Elisabeta

Elisabeta is a gothic fantasy scent inspired by the mourned wife of Count Dracula. The maker calls it dark, complex and floral-rich, a perfume that lingers and haunts and leaves a trail around people. She spent two months macerating it before release. The opening is floral: organic Damask rose, jasmine and lilac. The heart turns to dark fruit and spice, with blackberry, damson plum, cardamom and heliotrope. Under that sit cedar, patchouli, clove, oud, bay rum and tonka, with a note of red wine. Buyers describe it as very dark and romantic. One reads rich, dark cherry over a deep, musky warmth, another a cold forest, and a third a mossy rose. A sample buyer found it sweeter than expected, but a floral sweetness rather than a sickly one. Not every wearer enjoys it. One reviewer says it smells like a first-aid kit, antiseptic, until it mellows, and cannot stand the medicinal edge, which is worth knowing if clove and woods read sharp on your skin. Others say it makes them feel sexy and that it suits the gothic mood it was made for. Performance reports are all short and favourable: strong, with a trail, and expected to last. Autumn and winter evenings suit it best, and it is a poor fit for heat or the office. The 100 ml bottle comes with a crown and diamante lid, which the maker flags in the listing. It sits with other dark gothic florals and is made by hand by Juliet Rose in the UK.