Lily of the valley
FvSpee
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FvSpee
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Lily of the Valley at Nguyen's
In the Czech Republic, there is inevitably at least one grocery store run by a hardworking Vietnamese couple in every small town, or almost every settlement that exceeds the size of a hamlet. This is usually the only shop that remains open late in the evening; here, you can find a close-packed selection of fruits and vegetables, cookies and wafers, water and juice, beer and wine, sometimes bread and rohlíky (the straight croissants that taste so good fresh for breakfast), and occasionally cheap clothing and household goods.
And almost always a basic range of drugstore and cosmetic items. Depending on the personal preferences of the owners and the demand from local customers, the fragrances are represented in varying numbers: There you will find representatives of the dupe manufacturers known from German drugstores and mail-order companies (La Rive & Co) alongside the most incredible cheap fragrances of Asian origin (but of course with Western packaging), which no Parfumo catalog will ever capture.
And with a bit of luck, you might also find at least parts of the assortment from the Czech traditional brands Astrid and especially Alpa; not only the medicinal spirits but also the colognes (kolinská voda) and aftershaves (voda po holení). Perhaps also because Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen have become Czech patriots by now; in any case, the acculturation has gone so far that I recently read the sign "U Nguyenu" (At Nguyen) above such a store, which sounds almost like "U Kalicha" (At the Chalice), the regular pub of the good soldier Svejk. In any case, because of this, I was able to stock up on enough new testing material during a recent stroll to continue my unofficial little "Bohemian series".
The lily of the valley cologne "Konvalinka" is sold (without cardboard packaging) in simple, functional, and very practical 50-ml bottles with a small splash opening, which I find also beautiful and space-saving, and which "Alpa" also uses for the excellent (and already commented on by me) aftershave "378" and for two sister products, also floral colognes. I was able to test one of these sisters, "Fiálka," the violet, on-site and found it too fresh-sweet-trivial for purchase and comment, but I was more than willing to pay the outrageously low price of 25 crowns (a mere 95 Euro cents) for "Konvalinka".
"Konvalinka" cannot, who would blame it for this, boast of a multi-day longevity or an extraordinarily complex scent development. Also, those searching for notes of moldy porcini mushrooms, crumbling toothpaste, or tin candlesticks with verdigris should rather venture into other realms, such as the Orange Free State. "Konvalinka" is simply a beautiful, almost gorgeous lily of the valley scent, with perhaps a slight twist towards tulip. This lily of the valley, and this is the first surprise, is remarkably unsweet, indeed almost herb-bitter, which almost places "Konvalinka" in the category of "little flowers for guys" (in fact, my wife likes the scent just as much as I do). I cannot detect any citrus aspects, which is probably not intended with the designation as "cologne," but the scent does have a refreshing effect. By the way, the second surprise is the longevity, which reaches almost two hours, which I find remarkable for a cologne in this price range.
Recently, we have become real lily of the valley enthusiasts at Spee, from the classic Diorissimo to the niche "Sleeping on the Roof" to the Lehmann lily of the valley "St. Tropez" (there is also one simply called "Lily of the Valley"), and this Konvalinka enriches the small collection very much. And all this for practically nothing.
May all the Nguyens between Litomysl and Litomerice continue to sell vegetables and dark beer for a long time, and may these ancient Bohemian fragrance houses continue to produce unique creations like this "Konvalinka" for a long time! And after I have now written "Konvalinka" eight times, you will never forget what "lily of the valley" means in Czech.
And almost always a basic range of drugstore and cosmetic items. Depending on the personal preferences of the owners and the demand from local customers, the fragrances are represented in varying numbers: There you will find representatives of the dupe manufacturers known from German drugstores and mail-order companies (La Rive & Co) alongside the most incredible cheap fragrances of Asian origin (but of course with Western packaging), which no Parfumo catalog will ever capture.
And with a bit of luck, you might also find at least parts of the assortment from the Czech traditional brands Astrid and especially Alpa; not only the medicinal spirits but also the colognes (kolinská voda) and aftershaves (voda po holení). Perhaps also because Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen have become Czech patriots by now; in any case, the acculturation has gone so far that I recently read the sign "U Nguyenu" (At Nguyen) above such a store, which sounds almost like "U Kalicha" (At the Chalice), the regular pub of the good soldier Svejk. In any case, because of this, I was able to stock up on enough new testing material during a recent stroll to continue my unofficial little "Bohemian series".
The lily of the valley cologne "Konvalinka" is sold (without cardboard packaging) in simple, functional, and very practical 50-ml bottles with a small splash opening, which I find also beautiful and space-saving, and which "Alpa" also uses for the excellent (and already commented on by me) aftershave "378" and for two sister products, also floral colognes. I was able to test one of these sisters, "Fiálka," the violet, on-site and found it too fresh-sweet-trivial for purchase and comment, but I was more than willing to pay the outrageously low price of 25 crowns (a mere 95 Euro cents) for "Konvalinka".
"Konvalinka" cannot, who would blame it for this, boast of a multi-day longevity or an extraordinarily complex scent development. Also, those searching for notes of moldy porcini mushrooms, crumbling toothpaste, or tin candlesticks with verdigris should rather venture into other realms, such as the Orange Free State. "Konvalinka" is simply a beautiful, almost gorgeous lily of the valley scent, with perhaps a slight twist towards tulip. This lily of the valley, and this is the first surprise, is remarkably unsweet, indeed almost herb-bitter, which almost places "Konvalinka" in the category of "little flowers for guys" (in fact, my wife likes the scent just as much as I do). I cannot detect any citrus aspects, which is probably not intended with the designation as "cologne," but the scent does have a refreshing effect. By the way, the second surprise is the longevity, which reaches almost two hours, which I find remarkable for a cologne in this price range.
Recently, we have become real lily of the valley enthusiasts at Spee, from the classic Diorissimo to the niche "Sleeping on the Roof" to the Lehmann lily of the valley "St. Tropez" (there is also one simply called "Lily of the Valley"), and this Konvalinka enriches the small collection very much. And all this for practically nothing.
May all the Nguyens between Litomysl and Litomerice continue to sell vegetables and dark beer for a long time, and may these ancient Bohemian fragrance houses continue to produce unique creations like this "Konvalinka" for a long time! And after I have now written "Konvalinka" eight times, you will never forget what "lily of the valley" means in Czech.
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