The sweet sexiness of Versace Crystal Noir EDP: fragrance review
The Versace aesthetic has always been a powerful, in-your-face, unabashed sensuality. From the time Gianni Versace designed his Italian couture line, through his sister Donatella Versace's helming of the company -- including a cosmetics line back in the day and a popular fragrance line after his death, there has never been anything prissy or sporty associated with the company. Versace is especially popular in Hollywood, Miami, Dallas and other places where women are not afraid to flaunt their femininity.
In Italy, both men and women make a tradition of smelling alluring and delicious. Attraction, connection, flirting aren't dirty words in that culture. Versace Crystal Noir takes on the mantle of making a woman's scent sexier. I was happy to be hosted to experience it! The easiest way to purchase this particular fragrance, as not all the Versace scents are at all stores, is through FrangranceNet.com. Have it sent right to your door and avoid mall parking!
This creation of perfumer Antoine Lie is packaged in a low, flattened dark glass bottle with faceted stopper that's actually larger than the fragrance container itself. Satisfying to hold in the hand, there's something flashy and indulgent about the stopper.
A good deal of the pleasure from fragrance comes from fantasy and the imaginary places the various notes take you. This Eau de Parfum transports one to an exotic tropical island, but not the scents one might find in the Caribbean. Rather, the various scent components point to ingredients more common on remote South Pacific locales. Instead of the more familiar suntan lotion - beach cocktail notes, I noticed rare woods, including sandalwood, indigenous to the South Pacific trade routes. There's sweetness, yet smokiness to the composition.
Various sources describe notes of amber, musk (which has a vanilla-powder quality), gardenia, pepper, ginger and coconut. While this list seems like a "gourmand" type perfume, it's more sophisticated and less easily identified than those typically would be.
During the dry down, I experienced more sparkling, fresh notes like mint. This makes this a more modern mix than, say, a 1980s fragrance that's more heavy-handed.
