Monday, July 8, 2013

Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries Coralina

I featured a review of the first of the Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries the other week and today we are onto to the second of the six fragrances, Sargasso was the first fragrance that I used from the samples that were included with my June Glossybox and it was an early favorite for me.  Today I am wearing and looking at the second fragrance of the group, Coralina, a fragrance that I loved the second that I put it on but am rapidly falling out of love with.

Since it is the beginning of July, I decided to use the fragrances in this group of six that would be appropriate for this time of the year.  I won't be able to really wear and review a strong fragrance that I would wear more in the fall and winter and therefore any of the scents that are described as such will be saved until September at the earliest.  Coralina and Mi Corazon look to be the other two fragrances that could be worn in warm weather and I decided to start with Coralina for my next fragrance.  Coralina is described as being a "timeless floral" and I got very excited as this is one of my favorite fragrance categories.

The Saks Fifth Avenue website and store are the exclusive places to purchase this fragrance line.  "A timeless, classic floral bouquet as elegant as the women who inspire Mr. de la Renta's luxurious designs: ladylike, refined, and rare.  The scent is an unforgettable blend of mimosa, violet, and orris, softened with luxurious woody green notes."  This is one of the few fragrances that I have ever used that has started out smelling one way and then almost completely reverses within a half hour of wear.

I don't dislike this fragrance at all but I can't say that I really like the way that is develops.  When I first put the fragrance on, the green notes come out and the fragrance smells like the beach and reminds me of a slightly lighter version of Bobbi Brown Beach (a fragrance that I have wanted for years but have no room on my dresser for anything new) and I loved it when I first tried it out.  I was ready to add this to my fragrance wish list and was seeing it as a slightly more dressed up version of Beach that would work in a professional setting.  In the first part of the wear of Coralina I was completely sold on the fragrance and loved it.

The second wave of this fragrance completely changes and it turns into a powdery violet floral.  I like the violet note in many fragrances and it is favorite floral note of mine to wear in fragrance.  The second wave of this fragrance is the one that stays with me for the next few hours and then eventually fades away after about four hours of wear.  I don't dislike this fragrance but I fell in love with how it smelled at first and became very disappointed with how it settled it and came out on my skin.  If the full day wear of Coralina was more similar to the first sprays of the fragrance, then I would have been sold and already ordered a huge bottle from the Saks Fifth Avenue website. 

The wear time on this fragrance was incredible for me and much better than Sargasso, I put a few sprays of Coralina on in the morning and it stayed strong and wore until I took a shower at the end of the night.  This aspect of the fragrance made me wish even more that it smelled more of the top notes throughout the day.  This was a fragrance that I could have loved more than any other in the Essential Luxuries collection but it ended up being the biggest disappointment so far of the fragrances.  My next step is to try the rest of the collection and review Mi Corazon in the warm weather months and then wait until fall comes to try the rest.

photo courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

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