Aqua Allegoria Flora Nerolia

This one is surely an overlooked treasure. The word "natural" comes to mind immediately. Heady orange blossom disperses right out of the bottle, hyper-realistic and blissful as the real thing. This is good, and I mean it - this is Diorissimo-level realism! Ever so gently, the focus moves from orange blossom to the scent of Thai jasmine. It could actually be any of several of the miscellaneous species of flowering bush that are called "jasmine," but it's not the typical perfume variety. It really smells like a walk in a subtropical garden in the morning. This doesn't make the mistake of being too high-pitched or too indolic - this is the look and feel of real, and it couldn't be more pleasing. After a while, some base notes must show through! There is a prominent orange flower note in the base along with what seems to be a very delicate incense-musk structure. It could alternatively be cashmeran. It's just the slightest touch, though - an undercurrent to add a touch of darkness to the otherwise blindingly light fragrance. There is no powder or heaviness here; just sunlight and silk. Gorgeous, unfussy, versatile, subtle, refreshing, calming - this is the best of the Allegoria series. Please do spray this one on fabric so you can really savor its development!

So I ordered this and the package got lost in the post and ended up sitting on the wrong person's porch for 3 weeks in Arizona during a heat wave. By the time it reached me I knew it would be all cooked to death and broken down, so I left it in the box. Yesterday I opened it and OH MY GOSH the cooking treatment gave it a rich, sexy EDGE that I can't get enough of. It has a sour note on first spray that reminds me of the way my mouth tasted after I had surgery, but after about five seconds all those bad parts vanish. It morphs into a luxurious, dangerous sort of neroli with sweet fresh nectar rising around it like a narcotic evening mist. As it dries the two halves become more independent, you catch a whiff of one and then the other a bit later, like those sand toys where two colors of sand refuse to mix. It fades away slowly, a spritz on either wrist lasted from 7 am to late in the evening for me, and other people were still noticing it then. What will I do when I run out of my cooked bottle? I don't know if I could deliberately cook a bottle, but if this is the result it might be worth it.

What a nice surprise, on my skin the jasmine is the most prominent note. The orange blossom and jasmine are sweet, succulent, natural essences that blend wonderfully together, but backing up... Floral Nerolia (just rolls off your tongue doesn’t it) opens with a woody neroli, a huge bloom of it, and it slowly wears into the jasmine. Now this jasmine is not indolic, but it does have a thick nighttime vibe. I can describe it only like this—it smells like there is something going on beyond the jasmine, something that you can sense but not detect, and you are determined to find out what it is. The jasmine is backlit by the orange blossom, and they work in harmony for most of the perfume. The dry down is woody, with a small hint of incense musk. Like LovingtheAlien says, it is almost cashmere like in texture, nothing is harsh or synthetic. This doesn’t wear that loudly but lasts at least 8 hours, pretty respectable in my opinion. Fantastically done and perfect natural, simple perfume, just like the Aqua Allegorias are supposed to be.

I can't believe how good this is. This isn't fake orange or bitter orange zest. This isn't harsh or abrasive. The neroli and jasmine blend beautifully to make this both creamy and bright at the same time. I would say that the jasmine is very prominent and it reminds me of Serge Lutens La Nuit, but less waxy. It develops beautifully on me and it becomes more complex throughout the day. It also projects and lasts longer than I expected. The first time I wore it, I got a compliment, "It smells like flowers in here!" It was me!! Tee hee.

I absolutely love this perfume - gorgeous neroli at the beginning and then jasmine as well. Such a soft clean fresh scent - although it does get slightly too soapy for my liking. However, still my favourite type of floral. One of those scents where I can't stop smelling myself when I'm wearing it because it's so lovely.