Varensia

I bought this fragrance after reading Fragrantica reviews while looking for something green and fresh, not overly fruity-floral or too sweet. So excited when it arrived, I absolutely HATED it upon first sprays. Getting hit in the face with 80s aldehydes reminded me of being plunked in front of MTV at my old babysitter's house as a second grader, forced to watch age-inappropriate music videos while she chainsmoked and tried to cover it up with some awful soapy 80s perfume. So this one was a macerator for me... like most fragrances, (regardless of what the frag snobs say here about maceration being only for expensive perfumes) letting a little air into the bottle and going about your business for a few weeks (or months) can change things-- even if it's just to put time between your expectations and your experience. I'd ignore it for the "good occasions" and instead put it on when I went places I didn't care about, like to run errands. Much to my surprise, I'd get complimented on it everywhere I went. But when the aldehydes wear off, there was something intriguing about it... cinnamon-y and watery at the same time, with a touch of powdery musk but overall indefinable. Turns out, this is basically the chypre genre as a whole: complex. Chypres open with some sort of a fresh note, either citrus (like bergamot), green (like fir) or possibly even marine or ozonic; then open up to either a fruity or a floral (or both) heart; then dry down to a mossy, earthy base. The most complex ones, like Varensia, add in some spice and powder for good effect. It's a classic "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" type formulation where, when well-blended and well-balanced you end up with something that is delightfully some of all the things without being too much of any of them. Overall, a mystery in a bottle. What I grew to love about Varensia was that it keeps this watery freshness throughout and just smells CLEAN but not in a juvenile, boring or laundry detergent way. The fruits are there to warm it up but I don't smell fruitiness. I don't get a lot of floral notes either, they blend in so well. There is a spiciness that also stays with you and the contrast between the spice and the aquatic feel isn't something I've ever experienced before in a fragrance. Varensia feels expensive and casual at the same time. Each note is indiscernible individually but blends perfectly into a fragrance that is worlds apart from almost everything in its class. It easily competes with chypres that are more than double its price. I'm halfway through my current bottle and ordering another, and I don't know why this isn't on the lists of chypres among the other, more-known ones. Varensia is a daytime fragrance for me-- in cool spring weather when it rains in the afternoons and on crisp fall days. It's clean and fresh-smelling without being basic. Just when you think you smell aldehydes, you get spices. When you focus on floral notes, something watery emerges. Conclusions: Ulric de Varens has masterfully blended so many seemingly contradictory notes into one perfume that I cannot pick out a single individual one, but I love the smooth and interesting result. I don't know why Varensia works, but it just does. The result is something that smells grown, expensive, and fresh- and punches far above its weight class for the price. I wouldn't sleep on this one.

What a pretty girl we have here. This fragrance is bitter and warm. It just envelopes you like a blanket, it's comforting and familiar, but still has that element of surprise that is a common characteristic of chypre fragrances. The opening is a bit too powdery for my taste, but it goes away immediately and the floral notes kick in for a while. But in the end, it's all oak moss and carnation, at least on me. Fragrantica classifies it as chypre fruity, but I would define it simply as a chypre - no fruity notes clearly detectable on me (though I can definitely smell them if I spray it around my room). By looking at the notes, I was sure I'd be enveloped in cat urine scent in no time. Thankfully, everything merged perfectly on my skin and no urine scent can be detected whatsoever. Had I not known the notes, I would have never guessed there were blackcurrant and cassis in it. Still, I would advise you to be careful when first applying it, you never know how it's going to react to your skin. I don't know if this fragrance ever got reformulated over the years but, even if that were the case, it still has that vintage feeling that clearly characterizes the classic chypres, as opposed to the more modern ones - It's "vibe" is way closer to the classics like Mitsouko, Cuir de Russie, Diorella, than it is to Soir de Lune, Rose de Nuit or Chance. I read this was described as a dupe for the original Gianni Versace (which I own) and honestly, while I can feel the similarity, I wouldn't say Varensia is an imitation. They're both warm, and oak moss and carnation are quite prominent in Gianni Versace (and are clearly the dominant notes here), but Varensia lacks that incense and myrrh accord that so clearly defines Gianni Versace, and the floral notes are not nearly as strong. And honestly, the characteristics they have in common can be found in many vintage chypres, so I wouldn't really call one a direct imitation of the other. Of course, if you love the original Versace and cannot spend the hundreds of dollars necessary to secure a bottle (which may or may not have been conserved correctly and be in good condition), this could be a good substitute. This is a very inexpensive fragrance, that smells really expensive. I couldn't pinpoint why, but it gives me kind of a Bvlgari feeling.

Varensia, oh Varensia, where have you been all my life? This is so freakin' BEAUTIFUL I don't even know were to start. Like the description of it says, this is the scent of a sub-tropical garden, with oranges, neroli, raspberry, some white flowers (even though not listed and lumped in with just 'floral') and a woody undertone, an oakmoss vibe that is quite literally like you're sitting under a tree in a baking garden. This baby BLOOMS in the heat, it's divine. And the composition. Oh. My. God. Even though the notes I describe are perhaps relatively easy to pick out, this perfume is pure art, it just hangs together so well, part classic chypre, part fruity floral, all just flat-out lovely. It's exactly as I expected, or hoped it would smell. It is how I thought (wrongly) that 24 Faubourg would smell, or even Shalimar. It's perfection. And I can't get over the price - it's pure class in a bottle, if I didn't know that this cost under 10 euro, I woulda easily bunged another nought onto that price for the 50 ml I have. I will say that this is better in the heat. I got this a few weeks ago, when it was still chilly, and, although still nice, it was a tiny bit metallic, bitter and sharp for my tastes in the cool weather. But now it's warmer, the sharp edges ae smoothed out, the flowers and woody smells have literally bloomed and the sharpness from the orange is gone. So round now, so smooth. I have found my summer signature! I'm so freakin' happy, 'cos this is so freakin' cheap.Sure, I'll still bust out my favourite, stupidly expensive white florals in the Summer now and again, but this will be my go to summer staple this year. Oh, I'm so happy I have this, and doubly happy that it's so cheap. One spray goes a looooong way, it's just amazing. Thank you Ulric De Varens, you are the 1st EVER cheapo that I genuinely, hand-on-heart think is BETTER than a lot of highend stuff. I cannot wait to explore other Ulrics. I will blind buy anything I can get my hands on, because this stuff is gold. I am in heaven. You have to try this, it's the best for the price. It's the best quality, full stop. Extraordinary. Am so happy I have it.

If i ever become more experienced in picking out different notes i still imagine i will not be able to do it in this one. It does not smell fruity to me,not even grown-up fruity, and it does not smell floral to me either. It smells just unusual and superb! Bought it in the street when i was a small girl and was about to go to a seaside for the first time in ma life with my school. A lady selling these showed me a few boring mainstream perfumes which i readily refused, and then i decided it was time to cut it short and make my point clear before i lose patience. I said i wanted something like cinnamon. She produced this one which,truth be told, has nothing to do with cinnamon or spices at all. At least she realized i meant business and showed me extraordinarily great stuff to which i took immediately ad bought in a very good price. The bottle itself is so decorative, i like its style. Now i gave it to my sister who liked both the ottle and the juice, and the smell can still be felt inside. This is hard to describe,it is mysterious,not loud or invasive but quietly confident,and i have never ever seen anytthing similar again. Thumbs up for uncatchable,ilusive,hard-to-pin down Varensia!

Upon first spray/sniff, it reminded me of my grandma (whom I adore) and is no longer around. Subsequently, I think after getting air into the bottle, the aldehydes don't come on as strong any more, but it's still a wonderfully comforting and nostalgic scent. Definitely an old fashioned vibe. I am addicted to it. It's actually beautiful. I love the spicy florals, the powderiness, the carnations. On the drydown, sometimes I can catch a freshness that reminds me of dew on grass, it could be the water lotus. It fades into a floral / vanilla base. On fabric I can pick up the orange blossoms/citrus a bit better. I don't know if I want to smell like this in the office but I've been wearing it at home, to sleep, and spraying it in my room. It lasts a full night of sleep, I can still smell it on my arm in the morning. It reminds me of some other famous perfume, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I can't believe this cost me only $8 - the quality feels much higher.

Varensia is a very pretty and comfortable fruity Chypre, if that is your bag. The EDP is freshly made but old fashioned Chypre style, without animalistic notes. Maya Arroyo Burton, below, lists the correct notes. I love it and it's high value for the 10-15 bucks often charged. Sometimes Varensia is easy to find. I recently battled a Spanish online shop to ship this to me. Perhaps it's so inexpensive, who wants the hassle to stock it and ship it? It's often cheaper in the box with the deo spay, which isn't as good as the EDP, but more or less is the same fragrance. The bottle and the fragrance are a wonderful addition to my "tin bathroom cabinet" fragrance collection. These are all the fragrances that belong in a tin cabinet and will transport anyone who opens the cabinet and dares to spray into a surprising perfumed reverie. A guarantee that Varensia will recall people, places or events. I'm tempted to buy "Varensia Pink" but I suspect it's not vintage style.

Varensia showed up at a bargain basement price on Fragrance net so I bought it blind because I like the idea of a chypre that’s about 15+ years old. I tried it this morning for the very first time, dry and slightly herbal/bitter...in fact it reminded me somewhat of Dioressence. I layered it with Elie Saab Ambre which gave it a bit more warmth and touch of sweetness which is what I was looking for today. I really like it and will keep it and will have no trouble wearing it alone. I checked on FN to see if they have any more, but they’ve sold out although they are renowned for suddenly replenishing stock especially if you “request it”. If you get a chance to pick one up, do so, especially if you favour the dry chypre styles - they’re so elegant. There is no fruit that I could discern in this.

When I first smelled this it made me oddly nostalgic about nothing in particular..."Must be all of those eras I never lived through", I had thought, but the truth is, the bittersweet nature of it is what gives off a sort of bleak and comforting feeling, where the fragrance envelops you with its richness. It is solemn and I think the moss is what gives it a rainy characteristic, all while maintaining a clean background like a natural vintage bath oil. It is very long lasting and it is strong, yet not harsh. This is a very effortlessly elegant and deep scent, without being heavy, and I would love to wear this while watching a theater play while it's storming outside.

Very dry and nice chypre Something about it feels like a sister scent to Paloma Picasso. Not as dark and mysterious. Certainly not as juicy. Very of a piece, however. Very complimentary. Opening with a perfectly blended aldehyde, fruity floral cocktail and building dryness as you wear it until you eventually get industrial heater/dust on a hot light bulb vibes. It smells like ten years before its release, when more people smoked and wore linen. Really incredible.

I am extremely picky when it comes to selecting a perfume that suite my personal taste and smell. Varensia was absolutely gorgeous in smell and complimented my own body oils that most of my perfumes that I am currently use I am unable to smell on myself but get alot of compliments about the perfumes I use or wearing for the day. I still have my empty bottle and ever so often have a sniff of memories. Would love to find out if this is still on the market!

You will not receive compliments wearing this perfume but you will have the privilege of living the experience of time travel and the added bonus of the change of identity: you will become a woman of other times who walks without looking at the ground and who, with a small budget, generates the art of elegance. A woman who always has a good answer to cut off idiots Strong oak moss and juicy flowers intermingle to let us dream for long hours. A beauty!!!

I buy this prefume today, is a rare powdery woody smell, which is elegant and nice for cold days, or just for a lovely night. I get it from sale, so I bought 3 of 50.ml, honestly I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Many people say it smell's like Rumba, is true when it drydown, but Rumba have a disgusting opening, which I hate, But VARENSIA is lovely, it open nice an subtle, make me fell elegant and graceful. Excelent job Ulric de Varens...

This is the only perfume in my collection that I spray in the air and then walk thru it, that strong it is to me. And not only still strong but in this way its devine and so clean and uplifting and the longevity of varensia is realy insane. I layer this with adam levine woman, to me a beautiful match, but thats maybe because I love sandalwood so much .

I got this perfume from a friend of my husband when his old mother died. That friend said about this perfume that it was the ripe scent of a mature woman. I completely agree with him. Fruitful chypre in the style of the 70s-80s-early 90s. All in detail, like a baroque still life. Gives pleasure.

A beautiful, warm vintage fragrance. The bottle corresponds with the scent and the eras it evokes. It's floral, sweet, and quite intense. However, nothing overwhelms, offends, or shouts. It's a silky scent—comfortable and exquisite.

I like this perfume from many years until now i could get it, when i wear this scent smell soapy, clean and fruity too, i feel so relax and calm down when i feel it because it remember me my childhood, it's one my favorite fragances

I have no words to say how much I love this chypre. It's a late fall, vintage smell, almost incense-like...patchouli and sandalwood, moss and powder. For me it's in the same category as Chanel nr 5, an absolute stunner!

Found this in my grandma's selection back home. It's clean, soapy and makes me feel safe when I wear it. Such a great price too!

Think Rumba with a green, soapy bite. Amazing fragrance for the money (found my bottle for nine bucks on eBay!).

I feel vibes of Chanel no 5, Opium on different levels and layers. Love it