Dolce Vita by Dior

Elegant, unctuous cardamomo with rich, very sweet cinnamon. A warm aroma, ideal for crisp days.

Elegant, timeless, feminine and eternal.

There is something in the composition that turns sour on my skin. Apart from that, I find it terribly sweet and avoirdupois-vanilla, it makes me feel sick. Others find it excellent, but it is not my case, what a pity.

I bought it with the best of expectations. It was days watching artistically created 90s commercials promoting it, remembering the miniatures my older sister had and how I loved playing with them. I imagined a delicious peach in the style of Trésor, but with beautiful oriental spices like cinnamon and cardamomo. As those two spices encouraged me to buy it, my feverish mind thought: ‘Spices? Peach? It will be an incredible combination of Trésor with Jungle and a touch of Dune (for the rosewood)’… but no. Ladies, on my skin it turns into a scent more akin to spring onion. Here I read similar descriptions: some said it smelled of saliva, others of sweat, I thought ‘how exaggerated’, but no, it really smells like that on my skin and in my nose. Moreover, it has a note I do not know what it is, but it causes me intense nausea. It must be that acidity that makes me sick. It smells to me like thyme with onion. I am super disappointed, I ended up gifting it to my older sister, she has been fascinated by it. That nauseating note reminded me why I also took Poison EDT out of my collection; it did not seem as repulsive as this, but it equally had a note that caused me nausea. Friends, I seriously wanted to love it and what a pity it was not for me. Do not buy blindly.

I adore this perfume! I bought it blindly following the composition and reviews, understanding that Dior would not disappoint me. It has a very sweet oriental opening with a fruity floral… with minutes the spices attenuate and the sweetness, flowers and a sandalwood that together with the peach and avoirdupois-vanilla coconut give it a woody and fruity touch. It is a perfume with a wide trail that goes very well for special outings, for the night, especially for crisp or cold days; it is usually worn more in autumn and winter, with the heat it seems somewhat oppressive.

Smells exactly as I remember: sweet, sparkling, and unique in my collection. Nothing vintage, everything very current with brutal performance on skin. It’s super vanilla with a cinnamon that adds a lot of joviality, juicy fruits (peach!), and an addictive amber base. The woods make it seductive without being heavy. I feel it’s very feminine. Although the notes suggest autumn/winter, I prefer it in spring/summer because it looks more imposing. Be careful with sprays so as not to invade. It maintains its quality despite reformulations, lasts about 8 hours with a moderate to wide trail. If you like timeless gourmands, buy it blind. Without a doubt, when this bottle runs out, I will buy it again.

We don’t get along with this perfume and I don’t know if it’s my quirk or it develops badly on my skin; I bought it on impulse because I was captivated by its fresh, cheerful, and spicy opening. The cardamomo note (which is one of my favourites) is very noticeable at the beginning along with the fruit, a nice mix of peach and apricot that is not cloying and far from that vintage touch that I hate so much. The heliotrope comes in quickly and takes control over the white flowers, all wrapped in a beautiful vanilla and the warmth of the woods, cinnamon and sandalwood. I loved it at the start! But then came the dry down and I just can’t stand it! It has a spicy or sour point that I can’t describe, it reminds me of chives or recent clean sweat. I thought it was my quirk, but someone else has commented on it too. Moreover, at times it becomes cloying like a thick peach jam, something that is not my fault; others have noticed it too. Furthermore, it develops a very old-fashioned and vintage note in the worst of senses, difficult to explain but it drove me mad. Horrible! I don’t know if it’s my skin or a note I don’t like, but I can’t decipher it. The truth is I can’t handle it and I didn’t remember it like this at all, I even thought it was in bad condition, but no; I went to the perfumerie without applying perfume, I used the tester and it was the same. At the hour that awful sour sweat smell that I don’t know what to attribute it to. I’ve tried it, but for me it’s a resounding no, not worth it less than an hour delicious and then that punishing dry down, it’s a torment. Fortunately it has very poor performance, the trail is intimate and the duration doesn’t reach three hours, always close to the skin, so the punishment lasted little. That said, the bottle is different, worked, of quality and very beautiful, something I value a lot and that makes the disappointment hurt even more. Warning to anyone who has had it in the past: it is very far from the vintage Dolce Vita, that delicious and persistent vanilla that characterised it and that trail and great duration became an ephemeral fragrance on the skin. In short, it’s a strange perfume with a complex evolution, I don’t recommend buying it blind, better to try it carefully beforehand because it also has a high price. Judge it on your own skin.

I love this perfume. It has just come to the market because I couldn’t get it before, I thought it was discontinued. I remember its scent from the ’90s, my mother had it and an empty bottle brought me many memories. I decided that if they were selling it again, I would buy it and so I did. It’s vanilla with cinnamon and a peach note that makes it irresistible. I don’t see it as vintage, it has a very current scent. Also, it lasts more than 8 hours.

Warm, sparkling and sensual elegance: that’s how Dolce Vita is for me. How I regret not having used it much sooner this wonderful perfume that I have known and admired for so many years! But it was only recently that I started using it. Although Dior currently only produces it in Eau de Toilette version of 100ml and it is probably reformulated, it remains a wonderful fragrance. As the saying goes, ‘those who have, retain’. Dolce Vita was born with great olfactory richness and great personality that, despite the years and reformulations, continues to keep its essence, or most of it. It might even be all of it. This perfume lives up to its name: it is cheerful, luminous, luxurious, pleasant, mischievous, of a relaxed elegance but that stands out. It has the characteristic sensuality of 90s fragrances, very feminine and almost carnal. Dolce Vita is a perfume with personality, for women who stand out in some way, whether by their character, position or beauty. Perfect from 30 years onwards, basically due to the fullness and richness of nuances it exudes. I think it’s a fragrance especially aimed at leisure moments, both day and night, and in the months of autumn and winter it is when it is most splendid, because it is warm, spicy, boozy, sweet without being cloying. It can also be worn at the office applied with certain moderation, not because it results in being cloying, but because it is worth reserving it for moments of personal enjoyment. For women who enjoy life, joy, leisure and themselves, with a sense of aesthetics, elegance and marked sensuality.

Dolce Vita was launched when I was barely twenty. Back then it was difficult for a young girl to try expensive perfumes: I don’t remember shops like Sephora and one had no choice but to walk avoiding the sales assistants of El Corte Inglés who, as they suspected one was just going to browse, tried to scare her off as quickly as possible (they knew for sure that generally the twenty-somethings of my generation were as poor as rats). So one had to take advantage of the Christmas periods when they sprayed one with everything as soon as one entered the shops regardless of age or foreseeable budget. It was like this that I was able to try Dolce Vita and at first I was a little disappointed as I had very high expectations placed on its famous sparkling opening. After a few minutes the flowers, the cinnamon, the woods appeared and I started to like it a bit more although obviously it wasn’t for me: it made me think of an older woman than me and with a much more elegant style than mine. I am still comfortable in dress but now Dolce Vita results very attractive to me even combined with casual clothes: above all I perceive it as luminous and cheerful. I have pending, for my next purchase in Sephora, to ask them to fill me with a little tube —I love that they offer that possibility— and try Dolce Vita calmly for several days in a row because I am still not very sure if I only like to smell it or if I also want to buy it to wear it. I am there and there. EDIT: I got a sample and wore it for a couple of days and no, definitely it doesn’t fit with me.

Ole Dolce Vita is pure innocence and cleanliness; it smells like soft powder. What strikes me most is the peach vanilla coconut and white flowers with a touch of sandalwood; it’s a sweet scent I absolutely adore. I barely notice the cinnamon and luckily the cardamomo is non-existent because I don’t like it. I love and adore it; when I have the chance I’ll buy a refill. Would I recommend it? 100% everyone loves it and almost forgot to mention: it lasts for hours even until the next day making it ideal for cold weather.

I have a 50ml bottle of Dolce Vita EDT and with it I confirmed my distrust of current perfumery: reformulations and price hikes that last a mere breath. In my adolescence it was intense and intoxicating; my sister had a small bottle and a few drops left a trail and lasted all day. It was wonderful. I found it on sale a year ago and bought it. What a disappointment! It’s very weak even as an EDT. I still like it but I thought I was buying a bomb of spices fruits woods and flowers; no it’s a lovely water with spices pink fruits and flowers over vanilla and cedar. I bought it without testing it in-store thinking I already knew it. I don’t use it much out of shame for what they did to it. I’ll get used to the idea and use it without thinking about what it used to be for nice informal occasions walks drinks or gatherings; also for night with many sprays or if you don’t want a trail. I recommend it if you don’t mind the price or reapplying. It’s simpler but has exquisite nuances especially the velvet flowers and fruits I love the cardamomo and cinnamon… you have to smell it close to the skin to feel it. I’ve read the reviews and believe some are from before the reformulation surely before 2015. Mine is authentic (I checked the batch code) and is from September 2015. To confirm I haven’t lost my sense of smell I compared it with Oud Noir from Mercadona and Charlie Gold (one on each arm) and it clearly loses in potency and longevity.

In my opinion what I perceive is rose peach cinnamon sandalwood and a subtle note of coconut. It’s fresh cheerful elegant and musky at first on its opening but I’m not sure if it’s because of the EDT I have; it doesn’t last long and doesn’t project leaving no trail. I like its opening more than its dry-down; I notice it’s soapy and has a significant presence of wood probably the cedar. I’d say it turns masculine in its dry-down or perhaps my pH is poor. Nevertheless I believe there is no gender for perfumes. Ultimately it’s noticeable that it’s an old perfume well classic and of quality. I regret its performance which is poor; perhaps my sense of smell is tired from so many scents and that’s why it seems to last a mere breath.

MA GI CO! Another fabulous creation by Dior…

DOLCE VITA by Christian Dior! This fragrance transports me to New Year’s parties with all the fireworks! Those nights where you dance until dawn! It’s one of Dior’s masterpieces that was at its peak in the 1990s. After the huge commercial success of Poison and Fahrenheit the sky was the limit. Dune set the stage for greatness and then the flankers of Poison followed. Dolce Vita launched in 1994 with some magazine ads and appearing on the perfume counters of all department stores powerful and recognisable became a true classic. Created by Pierre Bourdon and Maurice Roger. After the effervescent and luxurious champagne opening that lasts an hour or more come creamy florals: heliotrope lily of the valley rose lily magnolia which are quite unusual plus the spiciness of cinnamon creating a gateway to another dimension and leading to ecstasy! The fruity notes of peach grapefruit and bergamot give freshness in contrast with the myrtle; the apricots are prominent and maintain the juiciness while cardamomo coconut and vanilla please the greediest olfactory buds (the first time I wore it I couldn’t stop smelling my wrist!) and in its dry-down its iconic sandalwood stands out; there are many more precious woods in this wonder. Generally we think woods are dry; this is not the case. Brazilian Rosewood cedar oakmoss and vetiver share the attention prolonging the character and personality of this fragrance jewel. It can be worn any time of year. It has extraordinary longevity lasting on my skin until the next shower; its trail is excellent it stays on clothes for months… it leaves a mark! Dolce Vita is glamorous the perfect complement for a sparkling very feminine elegant sophisticated extroverted cheerful fun party-loving personality that knows how to enjoy life! Its bottle is a work of art. It’s never missing from my collection; it’s one of the best fragrances in the universe!!!