Do you ever see a perfume bottle and already know what it smells like before even trying it? I feel like the packaging of Parfums de Marly Delina basically says it all. This ornate pastel pink packaging looks like it belongs in Marie-Antoinette’s apartment. It’s one of those bottles that is presenting itself as traditionally FEMININE as it possibly can. So, of course, I expected a floral and I expected for that floral to have a lot of roses and peonies. Guess what? Delina is basically one of those perfumes where it’s like “what you see is what you get”.
The opening is a fruity, tangy rhubarb and lychee martini. At the same time, there’s like a rose in an effervescent champagne (that has a sugar cube). It wears as a frou-frou peony and rose with fruity, jammy nuances. So, it’s like a sweet, fruity pale rose. OK, there’s peony too. The fragrance lasts a long time on the skin. I hate to say it’s linear because that implies it lacks complexity. But, it is linear. This is basically a soliflore that shifts between roses and peonies. Delina wears as a jammy rose, like a rose with strawberry-rhubarb jam. There’s a white musk and a whisper of soft powder. It’s sweet but not overly sweet. It’s more of a peony, floral sweetness than some sort of gourmand thing. It just fades into rose-scented talcum powder and a delightful “cool, damp stone” accord that once again, makes me think of Versailles and its gardens.
I’m sure we can all agree that a lychee-rose isn’t anything spectacular. Many brands do this. Why? Because it’s a natural pairing that emphasizes the natural fruitiness present in some types of roses. However, I think in this genre that Delina is a stand out. It’s not light/sheer. It actually lasts on the skin and has the sort of projection that we expect from Parfums de Marly. Secondly, the rhubarb. I don’t know why more brands haven’t figured out that rhubarb and roses work well together (and is less cliché than let’s say a grapefruit, and adds that same effect). In conclusion, I have tried many fruity roses like this but I think Delina is the “most sophisticated” version that I have tried (so far). It is a familiar theme, but it smells more luxurious. Frankly, it has a bigger budget and you can tell from its powder pink tassel/Petit Trianon-esque bottle to the fruity-floral accords inside. Anyway, Delina is very “classically feminine” pretty. It’s all those feminine stereotypes shoved into a bottle but it doesn’t come across as condescending. This is good. I was worried that something like this could come across as costume-y and it doesn’t. It’s merely what it is…a pretty fruity-floral perfume.
Notes listed include bergamot, rhubarb, lychee, nutmeg, Turkish rose, peony, vanilla, musk, Cashmeran, Haitian vetiver, cedar and incense. Launched in 2017. PERFUMER – Quentin Bisch
Give Delina a try if you like fruity roses or rose-peony perfumes. Or perfumes like Montale Intense Roses Musk, Mancera Roses Greedy, Parfums de Rosine Ballerina No.1, Amouroud Midnight Rose, Penhaligon’s Peoneve, Caron Delire de Roses and/or Juliette Has a Gun Miss Charming.
Projection and longevity are above average.
The 2.5 oz retails for $290 at Osswald. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Fruity, crisp rose with lychee and rhubarb. I think this is absolutely lovely. I feel like if its in ones budget and you were to only own one lychee-rose, this is the one. My problem is I already have some fruity-roses and I can’t justify another in my life (especially at like $300!). Anyway, it’s a really pretty perfume.
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What a pretty pretty bottle! Sounds like a lovely rose-peony, too. But ouch, $300….. Funny, today I was going to wear a dress just like the one Betty is wearing (not really, but I would like to have one with those feathers at the hem)
Sooo I keep wearing my sample and I keep liking it more and more. Help. I don’t like to pay that much for a perfume…but maybe I would for a perfume in a frilly pink bottle, maybe.
I really want a dress that operates as a dress but also a powder puff. Seriously, I’ve always wanted a vintage YSL ostrich feather coat or a reasonable knock-off (Saks has some that are cheaper than this perfume, lol), but ugh, I’d destroy it in one wear. Too delicate for my life, but just so pretty. I think something with the feathers as an accent would be more doable in that I’d destroy it in 2 wears instead of 1.
My mom had a treat chic cocktail dress when I was a child – a black sheath (but I remember it had a waist, so is it not a sheath then??) Had feathers all around the hem. She was so so elegant. We should all have a dress with feathers….
That sounds amazing.
So, story time–about a year ago I landed a coveted job offer in my field, the kind of position that people get and stay in for 20+ years, so openings are very rare. To celebrate, I went to Parfumerie Nasreen with the full intention of spoiling myself with a ludicrously expensive perfume, and Delina is what I went home with.
I freaking love this perfume, particularly in the summer. I love rhubarb, lychee, peony, and roses, and Delina is like the most luxurious version of those things. It’s got a depth and roundness of scent that I never smell in the perfume price point I normally shop in. I definitely treasure it.
The other perfume I really loved from that trip was Amouage Opus X, but that one is like another $100 beyond even Delina, and that I couldn’t stomach, even as a major treat, heh.
Yay! Congrats! That’s great!
I totally understand how you’d pick this one out of everything else. There’s just something about it. It really is the most “luxurious” when it comes to a fruity-rose. The more I’ve been wearing it, the more I’ve been wanting a bottle. Maybe if I land a good job, I will 🙂