Fair Verona
Strange Invisible Perfumes (2005)

On me, all SI frags briefly smell faintly of bubble gum, then vanish. We just don't get along.

When I was a kid I got a tiny vial of "Orange Blossom Souvenir Perfume" while on vacation in Florida. The 1/8 oz. bottle came in a cute little wooden orange fruit, and the cap of the bottle served as the stem. At the time, I believed it truly elicited the smell of the blossoms I'd smelled in Florida. I loved this souvenir perfume, and I remember it as having the pure smell of Florida orange blossoms, (in contrast with my perception of California orange blossoms, which only Jo Malone has captured perfectly in fragrance form). On my skin Fair Verona is a scent illustration of orange blossom that immediately evokes my concept of Florida orange blossom. Fair Verona quickly develops into a scent reminiscent of neroli essential oil, which makes me recall that little wooden orange. (There's nothing technical about this comparison, it's purely my olfactory response stimulated by my imagination - there may not be a drop of neroli in this, for all I know). On me, Fair Verona overall, is a soft, smooth neroli (bitter orange tree oil) scent. There's a hint of minty green upon application, but it fades quite quickly and develops into a fragrance that jolted into my memory the little wooden orange I had more than 30 years ago. Fair Verona has a fresh, sparkly opening that morphs into a deeper, oilier scent. Like Tropical Vial, one of the top notes reminds me of Un Jardin Sure le Nil, but this note is fleeting. Fair Verona's notes are listed (on siperfumes.com) as citrus essences from Italy, cardamom, green myrtle, Egyptian jasmine, Sicilian lemon, and bergamot. Fair Verona is a lovely fragrance, and I enjoy it throughly for as long as I can smell it. After about 20 minutes I have to sniff my skin, just to get the faintest whiff of powdery orange oil. It leaves a hint of scent on my skin that gets rejuvenated if I got outside in the heat, and it doesn't wash off easily in the pool or with sweat, but I wish it had a teeny bit of sillage. If this fragrance was as unique, unusual, and compelling as, say Magazine Street, I would spend $135.00 for an edp, and treasure it, but this won't be a purchase for me. If you love orange blossom/citrus/neroli, or you're enamored with Romeo and Juliet, you must try Fair Verona. As with all the ingenious Strange Invisible Perfumes, imagination and personal chemistry are the keys to unlocking their secrets.

This is my favorite of the Strange Invisible Perfumes. Fair Verona is a resin fragrance with lemony jasmine. It features citruses, mimosa, sandalwood, and jasmines. There is a particularly attractive resin in this, and it is well-matched to the citrus. These are natural essences distilled without solvents, so their aroma is different than one would expect. The citrus is not sharp or sour, but rather like candied lemon peel. The jasmine is heavy and creamy. A lovely, highly unusual fragrance.

The most lasting, rich neroli scent I've found yet, with interesting accents added by the other notes in the blend. Very feminine and pretty, a wonderful scent for day, although for the price ($185 a bottle) you will want to save it for special occasions. It has more presence than Le Labo Neroli 36.