Les Princesses de Venise

The Princesses of Venice

Roméa d'Améor 2009

Here comes a classic case of "I had a completely different idea while reading".

After Les Souveraines d'Égypte was a hit, I wanted to get to know more strong female representations from different cultures - I wanted to test more Roméa d'Améor fragrances. And I chose the Venetian princesses. The comments from DeGe and Chrisantiss captivated me, along with the fragrance notes - ordered a sample, sprayed it on.

I am surprised: I had imagined the scent to be more pastel, rosy, powdery. Sweeter, more lovely, gentler. Instead, I am immediately met with juicy-sour fruity notes in vibrant purple-pink. Delicious. But also puzzling. A strong opening that I did not expect at all. I immediately think of Gucci Eau de Parfum II, as there is a great similarity. Everything is very clear, very fruity, with no trace of pastel powder.

Once the top note has faded, it continues cheerfully, now more flowers come into play. Most notably, I smell: lily of the valley. And I am surprised again. Lily of the valley does not appear in the fragrance notes at all. But the scent gets this very *cough* dry, somewhat green-herbaceous twist. At this stage, I like it less. Thoughts arise about whether I might have a wrong sample... (I think of Hermis' comment on another Roméa d'Améor "That hussy smells like lily of the valley" - although the Venetian princesses eventually come down from the lily of the valley trip). Many flowers remain, it stays very bright, very fresh, very clear, rather sour. And I recognize another great scent: Dior Forever and Ever. From the heart note on my skin, it's practically a scent twin. Since I really, really like the Dior, this perfume can also enchant me. And just like the Dior, Les Princesses de Venise smells very fine, very high-quality, very noble. The base does not become particularly warm, (iris-) powdery or soft for me. It remains very floral, but becomes gentler.

This is a radiant, literally carefree, noble, and delicious first-fruit-then-flower scent that never becomes sweet or squeaky, but retains its finely sour fresh note until the end.