La Danza delle Libellule
Nobile 1942 (2012)

This insult to femininity, frivolity, and Franz Lehar smells like a five-year-old girl’s strawberry and banana scented bubble bath. Easily one of the ten worst fragrances I have ever smelled. If scrubbing hadn't removed this embarrassment in a bottle, I’d have cut both my arms off at the point of application.

I always smell a perfume "blind" in that I don't read the listed notes first, but go with what my nose tells me. What my nose gets is the biggest blast of Pineapple/Vanilla custard cake, right out of the oven. Just beyond belief! If you can't get the attention of others while wearing this, there's not much hope for you.

If you're after a creamy, candied vanilla that will hang like the fluffiest of clouds around you, then you should be looking here. It doesn't harm things at all that there's a spot-on recreation of a crisp red apple at the start riding on this musked up vanilla. Later on that fruitiness takes on a touch of pears as well. Comforting and not too heavy on the calories, La Danza della Libellule is indulgent without the associated guilt – it's too bright and optimistic for that. Uncomplicated fairy tale fun for my inner child.

Sweet delights! Bergamot and crisp, autumn apple right from the start. Tart accord moves in, from the bergamot. Cinnamon and vanilla notes follow. These notes begin to resemble a white flower, to me. The cedar rising, may be the culprit, the mystery, creating this floral accord. The apple and vanilla remain strong. A hint of coconut gives this an almost Yankee Candle vibe. Cedar & bergamot remain, close to the skin. This is just a happy fragrance. Nothing notably bad I can say about it.

Cotton candy with green and citrus undertone, mouth-watering, becomes herbaceous/spicey. Final warmth of cinnamon--feminine and delicious.

“La Danza delle Libellule/A Dragonflies Dance” takes its inspiration from a famous Operetta with the same name composed by Franz Léhar in early 1900. The Operetta is set in a lush garden and the plot is a sort of fairy-tale romance. The perfume is totally consistent with its inspiration: it features a delicate floral aura introducing the most colourful, mouthwatering fruit bouquet (bergamot, orange, apple and red berries); cocoa and vanilla complement the acidulated gourmand freshness with warm creaminess and a child-like playfulness. But don't expect an overly sweet or cloying scent: sugar overdose is avoided by heavily relying on cinnamon, sober cedarwood and a good musky base tightening the whole together. The result is a sultry fragrance with an optimistic “push”; I sprayed it and began smiling: all of a sudden holidays didn't seem so far.
LDDL is in edp, thus quite diffusive and long lasting.