Spoturno 1921

This is Emeraude come back to life. Oh how I remember it. I love it so much in my young days but it was to mature for me to wear. Billie Holiday signature lives on here. It just opens up all of those feelings I had as a young girl wanting to be womanly enough to carry off such an impressive fragrance. It is so seamlessly blended such an Elegant, seductive, of work of art. This is the roaring 20s in a bottle. I don't understand the longevity issues others have had but I think this is very long lasting and holds up to the vintage memory. I absolutely love this. If you miss Emeraude save your money and invest in Spoturno I don't think you will be disappointed. This is how classy vanilla ambers should smell. Grown-up, sexy yet sophisticated and discerning. Spoturno leaves a trail, creates an aura around those who wear it. They will not be forgotten. So happy to have my memory of Emeraude back! Not Shalimar, no. Distinctly its own recreation of Emeraude. This review coming from someone who does not the original Shalimar at all but loved Emeraude dearly.

Oh my goodness, this did not disappoint. Attention all lovers of vintage Shalimar and Coty’s work especially Emeraude this is going to woo you. It really feels like Emeraude’s sibling minus the spiced green patchouli note and og Shalimar’s sibling in the dry down. It absolutely has a vintageness about it. Enveloping, layered, elegant, confident in its beauty. While the top is definitely a crisp lemony rose blast the citrus does recede as a top note does. In the heart of it is a unique and gorgeous lavender, rose, myrrh, floral combination. Aromatic but warmed. Then in the dry down it reminds me of vintage Shalimar extrait with the way the vanilla, sandalwood, tonka and musk is blended. Warm, sweet, a bit powdery, cozy, elegant and gorgeous. Sheldrake and Coty make a dream team.

This is VERY citrus. It smells nothing like any of my vintage Cotys, which is to be expected, since if any of them were citrus forward once they would have lost their citrus top notes long ago, like any other vintage that old. I have not yet tested this head to head against any of them, but I can already tell it's not even in the same category. This is a super citrusy, fresh summer scent. Yes, it has that classic perfuminess that both vintages and retro fragrances that are trying to be like vintages can deliver. But it does not smell like a vintage and it won't for many years. So, let us leave aside any expectations for which things it might be like, since it is unlike any of them. Does citrusy fresh and summery work over a base of retro-vintagey perfuminess? Yes, actually. It doesn't sound like those things should go together very well, but it does work. Does it smell good? Yes. Does the citrus top note last very long? Yes. Nearly an hour, during my test in the late afternoon to early evening, which is a long time for a citrus note, especially here in the desert where the air is very dry. Is it my favorite hot weather citrus fragrance ever? No. Would it work equally well in colder weather? Well, I'll just have to test it again at a different time of year to be sure, but I think it would. It's not ONLY a fresh splash of citruses, but also has the complexity common to many vintage perfumes, so it would probably work in other seasons. Do I want to order a full bottle and have it shipped here from Europe? Not really. I like it but I won't explode into a thousand butterflies and fly away seeking better flowers if I don't have it.

Maybe they should have called this perfume Lazarus. Spoturno and Sheldrake rolled away the stone at the tomb of this Francois Coti composition, and commanded that it come out and live once again. Did they succeed? Yes, Emeraude lives on, but this isn’t a glorious resurrection, more like the walking dead. On my left arm and hand is the EdP, and on the right is the extrait. They're both virtually the same, and they are basically Shalimar. Couple notable exceptions: 1) the herbal notes at the top, which are more pronounced in the extrait than the EdP. I guess this part is more like Habit Rouge than Shalimar. 2) The dose of ylang-ylang in the heart adds a tropical and citrusy sprinkle to standard florals (but that's an old trick too. Name the perfume.) The powdery and tissue-paper bergamot at the top; Guerlain. The abstract white and pink floral middle stitched together with a dry woody amber base; Guerlain. Additionally, unlike Shalimar or Habit Rouge, the 1921 duo lack richness and depth. The extrait I've reapplied twice today, and at 7pm it's barely detectable. Unacceptable for an extrait that costs more than $600 (as of today). The EdP actually seems to have relatively more oomph and life. Lazarus is alive, but only if your definition of the word is loose. I'm not impressed, but do I like it? Yes, of course. How can you not. It’s a winning formula. Where it arguably is better at being Guerlain than Shalimar/Habit Rouge is with a lightness that is really very nice, but it comes at the cost of richness, depth, and longevity. So, now I've tried all five of the initial Spoturno perfumes, the EdP and the extrait of 1921, Alphee, Barbicaja, and L'Ame du Phenix. That's four strikes, with Phenix being the only one I've worn that I am happy and impressed with. Call it a new maison finding their identity, if you will, but if their identity is using a unique voice like Sheldrake to rehash 100-year-old recipes done much better by others at significantly cheaper prices, what are they making except for museum pieces? Museum pieces aren’t in your home, little alone on your skin.

Uff, hard pass. Very grandma smelling floral. Youth dew, I'm thinking of you now. What were they thinking pricing this line so high when anyone can just pick up anything popular from late 80's at any discounter for under 30 eur.

Lots of lemon in the first half hour or so. It seems to disappear rather rapidly for something so expensive. I like it, but at this price it's a no for me.