Hi there ULGers, Lady Day by Maria Candida Gentile was a gift from my perfume buddy Scotty. He was complaining about how polite and pretty it is and felt that he’d never wear it. I offered to give it some wear and see if it was more me. Yes, selfless, caring individual that I am. HA! also greedy bitch who wants to have ALL the perfume.
Lady Day by Maria Candida Gentile 2012
Maria Candida Gentile site gives these featured accords:
Top: Galbanum
Heart: Gardenia
Base: Balsam
I wore Lady Day the next day after my acquisition. Considering how short the advertised note list is I was surprised by the depth and texture of the fragrance. There was something very repellant in the first wear, an unease that felt like malaise or the slip from sadness to melancholy. Normally I’d be glad and give the perfume back but Lady Day isa so strange. I wanted to smell that feeling again. Did it REALLY smell like that or was it projecting my own preconceived ideas of the Billy Holiday story.
The opening is green, smoky and sweet. The green is smooth like beach glass and super cool like frost. It has a smoky texture that also smells like the feel of old burned wood ash in a BarBQ. So silky but with the acrid scent of char. The sweetness is uncomfortable, a bit ripe sweat and whispers of confectionary like those strawberry and cream lollies we had as kids. Yes, I told you. Strange and unsettling but Oh SO More-ish.
The heart of Lady day feels more floral but not gardenia. It smells like a bunch of wildflowers picked while out walking and dandelions. It’s so pretty and calming. A bit like your first sip of chamomile tea, that fresh but green/tart warmth. Poor description, I know.
Dry down smells to me like smooth greenery and some vanilla rich amber. It’s very calm and serene at this point.
Longevity is better than moderate and though not a powerhouse Lady Day does give a soft wave of sillage after the first 30 minutes that lasts a few hours before becoming very close to your body.
Strange but alluring, like much of Billy Holiday’s music. I will not be returning this bottle, I’m captivated.
Did you ever try Lady Day? or have a favourite Maria Candida gentile?
Portia xx
Undina's Looking Glass 
Tee hee ….. love you, Portia! You always make me smile. No, I haven’t tried this or any other MCG, but do understand the (morbid) fascination certain things create. A bit like a doggie returning again and again to sniff at something repellent and finding pleasure in it.
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YAY! Making you smile jilliecat is my raison d’être.
HA! Morbid indeed BUT the more I wear Lady Day the more interesting and beautiful it becomes.
Strange but true.
Portia xx
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I haven’t tried Lady Day, it’s not really my style. I dislike most floral fragrances. I do like the brand. Sideris is a favourite and I remember liking Lankaran Forest and Exultat.
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Hey there Sylvia,
Exultat îs my favourite from MCG’s lineup. It’s one of the best incense/wood perfumes on me. So good.
Portia xx
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That’s high praise. I think I need to retry Exultat.
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It’s a perfect storm for me.
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I tried this one and didn’t love it. I have another Maria Gentile fragrance, but I can’t recall the name of it right now.
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Yeah, it’s a strange bird RR.
How funny are we perfumistas. We have so much!
Portia xx
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Interesting that the perfunctory notes list belied its complexity. Quite the opposite to what usually happens to me, which is failing to pick out half of a kitchen-sink list! I haven’t smelled anything from this brand, but this sounds beguiling.
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Yeah, that’s true Nose Prose. Those kitchen sinkers can be really tricky to navigate and we forget that sometimes three notes together will stop smelling like themselves and start to be something more and less.
I love how perfume still surprises.
Portia xx
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I was hoping you’d say that the gardenia heart note was amazing, Portia. I’m always interested in anything gardenia. I’ve never tried anything from Maria Candida Gentile. Perhaps I should give the brand a try.
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Sorry Flaconneur, I love a breathy white floral blue cheese gardenia recreation but it doesn’t really appear in Lady Day.
The brand is solid and they do 15ml sizes, which are a perfumistas best friend. I’ve been close to buying their complete 15ml collection in the coffret when funds flow, but haven’t done it yet.
Portia xx
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