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.

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

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 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

me fait penser à femme de Rochas...

I just recently picked this up for a great price, and it pleasantly surprised me! Yes; that familiar plastic-y, make-up like, old lady perfume smell is there in the beginning. But if You can get over that, it will soon give into a very interesting blend of green/chypre, soapy and slightly floral notes. It seems to be a concentrated formula - it projects great and lasts long. Can't wait to wear this out for a special occassion.

I receive a delivered package and I open it. I push aside the silky paper, and I discover this ivory satin sheath dress .... It smells of Lois Chilé in "The Great Gatsby' .... Oops ..! This perfume has a week lasting like the perfumes of the last century ! soapy and thousand flowers !

I had this one back in 1999 and had almost forgotten its name by now but its beautiful fragrance is still in my memories. I had only remembered the bottle now so when I saw it in fragrantica's database I instantly recognised the bottle and clicked to add it in my list.

A clean, powdery floral with a very conservative hint of citrus. Varensia smells like expensive soap. When in doubt, smelling like soap is your best bet. spring / fall, daywear.

Green powdery of a scent. It truly shines in springtime.

vintage-y indeed...the drydown is even more awesome.

Beautiful retro-scent, old French school. Most of all, I can smell carnation, oak moss and powdery notes. It's really nostalgic! This is how cosmetic bags and powder boxes used to smell. Such very pleasant memories from the past. Longevity and sillage is great - twenty four hours on clothes. I would like to call it the ageless classic. A beautiful rich fragrance in a gorgeous bottle, but not for me. Who likes Chanel # 5, this would be perfect as well.

Made me laugh. Smells exactly like clean hair. I"m not sure WHICH shampoo and thankfully not clean dog in a bad way but def freshly washed hair. I want to say Breck shampoo if anyone besides me remembers what Breck really smells like..lol. This would be a perfect office or in-law gathering...safe scent and non offensive. I was told I smelled like orange juice and baby powder. LOL

Fruity floral chypre bombshell. I can imagine this being beautiful back in the 90s before perfume budgets tanked and mainstream perfumes had naturals bolstered by aromachemicals. As it is, I can still detect a symphonic progression from top, heart, and base notes. For the price point still worth it for the bottle.

I have tested it today . I'm surprised it has been launched in 1994 , because for me it is much more in the spirit of the 80's ; like Knowing , White Linen or Quartz women . Which were not at all fashioned anymore in the 90's. It's quite a stereotype of a Chypre on my opinion . Not to wear on hot days, better on mature women.

this is a scent that will forever be associated with grandparents. this is exactly how grandma and grandpa smelled..

I love bittersweet fragrances, like Ralph Lauren's Safari and Van Cleef by Van Cleef & Arpels, and while I love that aspect of this fragrance, I do not like how big, dated and perfumy it is. Since the last thing I need is an unworn perfume taking up space, I'll be taking a pass on this.

Despite its many listed notes, this rather strange Varensia comes across mostly as a VERY sharp green rose-geranium scent, with an aldehydic opening, synthetic oak moss base, and a notably spiced accompaniment of carnation and cloves. After the rose dies away, mostly only the oakmoss and cloves remain. Varensia an intriguing oddity to sample, ...but it would be an unlikely choice as a regularly worn scent; not when so many other better-blended options are available. No, it's NOTHING like any of the scents its being compared to here. Rumba is a much fuller and finer fragrance (wear that more!). Nor is it rudely animalic like Paloma Picasso (bearable in its vintage formulation, untouchable in its modern deformation). Chanel No. 5 or Opium? Just simply and completely No. ...Even I found myself momentarily comparing Varensia to that weird, modern reformulation of Passion, ...but no, they aren't that close either, ...and Passion is weird in a more amusing way than Varensia.

Everything but the kitchen sink 90s chypre for an amazing value. In your face aldehydes at the top with fruit and floral in the mid drying down to the musky base. As others have mentioned the fruit and floral notes are blended in a way that is harmonious without being the sweet fruity you get from millenial and on "fruity florals". I see others designating this a cool weather fragrance but I on the other hand feel the fruit gives me license to wear this in warmer weather. Save the ambery woody spicy chypres for winter. This is an around $10 cheapie that is totally worth the pickup if bombastic 90s style chypres are your thing.

I can't comment on this fragrance because I've never smelled it before. This review is simply to give the correct notes because fragnantica.com didn't do a simple search on the company's website to put together the correct pyramid. See below. Olfactory family: Floral Fruity Chypre Top note: aldehyde, bergamot, Clove, raspberry Heart note: jasmine, rose, geranium, ylang, lotus flower Base note: patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, citrus, vanilla, benzoin

Thanks to ailishlu i have the privilege to own this really rare scent. I can't compare it with nothing else that i have test. It's very sharp and bitter. I can feel strongly the oak moss and the carnation flower. It is classy and grown up smell which makes you thing of a very independent woman with a strong character. It's different from everything that i have ever owned. Very distinctive and i think that it can be a unisex fragrance.

The dry down is very similar to Rumba, which was created earlier in 1989. However, the road that will take you there is quite long and stinky for those who are not into really old-fashion mossy aldehydes. If you like Rumba and if you can get it for under $25, forget about Varensia. But if you are on a budget and you don't mind the mothy journey to the Rumba dry down, get Varensia. It is strong and persistent, I'll give it that.

It is a Femme de Rochas sister. The differences are Femme is spicier and has that "hot" smell, not as something burning but as you are smelling a hot scent. Varensia does not have this hot thing, in fact it is the opposite, it feels a little cold. The mix of the citruses fruits and the sweetness of the berries results in a much like peaches scent. Comparing again, it is a Femme with peaches.

Spray this with a very light hand. Just the tiniest amount, and the scent will develop in the most surprising way. Spray too much and you're stuck in a leaden cloud of a syrupy - flower - metal - urine mess of a stink that’s so awful it’ll make you reel. Tip: try applying a tiny amount of alien and then this on top. On me, this combo turns into freshly picked, tart fruit. Very weird.

This is my first large bottle perfume. That was about 12 years ago and a lady colleague gave it to me.Typical Chypre fruity. Impressed by the bottle, vintage style. The scent is old fashioned and wet may be for the oakmoss. It's the kind that not attractive at first sniff at all and only hope the drydown can be better. Regret that i threw away the bottle which was really lovely.

One of most wearable in our times and enjoyable vintages I came across, thanks to Lalionne's generosity. Fruity feminine chypre, something you wear with white suit and high heels, aristocratic vibe and good mood one, carnation with raspberry and woods with cassis are most prominent notes on me, I would gladly add FB of Varensia in my collection and the bottle is stunning indeed!

Yes. A milder version of Balenciaga’s Rumba (not Ted Lapidus), like a more demure twin sister. Yet, still loud and remarkable and not for the faint of heart, because have that floral explosion vintage atomic bomb vibe. I like it and wear it often, but prefer the slap on the face from Rumba.

An inspired copy!! a faithful copy but made with cheaper ingredients and available at a bargain price. The distinctive signature of the original "Gianni Versace by Versace" the debut scent of the Italian fashion brand and now discontinued was recreated with Varensia by Ulric de Varens

I don't remember how this smells but I wore this in secondary school(high school) in the 90s. It's readily available on the island of Martinique and I remember purchasing this and more by the same brand on a day trip to that island because it was cheap, that was when Francs were used.

I bought this perfume without testing it before. First impression, I hated it, I was disapointed, but 2 hours after when I smelled my wrists, I fell in love with this perfume, so sweet, powdery. I often wear it.

Time less chipre, unfortunately disconnected.Elegant fresh,fruity carnations. This fragrance evokes my memory from childhood, woman's day,march 8. Beautiful and elegant.Peformans is excellent.

really love the bitterness in this one.the smell is really rare (I don't remember I smelled anything similar before) and vintagy as well. love it on wool tops and sscarves.

hola a todas yo puedo conseguir este perfume solo que tarda un mes en llegar a mexico, si alguien esta interesada contacteme, huele delicioso y es dificil de encontrar

When I want to see whether I would like to own a particular scent, I read the Cons section. 9 out of ten times I go, 'Yep. That's something I would go for.'