Royal Pavillon Etro 1989

...the mind holds too many ifs and buts." I should have listened to my mom and followed my gut. But I let myself be influenced by the pyramid - especially castoreum and civet - and Antoine's comment, and didn't buy it. A very nice member sent me a sample of it, which I dared to test today.

WOW, what a fragrance. Instantly on my wish list, instantly scouring the internet for the best price! Found a great offer that lasts for another 11 days and immediately added it to my list. I'm getting that.

Royal Pavillon - what a beautiful, poetic name - starts off fresh and green, so that after spraying I thought, "okay, pretty, but really nothing special." But after 10 minutes, a very familiar scent wafted into my nose, a scent that I really like: tuberose. But a tuberose on a bed of cream, so creamy and so soft. However, when I realized that tuberose isn't listed at all, I was surprised at the effect jasmine can have in combination with mimosa, rose, and ylang-ylang.

I'm still not clear why the floral scents are listed as top notes, because the top note, which usually lasts no longer than 10 - 30 minutes, shows a completely different side, a fresh and green side, with a certain zest and bitterness to it.
Sandalwood and vetiver definitely take away the piercing sharpness that jasmine often has in fragrances - I experienced that yesterday with Campos de Ibiza. Honestly, I don't quite understand the role of the moss.

In any case, the scent from now on remains in this beautiful, soft, creamy, and slightly sweet tuberose note. There are no animalistic traits at all; perhaps the vanilla gives the creaminess more space and longevity, as the scent lingers quite a while. The sillage is also noteworthy; I can perceive the scent even while typing this comment (by the way, in the 10-finger system, so sitting upright).

I like puristic scents - that's how I describe them - so a certain one-dimensionality doesn't bother me. I enjoy this fragrance because it is - like the name - very romantic.