Buenos Aires has a gorgeous, bitter herbal opening. Rich, sparkling bergamot and a cool, almost medicinal vibe that I pick up as lavender and orange rind – sit above a heart of green-tinged, powdery Turkish rose. The clean rose is slightly soapy, a gleaming pink colour and fresh like pushing your nose right into the middle of the flower. The cool aspect turns warmer, as a subtle tobacco note and a resinous orange blossom (I don’t know why I always refer to orange blossom as resinous but my nose so often interprets it that way) undercut the citrus in a rich, warm support.
A truly gorgeous rosewood comes in with full force after a few minutes – and this note is one I am growing to love more and more as I smell it. It occasionally presents the dryness of cedar, and almost has a “nuttiness” to it, smoothed out with floral notes and a damp, dewy, fresh-cut-timber scent. An unusual green-tea aroma adds a herbal bitterness that is listed as “mate” – I’ve never smelt this note alone, but it brings to mind the use of green tea in the similarly translucent and transcending Lumiere by Aftelier. It adds a greenery to the fragrance without smelling of leaves or earth – it has the texture of smoke, you can almost taste it. The “smoke” is enhanced by a tobacco note – although the tobacco adds little more than a touch of dust and smoke – giving the fragrance a quiet suede-like texture underneath. It’s not at all like pipe tobacco, there’s no fruit or honeyed notes – it is a completely clear trail throughout Buenos Aires that acts more like an incense – very interesting!
The rose dominates, but the orange blossom bulks up the floral accords with a slightly narcotic bitterness – the herbal notes from the opening reinforced by violet leaf and what smells like a touch of patchouli. The woodiness continues well into the base, made sweeter as it dries down. But all in all, Buenos Aires remains a little linear once it gets into the heart – a subtle but beautiful, fresh floral duo, some mystery bitter herbal notes, and a glorious woody/earthy base – it sounds traditional but it’s balanced exceptionally with a combination of notes that makes it smell both modern and comfortable. Another fragrance in the La Bella Figura house that smells uncomplicated, clear in its aim, and gorgeously meditative to wear – a very personal fragrance.
Buenos Aires .25oz oil La Bella Figura – $90 http://www.labellafigurabeauty.com
It sounds like something quite right up my alley.
I think so too! The only downside being they unfortunately last little over an hour
oh well – reapply reapply
Oh no, such poor longevity. There’s one perfume I love but it’s longevity pushes me away from buying it – Eau d’Hadrien by Annick Goutal. On me it disappears in 2 hours
I get a similar thing with Un Matin D’Orage by Annick Goutal – but I drench in it like it’s water, and it just about gets me through to lunch time
So in this case the amount sprayed solves the problem. Does this Buenos Aires appear in samples too? I’d like to give it a try.
Yep you can get samples of it on the La Bella Figura website
Yup, checked their site right after asking my question and I see they are priced 6$, I guess plus shipping costs
I thought the maté added a nice astringency. Really perfect. Glad to see you are enjoying the line!
That must have been what I was mistaking for lavender. I am enjoying them (while they last!)
Yeah. Those bottles are so cute, but tiny. I have dry skin in the winter, so oils just don’t last very long
You have a knack for finding the most unique fragrances out there. I definitely want to try this one out.
Definitely worth exploring – I keep falling more in love with naturals
Thank you for such an in depth review of Buenos Aires, which happens to be my own personal favorite of The Travel Diaries Collection. I have this suspicion that the reason BA doesn’t last over an hour on you Freddie is the male hormone factor. Natural perfumes have the beautiful ability to create a type of personal blueprint on the wearer that evolves with your own personal chemistry and of course male hormones are different. It’s so interesting to hear because I find it lasts hours on me and this is making me consider something special just for men!
And yes, maté is the deep tea note you’re hitting. I could smell maté all day long! It’s exquisite.
Cheers to a wonderful review!
Victoria
La Bella Figura
I love that mate note so much! And yeh, the longevity thing isn’t a big issue for me really and I expect it from some natural fragrances – at the end of the day – I review the fragrance from start to finish rather than it’s life, and Buenos Aires is l-o-v-e-l-y
a real comforting wear.