La Vita Nuova

[Leopard403]

LA VITA NUOVA
Dante Alighieri
In that book which is
My memory...
On the first page
That is the chapter when
I first met you
Appear the words...
Here begins a new life

Apple blossom, white rose, lemon balm, and champagne grape.

This is a bubbly, fruity scent with bite: Not too floral or citrussy, not too warm or too cold.
A perfect springtime scent, very fresh and clean and unobtrusive.

[blktauna]

I really like this scent. It reminds me of something I had many years ago but no longer remember the name of.

 

 

It actually smells very aquatic to me. I get a bit of the apple and some grape but no rose or lemon, sadly.

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

Firstly, I must confess that the only reason I purchased this one was because it said Dante Aligieri in the description, and alas, this oil is instantly a sharply, eye-wateringly soapy grape-ish smell when applied to my skin. Like grape-scented soap that's been lathered really strongly. There's an apple-like note (I say apple like because its more apple hand soap in nature than anything else) in the backdrop. Thirty seconds later its pretty apparent that the culprit is probably the white rose but yeesh, rose usually doesn't go this far.

 

Basically, I would regularly put this on my skin only if it came from a liquid hand-soap pump bottle. Tragic. What the heck? I apologize that I can't give a more positive review.

 

Court

Edited February 1, 2008 by Court Analyst/Strategist

[LunaLovegood]

To me this smelled exactly like green apples and as it dried down and fainted a bit I could smell a bit of the lilacs.

It was lovely, but I was not impressed. It faded really quick on me too.

Will be swapping my bottle.

Edited February 1, 2008 by LunaLovegood

[jolarocknrolla]

aquatic, fruity and just a bit of floral - the floral is very like the floral in Amsterdam. Light and "green" without any of the heavyness or headyness usually associated with rose.

[dluszcz]

This one is sweet and fresh and clean, all at the same time! It was wonderful in the bottle, didn't seem to morph at all on my skin and very little in dry down, changing only to become a bit less tart, and a bit more soft. Definately wishful of spring!

 

That said, it was really green apple and the bubbling champagne grape: imagine really nice shampoo at the salon. It's the kind of fragrance that men love- like when they won't stop smelling your hair because it smells so good!

[alicia_stardust]

La Vita Nuova gets a rave review from me. It is clean and simple in its presentation and is neither too floral nor too fruity. The apple blossom has just enough summertime in it, with a touch of tart, and the lemon balm is orgasmic. This is NOT your strong or cleaning fluid lemon. This is a light yellow, pale summer breeze that wafts over cut lemons and carries the softened fragrance to your nose. The white rose is very gentle and soft, not strong or soapy. The champagne grape adds just a touch of light, sweet juiciness but I do not get any effervescence or heaviness.

 

While the white rose and champagne grape are noticeable, they really are supporting roles to the apple blossom and lemon balm. When I smell this I am transported and I almost expect to find myself surrounded by orchards, with warm afternoon sunlight hitting my skin, and a soft distant hum of bees as they pollinate the apple blossoms.

 

Beautiful!

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle more fruity than i expected with a tart tang and a slightly soapy feel.

wet on skin oh, heaven. it's soft and just floral enough to be sweet. it's a much girlier version of harvest moon.

dry on skin i'm getting some blowback from another scent i applied to the same arm, but it seems to be staying very much in the same vein as the wet stage. there's something vaguely resinous here that gives it a real stability.

 

this one is absolutely gorgeous and i could only wish it lasted longer. three hours later and it's mostly gone. all that means is that i get to reapply!

 

eta after retest this is one of those odd scents that seems to cycle through notes, so sniffing this is like: lemon, apple blossom, grape, rose, lemon, apple blossom, grape, rose. i do like rose, but am glad that this one stays in the background and lets the grape and apple blossom run the show.

 

eta 2 unfortunately, a retest showed this to be slightly bitter and heavily shampoo-y on me, so it's off to swaps.

Edited March 19, 2008 by ravenfeathers

[hkhm]

bottle: sweet apple blossoms and other assorted soft springy/fruity/flowery scents.

 

wet: crappy guest soapy rose.

 

dry: i had to try this one since it had apple blossom but i think i've finally learned my lesson. if it has rose, it's repellent on me.

[lmaunu]

This is a lovely, clean scent that is perfect for spring and summer. On my skin, the apple blossom and grapes are dominant, but in a light way. I get a very subtle hint of the lemon and rose, but they are not too strong that they take over the scent. It has mild throw to it, and only lasted on my skin for a few hours before I had to re-apply. I love this scent, and it will be perfect for the coming warmer seasons!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Fresh, crisp apple blossoms and just a touch of citrus.

 

Immediately on skin: The apple blossom is the strongest note here. It’s fruity, but more like smelling an apple than actually taking a bite out of it. There’s a touch of citrus, but it’s very light. This blend is very fresh and bright.

 

After a little while: This smells much like it did when I first put it on, but now it’s a little sweeter. The champagne grape has come out, but it’s light and not overpowering at all. If there’s the rose coming out in this, it’s just adding it’s touch of freshness to the blend because I can’t pick it out.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a fresh, crisp fruity floral blend. The apple blossom is a really nice note, and the hint of lemon and champagne grape give this a very sweet but not overly sweet quality. This is a very spring-like fragrance. A warning though… it does smell like air freshener! But it’s not in a bad way at all. It’s just very crisp, lovely and uplifting.

[Suu4LC]

In the bottle, the apple blossom is the strongest note, with just a hint of citrus. It's clean and crisp, but still with an undeniable femininity. There's also some kind of weird sour undertone that thankfully disappears completely once the oil is on my skin.

 

To be honest, the smell from the bottle just does not do this perfume justice at all. It blooms beautifully on the skin. Fresh apple and lemon and champagne grape blended together perfectly. I barely notice the rose to be honest. The lemon balm is not cleanser-y lemon at all.

 

Someone commented in the reviews above that this smelled kind of like shampoo (in a good way); the kind where a lover would want to run his/her fingers through your hair and tell you how beautiful it smelled. I think that is spot on. I am in love with this perfume!

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is bright fruit!!

once applied ... hayooogely apple and lemon....then something bubbly!!

what a gorgeous blend .... sparkling and vivacious this is a winner...

fruit lovers unite

[maribouquet]

Very light and fresh. On me this is predominantly a (strangely!) aquatic tang of lemon and the clean scent of apple blossom. I think maybe the champagne grape note is adding to the airy, light feel. Very nice!

[tarotgirl99]

This is very pretty. In the bottle I smell the champagne grape and apple mixing it up, and it is only after about an hour of application that it settles into sharing a bit o'rose. It disappears after a few hours and doesn't knock my socks off. But it is certainly pretty and fruit-floral peeps should like it a lot.

 

An imp, thank goodness, is sufficient for my needs.

[girlygirl]

Wet: fruity, tart not overly sweet. Reminds me of scented shampoo. I smell apple, lemon balm, grape.

 

Dry: Light. Left with vague fresh clean scent. Very feminine, playful and yet I keep feeling like I am in the shower sudsing up my hair.

 

Verdict: unsure. I think the rose is making me stuffy, although I cannot detect it in this blend.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet, sparkling, citrusy fruit.

 

Wet: Floral (definitely apple blossom first, rose second) and headier. There's barely any lemon balm left. The champagne grape is very fruity, but not overly sweet.

 

Dry: The lemon balm has reemerged, and it's a perfectly pitched citrus note. The rose has also amped significantly, matching the apple blossom in force. The sweet grape is still there, but it's overshadowed.

 

Summary: After an hour or so some delicious musk emerges and dominates. The citrus and florals have faded substantially (the rose going a bit powdery), and the grape even more so. It's a slightly sweet, springlike fruity-floral musk. Low throw, and it fades very quickly.

 

I'm hanging onto my decant, but I don't think this is a bottle buy for me.

[snapeophilex]

I was hoping La Vita Nuova would work...

 

And it does!

 

I love floral/fruit blends and this does not disappoint. I feared the lemon balm would put me off but it seems to hang in the background. Initially I get lots of apple but as this blend warms on my skin the other notes assert themselves, and the champagne grape is a nice acid balance to the flowers. It's very like a sharper, not so overwhelmingly sweet Titania (which I loved--until I smelled this more balanced blend!)

 

A deceptively complex floral/fruit blend that won't disappoint others who love that genre as I do.

 

4.8/5

[jparrack]

Wet: Very floral, with a generic perfume scent.

Dry: Ah heaven. I am in love with this scent. Sweet apple and champagne, like the aroma of an interesting beverage. I don't if it will have staying power issues, but ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, i do like it.

[GoldenRubee]

La Vita Nuova smells very light, fresh and fruity in the bottle. I didn't smell any apple when first applied but after a few minutes, the faint light green tartness comes back. This is like picking fresh fruit off the tree and taking a bite out of the apple. Perfect for Spring and Summer.

[the_cat_goddess]

Testing without looking at the notes or other reviews, so here we go:

 

In the vial: Wine without any sharp notes, apple shampoo, ultimately fruity, soapy and clean.

 

Wet: Again clean scent with grapey wine, not too sweet and not too sharp.

 

Dry: Not changing much here.

 

I like it. Looking at the notes I'm surprised to see white rose, but I can kind of make it out now. I didn't get any lemon balm. Mostly just the apple blossom rearing as a clean soapy apple, and the champagne grape. I think this imp is a keeper, time will tell if I need a bottle. : )

[djnevermore]

In the bottle, I was not impressed and wasn't even going to try this. But I decided I had better and...dammit...just got poorer. I can see where soapy comes from. It has a very clean smell to it and one could call it soapy. But it's the lightest, freshest soap ever. It's definitely hand-made.

 

Fruity, barely sweet, fresh, light, clean....it's like taking a bath in a glade of fruit trees, in heaven. Love it! Reminds me of my childhood.

 

Whoa! Just got a whiff of candy. Deinitely solidifies the thoughts of childhood associated. And yeah, I bet guys would love to smell this in our hair.

[slave1]

LA VITA NUOVA

 

In Bottle: Light fruits

 

On Skin: This is so sweet and gentle! The most pretty of the fruity scents I have ever smelled. A very dainty apple, so soft and simple… with the champagne grape bringing a light boozey note. The rose is not overwhelming, it just adds a floral note and I’m happy to say it doesn’t go sharp or sour on me but stays bright and clean. The lemon balm is a bit tart, but again, there’s an underlying sweetness to it. So overall, I’d say this scent is sweet, but not cloying since the tart notes give it just the right contrast. A very white/yellow scent, but pale not vivid. I’m not usually huge on fruit scents, but I do like how fresh this one is. It would also make a lovely room spray. Moderate to strong throw and average to long wearlength.

[binaryfaerie]

La Vita Nuova starts out sharp and lemony. It really reminds me of Delirium (no surprise there, I guess, given the similar notes.) Later the lemon fades away and the grape comes out. After a few more hours the lemon starts coming out again. It still reminds me of Delirium, but it's a bit sweeter.

 

It's a clean and fresh scent, good for spring or summer.

[soonyi]

out of the bottle, sweet apple blossom mand chamagne fizz tickle my nose

 

wet, it's lively! same notes with a faint lemon balm grounding. white rose must be contributing to the smoothness of the scent.

 

dry, it doesnt change all that much. i like the scent but it has no throw on me. nevertheless, i think the scent perfectly echoes the sentiment of excitement and hope in new love.