All I am – a redhead

It’s been said over and over again how the perfume community is both friendly and generous. It’s true but I still get surprised each time the generosity ends up in my lap. Not that I mind, especially when it comes from Paris and one of the most intriguing and knowledgeable bloggers out there – Denyse a.k.a. carmencanada of Grain de Musc.
I took advantage of her perfume spring cleaning (I love those!) and she, knowing it was my birthday at the time, sent over some amazing things. Some of which I want to talk about today.

Honestly, sometimes I feel ashamed for not knowing about some of the perfume houses out there. And after smelling these two, I really ought to have at least had an idea of them.

Vista sul Mare

Notes: “fresh citrus notes of Calabrian bergamot, pink grapefruit, lemon and Italian tangerine with a cool ozonic accord, ingeniously surrounded by a spicy-floral bouquet of red pepper, cloves, lily of the valley and wild roses. White musk and seductive amber merge with natural cedar and hints of patchouli to create a sensual, elegant base note”.

I let you go through the notes because I like the way they sound. I didn’t get to distinguish them all but I enjoyed the perfume immensely. It certainly did evoke the feeling of a thrilling summer  seaside affair (this time we’re talking about the Mediterranean) with a sexy stranger. Who smells of green citruses, sea breeze (ozone air) and when you get closer after the dinner you had, you can smell his salty skin lightly wafting a citrusy floralness over the cedar base.
I do wish I could describe this better. It’s so much more than I said but the atmosphere is the one I described. It might not be novel or strange but it’s wonderful, absolute enjoyment to smell from the beginning to the end without ever becoming boring. And that is saying quite a lot.

Eleganza Luminosa

Notes: “enticing freshness of sun-ripened bergamot, luscious lemon and lively orange contrasts appealingly
with the lavish floweriness of finest rose oil, tantalizing jasmine, yellow freesia, powdery iris and lily of the valley. Warm woody notes of cedar and sandal merge with the sensual accord of white musk, whilst Javan patchouli and amber radiate to emphasise the long-lasting, timeless elegance”.

This one on the other hand doesn’t evoke summer breezes and sexy strangers, unless the sexy stranger is you. If you know how Ambre Gris by Balmain smells like, well, this one is similar but better. And Ambre Gris is good.
For me it starts florally-fruity (in an elegant way not celebrity way) with a touch of muskiness. Soon I can detect the grey amber note as it’s so similar to Ambre Gris. I probably should have stated up there with you being the sexy stranger that you are probably a woman as this is more feminine than Ambre Gris.
I just realized that I’m not really distinguishing the notes so well as they are so well blended as to create a story and not a sequence.
Both of them are perfumes for me in the real sense as each time I smell my arm, it is slightly different. I thought the drydown of Eleganza was a lovely ambery dust over the wood notes, only to smell it a bit later and realize amber is gone and floral woodiness is now in charge.

As the Linari site listed their perfumer, I wanted to put his name in the post as well, I do hope I remember his name from the first try as I am looking forward to trying his other creation – Egon Oelkers.

Notes and pics by: Linari site
All Linari perfumes cost 140 Euros but a sample pack is available for 9 E.