Signorina Eleganza

What to say? This perfume is totally beautiful. I thought I'd never fall in love that hard again with a perfume after Coco Mademoiselle, but this one really came close. Less sweet than the original Signorina, the Eleganza version is much more interesting and appealing to me. I always have problems with very sweet perfumes--sooner or later I always get headache wearing them. I really wanted to like Signorina but sadly it's too sweet for my liking and I almost ended up hating it. Signorina Eleganza, though, handles its sweetness just fine. The little miss has definitely grown up. The opening is harsh, which is rather confusing for an eau de parfum--I smell a lot of alcohol which thankfully evaporates within a minute. Then, the sweet yet fresh notes can be detected, followed by some almond, caramel and leather soon after. What is interesting about Signorina Eleganza is that it behaves very differently on paper, on clothes and on skin. On paper it was almost monotonous, on clothes it gets sweet (almost cloying--I wore it in hot weather and it was rather overwhelming at times) very quickly, but on skin is where Signorina Eleganza really shines. I believe all perfumes act differently on different people's skin. Signorina Eleganza is the same. On me, it starts off very mellow, then it turns sweet, but soon after there is a burst of freshness. I washed it down with soap and water and the almond dominates the scent. Another wash and it turns more sourish. The dry-down? Very leathery and smooth, like a creamy-coloured new leather. I love every single one of the smells, though. It's ever-changing but lovely all the same from opening to ending. One caveat: never ever "crush" the Eleganza. Some perfumes I know are okay with being "crushed", but not this one. The smooth creamy scent turns very dizzyingly suffocating after "crushing"--really horrifying. My mistake, though, of course, for even thinking of trying to "crush" this wonderful concoction. Overall, I really, really love this perfume. It's elegant, just like its name, and it gives me the image of a young fashionable lady walking on the streets of a beautiful city in Italy, sipping her dainty piccolo latte (with a touch of caramel or almond). It's sweet, but not cloying unless you wear it in hot weather, but even then it's tolerable. It's soft, but it gives off bursts of scents as if a song on staccato. It's both mellow and bold...definitely one with a lot to offer. Signorina Eleganza is a very lovely twin of Signorina, and I'm very delighted to have found a perfume I really, really adore. Rating: 9/10

Tried this on a paper strip today and can't wait to go back and try it on my skin. This smells expensive, luxurious and elegant, yet modern. A very well-blended and interesting combination of notes make this fragrance stand out from the others. Will update my review once I've tested this on my skin. I've tried this on my skin a couple of times now. It is indeed all of the above, as well as chic and ladylike. When I first sprayed this on myself I was initially disappointed, as it seemed very weak, certainly compared to what I'm used to... or perhaps my nose has just become so used to the rich vanilla-based orientals I'm so fond of. Anyhow, half an hour after spraying this, even though I could hardly smell it on myself, the first person I encountered at the gym commented on how amazing I smelled! Admittedly this person has a very acute sense of smell, but she was so enamoured by this scent that she made me write down the name of the perfume so that she could buy it herself! Unlike some other perfumes, this one doesn't amplify with body heat and by the time I left the gym I really couldn't smell it at all. I was initially a bit wary of the leather note, but it is so soft here that it definitely won't make you smell like a handbag! In fact, the combination of notes works perfectly together. This perfume isn't trying to be sexy, but it's sheer beauty make it effortlessly seductive. This is not a strong, edgy or bold fragrance. It's subtle but exquisite. Update: Has anybody else noticed that this sprays as a very fine, dry mist? The tester bottle in my local store did the same thing, so I know it's not just my bottle. This is noticeably different to all the other perfumes I own, which feel 'wetter' when sprayed. Is it anything to do with the concentration or quality??

I scored this on eBay for a total of $9.00 for a 1.7 ounce bottle brand new , plus tax , s&h for a total of $15.54 ~ Poppy thought she had spritzed it once or twice , but it arrived full to the brim with a luscious scentual within . I love this , I got the grapefruit right away as first note ,no other fruit or citrus comes through, followed by a spicy / floral , light patchouli . I will wear this for as long as on market . I have several of his { at least 4 including this one } I like those others very much although longevity is about normal for me { 4 ~ 6 hours before it lightens up } this one seems to follow that trend . I love it , it is " divine " . I see a classy and grownup woman , dressed in a white crisp shirt , boyfriend jacket folded sleeves , several bracelets , jeans with just the right fade , carrying an oversized bag to house her heels , to go from day to night should she choose , framing her face is a pair of oversized sunglasses . She is tall , wearing flats . She bares a striking resemblance to " Audrey Hepburn " secure in who she is , but she would never be mistaken for a " snob " ~ She is after all the total package of a " sophisticated lady " ~ ///=^} ~

Soft, feminine, elegant and a little powdery, this fragrance stays true to its name. I love it so much I feel like wearing it whatever the occasion. It may not be terribly unique, but it always makes me feel good and happy in my own skin. The pear here is fresh and juicy and lingers all through the dry-down, along with that rather clean leather-almond accord. I know people have likened SE to Coco Mademoiselle, maybe due to the clean patchouli note they both have, and I may be in the minority here, but I find SE to be a closer relative to Cartier La Panthere because, to my nose, they seem to share the same juicy-fresh vibe of the pear and the suede-like leather note. Anyway, even though La Panthere is more complex than SE, it's also sharper, so SE is definitely a winner. It could easily be one of my top 5 favorite frags for warm weather if it weren't for its poor longevity. But despite its performance, I love this fragrance enough to buy it again!

This is a toned down version of Miss Dior or Sofia Vergara's Sofia, except the patchouli is less intensely minty green. If those perfumes are too strong for you, I recommend this. Miss Dior gives me a headache, but this doesn't. It's very well blended, but of the notes listed, I think I smell osmanthus the most intensely. The drydown has a very similar texture to Sofia Vergara's Sofia. I think it's the type of patchouli used, because it's very dry, but also strangely dryer sheet-like. I honestly can't exactly pinpoint the leather, which I usually find sharp and bitter. I think it just deepens this perfume a bit. I like it a lot more than the original Signorina, which was a little too piercingly sweet and oddly peppery. I'm kind of thrilled that there's a fruitchouli that doesn't give me a headache. Plus my boyfriend likes it a lot.