Missoni

MISSONI is a unique and beautiful fragrance. The dark chocolate notes are exquisite, delicious and seductive in this perfume. This is not a teenage fruity candy floral. And though it does have a gourmand touch, it is not a sweet gourmand scent. The chocolate notes are bitter sweet and with a touch of spice in this fragrance. The rest of the notes provide different variations to showcase the irresistible beauty of the dark chocolate. This scent is for someone who appreciates finer things in life. It is for a sophisticated woman who loves life, friends, parties, gourmet dinners, fine wines and of course dark chocolate desserts. The beautiful opening sets the tone for this perfume. The chocolate notes come almost right away. They give the bitter orange and bergamot combo a scrumptious and expensive dessert touch. The rose, peony and magnolia complement the dark chocolate incredibly well. The rose is very classy, peony is sweet and innocent, and magnolia is regal and distant. The chocolate notes give the floral heart very chic touch. The final stage is truly beautiful. The amber and dark chocolate are bitter sweet and spicy. I tried to figure out what brings this spicy accent to the base notes. I almost feel a touch of a pepper but there are no spices listed in the notes. This is a bit of enigma to me. This fragrance reminds me of a dessert I had in a trendy and expensive restaurant. They had sample of dark chocolate from 5 different places in the world. The chocolates were served with unique orange sauce, real edible flowers and two other delicious sauces. I have never tried anything like that. It was expensive but the price was worth the unique experience. This fragrance is just like that. It is a unique experience and it is exquisite and unforgettable. I highly recommend this fragrance if you are looking for a unique fragrance and love chocolate notes. It is one of my favorites.

Missoni is another perfume I have long been curious to try since reading Luca Turin's glowing review in Perfumes: The Guide as a young teenager. I bought a small decant, and find it to be an interesting if polarising perfume. I admire Maurice Roucel's work in general, and this is typical of his bold style. More a fruity-floriental-gourmand than a typical floral-fruity, Missoni can be summarised as a chocolate orange scent - something I have not encountered before. I love orange-flavoured chocolate, and it smells quite realistic here, albeit with a sweet floral edge. Missoni is orange-heavy from initial spray, initially tart but becoming sweet as it progresses, and is closer to orange essential oil than the fruit. The chocolate note follows closely. It is bitter, resembling dark chocolate. It smells like cheap chocolate, or cooking chocolate - but not in a bad way. Jaffa Cakes spring to mind. As it develops, soft, sweet florals emerge, sheer and slightly powdery, providing a nice counterpoint to the chocolate orange accord that dominates this scent, making it somehow more "perfume-y". Here - before the orange fades - it most resembles a floral-fruity. A sweet amber-vanilla accord follows, tying everything together nicely - making the chocolate orange accord more gourmand, while bringing the floriental piece to life. It fades to a sweet amber skin scent with the chocolate orange remaining until final fade. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting, and it is pretty transeasonal. Unlike anything I have encountered before, Missoni is a bold, artistic feminine scent, 1970s in spirit, if noughties in style. Not a crowdpleaser, as is the case with creative scents in general. Surprisingly wearable, and really quite cool, there is much to admire here. 4.5/5.

Hmm, another one that could have been successful as a men's or unisex fragrance. Upon the first spray, I got hit with a burst of chocolate and oranges. This doesn't seem very floral on my skin. In fact, its more of a gourmand on my skin. I've never smelled anything like this before in perfumery. I HAVE smelled something similar in cake. LOL.. Gourmandish fragrances work well for me and this one is quite nice. MIssoni Missoni has a strong presence, so I doubt that this will have longevity issues and the sillage will get you noticed. UPDATE: I can detect the florals finally making a presence, but they don't take over. In fact, this could be quite boozy (not such a bad thing) in heat. There isn't anything overtly feminine about this fragrance at all. What more can I say? I really like this. It's an hour later and the sillage is still as strong as when I first sprayed it on. This could shine in cold weather. I'll have to see how this develops in heat soon. I got this for an extremely low price (Special thanks to Iloveperfumes79!!!!) and I'll gladly drop the full retail price for another bottle. I'm becoming very curious about the rest of MIssoni's fragrances. With a pricetag like this and the womens' marketing, this line could very well become my little secret weapon. UPDATE#2 It's 12:42AM EST and it's STILL ON MY ARM!! The florals have blended in well with this chocolate and amber base. The scent has been haunting me all day, never letting its presence be unknown. This is a perfect drydown, suitable for cold weather, a crisp Spring day or a Summer night. It's simply beautiful!! Ladies, if you have this and don't really like it, try it on your man!

Missoni is odd, I admit it. Missoni's perfumer might even admit to its oddness. Honestly this fragrance is like Missoni's signature pattern. It zigs. It zags. It draws the eye...well, nose in this case. Like the designs, it in no way ends where it begins. The first time I wore it, I literally asked (rather enthusiastically and *cough* loudly) "WHO smells sooo good?" My co-worker leaned in closer and replied, "you", to my genuine surprise. I didn't recognize the fragrance I had sprayed on that morning as the same one lingering in the wind around us. Truly, I did not. I would never have guessed the initial serving of oranges dipped in a dark somewhat chalky chocolate would go down so easily. It had become soft, tangy, sweetly and wonderfully floral. A floral fruity, after all. I had my doubts. The magnolia in Missoni dries down to delicate offering. It somehow presents as both watery and breezy. The amber is warm, welcoming and colorful, but less obvious than in other offerings. The longevity on my skin is amazing. Late into the same evening, the answer to the question was still a soft "you".

just got this today as a dark horse...the last bottle i spotted tucked away in the corner on a shelf looking kind of lonely. i was intrigued and since i spent the better part of 2 hours of my day off talking fumes w the sales clerk and sniffing countless bottles of juice (and coffee beans!) i figured why not. i HAD to know what that off skewed bottled contained. what a pleasant surprise and love at first whiff for sure =) that sealed the deal and into the pile it went with the three other gems (i know, for shame on my budget lol!) and my quest to find a head over heals fall fragrance was over. people are bashing this but i'm infatuated with it and my nose can't leave my wrist alone. every few minutes i get something different-chocolate, mint, a modest and demure soap, soft spices, sweet flowers among other things. there's never a dull moment with this joyous fragrance. perhaps this is an acquired taste more for the light of heart, eccentric, whimsical type than for traditionalists. i'm that eccentric whimsical type so this suits me perfectly =)