Coming next week - Favorite Summer Scents posts on Legerdenez, Perfume Critic, Perfume Posse, Perfume-Smellin’ Things, Scented Salamander, Scentzilla, Victoria’s Own, and, naturally, Aromascope. Stay tuned!
Image source: www.art.com
5 comments June 16th, 2006
Today’s Smell-alikes are Farnesiana by Caron and Alessandro by Mazzolari. If you consider the notes, these should be worlds apart. Farnesiana incorporates the notes of cassie flower, mimosa, bergamot, jasmine, lilly of the valley, violet, lilac, opoponax, vanilla, sandalwood, and musk. As a side note, thanks to Octavian, it doesn’t contain cassia tree bark - it’s cassie flower (Acacia Farnesiana), a member of the mimosa family. Alessandro is said to have the notes of bitter almonds, honey, heliotrope, and vanilla. Almond is not listed as a note for Farnesiana, yet almond is what I smell in both scents. The difference is perhaps in the overall effect: Alessandro is a powdery almond while Farnesiana is a balsamic, slightly spicy almond. I presume a combination of cassie flower, mimosa, opoponax, and vanilla is what gives Farnesiana an almond-like quality which I find extremely fascinating. Besides bitter almonds and vanilla, Alessandro also features heliotrope which in itself is similar in smell to opoponax (to my nose), so it’s no wonder I see the likeness here. Alessandro is hardly as complex as Farnesiana but it’s just as warm and velvety. In spite of an array of florals in Farnesiana, they’re so masterfully blened that my nose hardly detects them. I love both scents equally but would probably pick Farnesiana for more formal occasions and Alessandro - for casual ones. Note: I’ve used Farnesiana extrait in this comparison which is superior to the eau de parfum composition.
Farnesiana can be found at Perfumebay, 1stPerfume, Ebay as well as the Caron boutique in New York. Alessandro is available at Luckyscent, Aus Liebe Zum Duft, and Gabriele Kraetschmer.
Image source: www.parfumdepub.net and www.luckyscent.com
21 comments June 16th, 2006
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