Aria di Capri (2003)
by Carthusia

Aria di Capri launches on an impressive, pulse-quickening citrus salvo. But out too pop loud and pushy aldehydes which distract from the sad fact that the astringent, Campari-esque pleasures of the scent are being gobbled up and spat out by a very greedy peach note.

Aria di Capri clearly derives from Chanel’s No. 5, Guerlain’s Chamade, and Serge Lutens’ La Myrrhe, but doesn’t manage to better any of them.

28th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 24th October, 2011.)

Aria is an odd duck. It literally makes me sick when I smell it at the nozzle. The thought of wearing it puts me off. When I initially tested it, I was repulsed with the artificial "peach candle" scent that I detected. However - there it was stuck on my skin, in the heat and....I couldn't stop smelling it (in a good way) after a few minutes! My nose was plastered to my wrist the rest of the sunny afternoon. Day 2 - same thing - hesitant about testing it, but once on my skin - irresistable! Bottom line, warm, sunny peaches, aldehydes and some bitterness (bay leaf?)....won't grab it often, but when I do, it'll be hot and sunny out and I'll just spray it on without thinking about (otherwise I might change my mind)...like I said - an odd duck.

13rd September, 2011.

Aria di Capri has an arresting opening of lemon, licorice, and flowers. Its progress is consistent without being precisely linear, which is to say that the sparkling opening trifecta remains, but the balance between its components shifts. This motion is cyclical, so that one moment the citrus seems to dominate, while minutes later it is the anisic or floral notes that take precedence. Of the three it is the anise that bows out first, leaving a sweet/tart fruity floral accord to carry Aria di Capri forward.

In time the scent’s floral heart tips decisively toward indolic orange blossom, and Aria di Capri begins to sound a soft animal purr. Woody and mossy notes are revealed as the flowers fade, and eventually these come to dominate the soft, bright, and even tender, drydown. Aria di Capri lasts very nicely for a citrusy fragrance, and it offers solid projection and moderate sillage without overwhelming passersby. For me Aria di Capri does an outstanding job of evoking a bright Mediterranean summer, and I find it hard not to smile when I’m wearing it.

16th December, 2009.

Bay leaf and tarragon added to powdery, soapy parsnips with a sweet citrus edge? Run away! Run away! None of the notes themselves are offensive, but it's an olfactory orgy of what doesn't belong together.

To give them their due for originality, I have never smelled anything else like this, and thankfully so. It's a true scrubber.

6th September, 2009.

Vibert's review is spot-on, there is not much I can add. I love Aria di Carthusia and wear it in early spring when I long for summer and warm weather. The opening is wonderful, I get a lot of licorice and less aldehydes than other reviewers. The only negative aspect is the poor lasting power.

3rd April, 2009.

Citric florals and aldehydes... it feels perfumey to me and is quite feminine. There's a slight abrasiveness to it that I find unpleasant.

7th September, 2008.