Spezie

Spezie is not being produced anymore and it is difficult to find it at L'erbolario retailers. Sale assistants swear it is a magnificent spicy scent, so I kept looking until I found, well, not the perfume, but the body cream. The assistant when I bought told me that it smells like Opium and, while at home, I tried it on my hands before going to bed. It is indeed like Opium, the clove smell so specific to the famous scent. I noticed that L'Erbolario make good and great use of clove notes to create their spicy scents and they are good at it. Spezie the perfume could be found nowadays on online retailers and who knows if it may also become a choice for Opium lovers, good quality obviously at a lower price. Lovers of Opium and lovers od spice, if you are lucky to find it, give it a try.

I have just put my hands on a 50 ml bottle of the Spezie acqua di profumo and I cannot yet find the words to describe how beautifully spicy and complex this frag is. It really resembles Opium, now I can certainly tell you that, but apart from that it is so excitingly spicy but subdued, so well blended that I keep sniffing my arm. I would call it a bright spicy oriental as it seems to enlighten itself as I am wearing it. I am sure it still has more to say, so I'll find out tonight, but until now, two hours of wearing, all I can say is that it is fantastic. Lucky me!

When I read about this perfume, I was very intrigued and I wanted to make sure "Spezie" really reminded the seductive and wicked character of "Opium". Today I went to my trusted herbalist's shop and bought it (they still have two pieces of "Spezie"). I made a hasty purchase, but fortunately I wanted to try it the same on my wrist from the tester... so I could leave the packaging intact, and tomorrow I'm going to change it with "Ambraliquida". Do not misunderstand me: "Spezie" is a wonderful fragrance, made with pure ingredients of high quality. But it has nothing to do with the sensuality and the misterious darkness of "Opium". Although it has some notes in common with "Opium", its main character is innocent, clean and soapy. At the beginning clove is the predominant note (to be honest, I can smell also cinnamon notes in it)... then the perfume becomes fresh and clear like the scent of an exclusive bar of soap. It remains the same until the end, without any other development during the dry-down. I can feel just a little amber, and almost nothing of vanilla's note. I didn't expect a copy of "Opium" (I didn't even want a copy of "Opium"!), but I though to find in "Spezie" a seductive and intriguing soul. I'm a little disappointed. I find it's a fresh, bright, pleasant scent (it is very long lasting, too), but I love round, warm and intriguing fragrances (see my review of "The Iceberg Fragrance"): "Spezie" is not the perfume that suits me. WARNING: if someone of you loves "Spezie" and cannot find it, I can try to help you to get it. In my country there are many herbalist's shops that sell Erbolario's products and there are still good chances to find "Spezie" among the shelves.

Had a bottle of this in my collection for some years but very rarely use it. It used to remind me of YSL Opium but I have tried it again in the cooler weather and it is a peppery spicy scent on my skin. Cannot detect the rose or the amber but even though it is a little on the harsh and unrefined side I find it quite pleasing. People say fragrances weaken with age and this is a 50ml spray at least 15 years old. I do not find anything weak about it. With 5 sprays lasts 6 to 8 hours on my dry skin and morphs through the initial mixed spice blast to a gingery/peppery dry down. Perfect for outdoors on cold days and fine for inside too as it has no sickly or gourmand qualities, Completely unisex and a perfect projection and sillage. My rating 7.5 out of 10.