Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphea

As a discontinued scent this can be found at bargain price, so without sampling I purchased a full bottle. At first spray I was not overly impressed. But the dry down of Flora Nymphea is really excellent. It does have some Channel "Beige" attributes (though I find it lighter and more Spring/Summery than Beige). I find the scent unexpectedly well crafted for the Aqua Allegoria name, unfolding with interest and some complexity. Typically, I am very conservative with the application of my perfume and apply very lightly. But this I spray 3, or 4 sprays and it seems to be alright with those around me. I think the scent stays close, but too I have had several positive comments: "You smell nice"... and "Ummm, what's that smell" came my way. This is so unexpected since I rarely receive compliments on the scents I wear. With my skin chemistry this is predominately a soft floral, (light)green, berry scent that has hints of a clean aquatic note. Early on touches of wood and musk circle in with the citrus flowers. On dry down there is a really lovely scent that reminds me most of sweetly blooming avocado trees at sunset with a hint of slightly musky berry and aged tangerine blossom swirled with drops of honey. At full dry down (about 1 hour or more from initial spray)the Flora Nymphea comes out in full and this scent dances softly with a wonderful combination of flowers, honey, woods, a dash of moist earth and sunshine. Though Syringa is listed as one of the notes, I do not recognize it in this juice (and I have blooming Syringa nearby). Citrus blossom predominates (more like tangerine blossoms than orange blossom). Some of the reviews here have mentioned jasmine notes, but I do not smell this. The honey note is certainly present, though it is woven through the scent as an accent, very much riding in the background. All and all, I feel this is a happy and light scent that stays fairly close (even with several sprays). I do not know that it would be more appropriate for one age or another. It is not a candy fragrance. Rather, it smells Summery AND sophisticated, in that well done perfume manner. On skin, it has only modest fortitude, seeming to disappear after 3 or 4 hours. Sprayed upon clothing, this scent lasts for several days.

Let me start off by saying that I feel that the more you LOVE a fragrance the more difficult it is to actually describe it. I believe that there are numerous amounts of emotions that Flora Nymphea makes me feel, but the most notable are sense of comfort and happiness. Flora Nymphea is a simple composition, but it works with my skin. It mixes with my own natural scent perfectly. The fragrance opens with quite a bit of honey,musk, and a green freshness, that may come off as being slightly masculine to some people. Thankfully the honey is never too sweet or cloying and is tamed by the musk. Its literally the perfect honey scent for me! Slowly Flora Nymphea turns into smooth mixture of orange blossom and what I assume is the syringa, this part is so beautiful, definitely the most feminine part of the fragrance. I also pick up on a slightly woody note but I cannot tell what kind of wood it is, but whatever it is it is amazing! The honey note never completely disappears and lingers throughout the whole experience, but the drydown is absolutely a lot more floral than the opening. The lasting power is splendid considering it is from the Aqua Allegoria line and it lasts for about 5-6 hours and even then sometimes I can still feel it lingering ever so lightly on my skin for up to 8 hours or so. I find that Flora Nymphea is not too girly or too masculine, it is just the right amount of everything for me. It is balanced and blended perfectly! To me this is perfection in a bottle! I find it to be unique something that not everyone would wear or even enjoy wearing, but it is not offensive. Since I love it so much and it has everything I have been looking for it made it the perfect candidate to become my signature scent. Overall I feel that sometimes the simplest scents can give a person the greatest sense of satisfaction and I find this to be absolutely amazing. <3 <3 <3

Flora Nymphea to me is a super soft honeyed crisp white floral with bitter greenness and a dusky undertone. It isn't nearly as refined, smooth, or modern as Chanel Beige. Their only similarities are honey and white florals. While their overall vibe and scent profile are the same. I wouldn't go so far as to call this a replacement for Beige, no way. But it does have appeal and smells very nice in its own right. I love its simplicity and subtle quirkiness. It is very very soft and acts like a quick refresher rather than a complex perfume. I'd reserve it for spring or outdoors because that's when it feels most fitting. Several of these Allegorias from the 90's and early 2000's have a particular vintage vein running through them and this is no exception. It feels a little dated which I find adds to its charm. It is worthy of attention and appreciation if you ever see it and are willing to accept the gentle, fleeting nature of the scent. I do love the Allegoria bottles and would collect them all if I could just for visual pleasure. Edit 12/02/20: Forget what I said about a simple refresher. Flora Nymphea is really much more than that. It's not as fleeting as I used to believe. Could be that my current bottle has had more time to macerate than my former one, or I'm no longer desensitized to softer scents. In any case, it's subtle complexities is what make it brilliant. It's astonishingly beautiful. Stays on my skin many hours as is in the opening, then the final stage is salty warmed skin. It's my favorite Aqua Allegoria of all time. Wish they still made them like this. I smell Thierry Wasser's fingerprint all over it. Similar structure to that of Terracotta Le Parfum, just different high and low notes, and gentler. Will always love this little Nymph. Wearing it nearing the end of our very cold autumn and as always, it takes be to a happy place.

I found it a miracle that I loved this perfume on my skin. NONE of the notes in the pyramid are notes I can "normally" wear (Orange blossom, honey, green notes, white florals, woods) without some sort of headache, nausea, etc. etc. But Flora Nymphea is absolutely beautiful, and Guerlain does it YET AGAIN for me. (By "Does it", I mean produced a beauty... and then discontinued it shortly thereafter. But I digress.) I read every single review here, and it seems this scent is pretty polarizing in terms of half of us getting a mind-blowingly heavenly floral, and the other half getting old man cologne. The entirety of this scent is pretty linear - what you smell is what you get. What *I* get is my childhood in a bottle. This reminds me of a gentle white floral perfume my mother used to wear, walking with me in our old backyard next to honeysuckle bushes, next to clean laundry hanging on a clothesline. A very soft, demure, rich scent - billowy, smooth, and as Guerlain's description states: Fairy-tale like. The honey is the star the moment the perfume hits the skin, followed by orange blossom & gentle white florals tying in throughout the drydown. Truly reminiscent of a wedding bouquet (And weddings in general, that innocent all-around-white-cast on everything in sight). There is a tea-like cleanliness here, as well. Overally, heavenly. This is definitely an elegant, everyday scent for sunny, warm weather - I thought it would be appropriate for work, but it felt too carefree! Like I couldn't wait to get out of there and be out in the open. Big love for me, of which I am still in shock. Guerlain works miracles, point blank. Sillage: Very soft-moderate. A sweet skinscent. Longevity: Delightful! 4-8 hours.

Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphéa has a fresh opening with herbal and fruity notes. But this initial fresh outburst changes into a floral heart composed around seringa and orange blossom. So far, so good. In less than 5 minutes it turns sweet on my skin, honey here you are. But - as someone correctly pointed out below - it's a honey that resembles more the sugary nectar you can sip from certain flowers, like honeysuckle as an example. It's sweet, not fruity sweet, not candy sweet but... sweet. I don't particularly love sweet notes, however, believe it or not, Flora Nymphea is addictive. This strange mixture of white flowers with honey is compelling. I ended up loving it. I bought a bottle years ago and i even managed to use half of it. I reach for this one in sunny summer days. It's a joyful fragrance, girlish if you want. Not my all time favourite AA (favourite is Gentiana) but a lovely one. Superb longevity (8h +), which is unheard of for those lighter fragrances! Screams spring and summer. Has some "La Chasse aux Papillons" vibes (this one being fresher and more airy). As a final note, can I rant about the new vs old packaging? The box now has been graced with a white texture and a lovely coloured bee in the middle but no flower print anymore... I loved it, it helped me recognize my AA among the others! It's very elegant, but I miss the old Allegorias.