A solid rock in the volatile waters of fresh scents?
It all started with a stay in a beautiful hotel in the Siebengebirge area in the West of Germany overlooking the mighty river Rhine. Among the hotel's allure was the genius idea to provide guests with soap and shower gel scented with Acqua di Parma's Colonia.
The beauty of that fresh and citrusy yet rich smell quickly pulled me deep down the rabbit hole of the world of perfumes. Then, like many other lovestruck newbies before me, I felt miserable rather quickly. I spent so much money on all of these fresh and delicate scents, I would spray them on me in the morning, only to discover that nothing of their exhilarating enchantment would be left by noon. So it started, the quest to find a fresh scent that actually lasts.
Parfumo and certain influencers quickly let me in the direction of Orange Flamingo. After several visits to exquisite perfume boutiques and department stores there was still no way for me to actually get hold of it. So I ordered a sample from the Marc Gebauer website and it arrived a few days later.
I was quite excited, sprayed it on me and - my - I was quite perplexed. At first, I thought I was teleported to my grandma's boudoir and just used a heavily scented lotion of hers. The lily of the valley and jasmine notes dominated the scent and I felt absolutely no crisp and fabulous esprit that I would expect from an orange flamingo.
Fortunately, after about 20 minutes that fades away and there it is - a citrusy smell that lasts for hours. Reminds me of the smell of dried orange slices that I associate with childhood memories of Christmas. Even though the scent lacks the sophistication and complexity of other citrusy (but also much more volatile) perfume creations, there it is - a fresh fragrance reminiscent of orange that sticks with you for the entire day. If that's what you're looking for, go for it.
Albeit, Orange Bomb would have been a way more fitting name. Flamingos are quite delicate and gentle creatures and Orange Flamingo is too much of a force to accomplish that subtle complexity that weaker citrusy smells often possess.
