Armani Prive Oranger Alhambra (for women)

veuve

Alright, a visit to the store today left me with one arm soaked in Oranger Alhambra and the other in Vetiver Whatsitcalled.
(And may I just remark on the audacity of naming your perfume after a magical place like the Alhambra! Talk about raising expectations.)

Oranger starts off very zesty, very lemony and bright. Now I'm not much of a straight-up citrus fan, so this stage to me has to be the introduction to bigger and better things. Thankfully, that does happen. A few minutes in, it deepens and darkens, and starts focusing on the slightly bitter aspect of orange peel. I can smell some flowers peeking through, too - but thankfully not overwhelmingly so. Could be jasmine or orange flower.

Right now I'm about 3 hours in, and it's still going strong. Projection is admirable. By now, the orang-y notes have been joined by herbal, leafy-green notes, something mossy (I think? - bad at recognizing mossy notes).
This is not at all a sweet fragrance, perfectly unisex to my mind. I like the complexity and overall change from top to basenotes; they are complementary and keep you interested. I notice more evolution than in the only other Privé I tried so far: Bois d'Encens. All in all, not for me, but fascinating nonetheless. The somewhat darker base keeps it from being just another citrusy, summery cologne.