09/28/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM
Helpful Review
2
Mid-Eastern rose galore
This line is fun. Not because of the fragrances, which are decent, but because their names are consistently, completely misleading. I got not the slightest hint of leather in “Cuoio”, not a gram of tobacco in “Tabacco”, and now I don’t really smell the saffron here in “Zafferano”. At all. To me this smells just like a nice, not-overly-thick, slightly smoky and powdery rose blend with spices, something similar to pollen, and a smoky-camphorous base infused with vanilla. Lightly sweet and pleasantly dry. Basically a sort of sweet rose with some moody shades, showing an inspiration close to Aramis Calligraphy Rose and to several Middle-Eastern inexpensive fragrances similarly built on rose, resins, spices and vanilla. More or less, the ballpark seems the same to me, although Zafferano smells slightly more discreet, more floral, less heavy on sweet-resinous notes. It smells somehow more breezy, more sophisticated and more light than most of those (probably, more natural too, although I get a suspiciously crisp Iso-E note). It’s still decidedly soapy, but there is a really nice sort of dusty-airy texture which makes it smell quite more “spacious” and thus a bit more refined than several heavier Middle-Eastern scents. Nonetheless, they surely come to mind as a close comparison. Pretty linear and not that long lasting, with quite a boring drydown (mostly woody-soapy) so there’s not much else to add. Not the most creative blend around, not the most astonishing quality on the market, but nice and unpretentious enough (except for the price, which is quite a joke). If you’re into Oriental smoky-sweet-resinous roses, you may like this – just don’t expect any saffron.
6-6,5/10
6-6,5/10