Fragrance Fragments: Dahlia Noir, Prada Candy, and Bottega Veneta

Since I was showered with fragrance samples for Neiman Marcus Beauty Week, I thought it might be fun to give you a quick description of three that are among the samples in the Beauty Week tote.

Givenchy Dahlia Noir Eau de Parfum

A fantasy flower - the first fragrance developed under the creative direction of Riccardo Tisci, Dahlia Noir embodies the mysterious, singular radiance of a woman's graceful power. Dahlia Noir is both feminine and sensual thanks to its floral and powdery facets, but also powerful and captivating with its woody base notes. A couture fragrance all in pure lines, a return to supreme luxury. The quintessence of the Givenchy style.

By most accounts, I should like Givenchy's Dahlia Noir ($90 to $110). I'm not smitten. It's a powdery, dusty, chypre floral. With top notes of mandarin, pink pepper, and mimosa, heart notes of rose, iris, and patchouli, and base notes of sandalwood, vanilla, and tonka bean, it had potential. I had strolled by a free-standing exhibit at the store a few weeks ago, smelled a lovely floral, and asked for a sample. At that point, I should have realized that if I could smell the display that vividly, it might be a strong scent.

To my nose, it opens heavy and stays heavy for hours. I can smell the rose. I can smell the vanilla on dry-down. The patchouli isn't obnoxious, and the pepper makes it lively. What I don't "get" from Dahlia Noir is the opening of citrus/fruit notes. The mandarin and mimosa are missing in action for me.

It's too heavy for my tastes during its first two hours. It smells like an old-fashioned, heavy floral. In its third hour, it becomes rather pleasant, but I can't get past the first few acts of the production. All in all, it's nice enough, but I don't feel any need to buy it.

Prada Candy Eau de Parfum

Prada Candy ($80 to $108) is a different story! I wasn't expecting to like Prada Candy, but I do.

Prada Candy, the new feminine fragrance of Prada, enriches the Prada brand's fragrance universe with another vision: colorful, pop, and explosive. Prada Candy incarnates the new Prada woman: she's daring, sensual, full of life, and implosive. The perfume is named after this seductive and joyful girl who is running wild.

The top notes explode with caramel. Prada Candy is a gourmand delight. As it drys down, the heart, a powdery cocktail of musks delights with its softness. It smells like skin, only better. The base notes consist of vanilla and a "benzoin" overdose (if it's really a 12% concentration as reported, it's definitely a heavy dose).

Created by Daniela Andrier, Prada Candy is perfectly named. It opens with a flush of caramel candy. I envision a caramel chocolate (Fran's salted caramels to be specific), and I want to nibble on my arm. It's a luscious, edible fragrance. Who could resist? As it dries down, it becomes a soft, powdery, sensual fragrance - one that's extremely comfortable. Think hot chocolate. There's nothing particularly unique about it, but it's eminently likeable. That may read like a contradiction, but I can't detect anything about Prada Candy that's precedent-setting, as Prada's fashion often is. Despite that, I would purchase Prada Candy, if I had some extra money lying around.

Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum

I've already raved about Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum ($65 to $475). I adore it.

A complex and abstract mix of raw materials woven harmoniously. It is in the way of the weaving technique "intrecciato" associated with the brand Bottega Veneta, that master perfumers Michel Almairac and Amandine Marie have composed a singular, characterful fragrance.

From the very start, the olfactive identity of the brand appears through the original cross combination of plum and pink pepper, which brings brightness and depth. A strong and charismatic note of Sambac jasmine (variety of jasmine less animal and more floral), reflects in the heart the elegance of the "BV" woman. Harmonious contrast between modernity and tradition, this fragrance continues to radiate through its specific leather accord, symbol, and signature of Bottega Veneta fashion design.

I could live in Bottega Veneta's new fragrance. The scent is very feminine. Whether it's the association with fine leathers or by design, I smell a floral leather in the fragrance. It opens with a spicy note - the pepper, I'm sure - that departs the stage within seconds, leaving behind a soft floral. The floral notes dominate and remain with the fragrance until it fades into the skin. A leathery softness develops in the mid-notes and lasts for hours. I smell harmonious and pleasant memories. The scent is sensuous, soft, comfortable, and romantic. Never too assertive, just as Bottega Veneta's leather bags are conservatively elegant, Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum is a scent I could wear to sleep, one that relaxes me and make me dream of life's simple pleasures.

It's nice that the Beauty Week tote offers three entirely different samples. I'll bet one of them will strike your fancy. Have you tried them? Did you get your tote with samples? What did you think?

Ph0tos courtesy of Neiman Marcus

Prada Infusion de Tubéreuse

I am a huge fan of tuberose, the white floral, night-blooming plant prominent in Indian culture. I'll bet you have seen and smelled tuberose in floral arrangements and not realized what it was. My Art with Flowers friends at Tysons Galleria did something so sweet for me about a year ago when they gave me a few stalks of tuberose to take home with me. They perfumed my bedroom for days!

Tuberose has been described as complex, exotic, sweet, floral, and sultry. One of my favorites for many years was Jo Malone's Tuberose. I was bummed when her tuberose bath oil discontinued.

If a fragrance is tuberose-based, I must try it. I jumped for joy when I learned that Prada was introducing a new fragrance with tuberose at its heart. Although I never liked Prada's early fragrance introductions (I thought the one named Prada was a stink bomb), I was swept away by perfumer Daniela Andrier's Infusion de Fleur d'Oranger. I hoped that Infusion de Tubéreuse ($74-135) would be as enticing.

It is! As with most Prada introductions, it's a hot ticket. It is featured in the May 2010 Vanity Fair and the May 2010 InStyle. Infusion de Tubéreuse is also now featured on my body!

Described as an unexpected mix of tuberose from India, petitgrain bigarade, blood orange from Italy, and luxurious dynamone, Infusion de Tubéreuse could be called traditional or modern. It just depends on your nose and your perspective. I'm perfectly happy with traditional.

Here's Prada's description of the composition.

Tuberose from India: Tuberose is a symbol for creation - intoxicating and penetrating. In Infusion de Tubéreuse, the flowers are delicate and young, like morning buds not yet touched by the sun.

Petitgrain Bigarade: Made from the leaves of the bitter orange tree, petitgrain bigarade is reminiscent of fresh green leaves after the rain.

Blood Orange from Italy: Juicy citrus notes of blood orange from Italy are blended with precision to give a sparkling freshness to the tuberose.

Dynamone: A rare and luxurious ingredient in perfumery, dynamone brings sensuality to Infusion de Tubéreuse. Its woody notes bring the citrus and floral notes into harmony, enabling this fantasy infusion.

This tuberose fragrance is lightened by the zippy blood orange and green notes. It is soft and subtle. Give it a try. It smells great!

The design of the packaging and on the bottle cap of the fragrance was inspired by an archive Prada print. It's mauve and a perfect counterpoint to the bottle.

I bought mine at Saks. It came in a set with a matching body lotion for $100, which you can also purchase at Nordstrom. Other department stores and specialty stores that carry Prada fragrances will also have it.

Photos courtesy of Nordstrom and wikio.co.uk

Prada's Infusion de Fleur d'Oranger Eau de Parfum Spray

Fragrance Alert!

Prada's Infusion de Fleur d'Oranger ($100 for 3.4 oz) may not be available for much longer. Planned to be on the store shelves for only four months (the Ephemeral Infusion Collection will launch each year and be a limited edition), it could soon disappear! That's a pretty clever marketing ploy since it will force me to buy a second bottle long before I need it.

I have not been taken with Prada's earlier fragrance offerings, so I only stopped in Saks for a whiff of this one because I love orange blossom fragrances. Was I surprised! Best described as mandarin, orange blossom absolute, and neroli, mixed with luxurious jasmine and tuberose, this fragrance is a stunner. Fresh, clean, floral but not sweet, and, in my book, heavenly.

Available in two sizes and accompanied by a body lotion, this Prada offering is worth checking out before it disappears. You can find it at Saks, Nordstrom, and other department stores. Check it out before it's too late!

Photo courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue.