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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Perfume Review: Antonia's Flowers Sogni del Mare (Dreams of the Sea)

Sogni del Mare (Dreams of the Sea), the new perfume from Antonia’s Flowers, is said to have been inspired by Antonia Bellanca’s home in Cape Cod. It is a delicate, wistful scent that manages to evoke the sea without being aquatic. It makes me think of romantic lighthouses, old white mansions, with which sad ghost stories are associated, and gardens with blossoming trees…of a place by a cold blue sea, in spring or in early summer.

The top notes of Sogni combine the green, mouthwatering tanginess of wild rhubarb and the sweet tartness of black currant buds. The subtle fruitiness in the beginning of the scent’s development is very enjoyable for this hater of fruity fragrances. I love the piquant undertone that rhubarb brings to the composition, and the black currant buds and leaves smell as fresh as if I was rubbing them in my hands. The lotus that begins to blossom in the heart of Dreams of the Sea smells sweet, watery and earthy at the same time. I usually have troubles with wearing scents with a prominent lotus notes. Like lily, lotus tends to be metallic and headachingly heady on me. Here it is gentle, a vision of an ethereal flower bud, only starting to open its dazzling petals. As the scent progresses, it grows a little sweeter, the fruitiness becomes more pronounced. I smell juicy, ripe blackberries and black currants. The impression that Sogni del Mare leaves is that of lightness, freshness and nostalgia. There is something strangely old-worldy about it. It makes me want to wear a long white dress, white gloves and a hat a la the end of the 19th century. To stroll by the sea holding a white umbrella, day-dreaming naïve, romantic dreams.

Sogni del Mare costs $60.00 for 1.7oz. It does not seem to be available yet at antoniasflowers.com, but probably will be in the near future.

Image source, allposters.com.

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40 Comments:

Blogger tmp00 said...

This sounds soooo wonderful...

10:26 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

...but is soooo not you, and soooo not me either :-) But it is lovely.

10:28 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

I know! I want it to be me though! I want to wander the rocky coast!

10:34 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Yeah, me too, and I want to live in a haunted house next to a lighthouse...why am I not in a book? :-)

10:37 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I want to see you both in long flowing white dresses, parasols at the ready to ward of the sun (and avoid that swarthy worker look)...


Aaaah, dreams...

3:41 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmm, another absolutely seducing review. dangerous...

5:08 AM EST  
Blogger chayaruchama said...

Lovely review, dear lady.
I've enjoyed her previous work-and I'll enjoy giving this one a sniff.

6:21 AM EST  
Blogger donanicola said...

I've just finished re reading D du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek - set on the Cornish coast. Your review sent me back there. There's a sort of wistfulness about your lovely description and by the sounds of it the scent itself. I'd like to sniff it though probably not wear it - aquatic usually has me running in the opposite direction.

6:55 AM EST  
Blogger donanicola said...

oh sorry! i have re read your post - you say it's not aquatic!

6:57 AM EST  
Blogger elle said...

OK, I read this and, frankly, although I'm sure it's lovely, it's just way too chock full of notes I have an ambivalent relationship w/. Frankly, I was feeling downright smug by the end of your review and ready to go chat w/ my cc and let it know that a bullet had been dodged - until I saw the price. Whimpers....WHY??? Yes, this merits risking question mark police sirens. Why must this have such a damn decent price and not the Tom Fords or Chanels. Goes off to sulk in corner w/ ccc...

7:40 AM EST  
Blogger marchlion said...

What a lovely, summery read on a miserable day, home with the chilluns now that winter has arrived! It's 5 degrees here, guessing it's the same or worse at your house :-(

8:06 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Leopoldo,
What an image. Just like that painting that I spent hours looking for the other day, because I don't it's name...two ladies strolling the beach...it's on every darn postcard out there and yet I couldn't find it :-)

8:16 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Lady Jane,
Thank you :-)

8:16 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Chaya,
I like the other three AF scents too, especially Floret.

8:17 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Donanicola,
I knew I was sort of describing a book of some sort set in a place like that...but couldn't figure out what it was. I my confused mind it is a ghost story :-)

PS> It isn't aquatic, really, but it is sort of on a fresh side.

8:18 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

L,
Well, I am almost 97,4% sure that you will not like it...no, actually you will like it in a theoretical manner, but not as something you'd wear. I think. That is how I feel about it.

8:20 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Christina,
Thank you. It is so strange that it's not on their website yet, and yet they are already sending out samples with other orders.

8:21 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

March,
It's 16 here, which is, if I understand correctly, -8 celsius. Pfui, it's nothing! Can't scare me with a bit of a winter :-)

8:22 AM EST  
Blogger lilybp said...

You make this sound lovely, but it also sounds far too fruity for me. And if it "not you" and "not Tom," I feel sure it's "not me" either>:)

8:36 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

J,
I think it is safe to say that it is not you either. But it is a lovely scent :-)

8:43 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Patty,
If you like rhubarb and don't mind fruitiness in general (and you don't right?), then you might like this. :-)

9:49 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a lovely description and imagery. Not sure I really want to wear the scent (as lovely as you make it sound, I'm not really in the mood for such a scent), but I do want to wear that long white dress with gloves and dream romantic dreams. :-)

10:02 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

M,
Yeah, I mostly want the dress and the gloves too. Oh, and the umbrella :-)

10:09 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

Leo-

I was thinking more along the lines of a linen suit and straw hat. I'm way to tall to get away with a flowing dress- I'd look like Columbina's suspiciously butch nurse, and that's a little more duMaurier than I want to get.

11:16 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All of Antonia's Flowers scents are old worldly to me. I used to adore Tiempe Passate. This one sounds like a must try just for the experience. Lovely review!

11:35 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aw, Tom. I'm disappointed. I quite like the butch nurse idea.

Ok, linen suit it is. Do you have a cut glass New England accent to use, and a gin and tonic in your hand?

(nb: my word verification is dikwd. Ha!)

11:52 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Tom and Leo,
You are a hoot. ♥

12:01 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Ina,
I agree. And very ladylike, all of them. I like that :-)

12:01 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh myyyyy...a particularly large lemming has just been born. I love the notes (if it's rhubarb, I'm all over it), but even more I love the concept you've created. Growing up around the Great Lakes, lighthouses are very much a part of my childhood and I adore them to this day. Even if I never wear it, this is a fragrance I need to acquire, as much for its ambiance as for its aroma.

dinacola - Frenchman's Creek??? One of my favorite stories ever! Thank you for the reminder, now I must find it at the library and re-read it myself, as it's been far too long between reads.

12:22 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Teri,
I put the book on my reading list too. I hope that you do like Sogni when you get to smell it. Rhubarb wasn't screaming about its presence, but it was definitely there.

12:25 PM EST  
Blogger NowSmellThis said...

Well, is it me? Thinking it might be if it isn't you?

1:06 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

R,
I am not sure. It is kind of fruity, not aggressively so though and it is not sweet...not sure...you probably won't hate it, is all I can guess :-)

1:10 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

Leo-

not only do I have that cut-glass New England accent, but i have the cheekbones to match!

1:40 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ay carumba!

(and now my word verification is bjmlud - which sounds like a servant's proposition to his master - HELLO!)

2:33 PM EST  
Blogger Solander said...

Rhubarb! Damn! Everything's wrong with this fragrance, it's fruity, floral, light, fresh, innocent, but, damn, rhubarb! I fell head over heels in love with CdG Sherbet Rhubarb and I've kept an eye out for rhubarb notes since. (Brit Red and Ciel mon jardin! so far, luckily for my wallet they're not very common)
And hello to you fellow rhubarb-junkies out there! I never knew there were so many of us. How come we don't get more rhubarb scents? And un-fruity rhubarb scents, please?

3:33 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

S,
Well, other things might be wrong with this scent, but as a rhubarb-lover you might really enjoy it :-)

3:40 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Victoria (BdJ):

Oh, it sounds lovely! I especially love the name.

7:07 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

V,
The name is beautiful, so romantic :-)

7:09 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well it sounds lovely to me. I have been drooling to try all the fragrances in this line (especially Antonia's Flowers since it features freesia - one of my favorite florals), Unfortunately they don't seem to be available anywhere in Canada.

10:23 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Cheezwiz,
I am usre you probably looked into it, but just as an outside chance...have you checked if AF ship to Canada? I got the sampler set for them for $3 including shipping. Even if there an additional charge for shipping to Canada, it wouldn't be much, I think.

10:28 PM EST  

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