Marzipan (Holiday no.5)

Notes directly from the perfumer, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz: Top-bitter almond, spices Heart-almond, honey, Moroccan rose absolute Base-Bourbon vanilla, cocoa bean, vanilla absolute & white chocolate An absolutely scrumptious fragrance bursting with yuletide delicacies, Marzipan is simply a joy to wear. Not something I thought I would enjoy as immensely as I do, this gourmand is the fifth festive fragrance from DSH I have worn in as many days...thanks to the awesome Holiday Sampler Set #1. (2000-2007) This perfume not only mirrors its titular muse in aroma; but also in texture of sweetly creamy graininess. Opening with the warmth of spiced (almost roasted) almonds, this simple aroma is so captivating it feels like the invisible finger in cartoons leading someone dazedly forward. As the heart begins to beat (open) it turns sweeter and reminds of Turkish delight as a jammy Moroccan rose is folded into the soft doughiness of powdered almonds and golden honey. Unabashedly gourmand Marzipan is a perfume both rich and tantalizing. It is the divine decadence of the drydown that completely captured my heart, nostrils and palette all. As this scent evolves it crosses over into dreamy when a dark absolute magnifies an already gorgeous golden Bourbon vanilla. Sultry and shadowy this devilish duo decadently and delectably dominate both bitter, dry cocoa bean and silken, sophisticated white chocolate; yet the drydown never comes anywhere near cloying. Sillage: 3.75/5 (soft to moderate) Longevity: 3.5/5 (3-6 hours) Overall: 3.75/5 They say we all gain 10 pounds over the holidays from overindulgences in rich and fatty foods and goodies. I am just now beginning to discover that not only are gourmands groovy just because they smell so yummy; but, it might also be because one can feel good indulging in a sweet delicious (calorie-free!) perfume aroma. This scent also had me drooling for some of those old coconut/marzipan Napoleons (flat cakes of brown, white & pink paste). A nutty gourmand with an Oriental heart and a rich spirit!

DSH Perfumes Marzipan is fittingly a scent smelling of the almond confection, in fact with more life than marzipan itself, which I generally find to be pretty subtle. The fragrance opens as a sharp, sweet, boozy amaretto, with almost a cherry quality to it, but quickly dries down to more of a subtle confectionery-type blend, still robust but feeling more completely blended and settled. There’s also a creamy quality to it that takes it away from being wholly boozy and amaretto-like, while still having both of those elements. It’s an instant winner for me, as I love almond and amaretto scents, and it easily has a place among my favorite almond-dominant fragrances along with Hilde Soliani Orgasmo. Marzipan is a very good performer (I’m sampling the VDP concentration via a 1ml dabber) and its pricing is in line with many DSH Perfumes, at $145 for 60ml VDP, $80 for 30ml VDP, with various options available. 8 out of 10

Oh my word, this smells exactly like a big block of marzipan but without being cloying or super sweet. Dries down to an almond and white chocolate skin scent. Really lovely, but wish it projected more.

Very gourmand! Just what I was looking for! It's so delicious! There is an initial burst of almond extract and then it softens to an intoxicatingly sweet, yet very mild powdery scent...actually powdery probably isn't the proper description so let me rephrase that to say it dries down to more of an Angel Food Cake scent...it's DECADENT...it's HEAVEN! I was looking for something comparable to Perlier's White Almond Body Spray which was discontinued but has now been brought back as a body water and while the Marzipan (Holiday no.5) is a bit different, it more than fits the bill for me! It comes in a voile de parfum format which isn't as long lasting scent-wise but it you ask, they'll make an EDP or an EDT for you...that's my next mission! Try it, you'll like it...

The first note was every thing I was hoping for, a rich deep almond marzipan. It disappeared in just a few minutes and turned into coconut. I’m not a fan of coconut as it can make me nauseous due to the fact that I had a very bad experience with it as a child. Such a shame that this didn’t live up to its initial promise. Even the coconut dissipated within an hour. Oddly enough when I was applying lotion to my wrist 6 hours later, I got a tiny whiff of almond. Glad I tried a sample first.