Reviews of Sicily (2003)
by Dolce & Gabbana

OH yes, I strongly agree with Margi! Sickly, what a perfect definition. Something (or a wronged mix of) struck me from the very start to the end (persistent thing!). My daughter didn´t like it either.
Bought it in the dark, trusting the D&G brand. What a waste of money. So much so that I don´t even remember where I stashed the bottle (a big one). Big, huge don´t.

Sicily does not make it for me - too reminiscent of 'old school' strong chypres of the 70s (Halston, anyone?). I can see this maybe working on an elegant woman over 50, in small doses. Very small doses.

I have nicknamed this fragrance Sickly. Too much nauseatingly sweet vanilla going on for me. This is the only fragrance I have ever worn where friends have begged me not to wear it again. Truly dreadful. truly sickly, truly not worth losing friends for.!!

Well, beware - this is probably one of the most impulsive perfume reviews I ever wrote.I want to apologize in advance if I am going to say anything that is going to upset any potential Sicily followers. But keep in mind that I found myself oddly attracted to Sicily by the scent card alone, and can definitely see it’s charm. To be honest I find myself oddly attracted and repulsed by this relatively new launch from the renowned Italian fashion house.

I liked the soft, fresh, soap like notes of the way it smelled on the card - interesting fresh aldehydic floral, I thought to myself. A lot more old fashioned than I thought is would be. (I suppose I was expecting another quickly-vanishing fruity floral loaded with synthetic citruses?).
It brought some pleasant childhood memories perhaps attached to a type of soap we were using (thought I).
It brought to mind wide marble patio, just washed and all sparkling clean, that moment when you sit down and rest after you cleaned it all up, and everything smells clean and fresh, and there are lemon trees and grapes in the garden. All the Mediterranean (or Sicilian) peaceful and simple beauty.

Well, I tried it on today, and oh my god - and I am now seriously wondering if D&G didn’t make a marketing mistake and put the fragrance in the wrong bottle: it should have been packed as a liquid laundry detergent!
I suspect that if it was a slightly lesser concentration (an EDT or EDC rather than an EDP), it may be a lot more pleasant: not only does it not vanish, it is so potently strong and cloying that I often felt like I may have swallowed soap throughout the first couple of hours of wearing it. It also brings to mind what is described as an old lady perfume (with no offense to anybody who considers herself old - it is not about the age as you know, what I mean to say is - the perfume your most un-favoured old aunt wore when she got all dressed up especially for you and all you could think when getting a hig and a kiss is WHY did she put all that powder on, and what IS this awfully strong smell?).

To be honest, it is not unpleasant, it is just very potent. The notes are actually interesting and nice - lemon, bergamot, peach, some red fruity notes at the heart and perhaps some florals - but everything is extremely synthesized and loaded with aldehydes. And there is a LOT of heliotrope in the base (but really, if it the heliotrope you are looking for, you would be much better of enjoying your l’Heure Bleu!), along with musk and civet I suspect. The dry down is quite subtle and nice, close to the skin and not overwhelming enymore.
A word of caution: If you spray it on your clothes by any chance, don’t expect the scent to ever change or disappear. Try not to do that, other wise the scent will linger on cloyingly. That will promote the effect of soap swallowing.