Ipanema Posto Nove

This is a really beautiful summer scent. There's an inkiness to it - maybe the violet? - that gives it depth and the kind of intrigue that makes you keep going back to it. It dries down to something really similar to Replica's Sailing Day. It has the same salty, aquatic accord with some florals to sweeten it up a bit and keep it from being astringent, but it's softer and more sultry than Sailing Day. I wish it lasted longer (I get maybe 2-3 hours) and had more projection (it's somewhere between a skin scent and arm's length sillage), and I wish the inky, mysterious note lasted a bit longer before it faded into just fresh saltiness. In any case, I've found myself reaching for it more often than Sailing Day so far this summer, and that's usually my summer scent. I should add that I don't typically like florals or overly feminine scents and wouldn't characterize this as a sweet scent. It has some sweetness for sure, but it's really balanced and not cloying or generic at all.

Ipanema Posto Nove smells like a scent being worn by the 'beautiful people'. The name of this perfume refers to the Brazilian Ipanema beach in Rio, around its #9 lifeguard station, famous for liberals, intellectuals and counter-culturists. I haven't been there, but it's easy to imagine this is something the glitterati would wear with it's uncommon rose/violet creamy blend. IPN has a sophisticated accord, well blended with an understated elegance. The kind that bestows attractiveness to the wearer with an unspoken implication of good taste. The violet-rose combo integrates both so that the notes aren't automatically recognizable, but merge into a fresh, charming fusion. Entwined is a light woody/spicy base that serves as a delicate accent. The coconut note, with its creamy luster, is laced in the background, softening the accord without intruding. It all has an effortless savoir-faire, very pretty and easy to be around, yet with the glamour of rarified air . . . like that girl immortalized in the bossa nova . . . Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema goes walking And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah When she walks, she's like a samba That swings so cool and sways so gentle That when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah She was probably wearing this!

Dainty floral nectar-water, and ultra-soft wood. It verges on slightly aquatic, like raindrops pooling in the delicate throats of flowers, their stamens fuzzy with sweet pollen. It's airy and delicate enough to be a summer fragrance, certainly, but I find the vibes more spring-ish. Calm and breezy. Like standing in the back yard in bare feet, kneading the cool, wet lawn with you toes. It rained in the night and the air smells fresh and sweet with the scent of violets that have recently spouted in thick purple patches. Dries down to a mild, sweet, airy coconut scent.

Coconut-milky violet. Incense and cedar are noticeable, too. Isabelle Michaud said that Ipanema Posto Nove Beach, in Rio, inspired her to make this. However, I see no link with the Ipanema beach; actually with any beach. Maybe because there is this coconut drink that are often served in the beaches of Brazil. There is also a salty note, maybe some vetiver or the incense itself. This perfume is very close to Comme des Garçons 2 Woman, thanks to the ionone and this milky-creamy feeling. It's nice, well done, but CdG2, in my opinion, is further refined.