Aqua Allegoria Flora Salvaggia
Guerlain (2021)

This was unexpectedly good. On first spray, it made me think of a clear and fruity fluffy violet. But things go in a different direction within seconds. It morphs into an exceptionally pretty, soft floral getting a lift from a hint of "aquatic" notes. Not enough to turn this into an artificial smelling aquatic, but just the right touch to balance the natural powdery vibe of flowers like iris and violet. The balance and finesse of this fragrance set it apart.

After a half hour or so, it starts to remind me of the middle of Nicolai's l'Eau Chic as a gentle soap-like accord peeks through. Just like the aquatic and melon elements though, it isn't the star of the show. It just helps the scent stay fresh, clean, and sparkling all the way through. I don't get much jasmine or orange blossom. It dries into tasteful musks and some iris but with a continued gentle brightness I can only describe as green. Other lovers of the purple/green floral/iris accords of Green Irish Tweed might find something to enjoy in this drydown as well, despite these being very different fragrances.

Lastly I think it's important not to skip past how fragrances feel, and how they make us feel. On first spray the texture is delightful and fluffy. Gentle blue flowers and wild flowers but light and balanced enough that I'd still wear this out, even as a man. It has zero heaviness and won't fill the room. It keeps the cheerful attitude up as it dries down but actually becomes less fluffy and interestingly, sharper and more focused, which is a nice trick that lets me continue enjoying the fragrance all day. It makes me feel a relaxed optimism. "I'm just going to take it easy today so that I can keep smelling my arm."

This may be my favorite Aqua Allegoria.

This is not as bad as I feared! Read: not nearly as aquatic as the notes are threatening and not cloying at all - I often find aquatics insanely cloying; but this is not an aquatic. It's a lovely soft and dreamy floral, a bit sweet. Lovely violets, lovely freesias (okay, maybe not freesias as different flowers are listed in the notes, but I think I smell them, therefore it's freesias for me), a hint of sweet watermelon. Starts out slightly too sweet and too floral for my taste, but dries down to a soft, fluffy, dreamy and lovely scent. My nose is buried down deep into my inner elbow and I just cannot contain myself, it's just, uh, SO FLUFFY. Maybe it's not exactly my cup of tea, but it's such a lovely tea!

Absolutely lovely, airy violets! Lush and sweet melon in the opening, nice easy assorted wildflowers. Hints of orange blossom and jasmine peeks out as reminders. Reminescent of Jo Malone's Wild Bluebells when it starts to dry down. As usual for this line, the aquatic aspects are as expected, same with the longevity. I wish it lasted longer than the 4-5 hours, but it was a treat.

I enjoyed refreshing this one and would definitely consider adding it to my collection.