Review - Amethyst (Lalique)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on January 14, 2010


This perfume was presented in 2007. It was created by Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich, who enriched the top notes with nutmeg, blackberry and currant.
The heart beats with the accords of intoxicating rose, it is spiced with pepper, peony, lily and sweet, floral ylang-ylang. The base is powdery and soft with Bourboni vanilla and sensual musk. The designer of the bottle is Lalique, of course, and it was inspired by Ralf Lalique’s object for bathroom, Epines – thorns designed in 1920.



First hit is of fruit and powder, this is more dry than I was expecting. Very sweet, ooh and peppery on the first stage. Dammit this reminds me of something I used to have, there's something hugely familiar about this. Giorgio maybe? It does feel very 80s, very similar to something MovieMom wore.

Ooh... on drydown there is a lovely soft musk, that blends well with the rose. Blimey! I was expecting this to be big and brash but it has suddenly calmed down into something much more demure. Not at all what I was expecting, but so good I want to keep sniffing and sniffing and sniffing.

I wonder how long those top notes will last, before its all just roses, musk and vanilla (that you know is waiting in the wings, my skin loves to amp vanilla to 1 louder...). What a cheery little scent!

After 4 hours, there is just the faintest whiff left on my skin, which is a great shame. Surprisingly its not the vanilla that has hung around but warm, musky fruit.

This scent has been a real surprise, I have to say. Samples are hard to come by, so a visit to The Perfumed Court may be in order. If you can find a 4ml official sample, I recommend it, as the packaging is delightful. If found, do try it, full bottles can be ordered here, from John Lewis.