Venice

I created an account because I wanted to write about this perfume. I have owned a tiny bottle since 1995, bought from a perfume shop in Venice as a teenager. I was looking for another one, maybe by Mariella Burani? But the shopkeeper showed me this and I liked it enough. But as I got to know it, it became my glam night out perfume for all the reasons that other comments have described. Despite its richness I think it is sophisticated, complex, subtle and smoky/sexy. Looking at the 'similar' perfumes I realised how it aligned with my other favourites. (for reference these include Chanel's Bois de Iles and Cuir de Russie, YSL M7, the 1990s CK Escape and obsession, Tom Ford Vert d'incense.) I also recently bought a miniature of Must de Cartier. I can see how at first sniff these are very similar and I also thought they were identical at first. But I am currently wearing a drop of each, side by side on my wrist, and I can say this: Venice is just getting settled in where the Cartier mini is starting to fade. The depth and woody spice that I continue to smell in the Venise, is not in the Cartier. What I am picking up in the Cartier is softer and a little more powdery, and there is definitely a crossover with the amber-y elements between them though. I like fragrances that I can wear out to dinner and still smell the base notes when I go to bed. It is possible that the Cartier is an EDT? which would explain it. I can still smell it, just, and I do like it, although it is the Venise that I feel that I am still ~wearing~.

Oh my goodness, I am absolutely in love here at the first sniff!! So beautiful is this creation - so unexplainable is the decision of YR to discontinue it!!! I got a bottle off Ebay out of sheer curiosity, and I cannot stop sniffing myself!! - it is sharp, pungent and cummin-fueled, with a syrop of dark-petalled roses brewed for hours if not days: it really has a mark of time and effort put into it. On the skin it is even 100 times better: the initial hit in the nose effect subsides and sheer beauty emerges: a poised elegant grownup woman in a tight-sitting black dress wearing pearls and laced underwear, simple and stylish hairdo and unbreakable confidence in herself. This is something I want to wear so much when I want to feel that I have made it, nailed it, achieved it, and now it is my time to enjoy my success and make the most of all priviledges of growup life of a successful lady. The effect is similar to what Chanel's COCO has on me, but Coco is more laid back and comforting and "sharing coffee with the girls on a lazy monday", Venice on the other hand is bolder and louder, and stand-offish in a way, so it is a winter office/evening-timed occasions scent when one wants to be noticed, admired, respected and feared a little. An ultimate powerwoman scent. Would buy a truckload of it if I could only find that truck!!

Venice is a warm, cozy, and relaxing scent that wraps around you like a cashmere shawl on a crisp fall evening. I have the vintage version from the early 90s, and I feel incredibly lucky to have kept this bottle all these years. The bottle itself is gorgeous—opulent and rich. The scent opens with an aromatic burst of bergamot paired with sweet, warming spices that immediately draw you in. As it develops, a complex heart emerges featuring carnation, rose, a whisper of ylang-ylang, and just a touch of patchouli. This is an opulent, dark floral composition where vanilla gently weaves through the layers, adding depth without overwhelming the beautiful florals. The dry down is truly divine—a cozy blend of sandalwood and vanilla that stays close to the skin and provides hours of comfort. Despite having a multitude of notes, Venice is remarkably well-balanced. Everything works in harmony, creating a sophisticated yet wearable scent that never feels heavy or overpowering. This is a beautiful fragrance for those who appreciate rich, enveloping florals with a warm, vanillic base. It's perfect for cooler weather and situations where you want something substantial yet intimate.

Venice is a beautiful lady in velvet and lace in a gondola on the Grand Canal. You feel her presence from the first spray. She is deep and dark and spicy and musky. She is not too sweet. In the middle notes Venice even has an almost bitter period as the oakmoss comes in strongly but it is beautiful, making this not just another sweet oriental, but a scent with legs and structure and balance. This is a very longlasting scent. After the final drydown as you go into hours of wear, the bergamot comes out as a balance to the vanilla which finally releases its sweetness after playing with our heads and noses for hours. Venice is lush and beautiful, extravagant smelling and yet comforting at the same time. I imagine our perfumed lady in velvet entering her mansion off the Grand Canal and undressing carefully for her lover, smelling more spicy and musky and like liquid roses as each piece of clothing drops onto the bed laid with spotless linen and lace sheets. Her lover watches her in the darkness, knowing she cannot see him, inhaling her delicious scent and basking in the glory of her lush body.

This is, above all others, my absolute favorite scent. My mother had a bottle from the 90’s, and I have it now. It’s been stored well and still smells amazing. This scent makes my eyes roll. Sure, it’s sexy - but more so it is cozy, warm, and spicy. Moody, but not in a blue way. In all these years, I have never worn it in the summer. For me, this is a chilly rainy day perfume, or a cold snowy day perfume. I have recently tried a fragrance, that for the first time really reminds me of Venice. They are not exact dupes, but scent profile is there in both. It is Julianna’s Perfume’s “Annie Are You Okay” - which is a dupe of Nishane’s “Ani”. If you are a die-hard Venice lover, please try one of these two. To sum up this scent, if you’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing it - have you watched Sense & Sensibility (Emma Thompson version)? The scene where little Margaret hears that Colonel Brandon has been to the East Indies, and she asks him “what was it like?”, he leans in and whispers: “The air is full of spices”