Heliotrope

This is for people who are looking for specific type of scent. Almond, vanilla, creamy and slightly powdery. I do get a small amount of cherry like you would from almond extract, but for me its not a main focus nor does it last long it just blends and gives it a brightness that would lack if it was just a vanilla centric frag. It's more of a cream instead of powder, but it has the diffuseness of a powdery scent. It could be compared to Farmacia SS. Annunziata Cara but not as powdery, creamier. Almond Harmony, but not as cherry or resinous. Confetto, but absolutely no licorice note. Dragee Reminence isn't quite as well blended and a bit more fruity? LT Piver is much more powdery and much more cherry (but still amazing for the price and only gets better with age if you store it correctly). Iv'e never been able to get my hands on Mandorla so I couldn't speak to its similarities. Jour de Fete's grain note is much more pronounced, giving it a rounder, much more complex, less vanilla profile. Dolce Acqva is the closest, but not quite. It really is its own scent and so, so comforting for bedtime. Anytime, really if your in the mood for it. But I wouldn't say it's a safe blind buy, even if you love all the above simply bc it is so similar that it may not be worth it for you. The vanilla is very dense, as a consequence it does go "dolls head" or plastic ~ y, just a little before it becomes really creamy for me. I'd test before you buy. I blind bought and it took a couple months before I could really smell it's differences and this is a favorite scent profile for me. I think its discontinued but I bought mine from Fragnet, so you can still get it for a reasonable price for now. But I think that if you have any or a few of the above mentioned scents and if you aren't just crazy for this type of perfume, it may be overkill to have all. I'm crazy.🙃

Another good “Quarantine Perfume” choice, with a comforting almond and vanilla note, and coupled with the namesake flower, heliotrope. I’m getting massive silage and longevity from my dauber vial. When I first applied, my husband in the adjacent room asked if I was trying a new perfume. Incredible for an EDT. Opening is a heavy dose of almond extract, I would classify it as 80% natural and 20% synthetic...with a little bit of a plastic vibe. That may sound like a negative but I really like it. It’s not overly sweet, it’s more dusty on my skin. The base is where my interest piques: I’m getting less almond and more scent nuances. Heliotrope (this perfume) is mingling with other flowers, a clean musk, and resins. Heliotrope (the flower) emits a licorice and cherry scent—hence the nickname “cherry pie flower”—and it pairs beautifully with almond. It’s like the very definition of a gourmand floral. I’ve grown three varieties in my life and when planted en masse, the scent is narcotic and distinctive. The past few summers I’ve grown heliotrope in large containers next to my favorite lounge chair so I could relax in it’s distinctive aroma. Until a week ago, I had never sampled anything from this brand. So far Etro is batting a 1000, and I am in danger of wanting to add to my bloated perfume closet. This is wonderful. You have been warned.

Oh, Heliotrope, how I love thee. I’ve never smelt real heliotrope or very many perfumes featuring it, to be frank, so I can’t identify the note or its prevalence in this fragrance. What I am able to put a name to, though, is almond! (And yes, I know heliotrope can smell almond-y — as previously stated, I’m just going by what I know.) I didn’t know if I was going to like the prominent almond note, fearing it may veer too cherry-ish for my taste, but it’s so well done that I just have to adore it. Paired with the vanilla, I am made to envision an almond croissant, its delicate flaky folds dusted with powdered sugar. Despite this mental image, I don’t find Heliotrope to be overly gourmand. The almond does subside with time, leaving behind a soft, lightly powdery vanilla with a clean, ethereal feeling to it. I imagine this is how an angel smells. Sillage is light, but remains detectable, which I consider a plus - any louder, and this fragrance may become cloying. It is so very close to being perfect. My sole complaint with Heliotrope is its longevity. It’s quite alright for an EDT, but still entirely too short for me - best case scenario is 5 hours. Even still, I’m thankful for that much. This could last for 5 minutes and I’d still adore it. Full bottle coming soon, perhaps...

Heliotrope by Etro is a paragon of beauty for almond & heliotrope lovers. It has become my gold standard to which I compare all other heliotrope scents. It’s warm, slightly spicy, bitter yet sweet, syrupy and balsamic, powdery and delicate all at once. I always saw it in the “reminds me of” box, and dismissed it because I assumed it’d be too similar to scents I already own. But no- It is a combination of the BEST aspects of many of my favorite perfumes. Farmacia SS. Annunziata Cara’s nutty, sugary candied almonds and fluffy, sweet caramel are present throughout Etro Heliotrope’s stages. Almond Harmony’s cherry-like tonka-almond combo, along with it’s rich and resinous balsams are in the base. L.T. Piver’s soft, powdery, vanillic heliotrope lingers on the skin as Etro dries and fades, becoming an ethereal, airy whisper throughout the remainder of its lifespan. I could draw more comparisons, but you get the idea. I truly think many perfumes have drawn their inspiration from Etro, and it’s no surprise why. I’m heartbroken because this is discontinued. I’m so, so glad I obtained this before it completely disappears, but it’s tragic I hadn’t discovered it sooner. If Etro brings this back, especially as an EDP, it would be a dream come true!

I had to grab a bottle of this upon learning that it was discontinued, and as a lover of heliotrope, and having used heliotropin in my own perfume making experiments, this is undoubtedly a HELIOTROPE soliflore. I am assuming most reviewers here have not smelled heliotrope flowers and the closest association that they could make is the accompanying almond, which is for sure there, but to my nose, serves as a supporting note to build the heliotrope accord (as are the vanilla and iris). In the heart, I sense some similarities with Guerlain Après l'Ondée, though Etro is more a winsome smile to Guerlain's melancholic reflection. The cherry pie warmth and Play Doh character of Etro Heliotrope and of true heliotrope flowers is what makes them so irresistible to me. The dry down is powdery, but not exceedingly so, and the base of tolu balsam and peru balsam, with their leathery, darkly resinous but mildly sweet qualities, prevent the composition from being too light in the loafers, so its unisex, just find the right occasion. I personally would find this most pleasing at night before bedtime, much like Royal Bain de Caron.