Acqua Santa

It is gorgeous. At first, I thought this was going to be an old-fashioned rose perfume, but boy, was I wrong! This is a beautifully blended, exquisite fragrance by master perfumer Maurice Roucel, who also created the unforgettable Envy by Gucci, my 90s favourite. I am genuinely blown away. The opening is all green, flowers and sparkling elegance: cassis, green notes, bergamot and coriander giving it that bright, slightly sharp lift. Then the floral heart comes forward w/lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, ylang-ylang (love!) and a bit of freshly picked (!) roses, and nothing shouts. It feels so very well composed, polished and perfectly balanced. To me, this is a floral bouquet at its best: very feminine, very French, very chic. The base adds softness without weighing it down, with a touch of caramel, musk, tiny bit of cedar giving it warmth and grace. Ladies, get your gowns, gloves and handkerchiefs out, and have a ball!

Wow, now this is an interesting one. So complex although smelling "easy" and light. I would not say it's gourmand, for me personally it's very green, but yes, it is not dry. It's somehow aquatic, but also a bit spicy and woody, with a tad of sweetness. I actually see it on a man rather than on a girly girl. I think that the thing about this perfume is that it's literally everything - sweet, fresh, green, woody, smoky, spicy, and still very harmonious (but how?) It is, in a way, intellectual - you can rethink it and re-experience it with every sniff you make. First you can try to experience it as green (in your head) - you take a sniff and it is green indeed. Now you can try to smell it as a sweet one, and it is. Woody and it is, - strong cedar. And so on. And, what is very important, it smells really good.

This was a total surprise--a blind swap I made recently and wasn't sure I'd love. A most interesting melange of notes, tart and spicy at the start, a lush floral heart, and drying down to caramel and tonka bean. I'm not even sure how to classify this one. A gourmand? Not really, maybe a semi-gourmand. Does it work? Tremendously well. I love it. The nose behind this is Maurice Roucel. If you're a fan of his creations, you must check this out. Sliage is strong and longevity extraordinary. over 12 hours.

This is one delicious fragrance. For me, I associate the scent with mango... Maybe its the combination of the notes that create a mango-ish aroma. This is actually my first Linari, blindbought only based on the review, because I really loved the bottle, and I have no regrets at all since this is a very sophisticated scent. Safe for work too. Amazing longevity and medium silage. Safe for a blind buy, and I really think you won't be disappointed since the scent is everything but regular.

A rather surprising scent. Exceptionally watery for a gourmand, but not in a bad way. Fruity cassis notes, very little florals and a mild caramel note that is definitely sweet but not overpowering. I have a hard time deciding whether this smells a bit artificial or just unusual, but I like it a lot. This scent is something I would somehow relate more to a posh, young woman type of perfume. It's very good but lacks a certain depth, IMHO. Very enjoyable and beautiful, quite unisex.