Moresque is one of those luxury Italian brands that is inspired by the Middle East. I used to be really cynical and thought of all of this as to how to break into an Arab market. But, the more I’ve tried the brand, the more I see it as Italians celebrating their Moorish influence/roots and the Renaissance. This probably does result in international sales, but hey, I don’t fault them. Perfumery is a business.
My favorite from the line is Emiro, a luxurious rose leather. The White/Bianco Collection leans more traditionally feminine. I’m told (by the brand) that “Moreta” is what we basically call hot, beautiful women in Spanish. I’m only familiar with “moretta”¹ like the fetish-y black leather Venetian mask. I was expecting for Moreta to smell like leather. It doesn’t. It sticks to the brand’s story. Moreta really does smell like something a “hot” woman would wear.
Moreta opens with radiant citrus and bitter raspberries that eventually fades into a creamy floral. It reminds me of lemon shortbread cookies and big pink blossoms of peony and roses. Essentially, Moreta is a “fruitichouli”. It’s pretty fruits (almost like LemonHeads) and a diva’s bouquet of flowers over an unapologetic patchouli. As it wears, the patchouli softens and is cradled by a sun-bleached cedar. There’s an addition of sweet musk.This base smells familiar without smelling generic. It’s sweet, musky and smells good on the skin.
I hate using such generalizations to describe a perfume. But, sometimes it’s difficult to avoid stereotypes. Moreta smells like something a stylish (probably wealthy) woman would wear as she travels to places like Ibiza or stays at the Ritz Carlton in San Juan. She keeps up with trends which makes her stylish and sometimes she’s the fashion victim. But, she doesn’t care what you think of her kitten heels. She’s confident and it’s not hard for her to get attention.
Notes listed include bergamot, orange, lemon, ylang-ylang, freesia, rose, jasmine, Virginia cedar, white musk and patchouli. Launched in 2015. PERFUMER – Andrea Thero
Give Moreta a try if you like fruitichoulis. Or perfumes like La Prairie Midnight Rain, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Calvin Klein Forbidden Euphoria, By Kilian Playing With the Devil, Taylor Swift Wonderstruck, and/or Givenchy Absolutely Irresistible. I think of Moreta as one of those “you need an upgrade” fragrances. It’s description doesn’t really vary much from how I may describe cheaper, designer stuff; yet, Moreta smells much more “expensive”.
Projection and longevity are above average.
The 1.7 oz bottle retails for $275 at Osswald NYC.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Rich Ibiza fruitichouli. It’s a perfume that I can live without. However, I do think it’s really well done.
¹More info on that style of carnival mask here.
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Your description of the woman who wears this is so funny, but cool. I want to try this now. You had me at sweet and musky, like something that would bring a man close to talk. I need this just for that. On that note, do you have a list of scents that attract men? No, I have no shame in asking. This single girl needs some help in the dating scene, for real.
I like this one. I don’t like the price 🙂
DISCLAIMER – What I’m about to say is broad generalizations based on personal experience so I know I’m going to get it wrong 😉
I do think men tend to like (or at least compliment) sweet, musky scents. This has been my experience. Anything that is vanilla-y or amber-y gets compliments from not creepy men! Here’s my list, don’t laugh: Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy, Montale Red Aoud, LUSH Vanillary, Juliette Has a Gun Calamity J and Juliette Has a Gun Citizen Queen. It’s like they like loud, musky, sweet scents.
But, there’s one that isn’t like that THAT ALWAYS gets attention – J.Lo Still. It’s floral/green tea but I guess it must leave a trail. The days I wear Still, I never have to open a door for myself or even buy myself coffee…Still does it for me.
That’s from my experience. I’d love if others would chime in with these broad generalizations 🙂
Even though replying to my question might have been embarrassing for you, I sincerely thank you. It’s something about the summer that makes me hopeful for romance. I own Still and will place it in my summer fragrance rotation. It’s been a favorite of mine for a long time. I’ll go to the mall for a sniff of Lush Vanillary and may add that as well. Silly, but hopefully at summer’s end, I can report back and tell you and other readers how it worked.
Understandable! I know that it’s really difficult to meet people. Sometimes things like fragrance can “break the ice”. It doesn’t hurt 😉
I hope so too 🙂 I’d love to know if anything works for you.
I love Still so wearing it isn’t a “chore”. I also like Vanillary but my relationship with vanillas are finicky. I go in and out of vanilla phases. Vanillary really projects so when I wear it, I must be in the mood. It’s cheap and you only need a little bit.