Bottega Veneta
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Blackcurrant bud's tart, almost green fruitiness crashes against bergamot's crystalline brightness, with pear's honeyed softness threading between them. It's fresh without being generic—there's almost a slight tartness, like biting into unripe fruit on a summer afternoon.
The florals bloom gradually, orange blossom providing gentle sweetness whilst jasmine sambac adds a creamy, indolic depth that prevents saccharine drift. Fig leaf emerges as the composition's secret weapon, introducing a subtle herbaceous note that feels cool and grounding against the mounting sweetness.
Tonka bean softens into a warm, almost almond-like sweetness, gently underpinned by olive wood's dry, almost salty earthiness and cedarwood's austere frame. The fragrance settles into a skin scent territory, becoming increasingly intimate and personal as it fades across four to five hours.
Illusione Tonka Solaire is a fragrance that refuses easy categorisation—it sits in that fascinating liminal space between fresh and gourmand, never fully committing to either. Amandine Clerc-Marie has crafted something quietly confident, a scent that whispers rather than shouts. The opening bristles with blackcurrant bud's tart snap against bergamot's citric warmth, whilst pear adds a delicate sweetness that prevents the composition from veering into austere citrus territory. What makes this truly compelling is how the heart notes transform the trajectory entirely. Jasmine sambac and orange blossom don't introduce floral romanticism here; instead, they create a luminous, almost translucent middle that feels sunlit and generous. Fig leaf acts as a crucial moderator, its vegetal greenness preventing the florals from becoming cloying whilst adding a slightly salty, almost mineral quality.
The real intrigue arrives in the base, where Clerc-Marie reveals her hand. Tonka bean typically drowns everything in vanilla-scented submission, but here it's reined in by olive wood—an unusual choice that brings a subtle, slightly astringent Mediterranean quality. The cedarwood grounds everything with dry sophistication. This is a fragrance for those seeking something genuinely wearable without sacrificing personality. It suits warm afternoons more than winter evenings, and works equally well on skin that craves subtlety as on those seeking understated elegance. Wear it when you want to smell like yourself, slightly elevated.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.5/5 (77)