Coquillete's Sulmona: The Blissful Happiness Of Simple Things
Niche Perfumery

This last week I've been working on the exploration of all the perfume samples I got from the expo Esxence, in Milan. This is a hard job, I tell you, since there are dozens of fragrances to smell and figure out. Some I love, some I don't, others are boring. And there is one that just stopped all this work for some time, becoming an obsession: Sulmona, from French niche brand Coquillete.

I had already spoken to Rosa Vaia, one of the founders of Coquillete, and I had seen the square black bottles but I had never met them in the flesh, so when I finally had the chance, I eagerly grabbed the testers and started spraying away. While I was on this discovery frenzy, a gorgeous woman kindly approached me. It was Elise Juarros, the other owner of Coquillete. She showed me their five fragrances and I immediately liked Sulmona, an almond-based fragrance.

Elise told me this perfume was made for her wedding day and it represents one of the happiest days in her life: “I was wearing Sulmona on my wedding day and I offered the 5 ml bottle to all the invited guests. Rosa was one of my witnesses and one month before the wedding we were speaking about making a table of confetti (Italian sweets for weddings) so we worked on the creation of the exact fragrance of confetto with bitter almond, orange blossom, vanilla and icing sugar. We made it exactly like it exists and every day I wear it I remember this hot and beautiful day of July 2012.”

Well, for me, Sulmona made my past few days happier too. It reminds me of so many things that bring a smile to my face. Not exactly the same as Elise, though ... For starters, the opening note of Sulmona is a very evident almond, so fresh, sweet and realistic, I almost taste it in my mouth. It brings me a memory of something I used to see when, as a child, I went for summer vacations in the south of Portugal—the Algarve.

They were not the Italian confetti but cute little almond cookies made from marzipan and with the most funny shapes like fruits or vegetables. I didn't like the taste of it but the smell was overwhelmingly delicious. And they were such happy visions for my eyes ... Well, this top note is for me the smell of the sweets of my summer vacations with my parents (almond trees are everywhere in the Algarve).

This sweet almond note is mixed with a bitter almond too. And this smell also reminds me of a liquor we love to drink with ice and maybe a bit of lemon: Amarguinha—the bitter almond liqueur so popular in Portugal. Well, this I drink nowadays, not when I was a kid.

These things were very much in fashion in the 1980s and the smell of them brings childhood memories back to me. But then again, the almond notes turn less obvious right away due to the entrance of vanilla and orange flower on the scene. It must be my imagination, but in my mind this concoction formed a very familiar smell that I adore and, curiously, was something I used to put on my skin after a day at the beach: Johnson's Baby Oil! Oh,God! The first time I tried Sulmona I had this trip of so many sweet and happy memories ... I was mesmerized. I'm sorry if this review is turning too personal or subjective, but I just can't help it. Almonds, baby oil and vanilla! Perfect heavenly bliss! This all together makes a fragrance that is in the realm of the gourmands, sweet but not capable of inducing a toothache. So, a sweet, oily gourmandish scent with the perfect vanillary drydown. This is pure tenderness, the smell of joy and carefree warm days. I am always looking for beachy scents and this is one, for sure. Although I would never tell, judging from the list of notes. A very simple perfume: almond, bitter almond, icing sugar and vanilla. Do you really need complicated things to make you happy?