Love
by By Kilian

Love is probably my favourite from this house but that's not saying much. It’s a light but pleasant floral-gourmand, with a slight metallic accord running through it (probably due to the iris). Alas, this is something that has been done so many times before, usually much better and for a lot less.

If you’re really thinking of getting a bottle of this, I'd advise you to wait a little longer and test other similar gourmands before making an investment. Yes, the bottle is absolutely lovely but it's not worth £140 – after all, it should all be about the juice.

[Original submission date: 18 December 2008]

First, this is certainly intended as a feminine, not unisex as it appears in the Basenotes directory. Per the By Kilian website, it was inspired by the marshmallow. By Kilian lists four groupings of notes:

I. Fresh notes: Bergamot calabria oil, Tunisian neroli oil
II. Spicy notes: pink pepper berries oil, coriander seeds oil
III. Floral notes: honeysuckle, orange flower absolute, orange water absolute, Egyptian jasmine absolute, Bulgarian rose concrete, Bulgarian rose oil, iris butter absolute
IV. Amber notes: reconstituted civet oil, caramelized sugar, vanilla absolute, cist labdanum absolute, white musk

This is a very sweet, sugary floral. At first a bit dense, but it lightens up and is rather vibrant and playful. Neroli and jasmine dominate in the early development. Floral elements fade gradually and a sugary vanilla base, heightened by civet and musk emerges. A very nice feminine for a vibrant lady. Quite expensive, so certainly test before purchasing.

If "love" is a bakery lined with flowers, consider me a donut with a rose stuck in its hole.

This starts out slightly citrusy, and quite sweet like candy floss. The neroli is very prominent to me in the dry down. Sillage is quite good, I keep catching wisps of it whenever I try on the sample, and longevity is excellent, same as Beyond Love. For some reason the combination reminds me of Dr Pepper, sweet and fizzy. The overall feeling is happy and cheerful. I can see myself buying this.