La Belle de Russie by Новая Заря (The New Dawn)

A splendid fragrance that I discovered long ago thanks to a Russian friend. Very refined, feminine, intensely delicate: I don’t smell carnation, nor musk, nor patchouli, which very often seem to me dark notes, heavy if not well calibrated. It is a breath of serenity. Its qualities are balanced to the millimetre, it has the transparency of crystal, but not its coldness. In the base it certainly has very passionate notes, but presented with delicacy: I would see these same qualities in a woman with a bright gaze, with a light step, fit to wear it. Unlike the previous review, I would not associate it at all with the oriental genre, or at least not with the genre we have in mind today (oud amber incense etc…). It is neither a floral nor a fruity, but a delicious encounter that escapes categories. I can say it reminds me more of the feeling of a favourite aromatic tea savoured in an elegant sitting room, in finely decorated teacups. A precious little jewel.

Something Chekhovian. Bunin. From Kuprin. Stately brunettes. Anna Sergeyevna von Dideritz with a fine openwork shawl: cold shoulders, radiant eyes. Sitting in the Yalta dacha, quietly stirring with a silver spoon a cup of strong tea. Apricot jam. The whisper of an owl in a bed of lilies. Clusters of blackcurrants: you part them with your hands on the dacha fence and breathe in the odours of a summer afternoon, contemplating the haze of sunset. The dampness of night approaches and a light sadness.

Wonderful fragrance. I finally stopped crying over Midnight Poison. Now I’ve discovered a new love. And the price, wow! I haven’t experienced the negative aspects others have written about on this review board. I don’t know if this is a niche product or not, and I don’t care. It smells great and I’ve received many compliments wearing it. It’s a substitute for MP, close enough. I put out a call on one of the forums for an MP substitute and this was one that was recommended to me. They were right. Thank you all so much. I love it.

I kept hearing that this Belle was similar to Midnight Poison. It’s quite rare to find it on sale. By chance, I got hold of a 50 ml bottle of eau de parfum, from before 2020. What can I say: the box that contained the Poison had this scent. It seems to be the same Midnight, but diluted, transparent, powerless. It’s like a ghost of the same person, like a reflection in a cloudy mirror. Fruits, sandalwood, amber, patchouli. Longevity is three to four hours. Sillage is short. It seemed to me more suited for a warm spring. The scent is a memory, the perfume is a ghost.

In 1997, I found this fragrance by chance. It caught my attention only because of the bottle. Such a beautiful bottle, almost crystal, with a faceted little stopper, about 50 mg in volume. It’s not small… When I smelled it, I was stunned! In the middle of winter (and this was right after N.G.), it was as if I plunged into an August afternoon. I was overwhelmed by the smells of the late hay harvest, picked currants, the scent of pears and apples laid out on the porch, herbs scorched by the last heat and the first honey harvest…. Immediately there appeared the image of a big girl with red cheeks, happy, with a thick wheat braid thrown over her high and firm chest, in a summer dress, with round bare knees, sitting on the warm porch, amongst the fruits and biting with delight, with a crunch, into a cinnamon apple, transparent with ripeness. And the juice splashes and runs down her chin, and she laughs with joy and wipes herself with the hem. And somewhere plum jam is being made, and a warm gentle breeze carries its delicate smell. I also thought the name is very fitting and evocative. At that time we lived poorly, and the perfume cost 130 roubles, but I still bought it and hid it in the wardrobe, so as not to bother the family. I had it for a very long time. Long and happy beauty and harmony. What we have now is not even a pathetic semblance! What do they put in there that everything becomes so unpleasant and gets spoilt beyond repair? Why can’t we preserve the beautiful and unique flavour?!