Pompeia

This is the enchanted forest scent of my dreams. Seriously, you can almost picture wild roses, the lavender, and the woods, along with unicorns, a full moon, the fairy castle in the distance and along comes Prince/Princess Charming. Not a sexy, knock-em dead scent, but truly, hopelessly romantic. A big problem with very old fragrances like this is they are typical cologne waters that are VERY subtle and last approximately one second - this one is not like that. You can actually smell this and for quite some time. Additionally, what I like about this fragrance is that it would be great for anyone - young, old, in-between, male, female, anyone at all. There is something about Pompeia that is very youthful without being "dumbed-down," that I think is great and is what could make it wearable for anyone. I think that a pre-teen or teenager who doesn't want to smell like all her or his friends would like this. I don't think this is actually a chypre - it's more of an aromatic woody/floral. The lavender and patchouli are top-notch. I never thought that geraniums smell minty like it says in the description of geraniums (although there are many varieties). The typical geranium I am familiar with is somewhat vegetal and woody to me. There is nothing sweet about the fragrance except the sweetness of the magical-ness you feel when you wear it. At the same time, there is no bitterness. Yes, it is true that Pompeia is used in Voudou and in Santeria; I did buy my bottle at the botanica, but that does not make it bad or scary, or "dark". As far as I understand Pompeia is something to put on when the body feels tired but the mind is restless. In other words, it is used to revive the body and calm the mind. I don't know about that, but I do know this is a glorious summer scent, maybe more for daytime but it would work well for lovely strolls in the moonlight with someone really special. I don't mean to wax poetic about Pompeia but I guess it does bring out the romantic side.

I bought quite cheaply all the old Piver's fragrances I could find, out of curiosity and also as an attempt to find good 'nostalgia' fragrances (i.e. recreations/reissues of old formulae). The bottle is charming and it does have a vintage feel to it, with an old fashioned plastic cap and simple packaging. It is called 'lotion' in French, which is sometimes interpreted as eau de cologne strength, but I think it is much stronger, definitely EDT. It has a genuine old fashioned 'vintage' vibe, both the bottle and the juice. Strong resemblance to Tweed, but better than the current Yardley version. I think the Tweed style was a fairly widespread and generic fragrance in the 50s and 60s and this one comes very close to that. It took me a while to think this through and get used to it, but I think it is wearable, even as a unisex fragrance. It is a decent lavender-patchouli-floral combo, not sweet and not cloying. It is somewhat simple, but avoids smelling cheap or vulgar (I also bought Reve d'Or from the same range - pretty bad, that one). It is not modern - actually, it couldn't be further away from modern perfumery. But one would buy and use this for its evocative charm and retro feel.

@ Matusha, Thanks for sharing your experience with us. As I said in my earlier review of Pompeia, it really does bring out the romance! I'm never without L&K Florida Water. It is so lovely and refreshing, I use it for everything from dry scalp to make-up remover and pore cleanser to when I have a stuffy nose from allergies as well as when I'm just hot and need something refreshing. It's the greatest well-kept secret! Kananga, as it is referred to in hoodoo, is none other than that beloved floral scent Ylang-Ylang. I do believe that scent is tremendously magical in many ways. It can certainly alter our perceptions of ourselves and others. It creates glamour and beauty, can make us feel like we can take on the world and bring up the past and give us dreams for the future.

A chypre floral fragrance all the way from the early 1900s, this perfume is much lauded for its spiritual uses. it’s a favorite of sweet and cool spirits and often given as offerings to them or used in sweetening baths. I really love this fragrance, it’s one of the few perfumes I’ve bought multiple bottles of! I like to add it to baths, splash it on after a shower or before bed, I spray my bed sheets with it...one of the few jasmine perfumes that doesn’t go too indolic for me, it’s a deep, complex floral scent that lasts with me through the day, eventually fading to a wonderfully warm, clove-like scent. I wear this all year round but it really shines in spring and summer.

When I first smelt Pompeia I was immediately hit with memories of sunny days rolling in a field of clover, making clover chains to hang around my neck. When I couldn't find those notes on the list, I went and researched the fragrance. Pompeia was one of the first fragrances to use a synthetic scent Amyl Salicylate discovered by Georges Darzens. He describes the scent of Amyl Salicylate as "the fragrance of flowering clover under the heat of august". Yes there are Roses, Geranium, powdery Iris, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Citrus and Patchouli notes but.... This IS a field of flowering Clover under the heat of August. Memories of my childhood, perfect...