Lalique Flora Bella

Lalique Flora Bella is a beautifully big puffy tropical floral created by Bertrand Duchaufour and launched in 2005.

Recently I’ve become intolerant of florals injected with pink pepper and while Flora Bella lists pink pepper among the notes it’s not overdone. Flora Bella is rather difficult to describe from it’s notes – I smell freesia and frangipani the most prominently at first with a softly spicy carnation way in the background. It’s a sweet tropical fragrance but much less narrow minded than other tropical scents such as Monyette Paris, Kai, Ormonde Jayne Frangipani, Chantecaille Frangipane and the like. Flora Bella, while tropical, is still very much a sophisticated proper perfume without the casual beachy vibe. I’ve worn Flora Bella a few times over the past 2 weeks and I’ve come to regard it as a perfume very nearly in a class by itself. I can’t think of any other fragrances which I’d classify as sweet, tropical yet complex and interesting.

After Floral Bella dries down it morphs into a milky-vanillic-floral which is nearly edible. I think of rice pudding with a string of orchids decorating the dish. At this stage, the floral note moves closer to a sweet violet rather than frangipani or freesia – so from a distance it smells like a milky violet scent. It’s really rather sexy and delectable.

Flora Bella also has the one-two punch which is so necessary in a good perfume: it projects and lasts for a very long time. You can easily wear 2 sprays of Floral Bella and have it last all day. And while it projects, it does so in a polite manner, it’s not overpowering, yet it’s there.

I bought Lalique Flora Bella for a song from Rei Rien. I’m so happy I did – it was a steal and I’ve come to think of it as a hidden gem.

Notes: mandarin, bergamot, rose, violet, pink pepper, frangipani, freesia, cassia flower, mimosa, tuberose, carnation, orchid, tiara flower, white musk, vanilla, spices and amber.

Parfums de Nicolaï Cococabana

Parfum de Nicolaï Cococabana is the best tropical coconut scent I’ve ever smelled. I am NOT a lover of tropical scents but I love PdN Cococabana. It is true to nature, and it’s precisely because it smells so natural that sets it apart from other sweet fruity tropical “nothings” made for tweens.

I admit I never would have tried Cococabana until after reading Luca Turin’s review in The Guide. Cococabana would never have appealed to me, but LT’s review piqued my interest.

Cococabana opens with a sweet creamy coconut milk note along with an almost coconut “nutty” note, perhaps a bit like the outside husk of a coconut. The coconut note is obvious at first, but it is done with a light hand, the prominence of coconut fades slightly as the perfumes dries down. In the beginning I also smell pineapple, mango and what I imagine to be an orchid-type accord (these fruits and florals are not listed among the 'official' notes but it’s what I smell). Once the fragrance dries down a smooth sandalwood and cedar wood note emerges which blends seamlessly with the coconut. This woody coconut aroma is a brilliant blend – it’s blissfully tropical – but one that you can enjoy and won’t sicken you and make you think of suntan oils. The juicy pineapple note fades eventually (completely on me) and an orange note emerges – it’s this orange note along with the sandalwood + cedar + coconut notes that linger on me for hours. I find it utterly charming, soothing, and not particularly sweet upon dry down. Cococabana starts off sweet but dries down to only a mildy sweet woody orange scent. I’m surprised by how much I enjoy Cococabana. Realistically, there is definitely a time and a place for this scent. I’ve enjoyed wearing it in warmer weather – I can certainly imagine bringing it along with me for an island getaway and applying it lavishly! But I can also see myself wearing it once in awhile during the dreary winter months as a mood enhancer.
I’ve been increasingly impressed by Parfums de Nicolaï. Mimosaique is my favorite mimosa scent of all time. Sacre Bleu! is gorgeous and Odalisque is better than Diorissimo (ack! I said that). I also love the fact that you can buy PdN parfums in a 30 ml size – choices are 30 or 50 ml which is fantastic for us perfume-aholics who don’t want huge bottles. The 30 ml size is $45 which seems a bargain for such a high quality fragrance.

I believe Beauty Habit carries both the 30 & 50 ML sizes while Luckyscent only carries the 50 ML size.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Longevity: excellent
Sillage: perfect – not too light and not too heavy

Notes (taken from Luckyscent):
coconut, bitter oranges, ylang-ylang, tuberose, cedar wood and palm