Montelena

As predicted, the price on these bottles at Anthropologie continues to plummet, and they don't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon! Why? Simply because Montelena has the "do not buy" opening to end all "do not buy" openings! Shall I be frank? (Quoi d'autre?) It smells like poo! Memories of my beloved divine white feline friend HRH Emperor Oliver, who departed from this cruel world on September 16, 2013, flood through my mind upon application of this perfume. Yes, indeed, as difficult as it may be to believe, the opening of Montelena smells like a dirty cat box! The drydown, several minutes later on down the line smells wonderful! So this is a deep, dark, and literally dirty secret which I intend to capitalize further on. I'll be meandering my way toward Anthropologie again one of these days, and there will surely still be bottles of this marketer's nightmare perfume left! How low will the price go? That is the only remaining question...

For me, the tropical fruits note is very mild, and I don't get anything fecal, as the other reviewer did. Instead, I get a kind of hairspray effect, though something like weeds. Eventually, that calms down and the scent comes together nicely. It's not sweet and it's definitely dry. I then get the red wine type element but it's not like liquid wine, more like wine spilled on the weeds and then dried in the sun. It's what I expect from at least some niche, which is uniqueness and specificity, but also simplicity. While certainly no "crowd pleaser," it's the kind of scent that I'd guess some people would really like to have, but only to wear a few times a year. At this point, I don't see the "need" for this bottle, but I might give it one more chance when I'm in the mood for this sort of idea. UPDATE: I think the hairspray element is mostly due to the oakmoss, or the oakmoss in conjunction with something else. I like this better than I did at first but it's not the kind of scent I generally enjoy, as it's rather simple but doesn't have any of the notes (that have some strength) I prefer in such a composition.

Here's what it says on the back of the box: Toast the good life in Napa. Wine country weekends, with mouthwatering tropical fruits, brioche and California Oak. I would say this is a fruity-gourmand. You definitely smell the wine notes...but there is something sweet in here. I'm getting a bakery smell, like the sweet smell of yeast. It's so interesting on me and long-lasting. There's a tart peppery note that I can't really tell if it's a mango note or a suntan lotion note. I'm a native Californian so these smells do resinate with me. It smells like a nature walk along the Coast, native shrub plants and clay soil. This is a dry perfume and perfectly unisex.