The Smell Of Christmas Eve

Good Mood All Day Long

Elizabeth Arden ardenbeaty

The sky is clear, with tiny clouds. I am resting on a bridge. The Italian spring has arrived. The air is fresh and crisp. Watching the breeze blowing over the tall grass by the river, I see mallards in the distance playing around. I return home and in the air I can smell the ginger basmati rice boiling over a low heat. I am relaxed and life is smiling at me. This is what ardenbeauty remembers.

You cannot imagine my surprise this morning when I opened my page on Parfumo to set the perfume of the day, and I discovered the nose master Antoine Lie created ardenbeauty. Yes, a big surprise because in recent days I have reviewed some of his creations for the niche house One of Those (aka nu_be), and now I’m wearing this fairy tale, which wraps me lightly like light butterfly wings made of rice paper. At first, I thought, after just smelling the dispenser, that it would be a variation of EA 5th Avenue, which I love, but then I tried it this morning and was immediately rewarded with a burst of beautiful fresh flowers, followed a few minutes later by delicious aquatic and then musky notes. No overly sweet notes here, no fruity undertones. In the end, delicate wood scents come into play, but the genuine beauty of this scent is the lilies and rice. It is absolutely divine.

Elizabeth Arden ardenbeaty

The jewel unfolds with a green and spicy bergamot, not too acidic, instead similar to a dewy morning drizzle. To complete this mystical phase, it oozes a familiar and unique note of steaming Basmati rice, so calming and soothing. It is an aroma that makes you want spring. It has that cool, relaxing aquatic vibe that luxury spas have.

As for the heart, announcing itself as a bouquet, let me clarify a couple of things. I have read some reviews that mention a noticeable smell of ginger and rhubarb. In fact, none of them are present here. Instead, there’s a sweet white ginger lily flower (Hedychium coronarium), or sweet snow, with its strong lily-like fragrance, and a pink, smelly love or hate rubrum lily, or stargazer lily, an amazing variety of lily sought after for its fragrance and late summer flowering. The curved hanging flowers are white and crimson and are among the most fragrant. That said, those two fragrant and exotic flowers share the heart with a very watery lotus flower and a golden sunset orchid with rosy and powdery accents.

Creamy, non-dominant Indian sandalwood, white amber that remains clean, smooth and adherent to the skin, not at all resinous, and a plethora of sensual musk warms the dry-down. The blend of those relaxing notes and chords makes me think of a stroll along the beach. All you can hear is the slow, steady sound of low tide. The sunset is warm, but the breeze is cool and the precious white stones shine wet on the beach. Everything is quiet, there is no obsession in your mind.

Elizabeth Arden ardenbeaty

It is so light and crisp, such a good day perfume, definitely for the springtime. It lasts for a suitable length of time on me, almost all business day. The fragrance has a slight spicy hint that gives a deep warmth to my skin. A small spray lasts for a few hours, so it has a great longevity. The bottle is a simple design, tall but chunky feel glass bottle with the traditional gold and red themed spritz and lid that every E.A. fan knows. Stands quite tall amongst the others on my dresser. What an underrated magnificence! Arden Beauty is certainly not boring, and the cost is low, however the scent is extremely stunning and addicting! It is certainly a woody and spicy green musky fragrance with a relative sweetness, never suffocating or cloying. Ultimately, if you are fond of CK Truth or Issey Miyake l’Eau, I am sure you will fall in love with ardenbeauty. I think this is one of the E.A. scents that is underrated, actually.

-Elysium