I like to think that even though I try a lot of new perfume every year I manage to get to most everything I want to try. With my nose focused on so much that is new if I do miss something I should’ve given a try it usually takes having it placed in front of my nose, literally in front of my nose, before I’ll step back. As I’ve brought up a few times I have been really enjoying comparing Eau de Parfum versions of a fragrance with their less concentrated versions. This has led to many interesting conversations among my perfumista circle. One of those conversations happened via e-mail with Polina Lopatynska of Fragrance and Art as she told me about a fragrance released in 2000 called Amorvero by Italian perfumer Lorenzo Dante Ferro. Many of you will recognize that name as the nose behind last year’s Juliet and our European readers might be familiar with the Profumi D’Autore line.  Sig. Ferro is far from a household name but I liked Juliet quite a bit and was curious. Polina sent me a sample of both the Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum versions and I got to compare the two.

Amorvero was initially created to be the exclusive fragrance of the Hotel Hassler Roma. Roberto Wirth the President of the hotel wanted a sophisticated feminine fragrance. Sig. Ferro took three very strong floral notes as his core in tuberose, jasmine and Damask rose and uses bright citrus notes on top and sweet ambery notes in the base to create something very identifiably feminine but also something that a fan of tuberose will also enjoy.

Sig. Ferro uses a very fresh lemon note paired with a similarly activated bergamot. The very early going is a lip-puckering tart before the tangerine adds a bit of necessary sweetness to keep the top notes balanced. The three floral notes in the heart are all room-filling notes, all on their own, but Sig. Ferro does a nice job of allowing them to find a pretty balance and it is at this tipping point where Amorvero spends the majority of its development especially in the Eau de Toilette form. Like the best synergies if I concentrate I can pick out the jasmine or the rose or the tuberose but Amorvero is better if I stop trying to analyze and instead let it become a greater floral accord. The base is ambergris, sandalwood and a bit of vanilla to keep the sweetness level up a bit so the transition to the base notes doesn’t feel abrupt. Like the top notes the base notes don’t spend a lot of time hanging around. It is the three floral notes which are the main players in the Eau de Toilette version of Amorvero.

The Eau de Parfum version develops very differently as in particular the tuberose stands out much earlier as it forces its way forward to take over the top notes. This time the tangerine, in particular, is more prominent as an orthogonal tartness. The jasmine and rose arrive soon enough to create the same energy as in the Eau de Toilette version but this is like the unplugged version of a rock song. The Eau de Parfum version is slower in development and this time it feels like you are meant to enjoy each floral note on its own before they harmonize the same as in the less concentrated version. The same delineation happens with the three base notes as the ambergris, sandalwood, and vanilla seem to stand a little more apart. This effect makes the end of Amorvero Eau de Parfum warmer and makes it last longer.

The Eau de Toilette version has excellent longevity and above average sillage. The Eau de Parfum version also has excellent longevity but much less sillage.

I’m very happy to have Polina point out something I missed as it helped me refine a more current study in the differences between Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum versions of the same fragrance.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Fragrance and Art.

Thanks to Polina of Fragrance and Art she is going to give one reader a chance to make the same comparison I did. We have five samples of the Eau de Toilette and one hand-decanted vial of the Eau de Parfum of Amorvero to giveaway tone winner. To be eligible leave a comment telling us about your Amore Vero (True Love) be it perfume or otherwise. Draw will end on December 20, 2011.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

-Art Direction, Michelyn Camen, EIC