Siwa was part of a breathtaking Memo Paris discovery set that was included in my Sniffapalooza goodie bag. I oohed, aahed, and promptly forgot about it. For two years. Please, hold your applause.
Siwa is a little tricky to explain. It’s a floral with a lot of vanilla, but it’s not a sweet floral. Instead, it’s a fresh, lush narcissus fragrance and a vanilla fragrance. The two components don’t combine or interact; you experience both at the same time. It’s a very cool effect! Sadly, Siwa’s more dramatic listed notes (whiskey lactone and popcorn accord) are completely undetectable. The only comparison I can think of is Hermessence Vanille Galante, but Vanille Galante is sweeter, more blended. Oh, and Cartier Baiser Volé, but Baiser Volé smells much more artificial.
Siwa is really quite lovely, but there are two major problems. First is lasting power. Siwa has the worst lasting power of any fragrance that I’ve ever tried in my life. It was gone from my skin in literally 20 minutes. At the $210 price point, that’s pretty inexcusable. Which brings us to Problem 2. $210 for 75 ml isn’t unprecedented for niche perfumery, but if I’m spending more than $200, I would probably just go for the Hermessence ($255/100 ml).
SCENTS OF SELF 