Lilac of Riga (Рижская Сирень, 2022)

I have been longing to try this fragrance for a long time. Sadly it is not available in Australia, but my sister recently returned from Latvia with my requested bottle. Today I tried it on. My first impression was floral (obviously lilac, but I don't really know what lilacs smell like as they do not grow where I live), with an oily undertone similar to Haze by Who Is Elijah, or MM's By The Fireplace (which would be the tobacco). There is also a creamy, vanilla note which I love, with perhaps just a hint of cinnamon. As Kotikina said, it is a comforting fragrance, and probably the only floral I would wear in the cooler months here due to the tobacco and spicy notes (of course a cold winter's day in Australia might be a typical spring or autumn day in Latvia). Sillage and longevity are moderate, and I can't comment on the price value as my sister paid for it in Euros, and the Australian dollar is very weak in comparison at the moment. This is a definite like from me, and maybe it will further blossom into a love!!!

I love this perfume, it truly smells like the whole lilac, like a freshly plucked branch, floral yet with some of the bitterness from the branches and leaves, like finding a five petal bloom and eating it for luck. Now does it smell like the lilacs of Riga I cants say, but if you ever find yourself in a place overflowing with lilac, where their scent truly permeates the air all around, it smells exactly like that. It's not particularly sweet but I would say its very real, excellent for a very subtle and down to earth feeling.

Spending most of my life in Riga and enjoying that intoxicating scent of lilacs right next to my house I was very excited to try this, hoping to recreate those olfactory memories. Does it remind of lilacs in Riga? Not as much as I hoped for. However, it reminds me of something else that we have in Riga: tasty cinnamon buns, and only then lilac. Yes, it is a true floral gourmand! The concept reminded me of Mancera Choco Violet, but here we get cinnamon buns and then lilac rather than hazelnut chocolate and violet. It is a big like, but not love. I was hoping for that nostalgic scent of lilacs. Other than this, if you didn't have such expectations, it is a lovely fragrance. The longevity is great, and so is sillage, really good quality. It smells slightly sweet, really creamy and tender. I don't think it is a masterpiece, but it is very pleasant and comforting. Also could be worn all year around.

The original “Lilac of Riga” (1952) is an absolute legend, and there’s not a household in Latvia where mothers and grandmothers didn’t have a bottle of this perfume over the years. When the brand modernised and reformulated this discontinued scent, I knew I had to get it. I’m from Riga, I love lilac, I love perfumes, and the original is such a childhood nostalgia for me that it was a no-brainer. I had to get it! I wanted to love it, but I just... don’t. The original had aldehydes, it had that 50s DNA, and the lilac was intoxicating. This lilac smells like it’s trying too hard and drifts away from what people loved about it in the first place. Sure, it’s a modern take, but even as a stand-alone perfume unrelated to any history, it’s a bit strange. It doesn’t smell designer or niche, but it also doesn’t smell like a drugstore fragrance. The way it comes at you is similar to an Arab perfume, which makes it even less fitting to be called “Lilac of Riga”. If you are a Latvian in search of your childhood nostalgia scent, I highly recommend trying Diorissimo by Dior. It was formulated around the same time (1956), has aldehydes in the opening and civet in the base, and even though it is heavy on lily of the valley, the spirit feels closer to the Dzintars original.