Clinique launched Wrappings in 1990 as their second fragrance for women in the line. Visiting beauty counters as a very young girl at the time, I remember thinking that Clinique was the epitome of good taste and elegance when seeing Aromatics Elixir and Wrappings lined together under the rows upon rows of pastel, tastefully simple-packaged cosmetics. It was the time before all the “Happies”. Clinique was clean, austere, a step above the rest. The magazine ads for Clinique fragrances presented the two as twin sisters in their almost identical bottles and logo designs, but even then, I knew which one I preferred: Wrappings, the difficult sister, the one most people would shy away from due to her tenaciously challenging character. It was certainly not marketed towards pre-adolescent young girls, but I was in love. Wrappings has the same dry and sour character as L’eau Trois by Diptyque, but whereas L’Eau Trois can be seen as almost rural and evocative of bucolic, pastoral scenes, Wrappings reeks of good breeding. In that sense, it is a refined, elegant choice with the same air as Private Collection, smelling of privilege and money. It is a green, aldehydic chypre, with many flowery, marine and herbal notes. Most notably one can revel in its pine-like green accord, held together masterfully by nutmeg and lavender oils. Roses, cyclamens, jasmine and of course carnations form the flowery heart of the perfume, with beautiful moss and cedar acting as the base. But the notes say almost nothing of the creation itself; It is so expertly blended, none of them pop out sharply. 
One would be hard-pressed to define Wrappings as an explicitly sexy perfume – it is not. It is a scent a woman chooses for herself and not for others. But if she chooses it for the right reasons, Wrappings can become inexplicably alluring on her, a true signature scent. Chic sophistication and self-assuredness in a bottle. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued here in Europe, but thankfully it can still be purchased online. For how long, I wonder?Pictures courtesy of www.fragrancenow.net and www.1stperfume.com respectively.
