VILHELM PARFUMERIE BASILICO & FELLINI

Dragon Fruit, Basil
Violet, Wild Fig
Vetiver, Green Hay

MOVIES WITH A TOUCH OF BASIL

The unmistakable smell of risotto bianco and a minty, peppery kick as the ultra fresh basil warms on the dish. A bon vivant who wanted to show life in all its glorious reality – people eating, sleeping and making love – Federico Fellini was said to request extra servings of this herb, rumored to be an aphrodisiac.

I think basil is a beautiful herb: so fragrant and delicious! It works with savory and sweet dishes. Its freshness lifts flavors. Spectacular! I don't often try fragrances with basil notes; I'm excited. I also don't often see dragon fruit in fragrances fragrance, so that's new and exciting too. Though, I'm not expecting much because it's one of my least favorite fruits, and I don't recall it having a scent. 

Sidenote: why does the picture have tomatoes? Am I missing something where tomatoes are also called dragon fruits or vice versa? Confused and amused. 

The fragrance is slightly basil-y. To my nose, it's predominantly fig and violet. The basil is far in the back to give the perfume a more herbaceous and green quality; the same can be said for the vetiver. It's a short-lived basil. The fragrance is creamy, sweet, and bright because of the figs. I like it tremendously and think it'd be a lovely body cream or a hand lotion. It's a unisex fragrance that leans slightly more feminine with its creaminess and sweetness. 

Perhaps it's the copy emulating the Dolce Vita lifestyle; the fragrance reminds me of Purple Noon. It's someone Ripley is copying, not Philippe. Unbuttoned shirt, linen pants, leather sandals, espresso on the balcony with a cigarette, wealthy man on holiday, yachting into the sunset, and sunbathing. Fresh seafood from the ocean is prepared in a restaurant while you sip on your apertif.