Carla Fracci- Giselle

Italian Ballerina Carla Fracci has an eponymous fragrances. The perfumes are named after some of Fracci's classic roles: Odette, Salome, Medea, and most famously: Giselle. This 2004 floriental is pretty loud and lush, steeped in ylang-ylang and honey. There's also a heavy dose of tuberose that appears on and off on the stage, contributing to the heady atmosphere.

I have Fracci's Giselle both in EDP and an extrait de parfum. I can't help it: I do love a good drama queen of a floriental, and the sweet gourmand base with its almost tropical base (to my nose it's more coconut milk than actual coconut) is snugly and comforting like a hot drink on a cold day. I get quite a bit of honey but none of the promised caramel, which is probably just as well. The honeyed bouquet of white flowers is quite enough for sweetness and impact. I admit that Giselle lacks some refinement- it jumps at you from the first spray or dab and takes up some serious space in the room. The oversized creamy and powdery notes announce themselves demand attention, but I'm perfectly fine giving in to them. Giselle smells good to me, and some days that's enough (even if the husband prefers that I go back to something more... Amouage-like).

Notes: ylang-ylang, cinnamon, freesia, jasmine, tuberose, vanilla, coconut, caramel, musk and white honey

Giselle by Carla Fracci may or may not be discontinued, but it's widely available cheaply from various online discounters; Surrender To Chance and The Perfumed Court sell samples.

Bonus photo of my own sweet Giselle:

Top photo by Caroline Arber.
Photos of Carla Fracci as Giselle (with and without Rudolf Nureyev)via ballerinagallery.com.
Giselle (cat) by me.