WHAT I SMELL:  Not surprisingly, Lilac Love opens with a soft sweet powdery lilac which quickly turns to cocoa…which smells like milk covered Count Chocula cereal.  But that only lasts for few minutes as it moves towards a powdered floral that’s quite dusty and dry.  After some more time, the perfume gains a lightly sharp sandalwood bite.  The cocoa that was once front and center now seems to pop in and out of the perfume which makes the perfume much more alluring and moves the fragrance away from the gourmand.  As Lilac Love continues to develop, a soft sweetened patchouli appears that’s pretty and rather demure.  Without any big twists and turns in the development, Lilac Love leaves with you with very little lilac, but instead, you get a soft and powered slightly sweet sandalwood perfume. Lilac Love, like many Amouage perfumes, lasts a long time…but what’s different with this release is that it’s not a powerhouse.  And that’s a pleasant surprise.

Notes from the Amouage website:

Top notes: lilac accord, gardenia, peony and heliotrope

Heat notes:  orris, cacao and tonka bean

Base notes:  sandalwood, patchouli and vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Puppies and purple flowers*

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LILAC LOVE:  soft, fuzzy, ladylike

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LILAC LOVE:  Colognoisseur, Kafkaesque, Brooklyn Fragrance Lover

BOTTOM LINE:  I found the cocoa opening a bit disjointed, but eventually the blending of the florals and the chocolate are more in sync.  What started off as a little strange, ends up being a soft and light sweet dream.

• Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
• Scent:  Floral
• Classification: Leans feminine
• Expense: $400 for 100 ml eau de parfum

* I’m not sure why visuals pop up in my head with a fragrance, but they do.  With Lilac Love, my first impression was of labrador puppies romping in a field of purple flowers.  In trying to find such a picture in Google Images, I ran across some wonderful pictures of pit bulls in flowered headdresses which then led me to the website of photographer Sophie Gamand.  Sophie created a series of photographs entitled “Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution.”  This series was designed to provide a softer look at the much maligned pit bull.  Each of the photographed subjects is/was up for adoption.  For more information on this series, as well as Sophie’s cause, check out her website at:  www.sophiegamand.com.  Seeing these beautiful creatures memorialized with such love, respect and warmth will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart.