Dilmun (2000)
by Lorenzo Villoresi

I very rarely use certain types of words in my reviews but when I smelled Dilmun for the first time on my skin I immediately thought: "Oh God if it sucks!

It sucks, there's nothing to do. Neroli, orange blossoms and other heavy white flowers on a messy vanilla base with green undertones on top. MEH One of the worst Villoresi I've ever experienced.

22nd October, 2011.

I have a deep respect for Lorenzo Villoresi and generally enjoy his fragrances- but, up to now, never enough to be drawn to buy a full bottle. In my recent craving for orange blossoms, I wanted so much to love Dilmun and hoped it would be the one I bought, giving a due homage to my fellow countryman. Unfortunately, it isn't.
It opens with a quite sharp and pungent, almost chemical note that seems, for a little while, to overcome the orange blossoms underneath. Then it emerges, wonderfully rich, round, mellow, with a gourmand quality- in many Italian cakes, orange flowers water is a distinctive ingredient. It quickly becomes musky powdery and soft, with very interesting whiffs of laurel leaves lingering upon. Then, it disappears all of a sudden, leaving nothing more than a soapy clean feel! On my skin, it lasts only for a couple of hours and reapplying would not be a fine choice, as I would be forced to smell again the harsh, nose tickling opening note...
Disappointing, even if the heart notes, for the little while they last, are pure delight to my nostrils.

2nd May, 2011. (Last Edited: 9th May, 2011.)

Sampling Lorenzo Villoresi’s orange blossom composition shortly after Czech & Speake’s divine Neroli does poor Dilmun very little service. Like many Villoresi scents, Dilmun starts out harsh and confused, but unlike Piper Nigrum or Incensi, it never quite sorts itself out.

The heart is a soapy, yet indolic orange blossom accord, but it is marred for me by a shrill, sour, chemical note that shrieks its way through the entire development. If I imagine away the dissonant element, I’m left with a pleasant, if unadventurous orange blossom floral-oriental on a sweet ambery foundation. Unfortunately, my imagination has limited stamina, and I’d just as soon save the effort by wearing something else (Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger, Czech & Speake Neroli,) when I’m in the mood for orange blossom.

13rd December, 2009.

Dilmun is a rich, refreshing orange blossom fragrance. It is much richer than a typical citrus style cologne. I enjoy the smell of orange blossoms very much, and Dilmun is fairly true to a fresh orange blossom. It reminds me of the type of orange blossom found in very high quality cooking/baking waters. It has a nice light, spicy dry down, that ends up somewhere in a vanilla neighborhood, but not sweet or cloying. Wearing it reminds me of being in an excellent patisserie - beautiful, fragrant, flavorful, satisfying.

4th December, 2008.

Well, skin chemistry reactions are certainly interesting! On me, this has a gorgeous neroli opening. There are lovely orange blossom notes, of both fruit and flowers. It then develops an airy, light green note from the incense and laurel. This phase is quite interesting. The vanilla is faint and not cloying. The orange blossom note has great longevity, and I enjoyed it for many hours. I guess this is definitely a scent that each person has to try. I have a sensitive sniffer, and I can find no odd-ball components here.

3rd December, 2008.

I love weird and off the beaten track perfumes. believe it or not Hoos's review was the one that made me go out and order a sample of Dilnum. I thought "wow, this must be great! It can't be that bad!". Well... it is... Probably Hoos and I have the exact same skin chemistry, because after the initial lovely orange blossom all i could smell was urine! I could not believe it! I sprayed some on a testing strip and it was beautiful orange blossom, with a hint of bathroom detergent after a while, but nothing like the vile smel of urins I got on my skin. Unbelievable. And nobody else gets tha smell on their skin. It's nice to know I have a skin chemistry buddy... Here's to you Hoos!

8th September, 2008.