If I were to describe Blu Indaco in one word it would be bland - this is a scent with no substance or character, a signature scent for a spineless yes-man. I’ve found a similar pattern in other Giardini fragrances, they seem to have a running theme of excessive simplicity. It’s a sort of soapy, musky almond-thing. The bergamot, frangipani and pink pepper provide this sharp freshness which has a bit of a harsh tone to it, which is then bolstered by an overwhelming amount of scratchy synthetic musks and ambroxan. At the heart lies creamy almond and sweet vanilla, which struggles to survive under the musks. It’s not unpleasant, it’s not a scrubber and it’s not nasty to wear - it just leaves me unsatisfied. There’s not depth, no interest and no ingenuity here; it’s just another lazy cash grab release which the masses will no doubt enjoy.

I should preface this by saying that I love tuberose, a good tuberose would rank among one of my favourite smells on the planet. Unfortunately, it’s a very temperamental note, one which very commonly turns sour and unpleasant in the wrong hands - such is the case here. Tuberose is at the front and centre of the scent, but it’s overly thick, dense and dry. Combined with the ylang and particularly the rosewood and vanilla, the end result is far too sweet and becomes sickly. Peach and a hint of coconut take this a step further until it becomes wholly unpleasant. Overall, I really dislike it. This simply doesn’t smell like a well put together fragrance - it comes across messy and abrasive, and quite frankly it smells cheap. This is not a tuberose I could ever bring myself to wear.

Imagination receives hype upon hype, with many regarding it as one of the best citrus scents on the market. I don’t know if I’d go quite that far, but I can’t deny this smells absolutely brilliant. It’s annoyingly simple, I feel like I shouldn’t love it the way I do, and yet there’s something addictive about it. A wash of clean, zingy citruses takes centre stage, complimented by a sharp ginger. However, to avoid this, gentle softening wafts of soapy neroli and dry tea help to dampen the effects of the citrus, giving the scent an almost delicately creamy facet. I don’t really need to mention the performance either, it’s a well known fact that this performs like a dream considering it’s a citrus scent. Overall, Imagination sort of does everything you’d want a luxury fragrance to achieve. It smells classy, refined, inviting and lasts all day. Despite its simplicity, I really want to own a bottle of this for those hot summer days when you just need something refreshing.

Neroli is already not a favourite note of mine, so I didn’t head into this with high expectations. Unfortunately Neroli Nasimba sunk even lower than this expectations, it’s simply an unpleasant scent. The idea on paper sounds great, amazingly unique and bold in its composition, but the end result is just disappointing. The neroli in here isn’t actually too bad, that’s not where my issue lies. The problem starts with the orange blossom, it’s so overdone that it becomes almost scratchy and far too thick, whilst the pink pepper seems to amplify this. Then in comes the leather, which is brave to combine with white florals and difficult to do right, which here it has not succeeded. It’s a shame really, I wanted to like this scent but I just can’t get along with it unfortunately. If you’re a lover of neroli I can’t imagine this is going to blow you away, it certainly left me feeling a little bit underwhelmed.

Rose SaltifOlia is a gorgeously unique take on rose, with a strong Mediterranean feel to it with those gentle salty-marine facets pushing through. I enjoy it quite a lot actually, but I’m just unsure if I would continue to remain so fond of it once I’d worn it a few times and the novelty had worn off. The rose itself is beautifully delicate, gentle and airy as though the scent of a nearby rose bush was drifting through the breeze on a Mediterranean coastline. The salty marine accord is equally as gorgeous, and perfectly tamed so as to not overpower the rose, with subtle hints of a seaweed accord to deepen this aquatic feel. As I said, it’s gorgeous. I will thoroughly enjoy wearing my sample during the summer, and I may end up getting a bottle of the price is right, but for now it’s something I’m happy to have experienced but don’t feel the need to add it to my collection.

Ingredients 07/2012 is a remarkably interesting and abstract take on perfume, with the composition remaining a secret to allow each individual to form their own relationship and understanding of the scent. I love the idea, and I really enjoy the way it smells too, usually I’m not the biggest fan of Crivelli but this is great. I do pick up on the synthetic plasticky/metallic accord that others are describing, but it’s not overpowering. From here, I’m mainly picking up on a lot of saffron and patchouli - it’s this contrast between something dark and earthy, alongside this rich, metallic sweetness. It also seems very woody, perhaps with a lot of cedar, mixed in with a large array of other stuff which to be honest is too difficult to pick out. If I had to compare it to something, the combination of saffron and patchouli ever so slightly reminds me of Secret Tryst by Fragrance du Bois. However, the metallic nature of this scent renders it significantly different at the same time. I like it, not sure I’ll be buying it though.

Alpona is one of the crowning jewels of Caron, yet one that has been lost to time and seems to be under appreciated - perhaps because it’s so damn hard to find nowadays. It’s an interestingly aromatic and resinous take on a classical Jasmine-centric chypre, and oh my does it execute it perfectly. I’m surprised the jasmine note isn’t ranked higher in terms of prominence, it’s the star of the show for me. I smell a very similar jasmine to that used in Jean Patou’s Joy, which rose to huge success after its release just 10 years before this. Alongside that is an array of bitter citrus, soft woods and a hefty amount of oakmoss. The aromatic, resinous facets are coming from the use of thyme and myrrh, which are gentle but present just enough to turn this into something completely unique. I adore this scent. Someone special was very kind enough to send me a decant from their bottle, and I’ve fallen head over heels for it since. This is the pinnacle of perfumery, Ernest Daltroff at his best, there will never be another like Alpona.

Rose de Siwa somewhat flies under the radar amongst the other MDCI fragrances, as do many of their feminine releases. I think it’s lovely though, I’m not usually the biggest fan of most rose-centric perfumes, but this one is lovely. I think because the rose never becomes to dense or jammy. The rose here is very light and airy, almost like smelling a rose flower in the air, with just a touch of sweet rose-water. Fantasy notes of pink peony and juicy-sweet litchi perpetuate this light airiness whilst also adding a delicate fruity aspect, with just a touch of powdery violet in the background. I think this is lovely, undeniably chic and feminine without doing too much all at once. Everything balances each other perfectly, which results in an incredibly refined scent. I’m tempted to get a bottle of this, we shall see.

Orris is one of my favourite notes of all time, and this right here is orris heaven. Shem-el-Nessim or, ‘smelling the breeze’, takes you to a summer festival on the Nile in 1906, a celebratory affair rife with beautiful flowers wafting their scent downstream. Words cannot describe how stunning this is. This perfume is just so buttery smooth - the dense, powdery facets of the orris are elevated by heliotrope and ylang. Which is then furthered by creamy sandalwood and soft vanilla. There’s an airy freshness coming from the white florals, alongside a sort of salty sharpness from the geranium. The composition may be simple, but it’s an absolute masterpiece. This is easily my favourite Grossmith fragrance, and one of the best uses of orris I’ve ever smelled. The fact that this is 118 years old astounds me, especially since it smells better than 90% of what’s being released today. I must own this masterpiece soon.