Balalaika Lucien Lelong 1939 Cologne

.....the wonderfully balsamic opulence of times long past.....

Rich, dense and powerful, the song of this balalaika resounds.......but unlike what the name and association with Russia might suggest, this is no heavy oriental or even thunder chypre.......

Balalaika is rather a dreamlike soft velvety floral, which is perfectly rounded off by precious woods, an underlying animalic musk note and a delicate hint of vanilla.....Vintage at it's best....

Just like the noble donor, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks at this point, I also perceive the violet, as the dominant flower.....accompanied by a fine fruity mandarin, which gives the fragrance, despite its opulence and depth, a certain juicy freshness.......Powder notes - if present - I perceive only very faintly to not at all.....

Finally, it remains to mention that Balalaika, despite its old age, does not seem "old-fashioned"......a house like Nobile 1942, for example, or even Bruno Acampora, could well and exactly SO still bring this fragrance to market today.....

Side note: "Balalaika" creates in me a similar mood as "Anonimo Veneziano".....