Cleopatra

Although the notes say that this one opens up with fruit on the top specifically cherry, this is a rose forward fragrance to my nose. I really like it, but it smells like a rose fragrance with fruit and musk.

This surprised me because usually I struggle with powdery rosy perfumes. Many of them turn into “cheap makeup bag” or sharp cosmetic femininity on my skin. Cleopatra went in a completely different direction. To me, this smells glamorous, velvety, and expensive. The powder here reminds me of luxury face powder or high-end talc rather than dusty vintage cosmetics. It has a soft-focus elegance that feels very feminine without becoming screechy or overly pink. The rose is smooth and refined, not jammy or syrupy, but also not harsh. The amber and musk underneath help round everything out and create a plush texture that feels polished and glamorous instead of dry. I do wish it had a little more juicy fruit or warmth because sometimes the powdery elegance can feel slightly static on its own. But this actually makes it amazing for layering. I especially enjoy pairing it with sweeter or fruitier perfumes to add a luxurious rosy powder veil over them. I bought this hoping for a Carmina-inspired vibe, and I can definitely understand the comparison in terms of glamorous feminine energy. It doesn’t smell gourmand or creamy to me. It smells like elegant rosy makeup powder in the best possible way.

Starts off smelling very much like Delina Exclusif to me, which I recall creed carmina being like that too. But after about 5-10 minutes, I can really smell the cherry, pink pepper, and myrhh. It’s softer and not as loud as Delina Exclusif, and to me, a much more interesting profile. Even though it’s not listed, I get a slight impression of chocolate. But despite being a sweet fragrance, I wouldn’t call this a gourmand. Maybe a floral gourmand... slightly. It’s smooth, and complex. There’s moments where I feel a strong rose presence, and moments where I feel a smooth suede and chocolate presence. The sillage is really pretty. It lasts about 6-7 hrs on me, and my bottle is new. It doesn’t fill a room, but it is detectable by those near to you.

I have been sitting with this bottle a while, and I want to save anyone the trouble of who wants this to be a Delina exclusif and Carmina dna. It is not, I was looking for carmina but this is a powdery peppered rose that is dry almost like potpourri but less fragranced. It is light unsweetened and lacks the cherry and all the other florals. It almost feels like theres musk there too. Like dry rose talcum powder. It’s nice if you like that, longevity 4-5hrs and close to the skin. It’s also oil based which is a bonus as while I don’t love this, it’s a great touch to hair and body fragrance.

Smells like powdery bathroom potpourri to me. Yuck.