Mariella Burani

I absolutely positively love this fragrance and haven't encountered anything like it (and that includes Chanel No. 5). I never get bored of Mariella Burani, it is my go-to. It was my first perfume and is still one I like to wear. It is not an everyday scent, and if I wear it on casual days I feel almost overdressed. But it can definitely be someone's signature. I hold this fragrance quite dear to my heart, even if it isn't my daily driver. I feel like I need to have it available in my collection at all times. It is truly special! I think it's a traditional oriental with some unique elements. Definitely complex. Warm. Carefree but grounded. Sophisticated but not in a trendy way. Heady, but not heavy. I think a trained nose would be able to tell this came out of the 90s. It is one of those fragrances that smells expensive and would not out of place at a high-end department store. Some people may say it smells "old lady", but that usually is a catch-all phrase for anything rose scented or with a powdery note. The rose and iris are present but not overwhelming. They don't take it to an overly flowery place. It has some sweet elements, like the vanilla and tonka, but they don't make it sugary. The woods add warmth without heavy resin or sap. Every note has a part to play and they each add something special, without domineering the whole thing. For me, this is one of those perfumes that defies explanation. I simply struggle to put it into words. A lot of fragrances can be replicated or approximated, but I have yet to find something similar to Mariella Burani. This perfume is actually hard to find within the past few years. And expensive when you do. So I wonder what I will do when I can no longer find this stellar scent!

A rose by any other name might be a rose, but my nose says it's an iris ;) I don't smell rose at all, not a single petal. As I love rose, that potentially could have been a bad thing. Not so with Mariella Burani. The composition isn't marred by the missing Queen of Flowers. Iris slid right onto the olfactory thrown in this creation. She gently, yet absolutely, rules this fragrance. I don't always appreciate how iris is presented in perfumery, but here it's lovely. It's sophisticated, which is usually the case, but it's a quiet sophistication. It's also feminine, which I don't find the case often enough. Iris is also responsible for the unrelenting and welcomed powder puff it exudes. Now, don't get the impression iris is alone, far from it. You will be able to pick out amber, benzoin and various persistent wood notes from top to bottom. There also might be a couple of un-credited aldehydes tiptoeing around. Mariella Burani isn't playful to me. She's a bit out of step with current counter offerings. Early 90s sounds just right. While light in comparison to some, especially those released with similar dates, she's in no way lighthearted. I didn't find sweetness, cream or fruit. She's a little more on the serious side....pensive, private, softly purposeful. There's something undefined here, subtle and modest. It's there, behind the glasses when you look. Mariella Burani projects the need to ask permission before you lean in, but she's thinking about it :)

Mariella Burani is one very special fragrance. So complex with interesting elements, and with a fragile balance that must have taken much time to perfect. A soft, smiling opening which is bright with a little green earthy bite, letting you know that she is classically feminine but walks to her own beat. The floral heart is full of just that--HEART. It's full, feminine, gentle, endearing, yet enduring and firm. There's also a velvety powder touch that makes this feel ever so tender. The benzoin, vetiver and tonka create a deep, gently sweet harmony with the more familiar base elements. Mariella Burani truly differentiates herself from the rest without having to shout about it. This is one of those fragrances that you'd rather keep a secret because it's easily adoptable as a signature being unique, yet versatile. It's also hard to find. It's fragrances like this that bring out the tender-hearted woman in you when you wear them.

For some reason this rose topped bottle has been tugging on my subconcious over the last 6 months. I'd never smelled it before but somehow I just knew it was "the one". And I'm not disappointed. The lemon worried me a lttle, some other frags use waaay too much but thankfully it's not blaring here. I pick up the taragon, slightly green but subtle. The iris comes on quickly, soft and dreamy. There is a slight soapiness but it isn't distracting and doesn't take away from the lovely floral center. Amber and vanilla standout in the drydown for me, sweetly lingering. A little patchouli gives it just the right earthbound touch. It appears the notes are almost identical to No. 5, so that would explain the comparison. Personally, I prefer this succo. Warm, feminine and easier to wear. Very classy and a definate classic. I want to wear it for many years to come, so please BUY IT UP LADIES, so not discontinued!

Thanks to my adored trusted perfumer, a great expert and researcher of vintage perfumes, I managed to obtain a (wonderful) 100 ml bottle that I treat as a precious and very rare simulacrum. My reminiscences about this fragrance date back to the 90s to a small collector's bottle. Today I don't find it any different to my nose: a solemn sensational floral riot of rare beauty, Ylang Ylang prevailing in agreement with citrus and woody notes of great charm. Olfactory evolution straddles the multiple floral nuances until reaching the dry down with an enveloping and very sensual amber, sweet and musky scent which translates into a reassuring clean and clear powdery finish. Vaguely reminiscent of Lorenzo Villoresi's Teint De Neige. Extraordinary fragrance that I wish you to test.