Aqua Allegoria Tutti Kiwi

I really like this. Its not for everyone, its a crisp, green fruit, kiwi, as is, or the inner rind of fruits, the bits of watermelon normal people don’t eat (ok call me strange but I quite like the green bit of the inside too). Mock orange is a wonderful scent that is not commonly found in perfumes, if you have ever stood next to a mock orange in bloom you know exactly what I mean. Divine. This one has some similar aromas to Hermes Un Jardin sur le Toit but Un Jardin is more masculine and Tutti Kiwi a bit easier, more naturalistic. Overall I really enjoy Tutti Kiwi but it has poor longevity and there is a certain rawness, greenness to it (the inside rind quality) that I don’t expect everyone to like. Happy to sample this from time to time, when I am in the mood.

My understanding is that fruit notes in perfumes are nearly always constructed, so I cannot be too disappointed in myself for not being able sincerely to claim that I smell kiwi in Guerlain Aqua Allegorica TUTTI KIWI. Of course part of the problem may be that kiwi itself, even in nature, at least in my experience, does not have a super-distinct smell, in contrast to, say, strawberry. banana, apple, and cherry. What I smell may be petit grain combined with some "abstract" fruit notes. Although its fruitiness is quite vague, this composition nonetheless smells pretty familiar to me, but not in a readily pinpointable way. It just smells like the Form of the Fruity Floral Fragrance, which does not, in my opinion, participate in the Form of Perfume. This TUTTI KIWI seems to be a "please the mass market" launch, like so many other of the Guerlain offerings since Y2K, when things really started going downhill at that house. Perhaps in part because the fruit is so nondescript, this composition seems a bit dull and thick. There's no development beyond the fading away of the petit grain (or reasonable facsimile). Nor are subtlety or complexity features of TUTTI KIWI. Instead it's just the same old generic "abstract" fruitiness found in so many other frags in the post-Perfume period of this house. C'est dommage, mais c'est comme cela. Not for me. 3.10.11

This fragrance left me underwhelmed. It doesn't resemble kiwi, instead it's very light rhubarb-fruity-floral. Synthetic and not long lasting. It's not memorable, smells innocent-juvenile.

Kiwi fruit is one of my favourite fruits and is often my first choice for a mid-afternoon snack. I enjoy its sweet, juicy aroma too, so it appeared that I was destined to try Aqua Allegoria Tutti Kiwi at some point. I do like Tutti Kiwi, however I'd be dishonest if I didn't say I was slightly underwhelmed. This fragrance lacks sillage and the kiwi note is not strong enough for my liking. In many instances it smells like a lemony jasmine scent. There's a lot of 'fake' notes in this composition, most notably the 'fake jasmine' and 'mock orange'. Why couldn't they have used real ingredients? I get the feeling that Guerlain was aiming for a chemically sweetened fruity floral, essentially an easy crowd pleaser. Tutti Kiwi is a very basic scent, but in that retrospect, it is wearable. It's probably one of the less popular Aqua Allegoria fragrances, and it's not difficult to see why. I would personally reach for Tutti Kiwi during Spring, however its indistinct aroma probably wouldn't encourage me to wear it time and time again. It's one of those fragrances that could easily become lost and forgotten amongst a large perfume collection.

Great fragrance with prominent lemon, kiwi and pelargonium notes...but the lasting power is really poor. It does not last 3 hours on my skin no matter how much I apply :-( I expected a bit more from Guerlain for that price. I am aware how difficult it is to make the kiwi-lemon fragrances last long, as these notes vapour quickly, but 3 hours lasting power does not justify the price. Great as an after shower mist but that would be all about the fragrance.