Heliotrope smells a little out of place in Etro perfume line. Etro fragrances tend to have somewhat of an edge or quirkiness to them. Heliotrope is very romantic and soft, has a dreamy quality and would be right at home in an antique bottle. As a matter of fact, I have a very vintage half-full bottle of Guerlain Heliotrope Blanc that smells a little more wicked than the innocent Etro Heliotrope.
Just as the name hints, Heliotrope is a floral-almond blend, powdery and puffy, like a pastry covered in vanilla-scented confectioners' sugar. There's a very strong gourmand facet to this Etro creation, but not completely. A bitter green streak runs from the top notes all the way down, even when the vanilla takes over. The green jasmine bothers me, actually. I like my soft powdery perfumes as soft as possible, Loukhoum and Louve-like. Heliotrope would appeal to those who like a big dose of white flowers in their sugar.
The overall impression I get from Heliotrope is very nostalgic, feminine but not utterly dainty. In the end, it's very pretty even if not my thing and doesn't sit on my skin as well as I would have liked.
From Fragrantica.com: Top notes are orange blossom, almond, petit grain and bergamot; middle notes are orris, jasmine, heliotrope, ylang-ylang and rose; base notes are tolu balsam, tonka bean, musk, vanilla and peru balsam.
Art: Joseph DeCamp, The Heliotrope Gown.
