Cialenga
Balenciaga (1973)

Song sparrows sing outside my window as I contemplate Cialenga, and it embodies springtime: it's not cold, but cool, there is an inky dampness of thawing earth, the verdancy of young leaves and the silhouette of white florals, in the periphery. There is a cassis that renders the opening movement tart and palpable, tinted with rose. Most notably, the iris forms its crux, anchoring the seemingly gossamer elements to a violet-hued, powdered woodiness. The mossiness of its base is translucent and luminous.

It feels disciplined, restrained, poetic. It reminds me of the emphasis of line, color and form in minimalist art, like Ellsworth Kelly: down to the bare elements. In its sparseness, each component breathes, each outline is lucid. This may underwhelm noses hungry for lots of heft and activity, but in a more meditative state, it all 'comes together.' I imagine this would've been more popular with the well-read than the extroverted party-goer.

I'd love to try this in parfum form as the EDT is quite beautiful. 

A blancmange rose on a dusty chypre base.

3*

Carded sample of pure perfume

The absolute peak delight when applying this scent is the phenomenally gorgeous opening blast: a mix of fresh berry fruitiness, green herbal notes and hints of vetiver - wonderful! In the drydown floral tendencies predominate, mainly iris and jasmine, but later on a very nice ylang-ylang that is given depth by an overarching clove impression. A velvety rich Bulgarian rose leads me to the last stages in the journey.

The base is quite different again, with the rose being complements by a smooth sandalwood and a gentle but rich patchouli providing a typical base for a chypre fragrance, an observation that is confirmed by the gradual rising of a fairly light and smooth oak moss in the background.

The performance is a bit patchy, with the initial moderate sillage and good projection being increasingly muted over time, and after the first couple of hours it is very close to my skin. Still, is is composed of ingredients of supreme natural quality, is blended extremely well without losing structure, and lasts seven hours in total on my skin.

In summary, a great vintage scent for spring. 3.75/5.

This classic scent, identical to Coty's reissue of its classic Chypre, is for me a warm and interesting take on the scent of crushed caraway seed. It's of course a chypre and one that is therefore a mix of herbal and spice (I don't know exactly where the scent of caraway falls in the ingredient spectrum.

It does not have great silage, sits close to the body, but has great longevity. A one ounce edt bottle is quite strong and long lasting enough for an evening's wear.

It is like its sister, Prelude, discontinued, but like that scent, is readily and copiously available on Ebay for very reasonable prices. Try to locate the tall ribbed classic Balenciaga bottle edition as it would be close to the original release.

I like Cialenga for the summer: it is a light, slightly slightly green and woody floral, which reminds me very slightly of Hermes' Amazone though it is much "cooler"; I have not smelled anything that is quite the same. It is lighter and not as rich as the other Balenciaga frangrances, and possibly not as elegant, but a lovely perfume for hot weather.

I got an old sample of the parfum from a generous Basenoter. The topnotes have gone off, but from what I could make of it, it starts off with aldehydes and a bright floral note, lily I think. The middle notes are spicy and of fresh florals and what I think is a bit of rose. The overall effect is a spicy, soapy, and woody green floral that reminds me a little of Hermes Caleche, although I do prefer Caleche a lot more. Despite its fresher and soapy aspects, I think its much better for one who likes to reflect their more serious side with the love of the outdoors.