Wednesday, September 26, 2007

La Via del Profumo ~ A bath in chocolate?

"The somehow aphrodisiac effect that chocolate perfume can have is due to it's capacity to awaken in our olfactory memory the sensual emotions experienced while enjoying cakes, pastries and creams, of which the sweet aromas of Cocoa and Vanilla are often the spirit." La Via del Profumo invites me to have a 'bath in chocolate'.

Wouldn't the ultimate fantasy be a day of chocolate spa services at the Hershey Hotel? If you can't quite fit that into your schedule, you can still enjoy the delights of the Chocolate Kit from La Via del Profumo.

Mention the word chocolate and I'm ready to party! Sampling the 'Chocolate Kit' by La Via del Profumo (The Way of Perfume) was shear joy as each of the fragrances evoked a very specific chocolate memory. Abdes Salaam Attar describes his scents so perfectly well that you know exactly what they will smell like, yet the surprise is how they will smell on you as they mingle with your specific chemistry.

My favorites were the Chocolate Orange and Chocolate Amber scents and what a close competition it was. I found it best to transfer the samples from the small bottles to a spray mist vial as the chocolate was much livelier sprayed than daubed. Within the first few minutes, the chocolate note made a very strong appearance that immediately sent me reminiscing about the tour I took inside one of the actual Hershey manufacturing plants in Illinois. Vats the size of a small house bubbled with enormous amounts of liquid chocolate as it morphed into millions of Kisses. Chocolate Orange, with a punch of orange zest gave way to whispers of frankincense and myrrh at the heart to play upon my skin. This is 'kissing under the mistletoe' chocolate and would be perfect to lavish upon yourself as a treasured Christmas gift.

Winning my heart however was the
Chocolate Amber! Highly evocative bitter sweet chocolate mingles with a dark vanilla and tonka that stays surprisingly well connected from the first spritz. But the action that follows was very surprising.
Chocolate Amber is all about chocolate gourmand! Simple and simply addicting is the reaction from everyone who would stand still long enough to test this sample with me.

Working in a very intense customer service department for a cell phone provider, I thought it would be fun to see what others thought of Chocolate Amber. It wasn't long before I singled out two of my co-workers who eagerly consented to be spritzed. For the remainder of the afternoon, each time they walked by my office their nose was literally buried in their wrist. A good sign for sure! My peers are very familiar with my love of fragrance and often ask for a quick spritz of whatever I'm wearing for the day. But this was just insane.

They loved Chocolate Amber as much as I did. Emphasis on 'did'. So now my tiny treasure is all used up and even though I brought my jar of Bath & Body Works Wickedly Hot Chocolate Shimmer Body Cream to share, they sniff and walk away with a woeful look of disappointment. Hopefully, some day in the future, I may get my hands of more of this very limited and very beautiful perfume...ah...to dream.

Chocolate Amber provided a mysterious calming effect as frequently the intensity of speaking with someone not happy about their wireless service or crazed about the overages on their bill would ramp up my body temperature and at the same time, would cause a swirl of chocolate to provide that invisible emotional support I needed! Powerful stuff indeed.


"Chocolate Amber" blends Chocolate and Vanilla with Tonka, the exotic fragrance of the famous Indian Amber in a uniquely sensual fragrance.

"Chocolate Spicy" blends Chocolate and Vanilla with the essences of these spices that Mayas used for preparing with Cocoa the "Divine drink" Theobroma Cocoa.

"Chocolate Orange" blends Chocolate and Vanilla with the essences of citruses for an aroma that make us live the emotions of a box of Christmas chocolates.

"Chocolate Mint" blends Chocolate and Vanilla with the essence of peppermint in an aroma that reminds us the classic and unforgettable "After Eight" chocolate mints.

"Cocoa" Cocoa Perfume is made with pure bitter chocolate extract.

**Warning** Clicking to this site means you'll be spending an average of two hours just enthralled with all La Via del Profuma has to offer. It's like spending the day at an aroma university, where you'll improve your education of perfuming and base ingredients and at the same time, a unique fragrance boutique where you can purchase some of the most exotic fragrances in the world.