Grecia

I opened my Grecia bottle literally a few moments ago. First there was an unmistakable and pleasant accord of sweetened milk, once it blended with ambrette I clearly sensed white lilac's blooms fresh and luscious. Imagine my amazement and amusement all rolled into one! I have never before had such an interesting combination, and I actually love it s it gives Grecia a most unexpected but impressive facet. There is even an impression of caramel in the top note, but this one fades away rather quickly. Coconut is restrained and powdery, indeed, like Rafaello sweets. I do prefer it this way as it does not feel chemical, cloying or tropical. It is "very well behaved"! I like that the scent's projection is closer to skin scent rather than loud. It makes it more versatile and easy to wear and adds a delicate and intimate quality, which is most endearing. It also breaks the mould that all Arabian perfumes are beastly and overwhelming, - they are most certainly NOT. Tuberose is in charge of the creaminess, and it does its jobs perfectly. It is not animalic or cloying, it pairs well with coconut and the two are absolutely perfect together. At times I catch a nostalgic scent of warm milk with a drop on honey and vanilla my grandmother used to make for me before I'd go to bed. I am yet to catch any jasmine or incense, but even if I do not - I will not be too bothered. The composition before me is already everything I could wish for, and more. The musk slips into the composition unnoticeably with vanilla, reaffirming the gourmand faculty of this fragrance, but of a elegant and I am not going to shy from this word - and aristocratic one. Notes flow seamlessly, composition never disturbed or interrupted. Grecia is indeed a classicism bottled with remarkable consideration and skill. It is not what is usually expected of the fragrances coming from the UAE or labelled as "dupes". Grecia is her own muse, artist and masterpiece.

I own a full bottle of Blanche Bête, but because I ABSOLUTELY love it (and I’m always a little scared of running out), I decided to pick up Grecia. For the price, I figured, why not? My first impression wasn’t great. Right out of the box it smelled very alcohol-heavy, and I was a little disappointed. That said, I’ve had a few Arabian perfumes before, so I wasn’t too surprised, I know many of them tend to improve after some time. At first, Grecia didn’t smell like Blanche Bête to me. It had a similar overall DNA and shared a lot of the same notes, but the base felt quite different.. So I left it alone to macerate for a while. I tried it again today, and wow... The harsh alcohol is pretty much gone, and now I’m getting that beautiful warm, creamy, milky scent that I was hoping for. It reminds me of warm milk with that cozy, comforting sweetness that makes Blanche Bête so addictive. To my nose, it’s about 90% similar to Blanche Bête. Once it dries down, they’re honestly so close that I don’t think I’d be able to tell them apart unless I was wearing them side by side. Grecia actually smells a little creamier and milkier to me too, which I really enjoy.

I wasn't expecting such a delicate fragrance. Smells like heating sweet milk on an old stove, the morning freshness after sleeping on a wood cottage in the middle of a prairie, and suddenly you catch a hint of freshly-cut white flowers that enters through the window while you're drinking your milky infusion.... Pleasant and calming fragrance. Maybe a little too loud on the ambrette note... for those who don't like it, Greece may not be a good choice. Milk is soft and very well developed, the flower note smells like Azucenas. I can't tell if it's an unusual white flower or it's the ambrette that gives it such a special smell. Package is lovely and the bottle is a masterpiece! I'll update after macerated. All these ME perfume come very raw. So far I liked it!

Perfumes tend to lean very incense-y when they have a proper incense note on my skin and this is no different, thankfully for me, I love incense smells. Grecia reminds me of a deep creamy almond milk in the same room as burning incense, my partner gets a bit of leatheriness from it that must be the musk. Despite all of these sounding masculine, this is very feminine and ethereal, and there's very few fragrances that have that ethereal quality to it. Her Confession leans slightly more floral in my opinion, and the OG sits closer to the skin and is less smoky than Grecia, overall a fantastic alternative and it has a very good projection and staying power for the price.

I've had this for about 3 weeks now, and I'm not giving it enough time to macerate as I can't get my hands off of it. This feels like warm milk, mixed with the right dose of vanilla, poured over a fresh bouquet of jasmine & tuberose flowers. I didn't get to try the other dupes, nor the original, so I can't give a thorough comparison. However, I'm happy I chose Grecia. :) If you're not a lactonic scent lover, this might throw you off (I get people who refer to it as spoilt milk), but I personally get none of that.