Siwa

This one grew from a like to a love, quickly. I like the opening, love the dry down. The opening and first 20 or so minutes remind me a lot of my Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere, due to the vanilla-aldehydes-floral combo, but where Eau Premiere is more soapy and floral, Siwa is a little deeper and a touch boozy. The whiskey note definitely makes its appearance right at the beginning, and stays as the fragrance transforms into an airy version of a custard or flan spiked with a little bourbon. I don’t get overt florals from this - I think they just serve to balance the composition and prevent it from becoming heavy ans dense, like many vanillic fragrances do. The Youtube reviews saying this smells like an expensive oil or lotion are dead on. I don’t care a ton about sillage and projection, but this is definitely not the lightest in my collection. I think most of those comments are made in relation to price, which I think is a fair point. I’m a big fan of Memo so far - I have blind bought two fragrances from them, and both quickly became favorites. Marfa and Siwa are just different enough to come off as distinctly niche, but also crowd-pleasing and easy to wear. They just also happen to be right up my alley as far as preferences.

An all year round vanilla fragrance. I'm personally not a fan of vanilla scents, they tend to feel too greasy or give me nausea. However, Siwa is a perfect vanilla for people who don't like vanilla. I know this sounds strange but it's a very moderate, easygoing vanilla floral scent. Vanilla lovers may actually find this too weak and not gourmand enough. For me, this is the perfect vanilla I can bear with. It smells expensive - in a hotel lobby, luxury store sort of way. I also get an image of a career woman working in a softly sun-setting office (not a blazing one). Though it is a warm and calming scent, it feels more refined than fluffy and easygoing. It's not a scent that reminds me of warm hugs (though if someone did smells of Siwa when I hugged them, I'll cling on) but more like a polite and warm but keep your distance with me and please respect my boundaries kind of scent. Let me just say this: I never thought I will buy a vanilla perfume, but here I am! Sillage isn't the best but it lasted on me for more than a good 8 hour. 7/10

KEY NOTES: Oil of Cinnamon Leaf, Oil of Ginger, Freesia, Heliotrope Flower, Narcissus Absolute, Orris Absolute, Oil of Incense, Oil of Sandalwood, Vanilla Absolute **FRAGRANTICA, PLEASE UPDATE THE NOTES** I have no idea what others have been smelling, but I received my new bottle of this fragrance this week. Purchased from an upscale department store. It smells as true as the notes listed. Siwa is a soft, floral and is beautiful. Smooth, powdery dry down. Beautifully blended with an emphasis on the narcissus. I LOVE narcissus! Could definitely wear for three seasons except winter and I plan to. Siwa is not a scent bomb, so people won't smell you before you walk in a room, BUT, they will definitely smell this lovely fragrance when you walk by. Longevity: 8-9 hours. This is the third Memo Paris fragrance that I've purchased this year.

I really do love this, but in the "what's not to love?" sense. It's pleasant and unchallenging without being boring or overdone. The vanilla is forward but not too sweet or gourmand. The cinnamon leaf is intriguing and a bit addicting without turning scratchy. I certainly do not get frankincense in this at all, though it's listed as a note and highlighted as part of Siwa's story. It's a lovely vanilla narcissus barbershop fragrance, but where is Egypt here? The website description focuses on Siwa as a historical connection to grain-- but there is no cereal/grain/barley tie-in to the fragrance itself. That would have been amazing! Definitely leans a little feminine but I am begging men to give it a shot. I put it on my husband (who is squarely uninterested in fragrance but likes Memo bottles) and it was fantastic and sexy.

Soft, sweet and lovely. I seriously love this. I like vanilla fragrances but some too strong vanilla fragrances give me nausea. I thought I had to give up vanilla. However, Siwa is just for someone like me. It starts with a bit of a strong aldehydes fragrance, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but after a few minutes, the magic starts. It changes into the most soft vanilla fragrance ever. It's a sweet vanilla, but not nauseatingly sweet, but cozy-sweet. It just makes me want to hug myself. Also, there's a little bit of musk in my nose after a few hours. It makes the fragrance lasts longer and keeps the vanilla clean. The projection is not that great as others have mentioned too, but the longevity itself is quite nice.