Olympia

Do you know the famous quote by Albert Camus: “In the midst of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer”?

I think of these words almost every time I wear White Magnolia by Loewe.
Only here, it’s not an invincible summer that I feel within me, but an invincible spring full of floral scents, blue skies, and gentle breezes.
Magnolia and cotton candy are distinctly noticeable, yet very fine and airy, not a bit gooey or sticky. A feather-light, powdery sweetness wraps around me like a scarf made of air, holding me tightly in its embrace.

I wore White Magnolia on one of the darkest days of my life and felt, in a magical way, calmed and comforted by it. As if the fragrance wanted to whisper to me, “Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Life will be beautiful again.” That was the invincible spring that granted me an inner strength I never thought I possessed.

After that, I couldn’t help but buy a bottle. I owed it to the fragrance in a way.

I have not regretted it to this day.

Manakara is my special favorite - named after the city on the southeast coast of Madagascar, which is known for its lychee plantations. For those who want to take a closer look at the harvest of these fragrant fruits, the following documentary on YouTube provides a good overview:

https://youtu.be/SpuoWhnyk14

To get straight to the point, the scent is sweet - very sweet. A fine syrupy sweetness that is present from the very beginning and remains until the end. It is as sweet as fully ripe, juice-dripping lychees with their delicate rose-like scent. At the same time, one perceives the fragrance of fully bloomed, sun-kissed roses, which may seem paradoxical at first glance, as European garden roses do not thrive in tropical heat. However, the rose scent here does not stand alone, but primarily serves to emphasize the aroma of the lychees. To my nose, it seems as if the (very ripe) fruits themselves produce this scent.
Anyone who has ever smelled a freshly peeled lychee can confirm that its scent strongly resembles that of certain roses. Francis Kurkdjian himself is said to have commented on the scent with the words, “If roses were fruits, they would most resemble lychees.”
Thus, it is less a classic rose perfume and more an intense lychee scent that neither shies away from its lush sweetness nor needs to. The tropical character is underscored by a hint of fresh coconut water (not coconut milk). The scent does not come across as creamy or milky to my nose, but retains its fine jam-like sweetness until the end. This sets it apart significantly from all other lychee scents I know, such as “Miracle” by Lancome or “Delina” by Parfums de Marly, which always have a somewhat fruity freshness about them.
This sweetness is absolutely enchanting on one hand, but on the other hand, it always carries a hint of melancholy for me. Just as one becomes aware of their own finiteness in the moment of highest happiness.
Or, to put it in the words of Prince (who unfortunately left us far too soon)
“All good things they say never last”

However, this does not apply to the sillage and longevity of the scent, both of which I would describe as above average. The sprayer of my bottle, however, is a cheeky affair. But I can live with that…