sometimes you experience moments when your own path or development is clearly brought to your attention. I would like to share (unsolicited) one of those moments here...
About two or three years ago, I wrote a statement about Duchessa by Gritti, which I would like to quote verbatim here:
“Beautiful opening with church and marzipan. Unfortunately, both notes fade quickly and it remains a DD that reminds me a lot of Shaghaf Oud."
Btw. Quoting oneself must be the final stage of narcissism. But oh well...
At that time, I really had associations with Shaghaf Oud and could only imagine the scent on a woman. Recently smelled again, the fragrance immediately found its way into my collection. By now, I dare say I can also detect besides the (Amarena) cherry, marzipan, iris, and a subtly chocolatey note. At the center definitely stands the former hype fragrance note cherry, here referred to as black cherry. Moreover, the elegance no longer seems so feminine to me, but completely unisex wearable. If one wants to draw a comparison, I would say the Infinity by Montale or the Lost Cherry by Tom Ford would fit best. However, for me, the Infinity is much more synthetic in the drydown, and the Lost Cherry is indeed more feminine.
Both mentioned fragrances are far surpassed by Duchessa in terms of longevity and, at least the Lost Cherry, also in terms of projection.
In doing so, Duchessa does not overpower everything in the room, but leaves a perfectly dosed and noticeable scent trail that is perceived without being intrusive.
Long story short... The second test of Duchessa has suddenly brought my olfactory development of the last two years into sharp focus. I don’t want to present myself as enlightened and the latest perfume guru here (well, I do want to). But I would like to encourage potential readers to also give seemingly well-known fragrances a second chance and to challenge themselves every now and then. Sometimes your own nose can still surprise you.
Olympia 10 months ago 
WhyAge 10 months ago 