Profumo e Gusto in Libertà : CiocoRosissImo
Hilde Soliani Profumi (2009)

CiocoRosissimo opens with an enchanting duo of rose and chocolate. The chocolate here is like bitter, dark cacao powder, with its dry and almost powdery texture further underscored by the supporting woody base. Contrasting this is the sweet, rich rose, unctuous and decadent like honeyed rose jam and slightly tart, wine-y rose liqueur pouring over the dry chocolate chips.

One interesting element listed here is the grass. Personally, I don't smell any fresh greenness, but rather the sharp, almost spicy aspect that I associate with Leaf Alcohol. Blended with the woody cacao, it actually conveys a nutmeg spiciness to me, bringing in an unexpected dimension to the rose-chocolate duo.

The bitterness and spiciness of chocolate mellow with time, and the fragrance eventually becomes a woody rose with a creamy gourmand undertone and its edge softened by the discreet vanilla.

CiocoRosissimo then remains as such until it disappears after 10 hours. Its sillage is mostly moderate.

I used to love sweet gourmand rose, but lately my tolerance seems to be growing lower and lower, much to my chagrin. Sadly, CiocoRosissimo eventually is a wee bit too sweet for my peronal enjoyment. That being said, I admire the complexity of different notes and the contrasts between them displayed in this fragrance, and would definitely recommend giving it a try, especially if you're looking for a sophisticated rose chocolate fragrance and can handle a certain degree of rosy sweetness.

Love's Baby Soft for gourmand loversThis perfume is one of those that is hard to describe based solely on its notes; it is more like the idea of a feeling. The first thought that popped into my head when I smelled this is that this is the idealized smell of an infant's head described by a French writer in the 1940s. There is something 'almost' here, as in 'almost like a Chanel,' or 'almost like Shalimar' - even 'almost like flan.' There is a strong baby powder smell, but it is not powdery in a perfume sense. Just soft, food-like, sweet; really very much the smell of a (sophisticated) baby. It is very well-done. It is a little rum-my (like bread pudding?), but mostly just... elegant. If you like vanilla and French perfumes, you really should try this. I wonder how it would smell on a man?Pros: Like very, very elegant baby powderCons: none"