Eau Absolue

i have the original "champagne cork" bottling. it's all about personal preferences, isn't it? we are each entitled to gush over the fragrances we love, and dump on those we hate. there may be certain families of scents which are attractive to certain groups, is it age? gender? social class? sophistication? experience? smoker/non-smoker? or a myriad of other factors. so what does this have to do with eau absolue? a great deal i think. for me, it is intriguing. sharp, not sweet, citrusy, earthy, complex. i like it. for sure, it is not a love. it is not something that elicits warm memories or sensuality, but nonetheless i enjoying wearing it and enjoy the bracing cloud of somewhat soapy aggression. the south of france in high summer--not the riviera but inland where the sun hurts a little, the air is pierced with dry summer grasses. the artistry of conjuring the particular terrain fascinates me. when i read the reviews posted by others, i check out their profile perfumes. not surprising that certain patterns emerge. not surprising that people with certain preferences have negative or positive takes on this. ok. despite there being uncountable fast food burgers sold (and loved), i must admit to my own snobbishness in finding all those burgers more a sad statement of mass food laziness rather than a sign of quality. and so mona di orio and eau absolue may simply appeal to a smaller group of those who appreciate something different and quite strangely beautiful. 02/12/21 i find that repeated wearing of a scent does not mean a repeated experience. coming back to eau absolue is like returning to a place that is not quite the same as before. however, the beauty and charm remain in the abstract. at one point in my life, i kept lemons until they turned brown and hard, exuding a sharp rich citrus essence. that dark intensity did not carry, and one had to hold them up to the nose, but there was the soul of the lemon. as if lemons could become amberlike gems. perhaps, it is simply that mona di orio had the perfume language that speaks to me. in the all three with which i have become familiar--vetyver, etoile d'hollande, and eau absolue--i love the slight tartness which stimulates.

I found this to be breathtakingly beautiful. It's warm and summery - I definitely felt that Mediterranean vibe (although I've never been there). It wasn't too masculine for my taste, but I think it might be masculine enough to convince my husband to try it. I don't like it when vetiver overpowers a fragrance, and I found it to be well balanced here. Unfortunately, by the time I got dressed and drove to work, it had faded to nothing. I'll have to try two spritzes next time, perhaps in the evening when I'm staying indoors. I hope it lasts longer for others; otherwise, I don't see how anyone could justify the purchase price.

I love this perfume although I didn't want to because it is terribly expensive. I smell a deep rich citrus, married with a smooth pungent animalic note. There must be some warmer aspects like amber, but the overall experience is the combination/vibration between citrus and animal. It sounds awful, but I can't get enough. I wear this to bed, and I wake up and smell it in the morning. It's linear (or maybe I'm sleeping through a lot of development...), but that is just fine. More than enough interest in this one.

This Eau is interesting. It doesn't smell like a fresh Eau. It certainly has more of an animalisitic vibe. There are citruses but also something more stale or animalic. It has character and I like it. It is not something you will wear and forget the the next morning. Unisex and rather sexy. Enjoy.

Animalic citrus Not your typical freshie. It is certainly citrusy, but a resinous, honeyed muskiness underneath keeps popping up throughout the fragrance's development. Quite long-lasting with good projection. Recommended if you’re after a “dirty” citrus fragrance. I love it!