Cialenga by Cristobal Balenciaga

Moyra

I had a bottle of this way back when, well, way back in the early 70's. It really wasn't my kind of perfume at the time, but I wore it before I discovered Chloe and Parure, which I really did adore.

Come to think of it, the only reason I wore Cialenga was that a gorgeous English girl a few years older than myself wore it exquisitely, rocking the dark, sensual notes.

I was very young, I wanted to be her.

Instead, I exuded the other side of Cialenga, the ancient, oily orange peel with spices side, distinctively unpleasant and un-sensual, more like something used to preserve mummies than a seductive potion.

Truth is that on my chemistry, Cialenga smelled much like I actually was at that time: neither gorgeous nor sexy, somewhat awkward and confused - just a very young girl pretending to be all grown up.

Auguszta

I've recently discovered (*blush*) that I actually own a vintage bottle of this, almost half full. It used to belong to my mother (a refined woman of exquisite taste) and I kept it along with all her other perfumes, but forgot about it completely - I probably wouldn't have appreciated it even only a year ago, anyway. I don't even think the juice has gone off, as I remember my mum wearing it and the smell is still the same to me.

So, what's it like? From the very first moment on it's very spicy, dry, dark and has plenty of character. When I say spicy, I mean really spicy, almost like a brew made of clove, coriander and possibly nutmeg, several spoonfuls of dust and a few drops of black tincture boiling in a rusty old pot on the stove of some clandestine rustic kitchen for who knows what kind of secret purpose. There's absolutely no sugar added. This spiciness never disappears, not even when the bouquet made of rose, jasmine, lily, and the later appearing iris starts to bloom. Once the flowers have faded away, the scent gets quite woody, but the dark cloud of spices still casts a huge shadow over the composition. That is no critical remark, mind you: this dark and cloudy feel, along with the dry spiciness, is the main characteristic feauture of this scent. I could swear I even smell dusty leather in the end, even though it isn't listed.
I love it. Partly for sentimental reasons, partly because it's so unsusual. It will obviously only appeal to lovers of vintage. That said, if it wasn't a tad soapy, I'd say this (or at least the juice in this particular bottle) could easily pass for a recent unisex niche release.

guest_lenilzalima2009@hotmail.co

Olá

Gostaria de saber qual o perfume similar ao Cialenga by Balenciaga. Usei esse perfume a alguns anos e hoje não consigo encontrá-lo para comprar.

Obrigada.