Dolce Vita (1995)
by Christian Dior

Yuck. Red kids' cooldrink, the fake raspberry-ish one we all guzzled (in this country anyway). No, seriously, I was very disappointed, I got this horrible red candied note, and nothing else at all. Boo! Love the name and bottle!

I ran across a sample vial of this at the bottom of an old Dior shaving kit I bought a Neiman Marcus YEARS ago ... it just finally saw the light of day a couple weeks ago after being in storage since 1996!! Anyway, I tried it to see what it was like and was FLOORED!!! This scent is simply DIVINE!! I thought to myself, "I don't care if this is not a men's scent, this should be for EVERYBODY."

I ordered a bottle the very next day.

All I can say is this . . . guys, don't be afraid to try this, IMHO, Dior should market this as unisex. Everything about it is plain HOT. It’s deep, sensual, sweet, and sexy. The sandalwood, heliotrope, and vanilla base is one of the best I have come across and to me, arguably, masculine. In fact, thinking about it, I can not even think of anything remotely close . . . Give it a try! It’s fantastic for fall/winter. VERY HOT!

Thanks again Dior, you never cease to amaze me! I LOVE IT!!!!

From the notes, Dolce Vita sounds too sweet and generic for my taste, a fruity floriental, but I actually enjoy it a lot. It wraps me in a sweet, soft, rich floral/gourmandy/spicy/woody cloud. It does smell like a very feminine and sexy and voluptous woman in perhaps her 40ies, which is not me at all, but I still like it. I'm impressed that it's so not me and yet I want to keep it and wear it. Can't give it more than a neutral thumb though, it's not that original or interesting and it does lack a bit of sophistication in its gourmandy sweetness.

This is my all time favorite! I fell upon this years ago and love love love it! I don't think they make it in the US anymore - so I usually have my friend in the UK buy it for me and ship it over.

Dolce Vita is a contemporary rarity. Few nez-artistes seem to be interested in creating chypre-oakmoss varietals these days, but in 1995 Bourdon made a masterpiece that enraptured us tough chicks who were running from the sickly new florals as if from a gas cloud. Almost 12 years after I helped myself to this delicious woody scent, whose top notes hit the front of my brain like a narcotic, I am still in love with it. A warning: wear this in the heat of summer and you may feel ill. Dolce Vita is for winter, to keep you warm and cosy, and it will never smell stale and sickly on your woollens.

I've been searching for my next signature perfume for ages and practically exhausted my nostrils from different perfumes, from the latest to the classics and finally, I think I've found it in Dolce Vita.

I still remember looking at its ad when I was younger and how it smelled gorgeous but it never really occurred to me to try it on again until I came to the conclusion that classic perfumes never fail you. When I finally tried it on a couple of days ago, it struck me about one thing... it made me incredibly sexy, the exact effect that Tocade had on me for years.

A big oriental-woody fan, its warm scent compliments my skin's chemistry fabulously and I could never say no to sandalwood and vanilla combo so it is a plus point. Another major plus point is its staying power. I cant wait to get my hands on one and see the compliments rolling in. Lovely!