Profumum Scents
The Profumum line was founded by Italian artisans Celestino and Lucia Durante shortly after the Second World War. The exclusive fragrances were officially launched in 1996 by their grandchildren. Profumum scents have already been reviewed on perfume blogs, and it’s now my turn to add my two cents. I’m afraid two cents it will be, both in what I think of them, and what they’re worth to me.
Acqua di Sale - aroma of salt on the skin, myrtle, cedarwood, marine algae. An aquatic scent, slightly minty, slightly salty. The myrtle gives it a green quality. Not really my taste but quite impressive, as far as marine scents go.
Acqua e Zucchero - orange blossom, wild berries, vanilla. Syrupy-sugary-vanilla sweet. Very much gourmand. The drydown reminds me of lots of other candy-sweet perfumes (hello, Pink Sugar!).
Antico Caruso - citrus, almond, sandalwood. This one has a sort of old-fashioned cologne feel to it (it’s said to be inspired by a barber shop). The almond smoothes all the rough edges here. Very “masculine” in effect and quite nice.
Fiori d’Ambra - ambergris, opium. Starts out as dry, smoky amber. The drydown is slightly herbal and languid. I should love this but I somehow don’t. I find nothing wrong with the scent, it just doesn’t grab me.
Ichnusa - myrtle, fig tree, cut grass. This smells just like cut grass and fig, nothing more, nothing less. Well, perhaps the myrtle adds a slightly bitter green accord. Otherwise, it’s pretty, invigorating, brisk.
Patchouly - patchouli, amber, sandalwood, incense. Dusty, earthy patchouli that reminds me of some antique piece of furniture. I like it quite a bit but not enough to shell $180.
Santalum - sandalwood, myrrh, cinnamon. This is my favorite Profumum. The love affair of sandalwood and myrrh, with cinammon adding that spicy kick. If I ever find $180 on the street, you know what I’ll spend it on.
Thundra - leaves, mint, patchouli, white musk. My first thought: it smells like mushrooms when you first pick them. Very damp, chilly in effect. The musk in the drydown turns it into an aftershave. Meh.
Profumum scents seem to have decent staying power, and, while I find a couple of them quite appealing, for the most part, they seem to lack that quality that gets my blood going, so to speak. I seriously find them well made and pleasant, just not much more than that. As far as I know, in the U.S., the line is available exclusively at Luckyscent.
Image source: www.luckyscent.com
20 comments October 18th, 2006