Granada

It took me a while to think about what I thought of this perfume and a few wears too, but I think that I love this fragrance on me. It is just the right amount of sweet and it is very white floral, which I love. The grenadine is a little bit too sweet for the first 15 minutes or so, but this calms down pretty fast and then I smell more of the lovely and fresh orange blossom and an only slightly indolic jasmine that is sweet and feminine. I smell some powdery heliotrope too, but not as much as the white florals in this composition. I can smell the vanilla, the tonka bean and the musk in that order of prominence, but none of the woody notes though. But this is my preference honestly, since I do not like woody perfumes at all and they give me headaches. Granada is definitely a vanilic white floral, with just a touch of fruitiness that doesn't go into the gourmand or fruity floral categories thankfully. I think that this perfume would work for either spring or summer wear during the day and that it could suit any woman from the ages of 20 to 45. It is a sunny fragrance that is happy, joyous and perfect to bring along for a summer vacation. I honestly don't think that this perfume could or would offend anyone. Granada by Memo's wear time was about 8 and a half hours on me and it had an arm's length projection. Granada does indeed remind me of an even more white floral version of Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier, but it doesn't remind me of Safanad by Parfums de Marly thankfully. Safanad is more of a very sweet fruity floral to me and gives me headaches, so it is great that Granada doesn't smell like that! Because of all of the above, I'd give Granada by Memo an 8.2/10.

I've found it at last!!!!!!!! The perfect white floral. It makes me want to sing on top of mountains and ring gongs through canyonlands! The perfection in the jasmine here lies not in the jasmine itself, but in everything else brought together to support it. For me, that is primarily tonka - it provides a warmth and headiness that jasmine flowers have on the bush but that somehow manage to disappear when jasmine oil is extracted for perfume. When you walk past a jasmine bush, try to think about the "texture" of what you're smelling. Is it clean and sleek? Is it soapy? For me, the jasmine bushes that made me fall in love with jasmine smelled thick, lush, and velvety. They have a milky creaminess that just disappears during extraction. Here, the tonka brings back that heavy warm sweetess, and makes me just want to sink in it and be enveloped in its velvet forever and ever and ever. And ever. The first time I sprayed this, I was watching a film that took place in Egypt, and the imagery in the film combined with the smell of this perfume just transported me into some kind of lala land filled with ancient pyramids, Islamic architecture, palm trees, warmth -- all of those things we picture as the romantic Egypt. Needless to say, the perfume is, in fact, called "Granada," and it is no coincidence that when I wear it, my mind is also filled with imagery of Granada, the beautiful geometric designs of the Alhambra (more Islamic architecture), the trees blooming with orange blossoms, the water flowing through the gardens, again more palms and more warmth. Really a transplanting fragrance.

I have plenty of white florals, and jasmine/orange blossom combinations. This one, however, has a special twist to it. First, it opens with a bright bergamot that has an "lime-y" zest. The jasmine and orange blossom are almost in competition with one another for the stage, but it isn't conflicting. You can detect both without necessarily deciding which is more dominant. I appreciate that it also has a vanilla and ambery dry down. This rounds off and grounds the "sharpness" of the white florals. My husband found is so feminine and really loved it. It is soft and inoffensive, I can probably wear it in the office or for an intimate special event like a baby shower or a luncheon. It would be amazing if this also had the body cream (I haven't searched for it, and perhaps it exists). Again, ultra feminine. Nothing I find particularly ground breaking in terms of uniqueness, but it is a white elegant floral done very well.

I ordered a 5ml sample of this and had very high hopes based on the notes and the hype online. Upon first testing this, I was disappointed. It was a unique Jasmine and orange blossom combo, but it just didn’t give me that ‘wow’ moment that I’d expect from a fragrance worth over £200. However, as the days wore on I found myself repeatedly going back to the sample. This is a strong fragrance and very long-lasting on clothes. It is bright, but not thin and airy like many fresh fragrances. It is gorgeous and has grown on me to the point that I am avidly hunting for a bargain on this lovely white floral. Definitely not a safe blind-buy and probably not worth £225 for 75ml, but I do recommend you try this if you enjoy heady white florals.

I wore a decant of this around Spain, Italy and the mediterranean last month. I ran out just before the end of the trip, and when I got home I had to buy a bottle. The orange blossom is so realistic that I am transported back to Seville or Sorrento where the orange trees grow in the main streets. There is jasmine in it as well and I do love jasmine, but I really just get a strong, sweetened orange blossom. It is surprisingly long lasting on me, though it is a moderate projection. I wore it a few days ago on a sunny winter's day, but I think it will do best in the other 3 seasons. To me this is feminine but I know that is subjective. I will need this in my collection forever !