Heliotrope

Ethereal and playdohy, I loved it. I love the playdoh effect of fragrances like Hypnotic Poison, Confetto and Dolce Acqua (my favorite). The almond is there, not bitter but sweet thanks to the heliotrope, turning it into a fluffy marzipan but ironically not too gourmand. Linear, simple and lovely. This smells exactly like THOO Almond Harmony, I can’t tell them apart. Deliciously sweet playdoh.

crazy how this conjures both a baby and the oldest person alive at the same time.

I love Etro fragrances and this, Heliotrope, is no different. It's soft, subtle, classic and beautiful. I love wearing it on its own as a skin scent or layering it with other similar fragrances to give it more depth. I get nothing herbaceous or bitter, nor do I get anything overtly sweet or gourmand. It is just very pretty - a subtle hint of that classic almond scent underpinned by a gentle tonka and musky-vanilla note. I don't get much of the other florals. It is overall very well blended. Happy to have it in my collection.

Really lovely light airy herbal heliotrope, quite unique scent, a tiny bit too much almond for my taste tho.

This is gonna be my wedding scent !! So delicate and soft, like you're not trying, but you are the center of attention. You're there, but you don't realize how much you're appreciated, loved, and liked. When you want no attention, but can't escape it.

So, I recently became re-intrigued with almond-centric fragrances. I love Xerjoff Italica. Yet after steadily wearing Italica through 3 x 100ml bottles, I felt I needed a break. Decided to purchase some large samples-decants and/or new, unopened (or tester) full bottles of specific almond fragrances. I owned several Etro Fragrances many many moons back. While nice enough, over the years the brand no longer spoke to me because its offerings are (by-and-large) eau de toilette fragrances. With this said, I think it is a well known fact that for edt fragrances, Etro packs a high percentage of essential and fragrant oils into each preparation...closer to what we have become accustomed to with most eau de parfums. Etro Heliotrope! This is a huge WOW for me, it really is. I love the edt; it is such a beautiful fragrance. Etro Heliotrope is NOT a dense, heavy, gourmand-leaning fragrance. Etro Heliotrope opens and wears as light, feminine, ethereal, translucent, ephemeral, bitter-almond, woody, heliotrope fragrance. I adore the opening and wish it lasted a bit longer. Heliotrope opens with a lovely almond note that is somewhat earthy, vegetal, green. The fragrance quickly develops as HELIOTROPE...a fresh, green, slightly-bitter, slightly-almond floral fragrance with other florals and vanilla-balsamic base notes. I recently sampled Une Nuit Nomade Chemin d'Amande. And while I like the fragrance a lot, the overwhelming almond-brioche-pastry smell was a bit too dense for me. I felt suffocated while wearing the fragrance. I LOVE beast mode fragrances. But I felt self-conscious walking around with Chemin d'Amande emitting from my skin. I also had Choupard Feve Tonka, which did not resonate with me. And while almond is definitely present throughout the wear, Heliotrope does not perform as a gourmand fragrance on my skin...no way...not even close. Now, I DO wish Heliotrope performed better. Unfortunately (I knew this going in) the fragrance has limited silage, limited staying power (about 1.5 to 2 hours). However, the blending of the floral, bitter-almond, petitgrain and balsamic notes really work for me! And after much experimentation and consternation, I did purchase a full x 100ml bottle of BDK Velvet Tonka AND I purchased a 75ml bottle of THOO Almond Harmony. Out of all the recent fragrances I purchased and/or sampled, Velvet Tonka and Almond Harmony seem to come closest to what I'm seeking in an almond-centric fragrance that is NOT Xerjoff Italica... Almond Harmony delivers a wonderful floral almond accord without the thick, syrupy, dense overdose of caramel, toffee, sugary vanilla sweetness in Italica.

I wish I could experience the full range of notes, but this is straight playdough to me.

To me personally, simply the best :') It smells of bitter yet sweet, cyanide-like almond and vanilla. Very nostalgic, it's Spring afternoons at your grandma's house and your cousin brought her 'Corolle' doll. It's that glue from Kindergarten that everyone tasted at least once (to the point where manufacters made sure it could be ingested without risk). It is, yes, play dough. To me, this fragrance is an ode to laughters and tears of childhood <3 It's been over ten years now, and I still haven't found any fragrance that can top that. Its only downside is performance. The *first* formulation of 'Mandorla' from L'Erbolario fixes that, but their more recent re-release is different, lighter and more about blossoms than almond paste. 'Almond Harmony' from The House of Oud is a good, stronger alternative to 'Héliotrope', but more syropy and cherry-like.

Chile. Way too much almond. A very sweet syrupy floral almond bomb. If you like Kryptonite by Khalil, you’ll love this. I like the sweet nuttiness almond can add to perfume but when it’s the focus, like it is in this perfume or Whipped Almond by Mix Bar, it can be overwhelmingly sweet. I don’t know how to describe it but it’s a mix of antiquated, sugar, and chemical. I don’t like it at all but I wouldn’t say it stinks.

almonds and more almonds! with a hint of vanilla , tonka and a dash of caramel. i appreciate it that it is not bitter. unfortunately, the namesake heliotrope was nowhere to be sniffed on me. in a nutshell: this is for almond lovers, if you expect heliotrope, this isnt for you

I like almond and heliotrope notes, so I was excited about this scent. However, it doesn’t last long on my skin. I prefer scents like Kenzo Amour for it’s heliotrope note and Xerjoff 1881 for almond, they also last longer. I wish all Etro perfumes had more lasting power

One of the first almond scents where it doesn't feel bitter, it just adds warmth, nuttiness to it. It is extremely smooth, delicately sweet. It is a comforting bed scent. A reading scent. I LOVE IT SO MUCH <3

No one noticed that the notes here are identical to the notes of Almond Harmony by THoO? Is this for real?

246 I was looking forward to this one, having smelled real heliotrope flowers, but alas it was just bitter almond(great) and very strong play dough(bad). I don’t mind the play dough note if it’s gentle, smooth, creamy, powdery, but this one seemed harsh smelling. 0/10-pass and still looking for something that smells like heliotrope flowers.

Just got this. I have been waiting for years to buy it after a sample I had. It smells to me like root beer and cherry cola. What a delightful and surprising fragrance.

This is straight up Play-Doh on me. I don't get the faintest hint of florals or vanilla. It smells incredibly cheap, artificial, and flat. The overall effect of this scent kind of makes me feel like I'm exploring an attic filled with relics from my childhood because along with the Play-Doh it has kind of a dustiness to it, a stale musty undertone, and a plastic accord that makes me think of an aging plastic storage bin full of old toys.

A bit dissapointing blind buy. Straight in your face almondy heliotrope that lacks any sophistication at first spray. As it dries down it gets a bit more creamy and wearable. Doesn't smell cheap nor expensive, just OK. I'll give it a chance by layering with something more fresh and fruity for daytime and something more smoky for the evening, perhaps some dark oudy rose. EDIT: I sprayed this on today and asked my 4 year old daughter if I smelled good. She made a surprised face and asked immediately "Mommy, why do you smell like play-doh?? Yuck!"... Well, I can't argue with that.

Oh, Heliotrope, how I love thee. I’ve never smelt real heliotrope or very many perfumes featuring it, to be frank, so I can’t identify the note or its prevalence in this fragrance. What I am able to put a name to, though, is almond! (And yes, I know heliotrope can smell almond-y — as previously stated, I’m just going by what I know.) I didn’t know if I was going to like the prominent almond note, fearing it may veer too cherry-ish for my taste, but it’s so well done that I just have to adore it. Paired with the vanilla, I am made to envision an almond croissant, its delicate flaky folds dusted with powdered sugar. Despite this mental image, I don’t find Heliotrope to be overly gourmand. The almond does subside with time, leaving behind a soft, lightly powdery vanilla with a clean, ethereal feeling to it. I imagine this is how an angel smells. Sillage is light, but remains detectable, which I consider a plus - any louder, and this fragrance may become cloying. It is so very close to being perfect. My sole complaint with Heliotrope is its longevity. It’s quite alright for an EDT, but still entirely too short for me - best case scenario is 5 hours. Even still, I’m thankful for that much. This could last for 5 minutes and I’d still adore it. Full bottle coming soon, perhaps…

I just received a recent decant of this and compared it to my bottle from 2011 - I'm not saying there is a reformulation but that this juice gets more florid - closer to floral, with age. The more recent version was heavy on the almost chocolate concentration of vanilla, tonka, and almond. The one I have in the large bottle is lighter, as I said, and more floral - a lighter gourmand. If you get a bottle, don't be afraid to let it age!

If anyone remembers Oatifix face mask from Lush, this perfume smells insanely similar to it!

This is for people who are looking for specific type of scent. Almond, vanilla, creamy and slightly powdery. I do get a small amount of cherry like you would from almond extract, but for me its not a main focus nor does it last long it just blends and gives it a brightness that would lack if it was just a vanilla centric frag. It's more of a cream instead of powder, but it has the diffuseness of a powdery scent. It could be compared to Farmacia SS. Annunziata Cara but not as powdery, creamier. Almond Harmony, but not as cherry or resinous. Confetto, but absolutely no licorice note. Dragee Reminence isn't quite as well blended and a bit more fruity? LT Piver is much more powdery and much more cherry (but still amazing for the price and only gets better with age if you store it correctly). Iv'e never been able to get my hands on Mandorla so I couldn't speak to its similarities. Jour de Fete's grain note is much more pronounced, giving it a rounder, much more complex, less vanilla profile. Dolce Acqva is the closest, but not quite. It really is its own scent and so, so comforting for bedtime. Anytime, really if your in the mood for it. But I wouldn't say it's a safe blind buy, even if you love all the above simply bc it is so similar that it may not be worth it for you. The vanilla is very dense, as a consequence it does go "dolls head" or plastic ~ y, just a little before it becomes really creamy for me. I'd test before you buy. I blind bought and it took a couple months before I could really smell it's differences and this is a favorite scent profile for me. I think its discontinued but I bought mine from Fragnet, so you can still get it for a reasonable price for now. But I think that if you have any or a few of the above mentioned scents and if you aren't just crazy for this type of perfume, it may be overkill to have all. I'm crazy.🙃

Didn't have to read the notes on this one- almond and musk! But petitgrain? It's an intriguing prospect, and might be a welcome addition to cut through the sweet babydoll head frothiness of it, but on my skin it's nowhere to be found. Reserved for the lover of sweet gourmands.

I tested this perfume two separate times. I don’t think I like it. I get a strong amaretto opening with a vanilla play-doh finish. The dry down is light, powdery, sweet, and creamy, but not the marzipan/almond fragrance I was looking for. I blind bought a new bottle and gave it to my grandma

I was counting the minutes to receive this parcel today. I agree 100% with @Bubbles1964 when she (I suppose she is a lady) says that this in the very background smells a little bit plasticky, which for her is good but for me is a disapointment (I would not expect this plasticky scent in the background in a fragrance this price, and if I had tested it, prior to shop I might get some reservations towards this scent and not buy it honestly). Now that is here, what can I feel? I feel licorice (in Portugal we call it bitter almond beverage) that I like and doll head that I don't care for. I can't pick up many other notes other than this (my skin chemistry maybe?), and I feel sad. So many high hopes for this scent... The sprayer is very good and distributes the frag very well (a huge bonus) If someone in Europe area wants this 50ml, just new, get in touch.

In a fit of nostalgia, I recently found and purchased a doll on Etsy that reminded me of one that I had when I was much younger. If her frothy, tiered, ruffled, and lace cream-colored frock was a perfume, it would most certainly be Heliotrope from Etro, a floral gourmand dessert course confection of a scent, with delicate almonds at the forefront. This is a powdered marzipan, pillowy meringue, candied almond nougat, bonbon on a base of fluffy spun sugar vanilla clouds. It's displayed in a window somewhere in Paris, nearly too beautiful and too delicate to eat. (Much like this doll, which sat on a shelf and I was not allowed to play with when I was a little girl.) As it wears on the skin, it becomes iced almond milk tea, barely sweetened with amber-hued grains of brown sugar and poured over rich, chewy tapioca pearls. I do go on about how I don't care for sweet scents, but in that I'm referring more to fruity fragrances. I don't want to smell like a strawberry shortcake or a fruit salad or a lollipop. But vanilla and amber, I guess you could say that's my sweet spot.

Delicately sweet (like confectioners sugar), a comforting powdery scent.... It smells like amaretto at first and then marzipan and cherry. I am not a fan of powdery scents, but I love Etro fragrances, so I figured I’d reach outside my comfort zone. This is quite lovely; delicate, but rich, and feminine in my opinion. I couldn’t wear it, but it’s a really beautiful scent.

I pulled this one out along with Prada Infusion d'Amande for my transitional winter-to-spring scents, and decided to review. This is tops when it comes to gourmand powdery almond scents. The almond doesn't project so strongly to the point that people think it's cherry almond (that sometimes does happen), and it's not sugar sweet, nor overly powdery. It's pretty perfect in terms of this kind of scent. There are some really great ones out there, and I have a number of them, but this is a favorite. I have the white and purple EDT, which is going for insane prices on the 'Bay now, but the brown box EDC, which I'd wish I'd also bought, seems to be more popular. I noticed a comment below about this smelling like the Lush Snowcake soap...that is actually pretty close. I once managed to get the Lush Snowcake perfume to give to a friend who is obsessed with the scent, mostly the soap, and I feel that the Etro more closely mimics the actual soap because it has the creamier, gentler qualities. The Lush perfume was pretty powerful, in my opinion, but I liked that one as well, but it was a special gift for a friend, and I have so many other scents like this.

I wanted perfume which would smell like seasonal marzipan Lush soap, and that one is very similar indeed. Bitter-sweet almond, simple but very alluring and mood lifting.

Creamy, comforting bitter almond. Smells like Quickly's Almond Milk Tea. It's such a perfect scent for sweater weather!

I had to grab a bottle of this upon learning that it was discontinued, and as a lover of heliotrope, and having used heliotropin in my own perfume making experiments, this is undoubtedly a HELIOTROPE soliflore. I am assuming most reviewers here have not smelled heliotrope flowers and the closest association that they could make is the accompanying almond, which is for sure there, but to my nose, serves as a supporting note to build the heliotrope accord (as are the vanilla and iris). In the heart, I sense some similarities with Guerlain Après l'Ondée, though Etro is more a winsome smile to Guerlain's melancholic reflection. The cherry pie warmth and Play Doh character of Etro Heliotrope and of true heliotrope flowers is what makes them so irresistible to me. The dry down is powdery, but not exceedingly so, and the base of tolu balsam and peru balsam, with their leathery, darkly resinous but mildly sweet qualities, prevent the composition from being too light in the loafers, so its unisex, just find the right occasion. I personally would find this most pleasing at night before bedtime, much like Royal Bain de Caron.