Reviewed: Krigler Villa Isar 224 Fragrance

Look, let me begin by admitting that I do not ski. I even have a core reminiscence of standing on the high of an icy mountain with my limbs frozen in worry and silently sobbing till my boyfriend lastly helped me slide down the run at a snail’s tempo. As you may most likely guess, that was the final time I hit the slopes.

Like I mentioned, I do not ski, however do I want to embody an elegant lady whizzing gracefully down the glimmering Alps? Heck sure! I am a poser, high quality, however simply because the game terrifies me does not imply I am unable to take pleasure in an expensive skicore aesthetic. This season, I have been sporting all of the winter wonderland necessities: a fuzzy bucket hat or balaclava, mod ’60s sunnies à la Audrey Hepburn in Charade, and a high-end perfume that exudes cozy, après-ski power—Krigler’s Villa Isar 224.

I wasn’t anticipating to fall head over heels for the polarizing mix (don’t be concerned; I am going to clarify extra under), however lo and behold, it is turn out to be my go-to spritz this winter. Under, uncover the perfume that *nearly* makes me wish to courageous the bunny hill or, on the very least, curl up close to a crackling fireplace within the lodge.

Krigler is a family-owned luxurious fragrance home with some fairly iconic scents—Chateau Krigler 12 and English Promenade 19 had been worn by Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, respectively—so when the model introduced a brand new gourmand perfume, I used to be anticipating a basic crowd pleaser, one thing very vanilla ahead, maybe. Take into account my shock once I instantly caught a powerful whiff of cocoa. That is proper—this can be a chocolate fragrance! Chocolate notes are usually slightly polarizing (proper up there with cherry), because the sticky-sweet aroma can simply teeter over into Willy Wonka territory. Even the most important lovers of dessert-inspired perfume are likely to steer clear to keep away from smelling too fudgy.

A successful chocolate fragrance must stability its sweetness with the intention to really feel wealthy and complicated, and Villa Isar 224 is true on the cash. Along with cocoa, it options notes of honey, caramel, licorice, almond, and tonka bean for a creamy, nutty, and barely salty dry-down. Consider a high-quality chocolate truffle that melts in your mouth versus a very saccharine sweet bar. It is meant to evoke the sensation of taking a snowy stroll alongside Bavaria’s Isar River—the place Albert Krigler (who created the long-lasting model) rented a villa within the early 1900s—and sipping scorching cocoa clad in a cashmere blanket at Kitzbühel, an unique ski resort nestled within the Austrian Alps. If that is not peak après-ski luxurious, then I do not know what’s.

It is also one of the distinctive fragrances I’ve in my assortment, and as I’ve over 100 perfumes hiding in virtually each nook of my NYC house, that claims quite a bit! A number of pals have requested me what fragrance I am sporting, and once I describe the elevated Krigler scent, they’re instantly bought on chocolate perfumes. You simply do not realize how magical and complicated the syrupy, nutty mixture will be till you scent it on the pores and skin.