Alaïa Eau de Parfum Blanche
Azzedine Alaïa (2016)

It is very powdery, but in a subtle and modern way. It's a thick, woolly scent, you can sense florals and a bit of cashmeran. It feels a bit dry (not as in sour, more as in slightly sandy, sandpapery texture). It's very easy, non-demanding, effortless, simplistic and cozy - all in their best sense of the word.

It's also light and understated - and also powdery, so I can imagine it potentially becoming a bit stuffy if oversprayed, but it's easy to wear otherwise. Very slightly sweet - but in a grown up way.

Don't get scared when your white liquid in a white bottle darkens with age and turns lightly yellow at first, and then gets darker and darker and darker. Your Alaia Blanche might have become Alaia Brunette, but your perfume did not spoil - it's just what vanilla/vanillin does, it gets darker with age. When Alaia Blanche darkens and matures, the scent itself also deepens and sweetens. You might even like it more that way.

Jasmine, gardenia, orange blossom, narcissus, and a dollop of tuberose - wow! White flowers, indeed! Smooth vanilla oozes in. A little bit of some sort of spice peeks in from underneath. It is almost like cloves. Powdery and lipstick accords move in. Nutmeg note. Musk later. Girly.

I was recommended this after asking on the forums about fragrances featuring almond and musk (heliotrope rather than actual almond in this, apparently, but close). The more time I spent with it, the more I realised what a clever composition it is. On first inspection it almost seems naive: it's sweet, powdery sweet, in the desiccated way that a cloud of icing sugar billowing up from your mixing bowl is sweet. But it never gets too sweet; there's something very slightly harsh peeking out from time to time - I don't have the nose to identify it but I suspect a greenish floral note, rather than purest white - which anchors it into reality. And, of course, there's plenty of musk in here. Wearing it, I had the strong impression that I should have been reclining on a sumptuous fur throw, filling out an application form to get my virginity reissued - but then I realised that that isn't the same thing as being transported back to when one actually *had* one's virginity. It's not a girlish, innocent fragrance; it's white-on-white but no less sexy for it. A sly suggestion of sweetness and innocence, but you're well aware that Miss Blanche knows what boys are for. I'm delighted with the coquettishness of it, on top of the fact it's just so damn *pretty* to wear. It has 6-8 hours of longevity as an actual fragrance and was still detectable as a skin scent next morning; my coat sleeve caught some of the test spray and is still carrying it a week later. One of those rare fragrances that makes it onto my wish list.

This is a beautiful fragrance. It is nice and soft, with a musky and milky vibe. The projection is low/moderate, but the longevity is on the short side at about 2-3 hours. It's really lovely if you are looking for a nice vanilla powdery scent topped with white florals lightly dancing in a cloud of milk. It's not too sweet and almost gets that playdough note, but never crosses the line. It has a similarity to Donna Karan Liquid Cashmere White or Costume National So Nude EDT. If you like those scents, then you will like this, but I like Alaia much more.

Something odd going on with the floral/vanilla combo in this weirdo... One minute mildly pleasurable, the next vaguely unsettling. I get no "solar notes" from this one... Perhaps the SLIGHTEST hint of SPF, or perhaps that is the embalming fluid in the funeral parlour that was the inspiration for this creeper.