Sole 149

This is the first and only Emilio Pucci fragrance I have ever smelled...and am so glad I received it as a free sample; as I would have never known what a wonderful scent it truly is... This begins with a very green feel. The tomato leaves are aromatic and unique and the galbanum is awesome. A lot of fragrances with this in them are overpowering and scream GALBANUM!, but this says it loud enough to be heard, but is not annoying. Vivara Variazioni Sole 149 reminds me of a cross between Ode a la Vie and Ode a la Joie by YR, yet more sheer with a different twist. The jasmine is sweet and light here with a not too feminine, feel. This is an excellent summer scent but I would wear it whenever I wanted to be in harmony with nature, and sport something not too heavy-but unique. The drydown of vetiver and patchouli is so very down-to-earth. The vetiver is clean (but not soapy) and dry; the patchouli is just musky enough but not dirty. There is also a sheer green that persisits throughout. Now I want to smell the other two for sure... Sillage: good then average Longevity: decent Overall: 3.5/5 This really smells more like what the sun does to plants and flowers, than actual sunshine would smell (to me). It's not exactly warm until the drydown and then it is still more earthy green, than warm. This EDT is very sunny and bright in a summery way. I think men could wear this as well as women, but then I love green scents based on Nature in general.

Sole 149 is a vibrant homage to the warm rays of the sun it opens like a greengrocer's dream zesty note of tomato leaf almost delectable growing out from the most lush green leafy garden with the nuance of dry basil adds to the earthiness then turns floral with the presence of jasmine and green notes of Galbanum dries the middle section and turns soapish during the end. Sole is a Bright and Vibrant scent that brings the child in us you inhabitation are released in brief nostalgia if you want to look for the child in you this is the scent.

Having fallen in love with the 2007 VIVARA at first sniff, I was dying to get my hands on the VARIAZIONI scents as well. In front of me I have a sample of SOLE 149 and ACQUA 330. In regards to SOLE, I have tried so very very hard to love it, or even to enjoy it, but I finally have to admit, it's just not doing it for me. I thought the tomato leaf was interesting and I do admit I kind of like the drydown but the underwhelming sillage and longevity simply cancel the few positives out. So I have to conclude that SOLE 149 was one big disappointment for me. Maybe one day I'll give it another shot layered, which might help this scent stay alive for a little longer on my skin but for now, it's a "meh" and a "thanks, but no thanks". Now on to ACQUA! Wish me luck!

This has a pretty nice drydown, but (to me) the opening was so horrific that it's not worth it. True, it only lasted about 5 minutes, but it was just awful. If you like citrus, citrus and more citrus (in the beginning) you may love this...

I received a small atomizer sample of this perfume as part of a group of fragrances, and I have to say that this was my favorite. What a simple but powerful combination! I'm not even a very big fan of jasmine, and yet the pairing of tomato leaf and jasmine is something beautiful here. If you've ever been a gardener or a horticulturalist, you'll now that tomato leaf is a strange creature - it can either smell deliciously heavenly, or foul (don't forget that an effective anti-bug spray is made out of tomato leaves.) But this perfume pulls the very best from this green and almost gourmand scent. It also acts as a buffer to the jasmine so that only the freshest and clearest jasmine notes are detected. The deeply sour and ambery note of galbanum holds the top notes together into a miracle of green loveliness. I think what I like so much about Sole 149 is that it uses such unusual ingredients and in such interesting combination to create a final product that transports you to a distant place. Two final observations: First, this is unquestionably a unisex scent - it has many masculine undertones that would suit any man. Also, I hope that this may become more widely available in the US, I'd love to own a full bottle!