Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphea Guerlain 2010

Flora Nymphea came to me unexpectedly, a gift. The "benefactress" commented: "I always give what the recipient would never buy for himself."

In fact, I wouldn't have bought it.

I like flowers. I especially like lilac and orange blossom. But when it comes down to it, the others, the dark ones, the Orientals, the woody ones, the lascivious ones are always first. Whether when buying or when wearing, the flower fragrances somehow always pull the waiting mark.

To put it directly: Flora Nymphea is interesting, unusual and beautiful to look at! But is Flora Nymphea also something for me?

Immediately after spraying I smell citric freshness and lilac. The lilac is shimmering, purple, not quite blooming. And then, you can laugh at me, I smell tomato green. Leaves, stems... with ripe tomatoes hanging on it. And I like it a lot. I'm amazed how nicely this fits together. After approx. 10-12 minutes the scent becomes dense. The shimmering one sinks in the depth, because the citrus is no longer there. I recognize honey. At the moment it doesn't bother me, it's not sticky, it's not cute and it's not much. The orange blossom is also just a vague drawing. Up to this point, the fragrance was very fresh, beautiful and interesting.

But then a spiciness creeps in, which is surely wanted and sense of the thing, but spoils my joy in a flower scent. It smells like five-spice powder, sweet-spicy. That doesn't go with tomato green, lilac or orange blossom. The spice harmonizes, in my opinion, only with the honey and increases its presence many times over. I see before me a mortar in which honey is dripping, golden and viscous, and its scent rises in my nose. Then the spice mixture is sprinkled pure, only a pinch of it. The tappet circles and the honey gets very warm. Then the lush lilac umbels and a handful of orange blossoms come in and are literally crushed. The mass becomes greyish-white. The tappet circles and circles, relentlessly.

At this point, in summer heat, I get a headache and I get a little nauseous. It doesn't happen in colder weather and cold.

I can't quite place this scent. It's not fresh for me (anymore), it's too spicy for that. It's not spicy the way I like, either. It's not light, but heavy, but it's not. Neither warm nor fresh.

After a rather strenuous time, astringency and woodiness are added. The lilac is already very pale, but still it flashes from time to time. The honey becomes really aromatic, too much itself and I find it to be sticky. That'll keep it that way for my nose. The smell fades away without it becoming pleasant for me again.

Somehow I never feel like that perfume. Too bad, really. I can see it's special. Unfortunately, I don't like it. Just like Picasso's pictures - I can look at them for a long time and see that they are actually ingenious. But I don't like them, nor would I hang them in the house.

I've tried to turn it on someone a lot. Unfortunately, so far it has not found an owner who can work with him.