The Merchant Of Venice
The Merchant Of Venice
93 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
White peach and petitgrain burst forth with bright acidity, immediately reining in ylang-ylang's voluptuous tendencies. The first five minutes crackle with fruity freshness, almost green-tinged, before the florals begin their gradual ascent.
Vanilla and jasmine emerge as the peach recedes, establishing a creamy, softly powdered floral landscape. Rose joins subtly, and the accord becomes increasingly intimate—something that sits close to skin rather than projecting outward, settling into a gentle, almost skin-scent quality by hour two.
Amber and sandalwood create a warm, slightly woody foundation whilst patchouli adds an earthy spice that prevents the finish from becoming purely vanilla. What remains is a soft, creamy sweetness tempered by subtle woodiness—less a grand finale than a graceful fade, lasting several hours in diminished form.
Venezia Essenza pour Femme opens as a study in restraint masquerading as sweetness. The ylang-ylang arrives not as the heady, almost indolic mass you might expect, but tempered by white peach's delicate stone-fruit tartness and petitgrain's bitter-citric snap—a combination that prevents the composition from cloying. There's something almost contradictory about it: floral and fruity work in tandem rather than competition, with the peach providing just enough acidity to keep the ylang-ylang honest.
As it settles, the heart reveals itself as a rather conventional vanilla-jasmine-rose trinity, yet the vanilla here reads creamy rather than gourmand—more custard leaf than caramel. The jasmine carries a gentle, slightly peppery edge rather than the typical indolic richness, suggesting a lighter absolute or perhaps significant dilution. Rose and vanilla intertwine without drama, creating something appropriately soft-focus and feminine in sensibility.
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3.7/5 (97)