Aura

My husband has been playing a little game wih me in the months approaching Christmas. He is sweet enough to not only care about my passion for collecting fragrances, but to spend hours researching notes and compositions he knows I will like, and to try to find lovelies from my "want" list and obtain them for me. I am a lucky girl... Last night (December 20th), when i emerged from the shower, he asked if I would like a spritz of something he had bought for me for Christmas- a blind pre-smell. :) I happen to LOVE surprises and usually don't want to find out ahead of time, so I closed my eyes as he spritzed. My open-minded first impression(having NO idea what I was smelling) was sharply acidic, but pleasantly so-- citrus, but the kind I can wear, so maybe mandarin or tangerine or something. Then, a rather familiar cleaned-up patchouli, but very mellow, and THEN... I was absolutely certain I was smelling honeyed white flowers... orange flower (my favorite!) maybe honeysuckle... mingling with the part of jasmine my skin likes, which is the tingly, airy, fluffy "pink" part- nothing indolic at all. I definitely smelled rose, and wasn't surprised, as he knows it is just about my favorite note. The whole composition felt peach-to-gold-to-orange, and I think I even said that aloud, which made his brow furrow, but anyway. The feeling was of a sun-dappled, breezy garden on a comfortably warm day, the kind of day where you can close your eyes and still see bright sunlight through your eyelids, and the sun feels wonderful on your face. We played about 300 questions... "NO orange flower???" I replied in shock... "NO citrus?" No honey, no honeysuckle... WHAT then??? Then it became the game that if I guessed it I could have it, so I began narrowing it down with things like, "It's modern. I know it's not old. I know it's not cheap... is it expensive? Like, Dior/ Chanel expensive? (not quite)... is it on my want list? (maybe)... is it even on my radar? (yes, we have talked about it) I have NO idea how I managed to narrow it down to this one, knowing the note pyramid beforehand and smelling so much orange flower and citrus and honey instead... and I am a girl who *adores* and owns quite a few fragrances in the pink-to-purple-to black rose/peony/musk/pink pepper category. But there you have it. I guessed it, I got it. I love it!

I am surprised by the negative reviews, and can't help but think that some of this results from a general suspicion of perfumes released by a company not known for fragrance. A lot of "pretty bottle, bad fragrance" comments. Well, the bottle is okay, but the fragrance is what motivated me to buy a backup bottle. To my nose, this has Olivier Cresp's prints all over it. A truly outstanding use of the litchee note, by someone that clearly understands how to best use this fascinating fruit. Aura is all about the litchee, playing expertly with the characteristics unique to this fruit. Litchee is a rosy honey floral smelling fruit, light, soft and delicate, very pink in nature. Aura opens with litchee and rose, creating a vanilla tinged rosy floral that does not seem fruity in the usual sense. A delicate, aqueous note that reminds me of lotus or waterlily, not because of a similar note, but a shared watery aspect. The pink pepper opens the heart fresh and spicy, but quickly turns rosy. This rosy-spicy pepper tickles the nose with a soft rose and vanilla burst, then merges with the rose and litchee. The tuberose here is amazingly moderated, I am not sure how this was accomplished. Tuberose is so potent, and litchee so delicate, but somehow, the litchee-rose note wins this bout. The tuberose strengthens the vanillic quality of the litchee, at the same time that the pink pepper reinforces the rose and adds a zesty pop. Zing! This acquous, spicy, rosy, vanillic floral, with a little fruity edge, lingers right into the drydown. The litchee remains clearly discernible long after the top notes should have disappeared from the scene. The musk, amber and benzoin give it that floriental drydown, but are very discreet, especially the musk. A creamy white musk, not heavy or musty. Unabashedly feminine, sweet, pretty and pink, Aura is great in spring and summer, has good longevity and silage, and garners compliments regularly. I have both the EDT and the EDP, and unlike many, I prefer the EDP, the original Aura.

If i based my perfume buying decisions entirely on first whiffs, I would have bought Aura. It starts off with a sparkle of litchi which is delicious, yet soft. The rose and musk come through much later in the fragrance, with the litchi fading, but still there. It reminds me somewhat of Kate by Kate Moss, though the musk shows far sooner in Kate. When I spray both on different wrists, I can see the difference and yet the sense of their being similar stays with me. The similarity comes from the pepper and musk notes I'm sure. Aura is long lasting as far as I can tell and I can smell the perfume on me, as I go abt the day, even with just one spritz. The only reason I wouldn't buy (have a sample) is because it does smell like Kate. But I think it's a very elegant fruity floral. Very feminine. Understated, not outstanding perhaps, but very apt for many special occasions when you want to smell really nice but you don't want the perfume to take over your own personality. It has a sparkling quality that might make me reconsider my decision to not buy...

Given, it's not terribly unique, and similar to other scents out there, but I actually love this! At first I was overwhelmed by the pink pepper and thought it was too strong for me. But I gave it another try. As soon as I spritz it on it smells like sharp floral (my husband told me it smelled like Cutter bug spray, but he doesn't know anything! LoL!) I don't get so much litchi in it though personally. But it dries down pretty quickly to a nice tuberose, which is a note that I personally love. Some of the reviews have compared it to YSL Parisienne. I personally don't find it to be as chemical smelling as Parisienne. YSLP gave me a headache and made me nauseous, whereas this one does't. It's a nice everyday scent, but I find I need to reapply every 4 hours or so.

I cannot believe the bad rap this perfume is getting, IMO this perfume is absolutley beautiful, I came across this beauty on holiday, at first I thought, ugh! I placed the sample card in my bag and went on my merry way forgetting all about it. I had purchased a sleeping mask and used it that night I kept thinking "what is that devine smell?" (on my sleeping mask) the next morning I discovered it was Aura! I purchased a bottle the following day. Everytime I spray this I'm in heaven!!! sooo nice, so girly, so floral and rosy!!!