Romantina Juliette Has A Gun 2011

The first fragrance from Juliette Has A Gun that I tested was Not a Perfume. Right after that came Anyway. I didn't like either of them on me at all. In the back of my mind, the idea began to form that the brand's style might not be for me in general. But then MMMM... fluttered into my life and taught me otherwise. I was extraordinarily excited. And so I began to test more fragrances from Juliette Has A Gun: Vengeance Extrême, Gentlewoman, Mad Madame, Citizen Queen. Each one captivated me strongly in its own way. Only Miss Charming and Moon Dance didn't quite resonate with me; I found Miss Charming rather unremarkable, and I wasn't too sad about Moon Dance since it would be even more expensive than the others. In my mind, the opposite idea began to form: I almost always like the brand's style.

In the past few days, I tested Romantina and the circle closes. Romantina seamlessly connects to Not a Perfume and Anyway:
In the opening, there is a floral-biting-sharp note that is very intense, and I would spontaneously attribute it to jasmine. Immediately, I think of the jasmine in Beauty by Calvin Klein. There, the same aggressive note ruins the fragrance for me. However, I am surprised to find that Romantina is not supposed to contain any jasmine at all. Could it be neroli contributing this nasty bite? I don't know; to me, it smells like a certain type of jasmine, not the cloying, heavy kind, but rather the sharpness of it. Neroli often has a certain sharpness too, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Either way, this note definitely dominates for one, if not two hours. Gradually, I sense something very pleasant behind it, so I resist my impulse to wash the fragrance off. I detect fine, powdery iris, not as cool as the neroli-jasmine, but also not warm, rather noble and spicy, floating in the middle with a hint of patchouli. However, the patchouli is not the typical Juliette Has A Gun patchouli, but much tamer and more subdued. These two notes start to come through more and more. I begin to like Romantina significantly better in the heart note.

For hours, I hope that the piercing note from the beginning will completely dissipate, but unfortunately, that does not happen. At a certain point, it doesn't lessen anymore but remains at the same level. If Romantina had started at this level, I might not have found it so bad. However, this lingering note constantly reminds me of the unpleasant, intense opening phase. Again and again, I think: That sharp note is still there. I can't detach my attention from it, even as a slightly woody musk gradually joins in. Even in the base, which I consider a boring, but admittedly not disturbing musk-ambroxan mix with a pleasant, slightly green touch of benzyl salicylate, I still recognize the opening note.

I couldn't detect any bergamot, rose, tuberose, vetiver, or vanilla. Even my beloved benzyl salicylate contributes its brilliant freshness in the base this time, but it doesn't save it anymore. Regarding the rose, I must say that I always perceive the rose in Juliette Has A Gun's other fragrances very little, or rather, I don't perceive it as a rose scent. So that doesn't say much.

I have returned to a neutral state regarding Juliette Has A Gun.
But since I already like quite a few fragrances from the brand extraordinarily well, I will surely continue to test more.

Here's to a new beginning...