When I first tried Arquiste Ella, in a niche boutique in Bordeaux last autumn, I thought, well, at least I can put this one out of my mind. I had been interested in the 1970’s retro marketing drive behind it and its sexy-sleazy disco bomb reputation, but on the skin, it just felt unresolved and murky.
Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana consistently comes in at the top of the bestseller lists in the United States – and with very good reason: it is hard to beat in the summer refresher stakes. Featuring a sparkling green apple note and a translucent amber base, Light Blue is a pleasure to spritz on liberally in the heat. Its fruit notes are sheer rather than syrupy, so the overall effect is crisp and bright – like biting into an ice-cold Granny Smith.
It’s a pity, though, that the bright apple opening cannot be maintained past the one hour mark. The sheer amber base reveals itself to be Iso E Super, and the remaining three hours limp on in an agony of synthetics (for me). A pleasure at the start, but a plain old Iso E Super or cedramber base makes this one a miss for me.