Azzaro Now Women by Azzaro, 2007

I want to love this fragrance. Really, I do, and in the most desperate of ways. Now is the creation of two of my favorite noses--one of my all-time favorite noses, Annie Buzantian--and it is composed of some of my all-time favorite notes. I have no clue what went so horribly wrong but at this present time it is all I can do to bring myself to even tolerate Now. I do adore the work of Annie Buzantian. However, I've noticed a signature pattern in Buzantian's work where she incorporates notes that teeter a fine line of poetically dissonant and uncomfortably discordant. Typically, this fine line makes her creations works of olfactory genius; take the unexpected pepper in Sensuous, the seemingly opposed praline and patchouli in Flair, or the rose bouquet secretly spiked with cognac in So In Love. Somehow Buzantian makes the unthinkable meld in the most lovely way. Sadly she did not perform her usual magic with Now. Buzantian and Morillas mixed what should have been the most delicious and decadent tropical elixir: tiare flower, passion fruit, lime, rum. What we are left with is a concoction that cannot decide if it is a men's cologne or a fluffy "I-just-turned-twenty-one-today" tropical drink brimming with over-the-top sweetness. The split personality of this mad scientist's perfume left my nostrils confused and offended many around me. One friend asked if I had gone through his collection of colognes and sprayed myself silly. At times I had to ask myself the same question. Compulsively I continue to reach for this fragrance but I know this is not for me.

With a dearth of reviews, and the few that are here being middling at best, I feel a little embarrassed to point out the virtues of this seemingly maligned fragrance. When pushing against the tide one tends to wonder if one got it wrong. Notice how I talk there in the third person. So away from the apologist stance and lets get down to brass tacks. Having given this scent a good couple of months of testing - from frenetic daytime activity to night time meditation I can say without hesitation that this is a good fragrance. Deeply enjoyable to wear with its bright alluring opening which after an initial blast of melon balls lasting only a few seconds, smells of those tiny bags of pastel coloured popped rice you used to get in sweet shop goody bags. Is that the smell of calone? I don't know...I do love it though.

Azzaro Now woman is a pretty floral with something grumbling underneath. I wouldn't say it has testicles under that diaphanous floral shift, but I'd wager there were hairy ankles and on top a slight moustache in certain light. As a Masculine it works for me and I'm sure it works as a feminine too. Looking at the previous reviews I don't really understand the aquatic sports reference. Azzaro now woman is warm bright sunny and situated to my nose in the garden and not by the sea. If you like the idea of a good looking guy in a dress then go investigate, if you don't: go investigate anyway because at roughly £10 for 50ml you can't go wrong and it might just open your eyes (nose)!