Laura by Laura Biagiotti : Perfume Review

I remember the day I first smelled Laura by Laura Biagiotti very clearly. I was fourteen years old, out for a cup of coffee with a good friend and she, knowing that I loved fragrance samples brought me several her sister had brought back with her from a trip to Italy. We tried most of the samples together, right there at the cafe and the verdict was unanimous: Laura was the best one of them all. My sample did not make it through the weekend; the scent haunted me and I had to have it. I do not even remember how I purchased my first bottle. Did I buy it with my allowance? Was it a gift? A Christmas present perhaps? I do not know anymore, all I remember was that first day I experienced it, and the fact that I was so openly enthusiastic about it, my family kept gifting me with the fragrance every birthday thereafter for many, many years, ensuring a constant supply. I am down to my last bottle now and it has been a great while since anyone has presented me with the familiar oblong box – they know my tastes have changed. I do not wish to be without it, but part of me suspects I will not repurchase sweet Laura when she imparts her last dewdrop on my skin. We have simply grown apart. Yet it is time I pay a small tribute to her, my friend of early adolescence.

Laura is a fresh aquatic-floral that was launched in 1994. The bottle, like many others in the Biagiotti fragrance line, was designed by Joel Desgrippes (Boucheron by Boucheron, Jungle L'Éléphant by Kenzo etc). It is a lovely flacon, which stands out on my perfume display. Its long, delicate, feminine lines perfectly match the scent of the jus within. Laura starts out fruity and fresh, with top notes of peach, plum and lychee. The addition of watermelon at the top imparts a moist, aquatic feel to the perfume’s character, while bergamot oil adds crisp, green freshness. The fruits are never tangy, for which I am grateful. They marry perfectly with the flowery middle notes of carnation, violet, cyclamen, jasmine, muguet and waterlilly. The freesia is probably my favorite of the middle notes, serving to extend the life of the juicy waterfruit with its dewy nature. Even though Laura is a light perfume, one must take care to not overapply. I find that there is a note that can be slightly dominant if it is applied too liberally. The base notes consist of sandalwood, musk, cedar, vetiver and slightly powdery orris.

I do realize that the notes might sound quite overwhelming, but Laura is anything but. It is an ethereal gossamer veil, perfect for a spring day, quenching the skin with its refreshing qualities. It is romantic and delicate and never fails to make me feel girly and innocent. Not only by association of the youthful period in which I first wore it, no. It is its character itself that lends the wearer improbable grace and femininity. It might appear quiet and inoffensive to the ones not tuned in to its peaceful love song. But for those that care to listen, it will whisper and hint at romance and profoundly tender reveries. For those that care to listen, the wearer will shed her armor and come forward unarmed, with palms open, offering flowers as well as her heart.

Pictures courtesy of www.dana.ru and http://harbingergallery.net respectively.