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wyo519speagoessenda – :
Vintage mini: Okay wow, now I get it. I was initially just dabbing it on from my little sample. Admittedly that was rather beautiful, if not incredibly understated. Now, I may have over applied… but I smell what everyone else is talking about. What was initially a grower, a peach pie … is now a full on spice bomb and I am here for it. Cola vibes with loads of cinnamon and bergamot. Impossible to not crack a smile at this one, honestly. Dries down to a soft, elegant sandalwood.
стас стас – :
Review of currently available EDT
Begins with a surprisingly strong current of cumin.
Settles into a soft sweet peach.
It’s a strong “like” – not at all what I expected from a 90s frag.
oprosnikov2201 – :
I just came back to share how thrilled I am to finally receive my bottle of Dolce Vita, seven months after I first smelled it and shared my review! And I was so thrilled to discover that this bottle, which I got through a friend, is from a 1998 batch, which must be in the original formulation! So beautiful and so worth the wait!
vinden2000 – :
This is the ultimate summer oriental. Spices in the heat? Yes! Dior was at full power in the 1990s. After the major commercial success of Poison and Fahrenheit, the sky was the limit. Dune set the stage for greatness and then the Poison flankers followed.
Dolce Vita was released with little fanfare-some magazine ads and featured at the perfume counter of all major department stores. It is powerful and recognizable. In short, it is a true classic. Today it gets little attention. It was created by the nose who came up with my all time favorite Kouros-Pierre Bourdon.
I have the original bottle with the 4 simple ingredient. It is a 90s sandalwood icon. There is a lot more woods in this wonder. Rosewood, cedar and cinnamon happily share the attention. I get some oakmoss and vetiver as well. Generally we think of woods as dry. This is not the case. The fruity notes keep things “dewey”. Peaches and apricot are prominent and juicy.
After the effervescent opening, yes there is “Coca-Cola” that last a good hour or more, come creamy florals with the heliotrope, lily of the valley, magnolia, Madonna and Stargazer lily that are quite unusual, paired with vanilla and cardamom. Its like a chai latte. This borders on gourmand. The wood fences it off. This is like a hot summer night where you dance until dawn. It can be worn any time of year really, with a heavy trigger in the winter. I lingers on the skin until the next shower.
Dolce Vita is sweet, feminine, glamourous and harkens back to the classic Dior creation of the 1950s and 60s. She is well dressed and ready for the next century.
The next century has not been kind to Dolce Vita and Dior. Its current formula has been weakened. Unnecessary cosmetic surgery has removed many of the ingredient. Its elegance reduced to a faint echo. For now, the original launch is all that we have of this classic at its full strength.
ekn207speagoessenda – :
J’ai le même flacon depuis la sortie du parfum acheté dans le rayon d’un Eaton où je travaillais! Il n’a pas tourné. Il est toujours aussi beau et c’est un parfum de joie et de bonne humeur pour moi. Il a une très bonne tenue. Je le conserve précieusement.
mishonok18 – :
My bottle is from 2006, so I believe I’m wearing the original formula of Dolce Vita. I’ve gone through at least 5 bottles of Feminite du Bois, and it was my signature scent in my 20s, an instant love when I first tried it. I was hooked. So it’s fun for me to compare the two as I’ve still got some left of each.
Feminite du Bois Is the more complex, the more exotic older sister, and definitely a less commercial offering. They share some of the same DNA, but Dolce Vita is easier to wear and works on a wider swath of people. Feminite du Bois Is richer, warmer and a beast in terms of performance. Dolce Vita has moderate performance on my skin, it’s just so much more polite.
They both share a lot of ingredients: rosewood, cardamom, peach (which I can’t detect in either formula), vanilla, sandalwood and rose. What sets Feminite du Bois apart is the incense vibe and benzoin components, and opening with the strong stewed plum and clove. Wearing it is like a walk through a Moroccan market.
I like Dolce Vita, but it’s not a love. My heart is still with Feminite du Bois but I like wearing Dolce Vita through more seasons. It has an easier time when the weather heats up, it’s more wearable. And this is time of year when Dolce Vita shines, the transition from one season to the next is a perfect time to enjoy it.
manishpk2007 – :
Exuberant! Radiating joy and happiness. Both young and mature, old-fashioned and modern, classy and ordinary – a scent which knows no borders when it comes to time and fashion. Timeless. I purchased an EDT bottle a few days ago and have been happily wearing it since. It is tingling spicy and hot on me in the most positive way, and very calming at the same time. The Cardamom is standing out, followed by the Cinnamon, the Peach, the Sandalwood and the Vanilla – strictly in this order. No Coconut and Rose at least on me. A distant whiff of Heliotrope probably can be discerned. Despite its ¨homely¨ingredients it is not homely at all. Being an avid Christian Dior lover and wearer for years, I can say that this one took me by surprise and enchanted me. Good longevity and moderate sillage. It is a jewel and it´s worth the last penny spent on it.
adomant – :
Cd failed with Dolce Vita and created a perfume made of a confusing concoction ending with a scent that reminds me of an old aunt or an old uncle……It does smell like an older man’s cologne actually. Rosewood, cedar, cinammon and rose are most noticeable. Coconut and vanila are non-existent.
After spraying it on my hand I had to go and wash it off asap.
dedAlinly – :
At first breath I didn’t think I was going to like this. It smelled to vintage perfumey — and that isn’t unexpected since I have a vintage bottle. However after it settled I was completely wrong.
The woodiness combines with the creamy vanilla, heliotrope, and coconut to make a rich feminine wood that is undeniably awesome. I’m happy to have found this one and looking forward to wearing it in the future.
Upon revisiting the peach, vanilla, heliotrope and sandalwood seemed more pronounced than the woody notes. Still warm, comforting, and lovely.
irina_3187 – :
I had a big bottle of Dolce Vita many years ago, and I loved it so very much!
It is an exclusive fragrance, it made me feel wanted, and I was young and daring and so much more,
Dolce Vita brings back many happy memories, so I will consider a rebuy, and I can warmly recommand it to beautys of all age 😀
7411400 – :
One of my favorites, perfect in every respect, durable, tempting, extraordinary, designed for women with class, distinguishing themselves from the crowd, self-confident. Sweet and spicy at the same time, but not chokes. The ideal in every respect after the first used packaging, I could not wait another one.
utq672speagoessenda – :
A very feminine vanilla scent, this scent is not overwhelmingly sweet and is the perfect winter scent. It feels luxuriously warm and tasty, it makes me hungry almost. It is a beautiful timeless scent. I will continue wearing this perfume for the rest of my life.
stan-100 – :
Light but heavy in terms of spice
Warm not cool so not appropriate
For summer, & too light for winter.
Summer nights then, maybe? So
It’s vanilla-y and warm so maybe
Nice for a dinner date in the warm
Seasons. A warm pleasant scent
Update: unseasonably warm fall,
we’ve been having, and I’ve been
wearing this sparingly, daily, THIS
is what it’s good for. Now that it’s
Chilly, it’s now too weak again, just
Sold my bottle. How perfect is this?
linkin1819 – :
Could have liked this is not for the cumin note. Like tacos and peach brandy. If you don’t pull the cumin note up in a big way with your chemistry, could be really nice. On me, curry city. Curried carrot salad with celery and raisins but that’s not how I want to smell, like Indian food. Not even yummy Indian food. Beautiful bottle though.
ptw004Unlogrere – :
Dolce Vita is a comfy cinnamon-rich, spicy fragrance, reminding me of Christmas spent in a sunny location. Many reviewers have noted that it is very similar to Revlon’s Charlie Gold, and I agree, with both sharing the cinnamon, apricot, peach and sandalwood notes. I find that Dolce Vita is lighter and easier to wear in public, but I prefer the smoother fragrance of Charlie Gold. I’ve layered Dolce Vita with 4711 Mandarin and Cardamom body cream and that gives a spicy citrus twist to the whole. Yum.
slorsergo – :
Coca-cola and christmas parties, happy people, warm hugs, cashmere, life: Dolce Vita.
awa358speagoessenda – :
Very classy and elegant perfume for women! I love it!
On me it has excellent longevity and sillage, so I never spray too much of it.
It reminds me of perfumes from the past, it’s not a modern scent, but at the same time it doesn’t smell like “old lady”. I think I would put it in the same family of Clinique’s Aromatics Elixir, not for the scent itself but for its elegance and the sensations it evokes.
Another Dior’s masterpiece!
Alisan – :
I finally got a chance to try this and it’s such a nice honey scent! I can’t believe honey isn’t in the notes! It’s a sweet watered down honey in the opening and then the cinnamon, cardamom, and stone fruits develop. I’m sure I smelled the reformulation because it was a new tester from a department store and I’ve never smelled the original, so to me this is very nice. If you like Guerlain L’Instant’s honey-feeling, this one is a sweeter, cinnamon-y honey.
I WANT IT!!!
Invevaminia – :
Classy, sophisticated and simply a beautiful perfume for cooler weather due to warm and comforting notes like cinnamon and wood, with the best and not overwhelmed peach and apricot, and a “spicy” vibe from cardamom. This one does NOT have the “sweet” peach/apricot as finds in many other fragrances that I have problem with. It blends in PERFECTLY with the woodsy notes as a strong support and it gets its job done so well that I don’t know how to describe the process further. Sillage and longevity are great (lasts over 5-6 hours on me).
It is in my group of “fancy fragrance” for special occasions, with my other nice ones such as Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot, Gucci Oud and Tom Ford Shanghai Lily 🙂
Perfect fragrance for a formal gathering, as the moment you enter the event, people WILL notice you in a POSITIVE way!
FYI, the bottle that I got, came in a yellow box (NO Black band at the bottom). The batch code on the box is 7T01 and the actual glass bottle does not have the trademark “Dolce Vita Christian Dior Paris” on it.
Fedot107 – :
Review of a scent bought from Ebay, batch code 6B01, boxed in a black band box, presumably from 2006:
(the batch code gives 2016, but the box with the black band points to an earlier era, sticker on the bottom, but “DOLCE VITA Christian Dior PARIS” engraved on the neck of the bottle – would be very grateful if someone could give more info on the year of fabrication I’m asuming its 2006, since the batch codes repeat every ten years)
This a scent from my high school years and according to the reader information on this site, has suffered many reformulations. I think the current formulation is still a regognizable Dolce Vita, but I wanted to find an older version just for comparison and for the memories.
The bottle I have (presumably a vintage from 2006) has a stronger, spicier opening than the current version. It is significately less sweet as well: I do not get the “coca cola” aroma from my bottle like I do from the current version.
I’d say the trademark cinnamon is the strongest note as well as the peach note mixed with woody, cologne like notes. You have to wait a while for the vanilla to push through. The opening leans more to the masculine territory, but the scent mellows to more feminine (sweeter) direction as it developes. Definately a unisex scent altogether.
Actually, I can understand (if not agree on) Dior’s decision to sweeten this scent for the modern market. The earlier version is not “an office safe fragrance”. It’s a spicy, woody, oriental with a little sweet touch, when the modern version is more of a fruity, sweet, cinnamon/vanilla scent. Perfectly office friendly and in accordance with the modern market of fruity-sweet scents.
I’m going to wear my (older) bottle when I’m not at work. It’ll be worn for my own pleasure and as a nighttime/special occations scent for me. I might buy the new version for work, since I love this scent and would like at least an echo of it to carry me through the workday.
The times… they _do_ change and so does the perfume market. Glad I get to experience the best of both the past and the present with this scent.
Denis Derish – :
ان كنت تبحث عن وصفٍ أدق
لهذا العطر الجميل
فهو فاكهي سويتي
حمضي نوعا ما
..
و يتسم بالطابع الكريمي قليلا
مع البهارات .. الغالب عليها الكمون
martyha – :
يا إلهي ما هذا العطر الجميل
جمال البهارات و القليل من الخوخ
..
ايحاء بهارات الكمون الرائعة
طبعا بلمسة الديزاينار الجميلة
..
ديور كم أنتِ جريئة بعكس شانيل
عطر كلاسيكي يحتاج لانف متمرس
..
هذا العطر الجميل
سأضعه على جسدي بالكامل ثم سأكسوا ثيابي
بعطور الحمضيات .. ليس هناك ماهو اجمل من ذلك
..
انا مغرم انا عاشق
اخيرا متعة جديدة بعد موجة الملل الطويلة التي اصابتني
..
دولتشي فيتا اهلا بك في قائمة عطوري الدائمة
nik-mak-ken73 – :
I have a small bottle of Dolce Vita that sits there intriguing me. I don’t particularly like her, but still can’t bring myself to part with her. I keep hoping she’ll grow on me. Overly sweet, vanilla champagne mixed with fruit cordial is what I get. Silage on my skin is strong, not sure on longevity as I usually wash it off before I can find out. Dior is my favourite house, this just doesn’t live up to my expectations. Cute bottle though.
uriely – :
Very long lasting, very lemon grove, and very…?
Hmmm? What is it? I Had a test card of this in my jacket pocket and the wafts of perfume reaching my nose were driving me mad with one elusive note that I just couldn’t pin down.
After a few days in my pocket it was still wafting and the smell was triggering memories of Italian restaurants and… pizza??
Then I realized it was oregano I was smelling.
A very interesting fragrance!
huntli – :
Dolce Vita is more than like or dislike scent – it’s a picture which I can imagine, atmosphere which i can fell. I don’t remember exactly the scent except it was so happy, sunny and carefree, but i definitely will recognize it on a lady. I was wearing Fahrenheit today after all those exquisite niche scents day by day, and so many people approaching me happily smiled, whispering the name of this antique cologne. What is great and loveliest about Dolce Vita and some more classy perfumes of that time: they were captivating and made people dream, not consume. They lasted forever, leaving behind magnificent trails, and made us dream even more, enjoying every special moment of our lives. Maybe in my 44 I am a bit nostalgic but I still feel this secret vibe touching and inhaling these gorgeous oldtimers – their souls are as precious as they were, and I believe the mood enhancers like Dolce Vita should never be discontinued.
hitfly – :
Vintage:
Dolce Vita immediately transports you to the southern Italian countryside on a sunny late August day.
The perfumes that are described as with hay notes have never reminded me of authentic, fresh hay at all; Dolce Vita is the only scent that smells to me of sweet, golden sun-drenched hay fields. I love cinnamon in perfumes, but this is the only one whose cinnamon combines with the other ingredients to transform it into golden Italian fields.
Am on my second bottle, because I love this perfume.
btb738Negeltzex – :
The more I smell the more I like it. Didn’t expect such a happy perfume from Dior. I never thought I’d like a perfume with cinnamon and cardamom but this is so unique, heart-warming, sunny.. It smells a little old but totally in a good way.
They’re nothing alike but the bright sunny vibe reminds me of Guerlain’s Champs-Elysees though Dolce Vita is so much warmer and woodier, and a tad sweet instead of floral. I have no idea why people voted this as a winter/fall fragrance, I totally agree with their own description of this being the ultimate 90’s summer perfume, it’s too happy and bright for anything else than sweet warm weather. Just so lovely.
vmpkmooezm – :
I AGREE LOVELY WOOD PERFUME. BT SILLAGE N LONGEVITY IS REALLY BAD, I NEED TO RESPRAY THIS AFTER EVER 2 HOURS, RESPRAYING A cd PERFUME IS NOT FUNNY. SILLAGE IS ALSO WEAK. BT AMAZING SMELL. I JUST HAVE TO STRUGGLE SNIFFING THIS EVERY TIME
AgeseIrrids – :
I must be 80% anosmic to this because every time I wear it, I can barely smell it. It’s truly heartbreaking to me because I truly love what I smell. Something so well blended that it doesn’t really smell like a single thing I know of. So classy and elegant… I just wish I could smell more of it.
*tested from my vintage mini and current bottles. The current bottles, sprayed, rather than dabbed, smell a tad bit stronger.
Ripdelulp – :
I don’t know about the different formulations of Dolce Vita, but what I can say is that the current version is very complex, has a typical 90s vibe to it (peach note!) and is also strong and super long lasting.
I actually first tried it in summer and was overwhelmed by the spicy and woody notes. It didn’t work for me in warm weather at all and smelled sweaty. Luckily I remembered to try it again now, just before winter ends.
The comparison to Feminite du Bois (Lutens) is understandable to me, but they’re not dupes. FdB is awful on my skin (and I mean on my skin, not on the blotter), too dry and spicy in a gross way. Dolce Vita shows more facets.
It’s still really woody, sandalwood is the strongest note to me. In the beginning, it blends with peach, creamy apricot and spices that give it a fizzy cola note. Then the woody and spicy notes become very dominant for a few hours and almost completely overpower the stone fruits.
But then, finally, the woods mellow down and all the notes come out and interplay with each other beautifully: Sandalwood, peach, apricot and sweet VANILLA. It becomes very creamy. I can also smell the floral notes of lily and heliotrope. And, of course, the spicy cinnamon and cardamom. The notes go in and out, at one moment, this one is stronger, and the next moment, another wafts to my nose.
If the overwhelmingly woody-spicy, FdB-ish phase didn’t last so long, I could really love this in winter. This way, I only love the final drydown, and I personally wouldn’t buy something that takes me ~4h to love.
kolyan93 – :
This bottle set on my dresser for along time before I ever wore it, I don’t even know where it came from lol. I have to say that this is o e of my all time favorites. You can’t help but feel awesome when you wear it! Such a beautiful smell. I always had complimentswhen I wore it, and the smell lasted so long.
venzel – :
I just sampled the current formulation of Dolce Vita from a Dior counter this afternoon. To my knowledge, I’ve never smelled the original formulation, so of course, I could make no comparison and I am reviewing the current Dolce Vita on its own merit.
Well, I just love it! I’m glad I let the sales assistant spray it on my arm aside from the tester card, because I got to smell how it transformed on my skin. Now, four hours later, it smells different from the scent lingering on the card.
Dolce Vita opened bright, immediately making me think of a warm and beautiful day. It had a sweetish citrus vibe, without being truly a citrus scent. A short while later, it became a little fizzy, bright-spicy cinnamon, with a touch of wood. And now it has dried down to a comfortingly creamy, powdery scent. I found all the phases so delightful!
I don’t know if I have smelled this before, but it’s one of those fragrances that smell so familiar to me. I’m not sure it was Dolce Vita that I have smelled, or something with similar notes.
It is also one of those fragrances that I might not have appreciated a year, or even a few months ago, before my passion for perfume grew and led me to explore fragrances outside of my previous preference (light and fresh). Trying out Dolce Vita has been such a delight! I am loving it so much that I wish I could own a bottle some day.
Yriy_n – :
I also had Dolce Vita, and I loved it.
RVlad – :
I love really much this scent.It reminds me of something nostalgic,happiness and beautifull moments.Not very sweet or spicy.I have to pick up a bottle again for nostalgia’s sake.
Timeless romantic and unique.Dior again,is the winner here.
Gabriella_fromAD – :
I recently bought two bottles second-hand: according to the batch codes, one is from 2012 (or could be 2002, as the codes are repeated every 10 years), the other one from June 2011 (the former owner said she bought it only a couple of years ago, so it can’t be older than that). The design of both bottles is exactly the same: yellow-tainted cap, the text on the bottom is printed on the glass, not on a sticker, the batch code is etched on the side of the bottle close to the bottom. They came without boxes, so I can’t say what they looked like. Both bottles smell the same as well: richer and stronger than the ones I tested in a shop, the lasting power is about 8-10 hours, the scent is sweet/woody/spicy with a touch of Coca-Cola bubbliness. So I guess I was lucky to score the pre-reformulation version? Or does the smell get better with time (more concentrated etc.)?
The new version I tried in various shops in 2017-2018 doesn’t have the prominent woody/spicy notes, it seems mostly sweet and disappears in 2 hours. I love the ‘Coca-Cola’ note in the old version, it’s a pity that the new one is not the same.
ilyus0 – :
Champagne, garlands and shimmering gold of a classic new year party – very life full and vivid smell, a bit mature but not grandma more like money stack ))) if you are fun and classy sassy, please try!
teri534 – :
I don’t know the original formula, but what I am wearing now it wasn’t a love, it is just in the “like” category. I hate the first spritz, but I like the drydown. It’s woody, spicy and warm like a tart with ripe and juicy peaches sprinkled with cinnamon and a little vanilla. I think it is suited for the warm days in autumn. Untill now just one person told me I smelt really nice…but my kids hate this perfume on me, so I use it rarely…
кузнец – :
Dolce Vita Vintage. (first formula)
Dolce Vita has long been tethered to Lutens Feminite Du Bois. Bourdon created both, with Dolce Vita with an amped up fruit note (peach) than the careful balance in FdB.
Cedar is part of the base woods that dance with the cinnamon spice and a richer, fuller wet peach aroma augmented with Lillies..Its a voluptuous FdB. Its longjevity is around 6 hours and the projection is moderate. As its aged its held up quite well with a honeyed richness rather than the crisp notes I can remember from yesteryear. I do not know how the later reformulations have faired.
Its a very 90s fragrance, in its genre and reminds me a bit like Charlie Gold which debuted one year later. So if reformulations have left this in tatters, try Charlie Gold.
vitvot – :
and yet again another death by reformulation.
tried it today at istanbul’s airport, i have to say new version has got not one thing in common with the original dolce vita. warm peach fuzziness and spicy plumpness is gone. the new dolce vita is not only linear, but sadly bland, chewed and spitted version of what it used to be. so basically it has gone from 3D to 1D.
any similarity to feminite du bois is gone, in case you were wondering where this historic comparison still stands.
what a sad day! i really miss the old dolce vita!
amnezilla – :
This is a wonderful perfume, but to smelly for me, I had a bottle, but gave it away to my mother, she was very happy!
PavelG – :
Christian Dior is my favourite house <3
Dolce Vita is heavy, rich and too spicy, it’s not my cup of tea as I do prefer soft floral scents, but it’s really a nice fragrance for those who apreciate spices .. Unique and perfect for Fall and winter ..
yhs998InsuffBooni – :
Over the years Dolce Vita has become my default ” long drive perfume”. At first it must have been a subliminal craving for something that will make me comfortable and relaxed, yet not floppy. Dolce vita’s changing facets of sweet, spicy, effervescent and blissful do come in intervals which suits me just fine for prolonged times behind the wheel. There is always a slight change of mood behind every bend, which keeps me alert and waiting for more. Perfect combination for driving, road tested all across Europe
Oknetangi – :
This fragrance is the soundtrack of the beginning of my love story. I had a huge bottle of Dolce Vita when I met the man that would become my husband and I used it a lot in the first weeks when we were completely inebriated of each other. It was warm and soft, enveloping and luminous, sparkling and creamy at the same time. No too sweet, no too woody, no too powdery. I felt like Tinker-bell swirling golden sparkles around me.
Then that man and I split and I didn’t dare wearing it again because it would have broken my heart. Many years later the man and I met again, went back together and are now happily married. Meanwhile Dior has reformulated this masterpiece and the golden sparkles are gone. It is still a beautiful scent and he still adores it on me but to me it as a bit the shadow of what it used to be.
The good thing is that life moves on, I discovered other amazing scents and I wear Dolce Vita only on few occasions, more for him than for me.
Mainnact – :
Oh Gods, no, no, not cumin!! This review is for cumin sensitive people like myself — the reformulated edt I tested is full of it, and for that I can’t forgive those responsible. How can something so delightful in chili and refried beans be so completely revolting in a perfume? Oh, wait, because refried beans would make a revolting perfume.
Sorry I can’t be much more useful than that. There’s a very pleasant sweet light plum lurking under the cumin, for sure, but if you’re like me and can’t take that note, I just want you to be warned before making a blind buy. Sounded great from your descriptions otherwise.
Docent78 – :
Spicy and warming !had lots men come into the department store I work in to buy it for themselves !just shows that fragrances can be worn by anyone ,if you like it then don’t be afraid to wear it !
outrathinvart – :
This was love at first sniff! Warm and summery, with a sweet cinnamon note. Very classy and unique. Viva La Dolce Vita!
shehopriehign – :
Must try for vanilla lovers. Powdery, develops a lot, cosy, not overly sweet, varied blend of notes. versatile except in hot weather, it can go formall or casual. I love the opening but somehow overall it is not really me. There is a certain “starchiness” about it. This is for an older brown cap version.
nata3090 – :
Now that the autumn is settling in I crave for my Dolce Vita. My bottle is a ’96 and of that woodsy, original character. The one it is remembered for.
I’ve already written on the fume earlier but I need to add something about the sillage. Which is big. It is funny how I really have to come close my arm to feel it while wearing it. But today I wore it to the office and when I got back after a long lunch and settled back to work I suddenly got this thought of that it smelled wonderful at the office. What I sensed was Dolce Vita in my room, and I got to experience it as others do on me. And it was wonderful. I now realize that the sillage is actually bigger than I thought, longevity I already know is enormous.
I love this to bits.
KolaDalnoboyshiks – :
I just read a review for Cerruti, and now this one, for Dolce Vita…and all I can think is “Where have all these amazing fragrances gone????” I have been trying new releases for at least a year, and the only purchase I’ve made is No. 5 L’eau. It’s the only one that smelled unique to my nose (ironic as that is). Remember when fragrances could turn you into somebody else? They were so distinctive…Gucci Rush…Tresor…Hypnotic Poison…Aromatics Elixir…Coco Mademoiselle…Eau de Merveilles…Narciso For Her…Bottega Veneta…geez – even Victoria’s Secret Heavenly…and definitely DOLCE VITA! These days perfumes seem to be formulated for high school girls who are worried about offending their peanut-allergic, wheat-avoiding classmates. I miss spicy fragrances! Nobody gets to have fun anymore.
hrs232speagoessenda – :
Oh dear, what has happened here? This smells utterly unlike it used to – really, I would not have been able to identify it at all. The spices and woods have gone! It is mostly fruity sweet and with absolutely terrible longevity. If Dior have watered it down to this extent, I would not be surprised to see it discontinued very soon. They clearly do not care about preserving this fragrance. What a shame.
nikson241 – :
I had owned a bottle back in the mid 90’s, as a young 19 year old looking for her ‘signature scent. It was never really me and had been bought during a whim of madness, as a fustrated young lady wanting to find her way in the world.
I was looking for a ‘grown-up signature scent’, and while Dolce Vita wasn’t it, circumstances lead me to walk out of an upmarket department store with a full size bottle of Dolce Vita. It was a difficult one to wear, particularly in a classroom environment, as it was very much in your face, bold, heavy, strong, masculine. I certainly didn’t fit the target market, this was a perfume for women who knew what they wanted!
I wore it on and off over a year or two, but couldn’t get through a whole bottle, as it just didn’t feel like me.
Fastforward 21 years, I finally got to try it again, while testing out other perfumes. Immediately, I recognised the notes and it took me back to that experience many moons ago that had led me to buy it. The bottle was still as I remembered, beautiful and sophisticated. The perfume itself felt much lighter now, more watered down but it was definitely still a statement perfume.
My thoughts on this now? Dolce Vita would’ve been much better suited to me now as an older, wiser, version of my former ‘still finding myself’ 19 year old self. Would I buy a bottle now? Not at all.
Tuhguddyget – :
Ok dolce vita what are you doing…?
I’ve done a positive review here already, but due to prev experience, I tried this again at a different shop.
First test was from big dept store, second test pharmacy.
Dept store was good.
Pharmacy was not.
It had the same thick spices rich sweet thing happening, and with the woods… but oh the cinnamon, it did what Angel does, smells like sweat.
..on fabric I got the flower notes, it was like having two perfumes on, completely different on fabric than what it did in my skin.
Very long lasting, great quality… but that odd sweat note which has gone now bothers the heck outta me. What if I order and get the fragrance like from dept store?? But what if it like the Pharmacy bottle…. yeesh.
sssr66 – :
My mum has owned an almost completely full bottle of this since the 90s, it’s the original formula. Since I was a kid I had been sniffing this occassionally whenever I saw the bottle on her vanity. This fragrance would always blow me away.
Today, at the age of 19 I sprayed this on me for the first time. Of course I knew it would be way too grown up for me, I didn’t plan to wear it outside anyway, I wanted to spray a bit on my wrist for my own enjoyment while I am at home and… what a horrible surprise!
Either this is a very bad match with my skin chemistry or it’s one of those perfumes that smell gorgeous from the bottle and disgusting on the skin. This is so ridiculously spicy on my skin that it’s unbearable. It smells like sujuk (people from the Balkans and the middle east know that smell). I tried to wash it off and it didn’t go away, the base notes are still here but somehow I am now getting the g