New Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Misteriosa Eau de Parfum Redefines Aromatic Intrigue
What makes a woman mysterious? What exactly about her gait, her stance, her gaze, or her presence creates an enigmatic shroud that envelops her and accompanies her everywhere? That is, perhaps, what the new Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Misteriosa EDP ($90 at 1.7 fl. oz., available at Ferragamo.com, Macys.com, and Bloomingdales.com) attempts to explore.
The mystique begins with the luxurious bottle, which has a fully opaque black exterior with rose gold trim — from the lettering on the front surface of the square flaçon to the bubble-shaped bottle cap — and is finished off with a double bow framing the spherical cap, made out of black grosgrain ribbon. The bottle’s silhouette is, at its core, the same as that of the original Signorina EDP, but it’s the details — the color choices, the opacity of the bottle, the stark contrast between black and gold — that create an entirely different mood. With its translucent bottle, pink juice, golden bottle cap and a pink and mauve ribbon, the Signorina EDP’s packaging served as a prelude to the charming and ladylike fragrance. Similarly, the Signorina Misteriosa EDP’s bottle makes the desired impression, conveying a sense of elegance and intrigue.
But let’s now return to the overarching question: what does intrigue smell like? Typically, when a fragrance is described as sensual and mysterious, it’s rife with exotic notes like amber, sandalwood, incense and musk. And yet these notes are notably absent from the Signorina Misteriosa EDP’s formula — likely a deliberate move since it keeps the fragrance from moving into dark, moody, femme fatale territory. Instead, Signorina Misteriosa redefines our conception of what constitutes a mysterious scent, creating an olfactory experience that’s sweet and playful yet filled with unexpected surprises. It’s like an aromatic labyrinth that you can’t wait to solve but which you also never want to leave. The Signorina Misteriosa, then, is not aloof or unapproachable — she’s lively, buoyant, and a romantic at heart. She’s also a bit unpredictable, a free spirit and, as such, she’s elusive, like a jigsaw puzzle picture that transforms into something else just as you’re about to slot that final piece into place.
The predominant note in the fragrance, and the one that makes the most striking first impression, is wild blackberry. Sweet and ripe, the blackberry note uplifts your mood, giving the scent a certain effervescence, while a neroli top note adds a honeyed and floral touch that’s youthful and feminine. Like its predecessor, the Signorina EDP, the Signorina Misteriosa EDP features a floral heart, but the choice of blooms here feels a bit more adult, more sensual. Whereas the Signorina perfume featured a blend of peony, jasmine, and rose, the Signorina EDP combines tuberose and orange blossom notes for an almost narcotic, intoxicating charisma, a come-hither magnetism. As the fragrance continues to unfold, base notes of black vanilla mousse and patchouli rear their head, adding a sense of intrigue to the aromatic composition and a velvety allure.
When you first spritz on the fragrance, you wonder why there’s any link to mysteriousness but you eagerly breathe in that juicy, mouth-watering, sweet blackberry. As time passes and the floral notes take center stage, you begin to understand why there’s an enigmatic quality to the scent: after all, it constantly surprises you. Just when you think you have Signorina Misteriosa figured out, the black vanilla base note emerges, making you again reconsider your view of her. Is she starry-eyed and innocent? Powerful and confident? Adventurous and free-spirited? Bold and audacious? Charming and ladylike? Ravishing and erotic? Amorous and tender? Well, she’s a little bit of everything and that’s precisely what makes her so special.
