I haven’t really kept up with many recent perfume launches. And when I say recent, I don’t mean things in the past month…or even the past six months. I’m talking like the past few years. It became too overwhelming to try new things when there were new things being launched every single day. When I stopped caring about new launches (shocking, I know, I have a perfume blog), I found myself feeling happier and more into perfume. I got to catch up. I got to try things that actually sounded interesting to me instead of trying whatever new collection, new brand, new release has hit the market that week. It’s been liberating! However, there’s been some downsides. I want go into all of those right now, but I will focus on one: I miss out on the small percentage of “good stuff” launched. Perfect example – Acqua di Parma Chinotto di Liguria.
Since I haven’t been paying attention, I missed out on this launch from last year. I tend to like the Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo line but they aren’t a line I rush out to try when there’s a new launch. They’re nice, but don’t I already own enough figs and citrus? Even when I saw that it was chinotto inspired, I thought to myself, “that’s just marketing, they won’t give us something bitter and herbal”. Well, I was wrong and I’m disappointed in myself for snoozing on this for a year because this is what I should be wearing this summer.
Chinotto di Liguria actually opens with an effervescent bitter orange accord that reminds me very much of a chilled San Pelligrino Chinotto soda (which has bitter weird flavor profile that is like grapefruit, rhubarb, and neroli eau de cologne/Florida Water). Then it quickly morphs into jasmine soap with traces of chypre aftershave. It immediately hit me what this perfume reminds me of why I was loving it so much – Clarins Eau Dynamisante. The Clarins has been one of my go-to fragrances every summer for as long as I’ve been wearing perfume. The heart is a radiant jasmine (hedione?) and there’s so much moss. It’s like “green radiance” – a tall, cold glass of aromatic and fresh. There’s a delicate dusting of spices, once again reminding me of chinotto soda (think a blend of warm/cool spices like cinnamon and cardamom). The rosemary and herbs haven’t faded since the appeared in the opening. For lack of a better word, the dry-down is bewitching, reminding me of cypress trees illuminated by a full moon. This dry-down is heavy on the patchouli. But, it also has a salty sea breeze and moonlit aromatics. There’s more moss but this time it’s been smoothed by musk. But, overall on me it’s like patchouli, sea, and evergreen herbs.
Is Chinotto di Liguria a remarkable, ground-breaking fragrance? Nah. But, is it good? Yes! Is it something I want to smell like? Absolutely. This is exactly the sort of fragrance I want to wear when it’s hot outside, all my clothes keep getting wrinkly, my brain is in need of a vacation, and frankly, it’s summer and I’m lazy. Chinotto di Liguria is going to be one of those fragrances that if/when I buy it, it’ll get a lot of mileage. It’s classic and effortless. And frankly I’m mad at my perfume friends for not telling me to rush out and buy this immediately. But, I can only blame myself for living so wild and free these past few years.
Notes listed include mandarin orange, chinotto, jasmine, geranium, cardamom, rosemary, patchouli and musk. Launched in 2018.
Give Chinotto di Liguria a try if you like chypres or “old school” green scents. Or fragrances like Clarins Eau Dynamisante, L’Artisan L’Eau d’Artisan, Annick Goutal Eau du Sud, Dior Diorella, and/or Dior Eau Sauvage.
Projection and longevity are average. I love how it “hovers” over the skin.
Chinotto di Liguria comes in a few sizes with the 2.5 oz retailing for $113 at Sephora and Nordstrom.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Fresh chypre. So, yeah, this is something I need. To me, it’s like a remix of Clarins Eau Dynamisante and Dior Diorella. But, it’s different enough for me to justify adding this blue bottle to my fragrance wardrobe.
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*Sample obtained by me. Greta Garbo pic from “Single Standard”, 1929. (MGM).
I love Chypres! I tried Lvnea’s Spirituum recently and just adored it.
I need to try that!