I have been fortunate to sample all the Mona Di Orio fragrances recently. I had been wanting to try them for awhile.
Mona Di Orio is a perfumer from France who was mentored by the famed Edmund Roudnitska.
Her fragrances are incredibly well done and the use of the finest of raw materials shows through. These are complex creations.
The perfumes seeem to share a somewhat similar base, in the vein of the " Guerlainade". There is a sandalwood, amber feel to most of the drydowns. What strikes me most in these, is the evolving nature of them. The fragrances seem to go through many changes on the way to the base drydown. Good changes.
Carnation:
Carnation is a very powdery floral. I can smell lots of ylang ylang, slowly then getting a woodsy aspect.I also smell geranium in there and geranium bourbon is in the notes. It seems a very old fashioned fragrance. Not a true floral, but a spicy blend.
The notes do not include carnation, by the way. The fragrance is named for the pink of a woman's complexion ( Carnation in french.)
Other notes include begamot, jasmin, styrax.
Nuit Noire:
This one has a major burst of sandlewood in the drydown. There is also cedar, coming from the cedarwood note. It is also powdery, but much less so than Carnation. This is a darker fragrance, but by no means simply for evening.
Nuit Noire has great sillage and lasting power as all the Mona Di Orios's seem to.
Lux: This is my favorite and one that goes on the "list", the very long list of ones to buy .
Lux really is like it's name. It's bright and clear. Initially you get a burst of citrus, not straight lemon, but more citronella like. Not the candle variety , more of what the Scented Geranium smells like( the actual note is sicilian lemon). It also reminds me of a burning lemon verbena candle, as a smokiness comes through quickly following the citrus. It's a sweet, and not overpowering smokiness , though. One that blends well with the citrus. Makes it a fragrance for a cool summer night.
The sandalwood, vanilla and amber come into play here too. They underscore all the rest. This perfume goes through many layers and evolves over time.
Lux lingers long on the skin and has nice sillage. All day you have a smoky citrusy lemon wafting on your skin.
Oiro: The fragrance of jasmin. An abundant jasmin floral, with the Mona Di Orio base of musk and amber, Oiro is soft and rich at the same time. A luxurious fragrance. A little citrus comes through at the beginning, then the warm amber base comes along to mingle with the jasmin. The jasmin is there always, and this perfume changes less than the others.
Oiro uses the rarest and costliest jasmin absolut. Other notes include green mandarin, heliotrope, vetyver,sweet pea , and immortelle. The ful list can be found on the company website.
Oiro is my second favorite here, and another that would be nice to have .
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I find these to be sophisticated , beautiful fragrances, even the ones that are not totally me. They are worth trying if you can, and would look, and smell, very nice next to the rest of your collection.
The company website lists all the outlets to buy these. They are hard to come by, but Aedes in NY will ship,( Aedes.com) and there is a shop in Charlotte,NC that carries them as well.
