Dulcis in Fundo

It starts out divine--sweet oranges with a hint of vanilla, and dries down divine--the finest, softest, sweet vanilla I have experienced. I'm a fan of vanilla in theory, but some as you know can smell tawdry or cheap. Some are overrun by other things --smoke, flowers, musk or what have you--which is fine if that's what you're looking for. This is vanilla with a touch of citrus--heaven sent vanilla. I keep smelling my arm, with the overwhelming urge to rub my face in it. And as to that assertion that men are often attracted to vanilla scents on a woman, well . . . today I was wearing it at the office. A younger coworker whom I had a bit of a crush on last year--who has always kept a very professional distance--suddenly needed to stand right beside me to show me the contents of a notebook, page by page by page by page by page. Edited to add: So after a couple of weeks of savoring my sample, dreaming of it, and trying a dozen more vanillas, gourmands, and Profumums just to be certain this one was it--because at $240 (which could also be a nice pair of boots!)--it had better be IT if I'm paying money for it-- I bought it. And I'm in heaven. I put it on yesterday afternoon when it arrived, and it was still on my arm when I woke up this morning. It comes with a tiny funnel and a roller bottle which was promptly snatched by my 14 yr old daughter. I told her some people say it smells like Pink Sugar, to which she replied, oh no, this is so much more elegant. So there you have it, from a kid. Edited to add a week later: My daughter is also is heaven, as Dulcis in Fundo is a huge hit with the High School boys, who remarked on it out loud the first time she put it on in the locker room and then walked out past a group of them. And she's the envy of the girls who want to know "what that is", but will never get ahold of it because the message "it's a small Italian niche perfume called Profumum Roma Dulcis in Fundo, that you have to order online and it costs a fortune" will never get to their mothers intact. How do I feel, knowing that I now share my signature scent with my 14 year daughter? I'm taking it like this--yes it's vanilla sweetness loved by teenage boys... but it's high class vanilla sweetness (and it will ruin them for the cheaper stuff)... and if my teenage daughter in the midst of the "reject all things MOTHER" phase folds for Dulcis in Fundo... well it's just that good. Between the two of us, we'll power through this bottle like noboby's business.

Having sampled a few Profumum Roma perfumes, my take is that they seem to specialise in simple but expertly-composed, high-quality freshies that have distinct personalities. While marketed as unisex, Dulcis in Fundo is the most feminine from this house that I've tried so far. Despite its (very) simple list of notes, it is a scent profile that I'm drawn to: citrus and vanilla. That perfect combination of sweet and fresh, giving a gourmand-lite effect is irresistible to me. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune, featuring its groundbreaking-at-the-time-of-release grapefruit-vanilla accord was my first foray into such scents, but DIF is one of the best I've encountered since. First of all, what a great name: the Latin translation for "sweet-bottomed" is both apt and adds an air of sophistication, while being in keeping with the brand. I am not the biggest fan of gourmands, but the light dessert quality of a citrus-vanilla accord is utterly delicious, and DIF is a beautiful example. It also - unexpectedly - brings to mind Shalimar, which features vanilla and a lemon-led citrus accord as part of its baroque composition. DIF is sweet from initial spray, with feather-light, powdery vanilla evident from the beginning. The vanilla is top-quality - never cloying. The citrus notes appear alongside it. I get mostly lemon initially, and perhaps some lime. As it develops, it becomes more orange, but the lemon remains. Lemon tends to be the most polarising of the citruses, but here it is beautifully placed, and tempered nicely by the other notes. The vanilla is fluffy and weightless, almost marshmallow-like. As it develops, I get a hint of amber. There is a subtle incense note, giving a caramelised effect to the vanilla-citrus accord. It is reminiscent of crème brûlée here, and is the perfect development to a scent of this profile. It fades to a dry vanilla skin scent. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is feminine-leaning and transeasonal, best worn during the day. A simple but sophisticated gourmand-leaning scent, DIF is deeply enjoyable to wear - comforting yet freshly pretty; simple but not banal. The sweetness is perfectly judged - the vanilla is high-quality, dry and lightweight; balanced to perfection by the fresh citrus. Light and beautifully balanced - this is how I like my gourmands. A slice of Shalimar. 4.5/5.

The only absolutely non-perfumey non-synthetically-sharp fragrance I've found is Dulcis in Fundo by Profunum Roma, which I totally love. It is like the smell of you as a child running through mandarin orchards towards your granny's freshly baked vanilla cake that is cooling on her veranda below Italian hills during the sunset. Or the green meadows from Miyazaki's Spirited Away mixed with a sense of hope, home and shelter. 💗 LOVE THIS. If you are sensitive to perfumey, irritating and sharp notes, this is a delight! I love non-perfumey, often photo-realistic, fragrances that give me a sense of tranquillity, shelter and home 🤍 Dulcis in Fundo is a dream come true if you are like me and your favourite fragrances are non-cloying non-perfumey gourmands. I hate everything soapy, smoky, woody, spicy and incensy or fruity and full of florals – and nothing from these is in this fragrance, which is very rare to find. (Sometimes I like the option of added herbal and green notes that evoke the feelings of serene forests and calming meadows – think your grandmother's fairy herbs in her wooden witchy pantry and not masculine woods and greens, but I am diverging here). 🌸 Everyone said Profunum Roma gourmands project as hell, but to me, this stays pretty close, however people do tell me they smell it around me. I prefer skin scents as everything that projects tends to be perfumey and "synthetically sharp". ❓ This fragrance is often said to be overpriced, but this is 100 ml. I am okay with paying roughly 100 euro for 50 ml, so 219 euro for 100 ml is okay in my opinion. YMMW of course. ❗️ If you are eyeing other Profunum Roma gourmands, let me warn you: 1.) Vanitas is absolutely perfumey and synthetically sharp 2.) Acque e Zucchero is also strongly perfumey but less than Vanitas 3.) Sorriso is lovely non-perfumey but has added spices, so if you're like me and you do not like spices, maybe avoid this, though the fragrance is not cloying and is definitely worth a sample 4.) Confetto is totally perfumey and sharp

I LOVE Dulcis in Fundo! This is an outstanding, melt-in-your-mouth-licious vanilla imo! I was a bit frightened by the citrus notes as I'm a bit tired of citrus nowadays, but luckily the vanilla is the most prominent on my skin so I can hardly detect any citrus (other than that it's keeping the vanilla balanced). The first few hours it reminds me a bit of icing sugar blended with vanilla, but the citrusy notes are in there to avoid it being overly sweet or heavy. DiF was sprayed in the back of my neck last week and I was surrounded by a soft, yummy trail of a perfectly sweet, powdery candle like-vanilla all day. Now, a week later, the scarf that I wore the day I sprayed on Dulcis in Fundo is still projecting a delightful vanilla-aroma in my office. How can that be, you say? Well Profumum Roma is the answer. Their scents has such high concentration of perfume (oil based) that it'll knock the socks out of any designer-frag out there (at least any of the many I own and have tried). The instant I get rich and famous (no, that was a joke), or at least very soon I'll be adding this delight to my collection! If you like vanilla, and you've done all the variations of vanilla combined with other stuff (florals/spice/incence/tobacco/amber/wood etc) that may or may not ruin the vanilla experience for you, this is a great high quality plain vanilla scent. And it might sound boring, but sometimes that true, yummy vanilla scent is exactly what you're after as an addition to your collection. At least I am. The simplicity of it makes it great for layering and the longevity is impeccable! UPDATE: I have been wearing Dulcis in Fundo tons lately and seriously guys, I want to EAT myself when I have it on because it's so yummy! This is favorite-material for me. Check it out!

Fresh citrus burst opening. Citrus opening here in Dulcis in Fundo smells like squeezing the fresh rind of a mandarin until it pops. While this citrus skews "orange" it's not a true orange like Love & Crime. The citrus opening is short lived around a minute or so. Although I love citrus dearly, I can't fault the citrus in Dulcis in Fundo not sticking around longer because that's just the nature of almost all citrus in perfume! The vanilla heart here shows up fast and heavy behind the retreating bright citrus. The vanilla here is slightly ambery to my nose at first--the mandarin is sticking around and becoming melded in the vanilla. It's evolution from bright to warm is delightful. After about an hour on the skin, the vanilla has mellowed and rounded out. My partner turned to me at this point and said, "Hmmm you smell good." The vanilla in Dulcis in Fundo has a slight plastic toy element for me that is actually very pleasant and even nostalgic. The vanilla also reminds me of the best parts of vanilla extract that you'd use in baking (this vanilla extract element is why I think most people are associating "cake" with Dulcis in Fundo). I own both a sample of Lira and a full bottle of Love & Crime. Dulcis in Fundo is more similar to Love & Crime due to the orange element. However, Love & Crime dips towards a less bright, true orange citrus with a cocoa middle. Out of the three, to me, Lira smells the most sweet and Dulcis in Fundo is the most sophisticated. After I run out of my Love & Crime bottle, I am going to replace it with Dulcis in Fundo. Dulcis feels more sophisticated on me than L&C. Both are different enough to warrant having both bottles. Really gorgeous smell if this kind of simple cirtus/vanilla gourmand is your thing!