Le Rivage des Syrtes Parfums MDCI 2009

If you came in search of pineapple here, you`ll have to look hard and maybe even employ suspension of disbelief. What stands out is the syrup from a pineapple can in which, instead of pineapple slices, you`ll find bits of orange and lemon jujubes floating around. The flowers are also barely audible back-up singers, leaving place for a dusty, powdery-soft orange essential oil with a hint of lemon and a gorgeous incense that weaves in and out. A pickled kind of lemony freshness that is oddly beautiful. I`m not a huge fan of Patricia de Nicolai`s citric repertoire; a lot of her fragrances that feature citrus are very harsh and masculinely abrasive, like an inconsiderate lover scratching your face raw while he kisses you with a bristly, unshaven face. In Le Rivage des Syrtes, however, she`s softened her touch to make this more appealingly unisex-feminine, by creating a marine base with vanilla vibes. Sunny, beautiful, different from your average summer-marine-citrus blends. My only pet-peeve: the soft silage and the speed with which it becomes a skin scent.