Sì Passione EDP by Giorgio Armani: a Universal Ladies’ Perfume

Yet another fragrance from Macy’s The Scents Of Spring Fragrance Sampler Set For Her.

The beginning is very unimpressive. A flat and dull sweetness, simply stating “I am sweet” in a calm, soft voice. Not attracting any attention, not having any other characteristic — it is not the sweetness of cane sugar, honey, dulce de leche, or anything else. It is merely sweet, nothing to be seen here, gentlemen.

© Photo by Liesl von Reuental

Quite probably, this reserved sweetness will find its fans, those who love cool neutral respectability. I, for one, might not be considered respectable enough, as I love intoxicating fragrances. Vertigo-bringing sweetness with inklings of something dangerous, seductive notes that make me push the tip of my nose closer to my wrist, savoring the scent. The starting notes of Sì Passione don’t have any appeal. So you smelled something sweet. Okay, no big deal. Something sweet. Nothing unpleasant about it, this fragrance won’t haunt you or choke you, you can smell it many times without any problem. However, here’s a weird fact. Thierry Mugler’s Angel EDP, the one I call “rotten fruit and lack of hygiene,” makes me smell it again and again. “It can’t be so… specific, I should check once more, and there were some interesting notes there as well.” Sì Passione doesn’t make me smell it after the first try. It’s one of the very few fragrances that can’t bring any emotions inside me.

Still, I have to explore this perfume to the end. And in a short while, fresh hay becomes very audible through the “boring candy.” Motley grass and hay. Not my cup of tea, but it stirs my curiosity. Did my nose get it right? Are there probably any other hues? Well, yes, there are. In some 30–40 minutes after Sì Passione was applied on my wrists, they smell of petals. I can’t distinguish any particular flower, it is some universal gentle “flower petal” aroma, very tender, it paints the air pearly pink. If cotton wool were made of silk and not cotton, it would feel exactly like this.

Another twenty minutes, and you can feel the honey juice, previously hidden under the petals. It’s still exquisite and reserved at this stage. Add more time, and there are hints of human sweat. It’s somehow not disturbing at all — on the contrary, these animalistic notes finally make the fragrance worthy of its name! The flower-petal girl turns into a woman who knows all about sex and loves it. Unfortunately, these truly passionate notes vanish comparatively fast, yet the scent stays womanly enough. There still are tender petals, but they are not apple or cherry blossoms anymore, now it’s a rose, a lily or an iris, their aroma is deeper and more mature.

I definitely won’t be buying this perfume, my wishlist is too long already. Nevertheless, I think that Sì Passione would be a good enough choice for a lot of people, it’s an elaborate and elegant fragrance. It isn’t original or unique, but it is a safe bet to suit any woman, whether she needs it for office hours or an Embassy Ball.