L’Imperatrice (The Empress) is composed of the following notes: watermelon, kiwi, pink cyclamen and musk. The fragrance opens quite strong with a powerful aroma of sweet citrus fruits cut nicely by an interesting combination of kiwi and watermelon that synergise delightfully and come in at just the right intensity to take the edge of the citrus and soften it slightly, freshening up the overall top-notes of the fragrance. Thankfully this is achieved without the watermelon stealing the show as tends to happen with certain blends in which watermelon is used. A mix of sharper more grapefruit like and green notes prevent the sweetness of L’Imperatrice 3 verging on the sickly, which is a good thing. The cyclamen comes in somewhere in the middle top of the perfumes life span and adds an aquatic touch to the experience, again without stealing the show. As the scent wears on and dries down you’ll find that the sweetness will ease off nicely, and as the scent dries down, allowing more tart aromas to enter. L’Imperatrice 3’s base notes are also rather interesting, an gentle musk aroma blends with with a strange blend of dried fruit and beer, grounding the scent and fading out slowly over then next few hours. The fragrance is suitable for men and women, even with a name like The Empress. It doesn’t have the longest ever life span but is probably the most interesting of the five fragrances that comprise the D&G Fragrance Anthology.
