After smelling Milano Fragranze‘s discovery kit a couple of times, Deb @olfaxtory and I decided to write about it together. We both like the brand so much and are so excited to see how it will grow in the future, acknowledging that their first 8 perfumes are amazing. We agree that the Masque Milano team has truly outdone themselves with this launch.
It was 10 am Paris morning, Deb and I connected virtually to smell and discuss Diurno. Why Diurno? When we first smelled Diurno in the launching event, Diurno was one of the perfumes that caught our attention because of its uniqueness. We thought Diurno is one of a kind, and knowing that it was built on top of a classic fougere accord makes it even more attractive to be explored.
Smelling Diurno feels like an eventful journey, with its twists and turns and unexpected surprises.
In the opening, Diurno smells like almond. More precisely, it smells like almond liquor which is amaretto. When I first smell Diurno, it quickly reminded me of a glass of affogato with vanilla ice cream, liquor, and coffee. It makes me imagine sitting comfortably inside a cafe where I could see the Duomo di Milano from the glass window in the summer afternoon. I slowly stir my ice cream, letting it drown in the liquor-ish coffee, and take a sip. It was delightful.
Diurno opens up somewhat pasty sweet, just like the smell of almond. Its fruitiness somehow reminds me of red cherries too. Within a few minutes, this sweetness disappeared and was replaced by a wave of aromatic scents that I recognize as a classic fougere accord. Deb was taken aback for a while, as this was not the fougere that she knows. To her, fougere smells like lavender-sage driven or those ‘blue’ fragrances out there. Little did she know that the term fougere has evolved over time.
Timeless, Fougere.
Classically, fougere accord is built by notes, such as bergamot, lavender, oakmoss, geranium, salicylates, and coumarin. In 1882, the first fougere perfume was created by Paul Parquet for his maison, Houbigant, called Fougère Royale. It was successful at that time and became a new pillar for masculine perfume. The accord stays and is named fougere ever since–fresh, clean, and soapy. Some of the classic fougere perfumes are Jicky (Guerlain, 1889) and Brut (Faberge, 1964).
Long story short, the fougere structure adapts to face the market evolution and new fragrance regulations. Hence the fougere perfumes we often see in the market today.
Diurno has the classic fougere structure, and those are the notes that speak loudly following the delightful opening of Diurno. The lavender and sage heighten the fresh aromatic feeling, somehow giving an illusion of ice cream floating in a cup of coffee–that contrast between cold and hot. The transition is smooth, though. The aromatics come in a very delicious balance, coupled with geranium, which adds to the coolness and gives sheer floralcy.
Diurno is rich; it has many layers that open eloquently with time.
Following the geranium, we noticed clean ambery notes that feel powdery and dusty. I recognize it as the scent of the tonka bean (coumarin) with some amberwoods, and–this is the most exciting part for us as avid fans of this particular wood– vetiver. We found the presence of vetiver in Diurno is compelling because it is developed differently: it feels wet, not dry, non-smoky, yet it also feels earthy as it exudes a hint of bitterness.
I once worked with vetiver notes and tried to pair it with lots of musks to make it fluffy. And here, I feel it. Together with the tonka bean notes, the vetiver and musks combination brings out Diurno’s enveloping side. This is, indeed, our favorite part of the journey.
As the journey is closing to an end, Diurno again takes an unexpected turn. The scent feels muskier with another kind of woodiness that perhaps comes from moss, giving a hint of green and earthy notes. It creates a comforting sillage that we, as the wearer, absolutely could indulge in it. And I bet people around us could also appreciate this lovely scent. Overall, Diurno is such an exciting fragrance to wear and enjoy.
Honestly, Diurno was not love at first sight for both of us. Nevertheless, we are considering purchasing Diurno soon after wearing it. Learning from our experiences, we cannot stress enough the importance of trying on the perfume before putting a ‘label’ on it. First impressions might change, you know, scents can really grow in us. We might miss out on something wonderful if we stop at the fragrance pyramids 😉
Get your Milano Fragranze at their website www.artisticfragrances.com, or maybe like us, you can order it through @aroundthescents.
Have you tried any perfume from Milano Fragranze? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
Until next time 🙂
Bisous,
