Bella Donna

Upon the first sniff, my impression was that it's just another white flowers, with very strong ylang ylang and jasmine just behind it. The opening definitely didn't impress me. In the middle, there is this concoction of bergamot and ginger, creating a slightly weird effect of something cool and hot at the same time. It's like the listed top and middle notes got twisted. The middle left me indifferent too. Nice, a bit unusual but not worth much more attention. And it was only when this scent arrived at its dry down when it wowed me completely. I love its dry down! Warm, spicy, sensual. I can definitely smell musk and sandalwood. Here that remaining note of ylang, ylang makes perfect sense: adds up to the warmth and also that oriental, tropical twist. To me the dry down smells like a good quality wood, with resins soaked in oils of jasmine and ylang, slowly releasing its aroma. Very, very pretty.

Today is my first time wearing Bella Donna and I absolutely vibed with it. Dressed up, themed a bit dark a la Saturn Devouring His Children by Francisco Goya, this fragrance was perfect. Familiar white flowers form it's full-bodied heart, surrounded by so many nuances and that it comes across as anything but generic. It does indeed make me think of deadly trumpet-shaped flowers, but remains accessible to a wide audience. Extrait concentration gives it excellent longevity and moderate sillage on me.

As someone has already mentioned this in a previous comment, the top notes of Bella Donna are generic white flowers. Luckily, it turns into a gorgeous floral-powdery scent on my skin. Ginger adds depth to the fragrance, while benzoin sweetens up all the other notes. The base is definitely the highlight of BD- warm, feminine, sensual. Perfect for colder weather, early spring or late fall.

Well I got to sample this, it's pretty but it didn't wow me :( Nea is still my favourite from this house

Strong soapy fruity opening with floral & balsamic backing. No time is wasted getting to the gorgeous rich powdery well-balanced floral heart, although the berry fruit sticks around & merges with ylang quite nicely through most of the heart phase. Base notes then make their presence well known also without any delay. As others have pointed out, the base is really the star here, with a gorgeous interplay between minty opoponax & other balsamic resins, powdery fuzzy musk, and smooth woody accords. The floral heart accord does remain present but in the background for a good long time. Saffron base note listed is extremely subtle, if detectable at all, and doesn't play a real role for me. This fragrance is not breaking new ground or whatever, but is really enjoyable and beautifully composed. I don’t get into this whole masculine feminine bsns wrt fragrance, but I could see a bride making this the signature scent for her half of the wedding party, spraying a fuckeloade of it all over herself & bridesmaids just before the ceremony.