Mendittorosa
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Ravansara and white thyme burst through with an almost camphorous clarity, herbaceous and slightly astringent, cutting through any expectation of sweetness. Within three minutes, the carnation emerges with peppery insistence, already hinting at the spiced character to come.
By the first hour, clove and nutmeg have joined forces with that carnation, creating a warm, slightly animalic spice that feels distinctly vintage without resorting to pastiche. Saffron adds a subtle golden dryness, and jasmine appears in the background like a remembered melody, adding depth without derailing the spiced-woody trajectory. This phase is where Alfa truly reveals its character—complex, multi-faceted, genuinely interesting.
The fragrance settles into its frankincense-sandalwood-oud base, the herbaceous top notes entirely absent, replaced by a woody-resinous warmth punctuated by residual spice and that creeping white musk. What remains is intimate and contemplative, a skin scent that smells rather like wearing expensive incense-treated wool close to your body.
Alfa is an exercise in restrained opulence—a fragrance that refuses to whisper when it could roar, yet somehow manages restraint through sheer architectural precision. Amélie Bourgeois has constructed something genuinely rare here: a spiced oriental that prioritises the conversation between carnation and clove over cloying sweetness, where frankincense acts not as a softening agent but as a structural pillar holding everything upright.
The opening gesture belongs to ravansara and white thyme—herbaceous and almost medicinal, they prevent Alfa from descending into dated orientalism. But the real intrigue emerges as the heart notes assert themselves: that carnation-clove pairing creates an almost peppery quality, reminiscent of vintage carnation perfumes from the 1970s, before saffron and nutmeg arrive to add warmth and a subtle earthiness that keeps things grounded rather than powdery. Jasmine appears late enough in the heart phase to add floral sophistication without dominating.
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3.8/5 (179)