing i would like to stress: there are 2 diferent versions of this fragrance: The original, made by Euroitalia SRL and reformulated, made by Procter&Gamble Prestige. Sicily is still featured on the official DG web site (just checked it today again) and the notes seem to be different, than for the original version: The main ingredients are missing! No banana, no nutmeg, no neroli, no niacynth! I read a lot that it does not smell the same and smell more soapy thatn before and no banana smell left. It is because it does not have it anymore! So please be aware of that, when purchasing this fragrance. You might end up with something different than expected!

I think Sicily got discontinued because it was half retro, half ahead of its time. It opens with a strong blast of soap-bubbly aldehydes, so it feels clean and classic at first. But the banana note gives it a big twist. It's neither a subtle green banana leaf-ish hint, nor an artificial sweet banana candy - it's just the scent of a banana ready to eat, one that is just ripe enough and doesn't have a single brown spot. I also smell another fruity note here that reminds me of apricots. Combining old-school aldehydes with fruits is not common in perfumery, and I love it. The honeysuckle is also done beautifully, it smells realistic and not sharp like in some other perfumes. It's definitely the outstanding floral in Sicily, but it's incorporated to a bouquet of other bright florals . Sandalwood warms up the base, but the fragrance still feels fresh and clean through all its life. Heliotrope adds a very light breeze of vanillic sweetness in the final drydown. Even though they're not really similar, I think this has a few things things in common with D&G EDT ("red cap"). Mainly the aldehydes and sandalwood, and of course the house. I think of Sicily as Red Cap's lighter, floral, summery counterpart. If that one is a fluffy towel, this is a freshly washed bed sheet. Imagine waking up in those fresh linens after you slept under a window next to a honeysuckle plant, and you've got the feeling Sicily conveys. It develops perfectly fine in winter, but I think like this would be at its best on sunny days. It just feels like sunshine, blue sky and fluffy white clouds. It's sad that this has gotten so rare. I won't put it on my wishlist for that reason, but I dream about finding a good deal on an intact used bottle. I had two samples of this and one was already a little off in the top notes, so I think you got to be extra careful not to get a turned one. It would be interesting to try the reissued version, Velvet Sicily, but the price of almost 300€ for 50 ml for a reformulation of an old mainstream perfume does not sit right with me.

Now this is one serious olfactory design. Released in the "era" when the quality mattered. Yes, it comes in a dull bottle, simple black box and cap, thin letter font... Nothing about it visually screams: "Take me!" (though you would regret missing the chance). But the substance is a treasure in liquid state of matter. I can see it being compared to a whole lotta stuff here... That's fine, cause I've got my own: this one is what all those Chanel fragrances are trying to be. Well, let me put it this way: I like Chanel olfactive philosophy. I like that classy, stand-offish, clean vibe they give off. Sicily is the epitome of such concept, but in a more fun way, than any of them! Yes, it does start soapy, aldehydic, almost retro, but soon enough (oh, give it a few seconds) it comes out with the most creamy "personality" I've ever encountered from a sprayer! Then it comes with that sweet "temper" - not the sugary tiring girly sweet; not even fruity, which usually tends to be irritating in a teeny way. Banana is fruit, I know that much, but it's exactly what gives Sicily that sweet, creamy nature, along with that irresistible honeysuckle blossom and soft sandalwood. I can see Sicily being voted as an all-year-round fragrance. It's actually my go-to summertime office-friendly scent. It literally blooms in cooled air-conditioned places (and trust me: I gave it a trial in every possible occasion). It does have that Chanelesque decency, so that's what makes it perfect for the business environment, but that crazy banana makes it summery enough like, say Terracotta, only reminding you of the approaching vacation season, just keeping it from being too serious in a tedious way. It balances between soapy-clean and lotion-soft cosmetics "structure", but if you prefer it creamier, here's a tip for you: use it lavishly! The more, the prettier - you just can't go wrong to the too-much side with Sicily! Give it a few extra sprays and enjoy all its goodness for the rest of the day!

Banana, seriously? Yes, banana *nods head* and boy am I glad someone was thinking outside of the typical fragrance fruit basket with this one. I understand that not everyone smells what's meant to be banana on their skin, but I most definitely do and more importantly, I enjoy it!! I don't think there's any other fragrance where it works. I'm not sure I want to even attempt another fragrance trying to express the fruit. It surely has the potential to go sideways. Nathalie Lorson got it right the first time. Yet another reason she's one of my favorite perfumers. I've had this fragrance for years and recently can't stop wearing it. Where it was in a slow rotation before, it has now edged it's way to the front of my vanity tray. As a result, I HAVE to try to explain why it's special. After the banana, I find it primarily honeysuckle. It's is favorite of mine, but not one I find often on display in perfumery. The honeysuckle true to form here. It's sweet, delicate and a little wispy. It actually last on my skin deep into the heart of the fragrance. I find the surprisingly long lived honeysuckle almost fruity in Sicily and maybe vanilla like, though admittedly that could be the banana creaminess? In any case, it also works. Sandalwood holds the base together for me with a mellow musk and a late blooming and understated heliotrope. Together the surprising combination of notes exudes a subtle sensual feel when I least expect it given the lightness of the fragrance. Missing Notes? aldehydes on my skin Noteworthy Notes? unusual more FLORAL/fruity (banana) than floral/aldehyde to my nose feminine, subtly sensual a bit retro, thank goodness the endlessly talented perfumer with this type of fragrance It's not for everyone, but it is definitely meant for me.

A series of unfortunate events led me to this one. Basically I'm desperate for a good summer scent, since god knows I have too much of a fixation on fall scents lately (yes I know, my name is Autumn, teheehee). So after seeking it out exhaustively and finding a good perfume stall, my first impression was that it smelled like nothing other than bug repellent with a weird, citrusy tang. So I dismissed it and never thought of it again. Unfortunately I'd ordered a small sample which I assumed had been cancelled but showed up anyway. So I tried it on and asked for a second opinion, and subsequently thought my grandmother was on crack because she described it as "light", then I smelled it on me, and the lingering affect was actually pleasant...and being a wordy person, when I say pleasant I mean pleasant. As in, " I feel like I'm lounging on a beach chair in the middle of a balmy day surrounded by cypresses,( dunno why cypresses, I just go with it) while the sun smiles down on me and I smile up at it", kind of pleasant if you get my drift. The odd, repellent smell mellowed out into a laid-back Banana smell which was nicely counterbalanced by the mature Sandalwood and the spicier Nutmeg. Basically I feel like what I am when I decide to wear it. A young girl strutting down the street of a small town looking for some fun diversion, which all seems mostly innocent at first, until you realize my idea of fun is giggling while watching men gape from behind a steering wheel. To me, this scent basically defines a languid summer's day, with a hint of a excitement in the air.