Heliotrope (1989)
by Etro

No wonder that the majority of the reviewers associate Heliotrope with sweets, creams, frosted cakes, marzipans etc. Absolutely gourmand as Foetidus already said, manages to incorporate notes of edible components without being tedious. I find it cheerful, luminous and live, with a bittersweet but not dark character that works great both on males and females. Once you come across the admittedly sharp opening, you will be rewarded with a delicious creamy vanilla and bitter almond heart (light florals are almost unnoticed) and a soft vanilla and musk base. Bellissimo! Notes from Etro : Top notes : Petit Grain, Amande, Middle notes : Ylang Ylang, Rose, Jasmin, Iris Basenotes : Héliotrope, Vanille, Baumes, Musc

If you think about it, this one holds inside of its smell twice as much rubber and vanilla powder than Bvlgari Black. It’s true.

Apart from this obviously unintentional vanilla powder / warm rubber accord I smell loads of marzipan-ish almonds, plastic-like flowers, and lots and LOTS of sweet fiery balsams.

Heliotrope gives an impression of being simple yet rich, slightly twisted gourmand. I think it’s very feminine and suitable basically only for the ladies but feel free to disagree with this opinion….

This version is almost exactly the same as Heliotrope Blanc by Piver. which precedes it by 140 years, so no stars for originality. Etro's version is slightly more deep and the sillage and longevity are better which enhances the richness. Both scents are lovely for the winter, but is the Etro worth over double the money than the Piver --- maybe.

Heliotrope is a captivating gourmand. This is another one of those scents that reaches into my brain and pulls out all kinds of childhood memories: Heliotrope smells the way my aunt’s kitchen used to smell back in the ‘50s — almonds, vanilla, cherries, and lots of sugar — if there was a little cinnamon thrown in, it would be a perfect match for the delectable odors of her gourmet pastry domicile. The main notes that I get from the fragrance are almond, vanilla, heliotrope, and some rose and cherry. It begins sweet and nutty; it continues sweet and floral with an occasional powder spasm; and it ends sweet, floral, and vanilla-y. It is sweet and floral and unisex. It has excellent projection and decent longevity. I find it totally delightful, and it’s an excellent fragrance for the younger person.

Heliotrope reminds me of being in junior high and making white cake from scratch when I was home from school because of snow days or teachers' convention or the like. It also reminds me of Play-Doh (seriously, it smells like a fresh can of Play-Doh). I wouldn't wear this on a date night unless I wanted the evening to turn out chastely watching a Disney movie, but for those moments when I want to be 13 again, it's perfect and yummy.

It does having good staying power, so if you don't like white cake nor Play-Doh, think twice before applying...

Almond and vanilla--is this marzipan? I feared that this would become too dessert-like. Then an interesting development began to take place on my skin. This fragrance began to melt into my skin and turn COOL and smooth. It took on a sweet, chilly fragrance that was neither floral nor gourmand, merely cool and pure and unbelievably smooth.