I have spent the past year or so trying to step up my perfume game, and join in on the fun that my co-workers seem to be having when they walk around emanating a cloud of some intoxicating designer elixir. This is a slightly daunting task, since I have sensitive skin, and my body chemistry Does Not react well to the usual popular brands. Dior, Versace, Chanel--I've wasted a lot of money on stuff that ends up reeking on me or giving me a rash and I end up giving it away. I spent the last decade going all in on essential oils, which work well most of the time, but wearing only one or two scents at a time is, well limited fun. It doesn't have that "wow" factor that we all want to unleash once in a while.
When I found Scent Decant, I was so freaking happy! The department stores don't give samples in containers away anymore, and the single spray you get from the counter ladies isn't enough to realistically judge whether a full size bottle is worth investing in. My first order was like, a dozen samples of stuff I'd been dying to try, and never got around to going to Macy's or Perfumania or whatever. The 1 ml and 3 ml vials are a practical, elegant solution. Even the small one is enough to get 2 or 3 all-day wears from, if you like it, and if it doesn't pass the first sniff test, you're only out a coupla bucks. Nobody has ever refused the sample vials I've offered them that I did not care for, so you turn a minor loss into a win for your friends!
As for the Bella Bianca, by Oscar de la Renta--this stuff is pure bliss!!! Mind you, I am super-picky out of necessity, and I've never been big on florals or cloyingly sweet scents. The minute I smelled it in the sample vial, I was like, "oh wow!" When I sprayed on my wrist, it morphed into a puff of heavenly goodness! It's very clean for a floral, only a hint of sweetness, balanced out with a top note of "rain " or "ocean" or sea spray (like my husband's Nautica colognes) and the base note is a hint of musk, maybe? It's a "light" scent, as in "not heavy," but it definitely has impact and staying power! As with all perfumes, the sillage either makes or breaks it, and the longer this wears on me, the better it smells. I sprayed a bit on to inspire my writing of this review, and right now, I smell like I just walked through a sunny garden of white flowers on a breezy spring day at the seaside. How the heck they managed to bottle "sunshine," I do not know, but I love it! It's a "golden" mid-note in the midst of all the flowers and water.
First I bought the travel-size bottle, to hedge my bet and to bring it with me on a bucket-list trip to Paris. I tell you this not to brag, but to drive home the point of how Awesome this perfume is. With Bella Bianca as my secret weapon, I was able to walk around the city with the confidence of a native Parisienne. Strangers spoke to me in French, in the subway, in the pizza joint, in the stores. This perfume helped me BLEND IN with the locals, in Paris!!!
When I got home, I immediately bought the full-size bottle. Which, btw, was so much LESS expensive on the S.D. website, than even the sale price at my usual retail resources, or even Amazon. (And let's face it, who wants to gamble $50 to $100 on the shysters on AMZ or E-bay? Not me! S. D. is a sure thing in comparison.) Since I have bought the bottle, I can walk around anytime I want in a cloud of deliciousness. And the complements? Fah-geddabouddit! It's a stunner to both men and women. Even the crusty old dude at my work (there's always at least one, right?!) stopped dead in his tracks in front of me and asked me what I was wearing so he could buy some for his wife. My Sisters, it is THAT GOOD!