Araia
What a nice surprise this scent was. Before actually testing I was beyond skeptical about the brand, which I've never heard of until, well, I received the vial (from a friend). A niche brand which brags about having a "long history", while on the contrary the company has been registered in 2009 retrieving an old brand which has been dead and silent for decades (that's not being a "historical" brand: that's just scavenging dead cheap trademarks to revamp for pennies - the same Oriza L. Legrand or Rancé 1795 did, basically). Still, I gave this scent a shot, and... well, the perfume itself is just amazing. I mean it: it's really, really good. It smells like what Penhaligon's tries to achieve since years. And call me mad, just to mention another brand I thought of, quite better than Neela Vermeire orientals. Anyway: shortly, it's a quite classic and much refined Oriental floral scent, where you can smell loudly and clearly all the (good quality) materials: the aromatic, exotic freshness of bergamot and citrus, the powdery-waxy iris and violet notes, the carnal elegance of rose, the earthy-pollen and slightly green heliotrope note, the rooty – but quite restrained – earthiness of patchouli, and the mellow presence of sandalwood on the base. Surprisingly you also perceive quite clearly the presence of osmanthus, which smells great and perfectly blends with the other flowers: it sports its delicate tea soul, but also its shady earthiness, which often so-called osmanthus scents don't show that much. Perhaps Araia is a bit unoriginal, but really well made, rich in radiant elegance and sophisticatedly effortless. Plus it has a great projection and a good longevity, with no mistakes or stinky chemical tricks. Bravi!
8/10
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Dalila
Dalila is a pleasant and well-made juicy floral scent with green accents, a heart of neroli and aromatic orange blossoms: lively and airy, but vibrant and radiant, delicate and white, wrapped in a humid, crunchy and zesty green accord and a more creamy and subtle white floral accord (ylang, jasmine). Overall the blend is terribly pleasant, with a really peculiar mood halfway oniric and ancestral, aristocratic and "domestic". For once, a "historic" house (which is not actually historic, as they've been founded in 2009) manages to deliver a palpable feel of the Italian bourgeois and provincial aristocracy of the beginning of the XX century, with its austere and decadent, but at the same time relaxed and effortless, Mediterranean elegance. Not much persistent, but fascinating.
7,5-8/10
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