Contessa

I blind bought this some years ago based on the notes and the bottle, and didn’t regret it. I’m wearing it today and for my skin it’s a predominantly tonka and ylang and nutmeg scent. It’s so well refined for it’s profile and that star anise kicks in a little after it settles but in a baking spice sort of way, not a licorice type anise. That may be a bonus or a detriment depending on your tastes. Contessa is competent and deftly handles it’s composition and the transitions are gentle throughout it’s considerable lifespan on my body. An easy 4-8 hours depending on the conditions and the full dry down is a polished warm vanilla and waxy floral with hidden hints of cherry and almond that don’t appear in the official notes. It’s elegant and comforting but just short of stunning. It is unfortunately very pricey for this profile and if you want a similar vibe I strongly suggest Safanad from Parfums de Marly, for a cheaper alternative since you can more readily find a good deal on that-and if you want to go even cheaper with an additional side step in composition; Stash from Sarah Jessica Parker may scratch this itch too. Glad I have this bottle but I wouldn’t buy another at full price. Solid 7/10 with it’s cost mostly holding it back.

Wow wow wow... this blew my socks off but let me first talk about the bottle. Moresque bottles are hand painted so you’ll find each bottle to be slightly different from the other. Let me move to the story behind this fragrance. Contessa was believed to be the lover of Napoleon III. She was known for her love of gold (all things gold) and bold red lips; so this perfume was inspired by that hence, the design on the bottle. On to the juice, this is a spicy sensual and bold fragrance. I get the star anise, tonka bean, vanilla and ylang-ylang. If you love Xerjoff Alexandria II, then you will surely love this also as they smell similar. Try this and thank me later ♥️💛

An amazing fragrance - rich, bold, energizing and even aggressive but at the same time very sofisticated and refined. Not for everyone, not for everyday. But if you want to feel awakened, emboldened and in good mood - this one is perfect. It does have notes in common with Xerjoff 1888, I had both and can agree with this. But on my skin Xerjoff had some unpleasant note that is not in Contessa. And the bottle is a masterpiece. Its color reflects the fragrance in perfection.

This is my newest obsession. It is spicy slightly sweet fruity with floral softly blended. It was a blind buy 😬 based on reviewers I’ve read. Luckily this is 9/10 for me. It’s that next notch above “designer mass appeal”. It is different enough to be interesting but not over all challenging. It starts with a big dose of Starr Anise then the fruits (I get cherry) and bergamot. Florals pop in after several minutes. Dry down adds soft powdery note.

So so good. Something in this reminds me of Amouage Sunshine. They have no notes in common except the vanilla, but still.. the soft spiciness, the slight powdery and sweet fruity character of this masterpiece reminds me of my all time fav Sunshine. It's like a winter version if that makes sense. I know its not listed in the notes, but I can detect either a cherry or an almond note. 10/10 exceptionally good, elegant, royal and sexy.

This scent is minty and mellow at the same time. Sophisticated and bold. I get anise and powder (think makeup) on my skin. It gives me rich aunty vibes. Not an everyday scent imo and everyone may not appreciate it. It takes a bit of time for you to understand what you're smelling. Better suited for formal/ semi-formal occasions.

Magnificent scent. 1888 on steroids and with more floral framing but damn it's so complex. Love at the first sniff. Moresque art collection is of excuisite quality. I can easily justify the price for Contessa, Rosa Ekaterina and Sole

This is a very beautiful strong fragrance. It’s very aptly name. It has a regality to it without sacrificing femininity. Cherry and star anise are a combo I didn’t know I needed to smell. Still, after doing a full body wear, I find the opening to have this powdery medicinal quality to it and I HATE anything to do with cherry flavored medicine. Trauma memory 🤮. There’s also an almond hint coming from it that makes it a close relative of Duchessa. The pepper makes it interesting but too bold in the beginning. This is coming from a person who, unexpectedly, usually responds well to peppers, especially sweet peppers. The tonka comes out in the latter half of the wear and gives a comfy edge. This lasts a long time and any room you walk in will be immediately made aware of your presence. Definitely for the more bold spicy cherry lover but a bit too dramatic for me. As far as cherry perfumes go, for me, Lovefest is still my favorite and Duchessa is better than this one.

I'm in a bit of an amber phase and after falling in love with Rosendo Mateu No 5 and 1970 along with Seta (also by Moresque), I had to give Contessa a try. This is a BIG scent. Not because of projection but due to its bold nature. The anise and nutmeg are so distinctive that they flavor the composition throughout, so much so, I can't seem to pull the mid notes. I get creamy vanilla and amber but only detectable mingled with the spices. As it settles into the base it becomes a slightly powdered, though still spiced, musk. I found it interesting that under *Cons* for this perfume it lists "takes time to understand the fragrance". Contessa seems a no brainer addition to my collection - and I'm glad to have it + the bottle is indeed beautiful - but in the language of perfume this scent has something to say and indeed that may take a moment to truly understand.

This is a very pleasant and strong scent but it's totally feminine IMO. I get the vibe from Xerjoff 1888 with strong ylang and strong vanilla and mild spices. Absolutely beautiful but feminine. The similarity with Xerjoff 1888 is mild but I agree. This Xerjoff is closer to Red Moscow than to Contessa. The strongest of the 3 is the Contessa. Impressive projection, sillage and longevity. Btw the bottle is a piece of Art. Highly recommended for the ladies. There's also a similarity of about 80%-85% with Ange ou Demon Givenchy.

Reminds me of Poeme by Lancome. Regal, yellow, pollen, wax and nectar. Ylang-ylang and vanilla dominate with musk, anise and nutmeg. It feels powdery and deep. Sweeping and seductive. It has a lot of power, only for decisive characters. It gets lighter in heart notes, as if aquatic. Pink pepper starts to be tangible and bergamot, too. The powdery feel declines. Poeme is stronger. I barely feel Contessa after 4 hours in comparison. But it persists and I feel it on heated skin still after 24hours.

Just after spraying and about 3-4 hours after it's great - sooo warm and cozy, it feels like Christmas. But then it starts to get annoying. At first it starts to remind me of overripe fruits. Than I sense anise more and more. I like it as a part of composition, but not when it's far stronger than anything else. But to be fair, I probably wouldn't even notice it if not for its longevity and power which are really impressive.

I so wish I smelled what others smell here. Instead, I'm dragged back in time to a dingy school nurse office, my arm heavy from my TB jab and a smear of disinfectant. I think my skin responds to star anise and nutmeg by turning them into medicine/antiseptic. Good job I only got a tiny sample.

Contessa comes on STRONG with scents of rubber and spicy potpourri, on steroids, to my nose. It seems to get denser and sweeter over time and just doesn't let up! Nope.

This is one of this perfumes that has slowly but steadily grown on me. I ordered a sample several months ago, during my ‘vanilla’ phase. Once it arrived and I sprayed it on a blotter, my nostrils were immediately assassinated by the spices and that was all I could smell. I kind of felt sense of relief, as this passion for perfumes, seems to have taken a more obsessive turn, and I’m constantly on a look out for a new composition or different take on a favourite note or something new, unexpected but beautiful. Anyway... at the beginning I didn’t even dare to spray Contessa on my wrist. I would unscrew the top of my 2ml sample, and dab it on my skin. Just a tiny teeny bit. Only a few days ago, I finally sprayed it on my wrists and neck. The initial shock of the sharp, spicy opening still hit me, but it seems to calm down on the skin pretty quickly. What is left, is a very smooth, warm, ambery and vanilla base. Soft, subtle, almost as if it wasn’t there at all, but I know it’s there because every now and then I get a waft of it. The development of Contessa still amazes me, as it makes its journey from super spicy, almost obliterating opening to this smooth, comforting, long lasting ending. Sooo... looks like after all, I will be adding it to my collection.

I visited Barcelona for the 1st time this past September 2017 and I visited a perfume shop in the downtown... I smelled a bunch of different brands and then I came across this 1. The perfume bottles are simply beautiful, real art. Then I sprayed this one on myself because I liked it enough when I sniffed the top. Wow. This lasts for hours and hours. Has real sillage and projection and is a sharp peppery cinnamon. Really beautiful and spicy. I didn't end up buying it because it was about 350 euro, but eventually I will end up purchasing this. It's a real treat :-)

You need to love spices to appreciate this scent. On my skin this is a bomb of pink pepper, nutmeg and star anise for the first hour. The rose and jasmine soften the scent but the spices keep thundering for most of the wear...the drydown has tons of fluffy musk and ambroxan. I like how it smells from a distance but it feels heavy when smelled close to the skin. I think I will keep my sample, but I am not sure I can wear this scent often, so no full bottle for now. Very interesting scent but I have difficulty with the overdose of spices.

This is very similar to Micallef Mon Parfum Gold. The opening on this does smell like root beer then dries to a grapey cedar incense where mpg is the whole dry down of this from start to finish. Can’t believe cedar isn’t a note. This also reminds me of Roberto Cavalli, same grape cedar thing. I love those and this.

I logged in to write a review based on testing this put yesterday. As it turns out, Q80 beat me to it. This is, as Q80 points out, an exact replica of 1888 but much "thinner". Not much else I can add that Q80 hasn't already said.

This is quite similar to 1888 By Xerjoff but more on the pepper side as the top note goes quite harsh peppery. I prefer Xerjoff's cause it's richer and about 100+ Euro different.