I’m a sucker for pretty packaging.  If the fragrance is wonderful and housed in a special bottle, then to me it’s even better.  Hedonist, the first offering from Parfums Viktoria Minya,  is housed in a beautiful bottle filled with hundreds of bohemian crystals and comes in a luxurious handmade wooden black box.  OK, the visuals alone have my interest piqued.  Let’s look at the fragrance itself…

WHAT I SMELL:  Hedonist is a perfume that goes on cool to the touch and opens with a honeyed peach accord.  Peach can sometimes overwhelm me,  but when it’s not too sweet as it is in this case, it really can be lovely.  As cool as it goes on, it quickly warms to a mysterious combination orange blossom and jasmine.  The light tobacco and vetiver help to hold back the overly sweet side of the floral notes which eventually do come out, but when they do, they do so in a whisper and not with a shout.  What you are left with is a sweet and brightly warmed apricot vanilla fragrance that is pretty without being over the top.

Hedonist notes:

Top notes: rum CO2, bergamot, peach

Heart notes: jasmine absolute, orange blossom absolute, osmanthus absolute, tobacco

Base notes: vetyver, cedarwood, vanilla

From the Parfums Viktoria Minya website:

A powerful and provocative perfume for a woman who dares to be true to her desires. Lush notes of jasmine and orange blossom absolute flirt with the dark intensity of rum and the world’s finest woods for a scent that is as captivating as it is unforgettable.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A summer breeze which catches the light smell of burgeoning flowers.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE  HEDONIST:  sunny, warm, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HEDONIST:  Kafkaesque, smellythoughts, Eiderdown Press

BOTTOM LINE:   I was expecting with a name like Hedonist that this fragrance would be over the top opulence.  Instead, I found it to be well crafted, pretty and delightful.  I believe that Viktoria Minya has made a wonderfully fresh and beautifully created first offering and I look forward to her next creation.

• Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Woody Chypre
• Nose:  Viktoria Minya
• Classification: Feminine
• Expense: $130 Euros, 45ml EdP

Disclosure:  Sample provided by Parfums Viktoria Minya.