i wore this for the better part of a decade, but it's mysteriously vanished from the shelves in my area. :( i cry. i have one bottle of the lotion that i'm hoarding- it smells just as strong as perfume, so i apply it as such, sparingly and occasionally.

i've never been able to distinguish a single note from this particular blend, but whatever it is, it's all put together extremely well. it's warm and kind of heavy, but i wore it year round for years and years. i can't detect any of the florals listed in the notes... it just smells like dolce vita to me, and it is looooovely. sorely missed.

When I first smelled this fragrance years ago, it was wonderful. I bought a sealed bottle off of Ebay, and it smells similar but not as smooth. Lately, most of the older scents have been tweaked. It's awful to do that to a quality fragrance. Too many to name. My original review of this fragrance was very nice & woodsy. Now, not as impressed. UPDATE: Question...does this come in EDP? Because I bought the EDT, and it doesn't smell as deep or woody, as the scent I smelled when it first came out. Maybe that was the EDP, and I liked it much better, than what I have. The EDT smells icky.

My HG no more : (

Alas I got some through today from Boots.com and checked the ingredients:

Alcohol, Parfum (Fragrance), Acque (Water), Alpha-isomethyl Ionone, Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Eugenol, Cinnamal, Citral, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Cl 15985, (Yellow 6).

I am allergic to citral and citronellol and now have to find a new HG as cannot risk a reaction, sigh.

This was my signature scent before getting my allergy test results - i guess thats why i was drawn to it, cos it was no good for me.

I will miss this scent SO much and dont know what I am going to find to replace it.

Update: I had a consultation with a real live perfumier! He works for a London company called Les Scenteurs and for £20 you get a half hour telephone consultation and they send you out 5 generous (my 2.5ml has lasted 10 days already) samples I am working my way through:

Pierre Guillame "intrigant patchouli"
Acqua di Genoa "acqua di genoa"
editions de parfums "cologne bigarade"
serge lutes "a la nuit"
editions de parfums "lys mediterranee"

ooh la la.

Also he said if I had good results with a particular house another from them so maybe Dior it will be after all?

(EDT) I can think of at least two occasions where I have had a bottle of this in my hand, ready to purchase when another scent I wanted just a little bit more caught my attention - and Dolce Vita was put aside. I sampled again today, and while it's not a bad scent at all on me, I am finding the predominant cedar or sandalwood notes to be a bit sharp, almost tangibly so. At a distance however it is a very nice scent, lovely sillage. I just might get myself a gorgeous little bottle of Dolce Vita before it becomes as hard-to-find here as it is south of the border. Thumbs up!

This has been my signature scent for over 6 years. The scent evokes warmth and sensuality. It stimulates the senses. It might be considered subtle as it does NOT hang heavy in the air or leave a flowery trail as other perfumes, but it does reactivate and fill the air when you get warm. I might refrain from stating it exudes a sweetness like that of a bakery, but then, there's not many people that wouldn't like to take a nibble of the heavenly vanilla, apricot, peach, and cinnamon scent - including my puppies!

I read reviews before I buy my perfumes, here is where I find the top rated perfumes for the best prices: http://www.buzzillions.com/womens-fragrances-perfumes-reviews/n/4294925071+4294966833/

I love the fragrance! when i frist smelled it i thought it was way too sweet, but when i put it on i found that it actually smelled really nice on me, and after a while, i even felt like it had some very subtle masculine notes to it. It really depends on the person, because it will smell differently on everyone. However, it's def. not an everyday perfume, more for special occasions, and dressing up i'd say.

An incredibly beautiful bottle and package, with an incredible juice inside. Sadly, this is either discontinued, or very hard-to-find in the States. Quite similar to Feminite du Bois, by Shiseido, but this is lighter and a bit more sparkling. A fruity, woody oriental with a resinous, vanillic and powdery base. Although it is not listed, this fragrance has a DEFINITE cumin note. I am not sure if it is coming from the sandalwood, which sometimes can smell like cumin (read: 10 Corso Como), the cedarwood, the peach, the plum, the grapefruit, the bergamot, the cinnamon, the cardamon, and clove, or a combination of all of the above. It is not a chypre, but the fruity and woody notes are quite similar to the reformulated Femme de Rochas, just no oakmoss or patch or vetiver in the base (read: no chypre). I don't think the US mainstream market was ready for this one when it came out. It's beautiful and softly dazzling, a couture Calgon, taking you away to Lake Maggiore, Italy on a summer afternoon.
Here are the notes I found on this beauty: a combo of Jan Moran and Osmoz's notes.
Top: Bergamot, Grapefruit, lily, rose, magnolia, cinnamon, cardamon, clove
Middle: peach, plum, apricot, cedarwood, sandalwood
Base: Vanilla, Heliotrope, castoreum
If you are at all a fan of scents with a cumin note: Kingdom, 10CC, Boudoir, Femme de Rochas (reformulated), Angel Peony, L'Autre by Diptyque, you *must* try this! Also if you're a sensual wood lover, this is a must try. Don't be afraid of the fruity notes; they are expertly blended. No grandmas here! This is not an overly powdery scent.

Upon the first spray, I thought "yuck". It started out "brassy" on me and it smelled ever so slightly like burning cigarette. However, a very short time after the first spritz, Dolce Vita really showcased it's wonderful notes. Very nicely done. I just wished it's initial notes worked better with my chemistry. Advertised Notes: TOP note : Bergamot, Peach, Cardamom, Grapefruit, MIDDLE note : Magnolia, Rosewood, Lily, Cinnamom, BASE note : Cedarwood, Sandal, Vanilla, Castoreum

This is another one of my favorite, love this stuff have been wearing it for over 10 years. Love the mix of vanilla with sandalwood, its very feminine. I will continue to wear it for the years to come.

I bought a sample of the Dolce Vita EDT because I've read that it was a chypre and I've been really enjoying most chypres these days.

When I first put it on it seems somewhat sweet but very soapy. I was surprised because that isn't what I was expecting. The soapiness passed and then it just settled into a slightly sweet, VERY woody fragrance.

I don't get "old lady" and it isn't very sweet. It's probably the most genuinely "woody" scents I've ever smelled. It's lovely for this time of year - autumn. It seems like it would be especially complementary when the leaves turn to vibrant reds & oranges and begin to fall off of the trees.

I may keep a bottle of this just to wear it during the fall.
Edited to add: If your skin intensifies vanilla like mine does, beware! You will eventually end up smelling like candied wood. Yes. You read right: Candied. Wood. But it still smells good. :-P