Anné Pliska
Anné Pliska (1987)

Smooth, well-blended. A wisp of citrus and geranium on my skin. Sweet, almost boozy combo of amber, musk and patchouli. The vanilla smells fairly real. The latter four, are notes I always enjoy in a fragrance. It is an amber oriental that doesn't take any risks. Considering how long it's been around it may have been more unique in its day.

Soft, ambered vanilla, Anné Pliska is a warm, oriental scent with a bright and brief citrus opening, very quickly getting to its vanilla heart and base. Underlying the whole structure is a strong patchouli and soft musk. The sharp geranium in the heart notes gives this a slightly metallic edge, much like the metal in Halston Amber Man. This smells old fashioned in a way that evokes slightly faded sepia-toned femme fatales of yesteryear–Ava Gardner in The Killers, for example. Anné Pliska walks the same path as her contemporary, Obsession by Calvin Klein, but she took one thing off before leaving for the party, avoiding becoming the heavy-handed vanilla/amber sledgehammer that is Obsession. I can see how this might become a woman's signature scent, engraining itself in her clothing, furniture, books, etc.

Fresh bergamot with mandarin to start off with, but soon morphing into a floral heart note set, with geranium and whiffs of oleander setting the tone in the drydown. In the second part of the drydown the amber develops, and a vanilla - well balanced and not to sweet - teams up with a soft patchouli to constitute and restrainedly gourmand-ish base.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and ten hours of longevity on my skin.

Whilst a tad unoriginal overall, This spring scent is executed well and performs well. Pleasant. 3/5.

I so smell the 80s right now.
That said, it's strikingly similar in character to my old foe Obesession, yet has an attitude of its' own. Sweet, woodsy, warm, and clean. In some way delicate but still has a backbone. It's true that the scent stays monotone as other reviewers mentioned; that is the reason for my neutral rating. I would have liked a crisp opening (apple, pear or some aquatic flower) followed then by the vanilla and amber. But with a light hand I can wear this as is.

Delightful Feminine Amber. Shalimar? Not quite. This does'nt have as much going on and thankfully lacks the plasticky irritant of the Guerlain. After the Citrus dies off this remains linear (Amber and Patch), somewhat like Ambre 114, with softened volume and is clearly for the girls.

Perfectly pleasant amber. It's kind of old fashioned with its powdery topnotes paired against sour green chypre elements. As the powder fades, it takes on a vague fruity undertone and pleasant soapy muskiness.

I can see why people love this, but I can also see why one could find it a little dull. It's mostly basenotes, so there's not a lot of excitement or changes through the day, but it smells good, so thumbs up!