Polvere di Siena

Erbario Toscano is the best kept secret of Italy and Polvere di Siena is the jewel of this treasure trove company. Understated but very present. First hit is almost "boozy" and than it caresses you and anyone that comes (very) near you... Vanilla here is spiced to perfection with a smallest healthy hint of medicinal/dental (clove+carnation I guess) non-threatening freshness, most pleasing (to my nose at least). It doesn't last long nor does it projects too far, but it glistens all around you like a halo of a Holy light... and if a sunlight shining through a frosted window pane could have a smell, this would be its gloriously perfumed scent of a it IMHO. Everyone, even the hard core haters of vanilla, always give me most positive comments when I'm wearing this heavenly scent. Very comforting (without being mumsy), absolutely unisex and simply divine, try it if you can...

I love this perfume to bits. I had always been skeptical of Vanilla scents, I suspected they would all smell unoriginal and too girly. Of course, I was wrong. I am not great at explaining perfumes, but I will say this: Polvere di Siena is warm, welcoming, embracing and yet exciting. To me, it's like going on a summer family trip abroad, during your childhood; mum there making sure you don't wander in the middle of the street, dad with the camera, your brother in his deep reflections, your grandma looking around all dignified, and a really warm sun hitting your skin while you're walking around. That is what this brings back for me.

(Zo_smells down here nailed the description.) Polvere di Siena ("Siena's Dust") is a remarkably interesting vanilla scent. Not your typical vanilla. If you look at the most perceived notes up there, you will get a good idea of what this smells like. It is vanilla, spices (not too strong, but they make themselves heard) and a woody base, most of all. It is different from most vanilla scents. It is sweet yes, but much less so than usual vanillas. Totally unisex imo. Very good performance. Most people would like it.

This is very, very well made! I am picky as hell for vanillas and especialy the dry down. Most drydowns are generic musc-fluff, polvere di Sienna is creamy vanilla and benzoin to the last bit. Lasts ages as a skin scent and wafts nicely for the first hrs. The opening is spicyer and remeindes me of gris charnel and co but sweeter, softer ,warmer, creamier.

I had high hopes of this fragrance, after reading the glowing reviews on this page. Italian perfume at a bargain price: what's not to like? But like its much-hyped sister, Gocce di Resina, Polvere di Siena lands on me like a suffocating embrace from a blowsy Italian dowager: huge waves of vanilla, spices and floral notes are followed by a powdery fugg, which takes for ever to dispel. It makes me pine for the integrity of Santa Maria Novella, the artistry of Sorcinelli or the purity of Maria Candida Gentile - Italian fragrances that are costly, but which combine quality and subtlety in equal measure. In Italian perfumery, as in life, Ars longa, Vita brevis!