Perfume Review: 10 Corso Como
September 13th, 2006
It’s been on my mind to talk about 10 Corso Como for a couple of weeks now. The perfume’s been neglected, sitting in its box in a drawer, way in the back, where all the empty perfume boxes are, sort of giving me major guilt trips that it didn’t really belong there. So out of the dresser it came, yesterday, and was immediately placed on the coffee table in the living room where it sat for another 24 hours or so - a sight for sore eyes, so to speak. I wasn’t able to ignore it any longer, and chose to wear it last night before going out and was immediately overjoyed by how perfect it fit - the mood, the weather, the outfit, the colors. You know, how that happens every once in a while when your scent is just so perfectly becoming and so impeccably fitting that you can say in all honesty and utter devotion you will never, ever need another perfume again. Right. That would be nice. But since it’s highly improbable and just plain silly to think such a thing will ever happen (at least not for us, perfume maniacs), I’ll just focus on the scent itself and its appeal.
10 Corso Como is created by an Italian designer Carla Sozzani who “went on a mission to create a flagship scent that brought together other-worldliness and travel to far-flung places” (Luckyscent.com). It’s named after a popular Milan shopping area. The notes of sandalwood and frankincense certainly speak of other-worldliness to me. What makes the scent close to home, however, is the geranium. I’m not sure what geranium in particular was used here but it reminds me so much of the geranium we used to have as a home plant. I used to hate it with a passion. That stinker could never be far enough from me. It especially made me vicious when I happened to accidentally touch it (I would never touch it on purpose!) So, when I first saw geranium listed as a note in 10 Corso Como, I could hardly take it in. Not because of the olfactory memories as much, moreso due to the fact of how masterfully it was blended with sandalwood and other notes (musk, rose, vetiver, oud wood oil). I just love how it starts out as crisp sandalwood and light incense and grows into a creamy, slightly smoky, woodsy potion. It’s extremely wearable and very much modern in character, very upbeat and trendy. Okay, perhaps calling it trendy is a stretch considering the amount of strawberry syrups and the like that get widely produced these days. Nevertheless, if it was up to me, this is the type of scent that would be trendy and sought after to the point of making people stand in long lines a la Soviet style. Alas! For the time being, however, you can purchase it at Beautyhabit and Luckyscent in the U.S., and HQhair in the U.K. as well as other European perfume shops.
Image source: www.luckyscent.com
Entry Filed under: Perfume Reviews
24 Comments Add your own
1. chaya ruchama | September 14th, 2006 at 4:55 am
Good morning, fair one-
My sample of this should arrive soon, along with my bottle of L’Air du Desert [which I adore]…
It has all the right notes, and sounds lovely, but is it fleeting?
2. Malena | September 14th, 2006 at 5:40 am
It´s a really wonderful scent (not felating at all - at least on my skin!). I like to wear this in autumn, it has something very pure about it & I agree with you, for me this a modern scent ,too, but one that doesn´t lack character…!
3. March | September 14th, 2006 at 6:25 am
Dang — should I wear this today? Or Tea for Two, which P just reviewed? Hmmm…
4. Elle | September 14th, 2006 at 6:47 am
I’ve been neglecting 10CC too and it used to be one of my favorite scents for layering. Yes, it’s gorgeous alone, but it’s remarkably gregarious and goes well w/ tons of other scents. It must have been desolate sitting there alone in your dresser. Oh, and I understand that swearing of eternal devotion to just one scent because it’s so perfect (I often do), but by the time it’s faded on my skin (usually in 6 hours), I’ll be moving on to something else that very same day. A perfume sl*t to the core.
5. Marina | September 14th, 2006 at 7:19 am
You insipred me to wear it today. Something I haven’t done for months too. It is wonderful. Wenge+Labdanum-Geranium
Tvoimi ustami da med pit’. If only this kind of thing was trendy instead of Insipid and Sweet Fruity Florals.
6. greeneyes | September 14th, 2006 at 8:51 am
Oh yum! I must get a sample of this. Samples only. No more unsniffed bottles, even if you and Marina are both right about everything.
7. Judith | September 14th, 2006 at 9:01 am
Wonderful! Just this Monday, I realized it felt like Fall, and I wore 10 CC for the first time in a long while (both the beautiful lotion and the ‘fume). I know some find the oud-ish opening too much, but I just adore it! I felt beautifully autumnal all day–and I got an enthusiastic compliment from a female colleague. I will try layering it as Elle suggests, but I do adore it on its own!
8. Patty | September 14th, 2006 at 9:56 am
I lurve this one! Now that fall is here, I need to drag my bottle out too!
9. Victoria | September 14th, 2006 at 11:30 am
I also love 10CC, although I do not wear it as often as I should. It is so wonderful.
10. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Chaya, it has a decent staying power. You’d probably need to reapply a couple times a day but it’s still worth it!
11. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Malena, I agree, it’s perfect for fall! Maybe it’s the crispness gives it a pure quality.
12. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
March, what do you think?
13. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Elle, there should be an institution for people like us.
14. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Marina, I’m glad!
15. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
Greeneyes, definitely sample it! If you like crisp, woodsy scents, you’ll love it.
16. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
Judith, automnal it is! My DH wore it a lot last fall, and I adored it on him.
17. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Patty, you do that!
18. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Vika, it is wonderful.
19. March | September 14th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Um, well I went looking for it. But I couldn’t find it (I REALLY need to organize my samples…) so I wore some YSL Nu instead.
20. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
March, OK, close enough!
21. CindyN | September 14th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
Ina,
Thanks for your post. I love this fragrance. Sandalwood, and most other woods are my fall/winter staples. To me, this is a lovely rendition that, with the geranium providing a bit of a floral/soapy/aldehydic note that prevents the sandalwood from being cloying and keeps the frankinsense in check. BTW–I love the Phenomenon sample. Thanks so much.
22. Ina | September 14th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
Cindy, exactly as you said!
Glad you love Phenomenon.
23. Aromascope » Sample&hellip | November 10th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
[…] MoslBuddJewChristHinDao by Elternhaus - cassis, basilic, marioana base, mate, immortelle, labdanum, olibanum, rose, gaiac, black pepper, vetiver, sandalwood, cedar wood, patchouli, musk, amber. Well, what can I say. Other than being a poor 10 Corso Como copycat, ThisIsTheMostPretentionsAndRidiculouslyPricedScentEverCreatedUnderTheSun. […]
24. Cheri | February 26th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Today I layered 10 CC with Creed’s Cuir Russie. Talk about wow factor - the two are fabulous together.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed