• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Maria Candida Gentile Sideris & Exultat ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Robin on 17 July 2015 22 Comments

Maria Candida Gentile Sideris & Exultat

Today, quick reviews of two fragrances from Italian niche house Maria Candida Gentile: Sideris and Exultat. Both are in the brand's Classic Line.

Sideris

Sideris was born during a walk along a Mediterranean beach in Liguria (Italy) at night. The moment was so beautiful that one could feel like floating in the air, between the sea and the stars in the sky. It is purely poetic fragrance.

With incense, cistus, myrrh, white pepper, saffron, rose, sandalwood, benzoin and waxed woods.

I first tried Sideris last summer, around the same time that I reviewed the brand's Hanbury, and I liked it right away, but I set it aside thinking I ought to try more Maria Candida Gentile fragrances before I reviewed it (especially Exultat, to which it is often compared). I'm happy to revisit it now, as it's a perfect fit with the oddly glorious and un-July-ish weather we're having this week: sunny and mild, not too hot, not too humid, with a lovely chill in the air in the early mornings. It's not quite that Liguria beach, perhaps, but it's likely the closest I'll get to it this summer, and the weather gives the airy spiced rose incense of Sideris room to soar.

Sideris starts peppery and bright, with touch of sharp aromatic greenery underneath a haze of soft incense. It sweetens quickly, and the base turns warmer, but only just so much: the overall feeling stays light and dreamy — and entirely unchurchy — even as the myrrh and amber notes join in, and a little later on, as the rose and saffron intensify. The base is a mildly vanillic honeyed woods, a bit milky, still rather airy but with just enough warmth that I think it would work equally well as a cold-weather comfort scent. The sillage, however, is subdued, even when applied heavily.

Verdict: Sideris is a charming, easy to wear rose incense, and my favorite from this brand so far (I still have not tried all of them). It would fit nicely into 5 perfumes: incense fragrances for spring, or maybe fall? If the summer weather where you are generally stays milder than it does here, it might be a 4 season scent for you. It's on my buy list, and since it's sold in small sizes at a reasonable price, I might even buy it some day.

Exultat

The Exultat fragrance is inspired from the fragrance that the Italian families used to give during the wedding ceremonies. The white linen prepared for the ceremonies where purified with ash and lavender. The inspiration came from of a visit to the San Lorenzo church in Rome, where the sacred meets the profane, the spirit meets the material. In Exultat, the violet leaves and vetiver roots combine to the incense, and the rare violet leaf absolute brings the spirituality charisma of the formula.

With incense, orange, bitter orange, lime, violet and violet leaf, precious wood, vetiver and cedar.

As a number of commenters have mentioned, Exultat has much in common with Sideris, and this is especially true in the opening, which has a similar haze of incense, floating here over bright citrus notes with undertones of bitter peel. The citrus does not linger long; instead, the incense is joined by the violet (powdery and sweet, at least for a time) and violet leaf. I was expecting something transparent, similar to the rose in Sideris, but no, they're thick enough here to be almost chewy, and the incense becomes correspondingly less central. The base is a musky woods, rather dry, and it likewise takes backseat to the violet, which lingers for hours. The vetiver is quite noticeable when the violet leaf finally quiets, and likewise, the incense comes back into focus eventually.

Verdict: I wonder if I would have liked Exultat better if I'd tried it on its own? Or in colder weather? Worn next to Sideris, it feels plodding and heavy, and not at all like the soaring blend of violet and incense I'd imagined. It is going in my purgatory basket, and with any luck I'll remember to try it next winter, although I'm guessing that even then, there will be other violet perfumes I like better. Do bear in mind that nearly everyone else liked Exultat better than I did, so it's certainly worth trying.

Maria Candida Gentile Sideris and Exultat are available in 7 (€14), 15 ($45) or 100 ($185) ml Eau de Parfum. For buying information, see the listing for Maria Candida Gentile under Perfume Houses.

Possibly of interest

11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love
Maria Candida Gentile Lankaran Forest ~ fragrance review
Maria Candida Gentile Lankaran Forest ~ new fragrance

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: incense, maria candida gentile, violet

Advertisement


22 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. morgana says:
    17 July 2015 at 3:03 pm

    I am a fan of Exultat, but if I haven’t tried it, your description (excluded the verdict, of course) would definitely tell me ‘must sample’.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      17 July 2015 at 3:16 pm

      Oh good!

      Log in to Reply
  2. Merlin says:
    17 July 2015 at 5:17 pm

    How does Sideris compare to Parfum Sacre, or the more modern Incense Rose (Tauer) I know the later has quite a lot of citrus in it, but I find both go quite dry on me – and so do other incense rose scents…

    Re Exultat, plodding doesn’t sound good, but chewy does :)

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      17 July 2015 at 5:48 pm

      I should maybe have added that I’m not a massive fan of heavy violet leaf — I like violet, but violet leaf, well, it’s fine but this is a lot of it.

      The Tauer is airy but loud, this is airy but quiet. Less “rough-hewn” than the Tauer, less citrusy. I want to say the Sideris is more feminine, but I’m not sure that’s really the right word because I do think a man could easily wear it. It has a more delicate feel?

      Log in to Reply
      • Merlin says:
        17 July 2015 at 7:47 pm

        And so a lemming was born!

        Log in to Reply
  3. annawilde says:
    17 July 2015 at 6:39 pm

    These both sound lovely to me. And I just found out today that my sister-in-law is getting married in Tuscany next year. Seems like both of these might be nice for an Italian wedding!

    Log in to Reply
    • Petunia says:
      17 July 2015 at 6:48 pm

      Lucky you!

      Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      17 July 2015 at 7:44 pm

      Oh nice! Such a beautiful area, and such good food.

      Log in to Reply
  4. Petunia says:
    17 July 2015 at 6:47 pm

    Thank you for the great review Robin. I own Sideris and have been very curious about Exultant for a long time. I suppose I should order a sample.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      17 July 2015 at 8:35 pm

      Oh do, it really does seem like most people like it.

      Log in to Reply
  5. nozknoz says:
    17 July 2015 at 10:06 pm

    I tried Exultat first, in winter, and loved it. I did not like Sideris initially because the idea of a beach fragrance with incense just seemed wrong, but I began to enjoy it once I forgot about the origin story. I appreciate this line very greatly. The fragrances I’ve tried so far are like nothing else and very wearable. I’m glad you are reviewing them now, because it’s easy to forget about small lines like this.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      17 July 2015 at 10:59 pm

      Ah, then maybe I really am out of season with Exultat. Hopefully it won’t get completely buried in the purgatory basket!

      Log in to Reply
  6. Elisa says:
    17 July 2015 at 10:43 pm

    Have you tried Cinabre, Robin? I got samples of the three of these and while I liked all of them, Cinabre was my favorite. But then, I’m a rose girl.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      17 July 2015 at 11:00 pm

      No, and it isn’t among the 5 MCG samples I have left to try. Will add it to my list, thanks!

      Log in to Reply
    • Ajda says:
      18 July 2015 at 9:21 am

      Cinabre is so beautiful!

      Log in to Reply
  7. Earthscent says:
    18 July 2015 at 12:06 am

    Oh Yes! Sidaris is exactly what I must sample!

    Log in to Reply
  8. ihadanidea says:
    18 July 2015 at 1:01 pm

    Sideris smells absolutely amazing on TheGoddessRena. Couldn’t stop smelling her when she had it on. Must get my own sample.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      20 July 2015 at 10:51 am

      Do!

      Log in to Reply
  9. Karenin says:
    20 July 2015 at 9:18 am

    Lovely reviews, Robin, thank you. Maria Candida Gentile is one of my favourite niche lines, and “Sideris” is the fragrance I enjoy the most. It´s a versatile, light but surprisingly long-lasting scent (at least on my skin), wearable in (almost) every season. I´ve read lots of praise for “Exultat”, but I haven´t had the chance to sample it yet. I hope I will soon! By the way, have you tried “Barry Lyndon”? It´s another favourite of mine from this house, a truly excellent, outdoorsy fragrance.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      20 July 2015 at 10:52 am

      I have not yet, but will add to the list, thanks!

      Log in to Reply
  10. donanicola says:
    20 July 2015 at 11:05 am

    Oh look what happens when you don’t pay attention – one of your favourites gets reviewed (favourably!) and you’re not on the button to comment! Seriously thanks for a lovely review, Robin. I went through a sample, then a 10ml decant then a 15ml bottle before I finally caved on a 100ml bottle (unheard of these days). It’s just so…wearable (and I don’t like obvious rose/amber scents!).

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      22 July 2015 at 8:19 am

      Sorry, I meant to wait until you were paying attention ;-)

      Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement


Parfum1

Luckyscent

Search

Browse by…

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

January 2019

Date

December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

From NST at Twitter

  • @Persolaise Oh nice!,
  • RT @SplendidTable: .@AftelierPerfume shares some of her favorite #essentialoils to use in cooking. https://t.co/fUYId3sFYI https://t.co/duZ7VNqH3v,
  • RT @katemclean: Honoured to feature as one of 6 international artists and designers working with #smell - opens tomorrow… https://t.co/PZKPkJiDc4,
  • Last day of 20% off everything at AromaM with coupon code AROMAM24...,
  • "D.S. & Durga’s New Manhattan Perfume Boutique Has a Scent—and a Song—for Every Lover" (vanity fair) https://t.co/NttxKmQnc5,

Recent reviews

Serge Lutens Le Participe Passé
Burberry Her
Terre d’Hermes Eau Intense Vetiver
Cartier Carat
Diptyque Tempo
Bvlgari Omnia Pink Sapphire
Proenza Schouler Arizona
Gucci Guilty Absolute Pour Femme
Diptyque Fleur de Peau
Hermès Myrrhe Églantine
Miu Miu L’Eau Rosée
Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle
Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal
Thierry Mugler Aura

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

Top 10 Fall Fragranced Things 2018
5 perfumes ~ vanilla fragrances for summer
Perfume: the best of 2017
The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

***

23 February ~ Splitmeet

TBA March ~ Swapmeet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2019 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.