Heliotrope
Vanilla
Blossoms
Violet
Kellner
30 Reviews
Translated · Show original
Kellner
Helpful Review
9
Separates the women from the girls
She was a little excited. Today she was meeting her uncle for shopping. In a few weeks, he would be getting married. For that, she needed a dress. When they had arranged the meeting on the phone a few days ago, he had already mentioned what he had in mind. Something simple, something figure-hugging, maybe a sheath dress, something that Audrey Hepburn would look good in.
Now they had been out for a while. First in a café, to recharge and to lay out the shopping battle plan. Then in a perfume shop. Now they were in this large boutique, where she usually only appeared with her friends. He was the only man in this huge sales area. But that was not inappropriate. He had draped a few dresses over his arm and was seriously rummaging through the racks as if he were choosing something for himself. The visit to the perfume shop had been strange. She didn’t understand what it was about. He sprayed test strips with perfume, letting her smell them multiple times. She didn’t know any of that stuff. But eventually, he asked the sales assistant for a specific scent. And with that, she sprayed herself. Throughout the time, they had been thinking about her dress. He didn’t want her to wear something short, like for prom. "Every girl, no matter how thin she is, has thick thighs in those short mini dresses. These minis are not sexy, but cheap," he had said. "Imagine, the photos from your prom will someday be seen by your children. Do you want to look cheap? Should the photos embarrass you?" She hadn’t expected such comments. She could have gone shopping with her mother instead. "Sweetheart," he had said, "the taste of little girls is often cheap and sexy. You are on your way to becoming a young woman."
Now she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She wasn’t wearing a dress. She was wearing pants. Floor-length. So long that she had to wear high heels so the pants wouldn’t drag on the floor. They were supposed to be Marlene Dietrich pants, whatever that is. In dark blue. And paired with a thin ivory blouse. She would never have picked that off the rack herself. But she was astonished. And an astonished reflection stared back at her. She looked so elegant. And seductive. Her bra peeked through the thin fabric of the blouse, just a little. The pant legs were wide-cut. The light, soft dark fabric swayed around her legs. With the shoes and the pants, she looked significantly longer-legged. That wasn’t sexy; that was seductive. She moved in front of the mirror. It looked so good. She walked back and forth a bit. She moved like a top model on the runway at Heidi Klum’s show. And it looked authentic, not forced. She stepped away from the mirror and turned around. That’s when the realization hit her like a hammer. This Helio-something stuff came to her nose. That was the difference.
It wasn’t about girly stuff. It wasn’t about spraying sweet vanilla in a drugstore with friends and giggling while smelling like a vanilla crescent. She is an adult. And she decides which path she wants to take, who she wants to be. The journey begins with the decision about which dresses she wants to wear. And the scent is the statement to that; the scent is inseparably linked.
Many thanks to the lovely Irini, who gave me some samples to test. I picked this one first because the name meant the least to me. Heliotrope is a stone to me. Do stones smell? I was curious. My first impression of Crown Heliotrop was that it was something high-quality and classic. The scent is powdery and somewhat herbal; it vaguely reminds me of plant stems. After a few minutes, vanilla comes through. And that’s how it stays. Powdery, vanilla, but not sweet. Subtle and very elegant. This scent is definitely a women’s fragrance. And it separates girls from women. The scent is quite simple, unexcited; there’s no great development. But that’s what’s beautiful about it: it’s unpretentious and stylish. I would wish for a bit more sillage and longer longevity. On the other hand, maybe that’s exactly what’s intended: a confident woman doesn’t drag a cloud of scent behind her. She only scents for herself.
The scent quickly reminded me of "Pour un homme de Caron" (in the second half, where the vanilla develops). Crown Heliotrope fits well into our everyday life, a feel-good scent that doesn’t need to prove anything.
I learned something new: I only knew the plant Heliotrop by the name "Peruvian vanilla."
Now they had been out for a while. First in a café, to recharge and to lay out the shopping battle plan. Then in a perfume shop. Now they were in this large boutique, where she usually only appeared with her friends. He was the only man in this huge sales area. But that was not inappropriate. He had draped a few dresses over his arm and was seriously rummaging through the racks as if he were choosing something for himself. The visit to the perfume shop had been strange. She didn’t understand what it was about. He sprayed test strips with perfume, letting her smell them multiple times. She didn’t know any of that stuff. But eventually, he asked the sales assistant for a specific scent. And with that, she sprayed herself. Throughout the time, they had been thinking about her dress. He didn’t want her to wear something short, like for prom. "Every girl, no matter how thin she is, has thick thighs in those short mini dresses. These minis are not sexy, but cheap," he had said. "Imagine, the photos from your prom will someday be seen by your children. Do you want to look cheap? Should the photos embarrass you?" She hadn’t expected such comments. She could have gone shopping with her mother instead. "Sweetheart," he had said, "the taste of little girls is often cheap and sexy. You are on your way to becoming a young woman."
Now she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She wasn’t wearing a dress. She was wearing pants. Floor-length. So long that she had to wear high heels so the pants wouldn’t drag on the floor. They were supposed to be Marlene Dietrich pants, whatever that is. In dark blue. And paired with a thin ivory blouse. She would never have picked that off the rack herself. But she was astonished. And an astonished reflection stared back at her. She looked so elegant. And seductive. Her bra peeked through the thin fabric of the blouse, just a little. The pant legs were wide-cut. The light, soft dark fabric swayed around her legs. With the shoes and the pants, she looked significantly longer-legged. That wasn’t sexy; that was seductive. She moved in front of the mirror. It looked so good. She walked back and forth a bit. She moved like a top model on the runway at Heidi Klum’s show. And it looked authentic, not forced. She stepped away from the mirror and turned around. That’s when the realization hit her like a hammer. This Helio-something stuff came to her nose. That was the difference.
It wasn’t about girly stuff. It wasn’t about spraying sweet vanilla in a drugstore with friends and giggling while smelling like a vanilla crescent. She is an adult. And she decides which path she wants to take, who she wants to be. The journey begins with the decision about which dresses she wants to wear. And the scent is the statement to that; the scent is inseparably linked.
Many thanks to the lovely Irini, who gave me some samples to test. I picked this one first because the name meant the least to me. Heliotrope is a stone to me. Do stones smell? I was curious. My first impression of Crown Heliotrop was that it was something high-quality and classic. The scent is powdery and somewhat herbal; it vaguely reminds me of plant stems. After a few minutes, vanilla comes through. And that’s how it stays. Powdery, vanilla, but not sweet. Subtle and very elegant. This scent is definitely a women’s fragrance. And it separates girls from women. The scent is quite simple, unexcited; there’s no great development. But that’s what’s beautiful about it: it’s unpretentious and stylish. I would wish for a bit more sillage and longer longevity. On the other hand, maybe that’s exactly what’s intended: a confident woman doesn’t drag a cloud of scent behind her. She only scents for herself.
The scent quickly reminded me of "Pour un homme de Caron" (in the second half, where the vanilla develops). Crown Heliotrope fits well into our everyday life, a feel-good scent that doesn’t need to prove anything.
I learned something new: I only knew the plant Heliotrop by the name "Peruvian vanilla."
Updated on 05/03/2017
14 Comments
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