Top Notes 
Carnation
Rose
Brazilian rosewood
Blackcurrant
Coriander
Heart Notes 
Jasmine
Ylang-ylang
Iris
Violet leaf
Base Notes 
Musk
Sandalwood
Yellow narcissus01/17/2016
DorothyGrace
106 Reviews
DorothyGrace
3
Warm elegance or cold harridan?
I love the presentation of Lorenzo Villoresi; the bottles are sturdy yet elegant, the pyramid of notes is always a delight to read filling ones heart with a fizzy expectation. The names of his perfumes and the name of the man himself trip from the tongue with ease - 'Hello, I would like to sample Lorenzo Villoresi's Mare Nostrum.' (you see? no embarrassment at the perfume shop). Yes I am drawn to Lorenzo Villoresi like a bee to a honeypot, like a moth to a flame, like blackspot to my roses (grrr!).
So on my 'perfume stash tidy' kick I pulled from my overflowing sample case Donna for one last test before I 'use it or lose it'.
Ignoring the initial bitterness of the wet spray then the opening of Donna is a beautifully softened carnation, roselike with a gentle spice, an almost lemon tinged wood. 10 minutes in and an earthy starchy smell, powdery like tapiocca starch mixes up with the more floral aspects of ylang ylang. Through the whole a soft skinlike muskiness.
1/2 an hour in sees the floral top, the carnation, the rose, ylang ylang et al. a dreamlike memory. Daffodil awakens in the base of featherlike spice, soft skin, creamy wood, now and then wafting a slightly sharp, lemony blackcurrent along with an almost but not quite vanilla sweetness..
At least that is what I am smelling, how Donna is behaving for me, today.
Other times I have worn Donna it has become a screeching Zoflora Carnation Disinfectant, harsh, loud, sour, volume turned up to '11' and in short a cold, clinical beastly mess.
Today's Donna showed her warm, friendly side to me; if I knew how to mollify Donna I think we could be friends.
As an aside, I have a few perfumes with this split personality. Madonna Truth or Dare is mostly a sweet white chocolate version of Fracas but occasionally smells like boiled onions. En Avion is infrequently a soft powdered leather but mostly pulls a sour Zoflora Carnation Disinfectant on me.
If it were only me that could smell these changes I would assume I had a nasty smell up my nose rather than it being the perfume's performance on my skin, however my son notices when Zoflora invites herself along to the party and mum has noticed the boiled onion turn of Madonna Truth or Dare.
Perhaps I am the harridan with my perfumes picking up on my bad mood (I am a cheeful little soul today) or perhaps it is when one of my health problems is really kicking off or just the weather. Don't know that but I do know I have to be careful of the when and where if choosing one of these to fragance myself in case I need to head for the shower.
Decision - Use It
New carded manufacturer's sample from around 2013/2014
So on my 'perfume stash tidy' kick I pulled from my overflowing sample case Donna for one last test before I 'use it or lose it'.
Ignoring the initial bitterness of the wet spray then the opening of Donna is a beautifully softened carnation, roselike with a gentle spice, an almost lemon tinged wood. 10 minutes in and an earthy starchy smell, powdery like tapiocca starch mixes up with the more floral aspects of ylang ylang. Through the whole a soft skinlike muskiness.
1/2 an hour in sees the floral top, the carnation, the rose, ylang ylang et al. a dreamlike memory. Daffodil awakens in the base of featherlike spice, soft skin, creamy wood, now and then wafting a slightly sharp, lemony blackcurrent along with an almost but not quite vanilla sweetness..
At least that is what I am smelling, how Donna is behaving for me, today.
Other times I have worn Donna it has become a screeching Zoflora Carnation Disinfectant, harsh, loud, sour, volume turned up to '11' and in short a cold, clinical beastly mess.
Today's Donna showed her warm, friendly side to me; if I knew how to mollify Donna I think we could be friends.
As an aside, I have a few perfumes with this split personality. Madonna Truth or Dare is mostly a sweet white chocolate version of Fracas but occasionally smells like boiled onions. En Avion is infrequently a soft powdered leather but mostly pulls a sour Zoflora Carnation Disinfectant on me.
If it were only me that could smell these changes I would assume I had a nasty smell up my nose rather than it being the perfume's performance on my skin, however my son notices when Zoflora invites herself along to the party and mum has noticed the boiled onion turn of Madonna Truth or Dare.
Perhaps I am the harridan with my perfumes picking up on my bad mood (I am a cheeful little soul today) or perhaps it is when one of my health problems is really kicking off or just the weather. Don't know that but I do know I have to be careful of the when and where if choosing one of these to fragance myself in case I need to head for the shower.
Decision - Use It
New carded manufacturer's sample from around 2013/2014
