Stelle di Pace

"Incense combined with the lily to bring us back to a spiritual dimension in which we can take refuge and be guided. This composition has been created after a visit in Vatican praying in front Paolo VI’s tomb." Once in a while, you encounter a scent that feels like it has holy qualities. Stelle di Pace is one of these rare cases: this frag is a balm to soothe the soul. A strong incense top note dominates at the beginning of the journey, but over the course of the next hour or so, the floral note comes out to play. The perfumer's copy specifically mentions lillies; Fragrantica's notes pyramid just lists this element as "Flowers." In this case, the floral note is sweet and crisp without being indolic or juicy, so if there are lillies here they are definitely more "Easter Sunday" than "date night bouquet." There are no green notes, but Stelle di Pace feels "dry" in a way that is reminiscent in a roundabout manner of a classic galbanum-heavy chypre. Indeed, like the other perfumes in Hilde Soliani's "Stelle" collection, this feels like a grown-up, immensely special version of a much-beloved vintage drugstore classic. It's definitely got a more traditional "perfume-y" feel vs. the brand's gourmands. Stelle di Pace does not have a huge throw or lasting power, but that's actually an advantage here because of the character of the perfume. The intimate sillage and gentle longevity echo the scent itself, which seems to call for introspection. Oddly, although it's fleeting and subtle on skin, when sprayed into the air Stelle di Pace will saturate a smaller room and hang out for quite a while. It is especially delightful to use in the bath. Stelle di Pace was inspired by a visit to the Vatican, and the spiritual dimension is in full and spellbinding force. To every thing there is a season: there's a time for a dumb bimbo perfume, and then there's a time for a frag with which to anoint and sit with your thoughts. This is emphatically the latter, and its simplicity and church-y notes evoke a rich, thoughtful interiority. In the world of the 24/7 media cycle constantly clamoring for your attention and outrage, it feels so good to take some time alone and look inside of yourself, to your own strength and eternal, immutable truth. As a deeply flawed person/Christian, Stelle di Pace is not the perfume I deserve, but it's the perfume I need. [Note on availability: At the time of this writing, Stelle di Pace appears to be discontinued, since it is no longer available on Hilde Soliani's website. However, you can still find it on scentbar.it. (North Americans can order from scentbar.it despite there not being an option to ship there on the site, you just have to email them with the list of what you want and they'll send you an invoice.) Hopefully, Ms. Soliani will bring it back someday, as this is a special one.]