Observe — a lovely pale pink perfume bottle.
Notice the lack of a label on the front… Can you guess the brand?
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I know I couldn’t! It’s Parfums de Marly Paris, and I had no idea the brand even existed until about a month ago.
They’re still on the DL right meow and one of the best kept secrets in the perfume world. This scent is called Delina, and if I were a smarter person, I’d keep it to myself and make it my signature scent. But, ya know, sharing things you love with your friends is the right thing to do.
Now, let’s get this out of the way first because it’s a big thing: this bottle is $290.
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Feel free to insert a holy SH*T, KAREN right here, because that’s craziness, I know. but if you can rattle off every single Frederic Malle perfume ever made in chronological order — I’m talking to the hardcore scent hounds — this line is for you.
Paying homage to Louis XV
Delina is an eau de parfum, and Paris-based Parfums de Marly is a small luxury niche brand that’s been around since 2009.
They draw their inspiration from the opulence of Louis XV’s court, and his love for perfume and horses (yup, both). If you look closely at the box and the cap, you can see the silhouette of two horses with shampoo commercial-caliber manes.
Unlike anything I’ve smelled before!
It’s a floral with top notes of bergamot, nutmeg, rhubarb and lychee; middle notes of Turkish rose, vetiver, incense and cedarwood; and base notes of vanilla, cashmere and musk. What I love most about it is that I can’t recall ever sniffing anything quite like it before. Ever. I keep racking my brain for fragrance references and keep coming up empty. I can’t put my finger on it.
The nose behind Delina, Frenchman Quentin Bisch, has created scents for Jean Paul Gaultier, Missoni and Mugler, among others.
I guess I would say that it’s kinda related to YSL’s Paris, because of the rose note, but the freshness of the bergamot and vetiver take it in a completely different direction. It’s unexpectedly citrusy and bright. I think it has a tough-girl edge, too, that isn’t necessarily masculine, but it is grounded with more gravitas than the average girly floral.
That lychee note, tho!!!
Oh, and the lychee? OH, DEAR LORD, MY stomach just RUMBLED! It smells so fresh and juicy and real! I feel like I’m back in Hawaii sitting on a patio overlooking the hotel pool while gobbling down an entire bag of fresh lychees by myself.
So, in a way, Delina also smells tropical, but not because of a standard sunscreen/coconut beachy note.
Long-lasting
A perfume that’s almost $300 should last, right? Thankfully, this one does. I spritz one spray on one wrist, then rub my wrists together and dab whatever remains behind my ears and on my neck, and that scent lasts a full 14 hours.
Yes, girl, I’ve practically counted the seconds.
A splurge-worthy perfume for big occasions
This is a grown woman’s perfume, and it’s a bottle you buy to celebrate big hallmark moments, like birthdays that mark brand new decades, weddings, new jobs or the birth of a child. It’s a scent you wear when you realize that you’re a grown woman, and you’re doing the damn thing.
AAHHHH! Can I just spray this all over my body?? I would if it wasn’t $300!
Where you can find it
Not many peeps are wearing Delina, but I bet that if you catch a whiff of it somewhere, you’ll be enamored. I really think so. It’s available now on the Nordstrom website. If you want to sniff it in person (always a good idea when you’re considering a new scent), they also have a store locator on the Parfums de Marly website.
Sampler set
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Parfums de Marly, by the way, has a sampler set of five scents for $32. Unfortunately, Delina isn’t in it, but I think I might try it anyway to test some of the line’s other offerings.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen