Aleria by Testa Maura, 2008

Aleria opens with a very nice natural grassy lemon which soon morphs into a bergamot orange accord. The lemon quickly fades but the orange remains into the heart notes, melding with an herbal floral myrtle note with just a hint of cedar wood from the base. During the dry-down the orange finally recedes allowing the cedar to dominate, with just a faint hint of a beeswax accord joining it to smooth out and anchor its woody nature. Projection is poor and so is longevity. Aleria is a very nice pleasant smelling scent, but I confess it does not impress as much as the other scents in the Testa Maura line. Its almost lemongrass-like opening is really amazing, and the herbal citrus at its heart is quite enjoyable as well; but there is nothing really innovative here unlike the rest of the line. Something else missing with Aleria is performance. It is a skin scent with only about an hour's longevity on skin. So while I enjoyed my sample, due to its relatively poor performance, lack of innovation and high price at $140 for 50ml Aleria earns a "good" rating of 3 stars out of 5, but is a tough sell as a purchase proposition.

Are you looking for an aromatic woody citrus that is not overloaded with the usual woody-amber base? Aleria is a very nice option. As long as you don't expect something groundbreaking, you will discover a simple yet very well refined and incredibly natural smelling composition that opens with citruses galore. Tangerine and lemon are supported by a remarkably aromatic, sort of green, nuance of lime giving an overall effect which smells halfway between Limoncello (minus the sweetness) and a summery citrus-centered alcohol-free cocktail. Refreshing and invigorating. Myrtle make its appearance in the middle phase reinforcing the general mediterranean vibe and serving as a nice introduction to one of the smoothest cedarwood bases I've smelled in years. Ylang-ylang provides subtle floral details without never becoming dominant or particularly detectable. Unisex, summery and with a strong mediterranean vibe. I don't exclude getting a bottle in the future...