Eau d'Italie, the debut perfume release from the Eau d'Italie line of Le Sirenuse Hotel in Positano, Italy, is an elegant composition of bergamot, magnolia, honey, amber, resin, incense, musk, blackcurrant, tuberose and clover, directly inspired by the mythological sirens who lived off Italy's Amalfi coast and gave the hotel its name. Based on the notes, I was never tempted to try the Eau de Toilette and repeatedly passed on sampling it. Recently however, I've had the opportunity to try some of the products in the matching body line and I've been kicking myself for not having experienced this lovely scent sooner.

On my skin, Eau d'Italie is a soapy-clean magnolia and white pepper scent, with a hint of honey and bergamot and the barest smoky edge of incense. The word "clean" in a fragrance description tends to be a kiss of death that sends me scurrying away, but I have to say, even as a die hard oriental-lover, that this is a really lovely scent, wonderfully calming and relaxing, especially on days when I simply can't handle wearing an intense fragrance. The bath and body line includes a Soap ($15 for 100g), Body Milk ($32 for 4.2 oz), Hair Shampoo ($25 for 4.2 oz.), Hair Balm ($25 for 4.2 oz.), Bath Salts ($35 for 10.6 oz.), all of which carry the fragrance perfectly, moisturize surprisingly well and come housed in the same adorable op-art packaging as the Eau de Toilette.

I was especially impressed with the Hair Balm, which worked as an excellent detangler even on my thick, unruly curls, and left a subtle scent wafting from my hair all day. The star of the line, however, is definitely the Shower Gel ($25 for 4.2 oz), which may be one of the best quality body washes I have run across in my life. Its texture is so thick and viscous that it is an absolute pleasure to apply, and one needs only a drop of it to produce mountains of rich, moisturizing lather. A must-try for any shower gel fanatic.

For buying information, see the listing for Eau d'Italie under Perfume Houses.