Review: House of Sillage Avatar: The Way of Water Parfum

Luxury haute parfumerie, House of Sillage recently launched a limited edition Avatar: The Way of Water Parfum and Amplifier collection to coincide with the film’s highly anticipated release. In addition to beautiful packaging and stunning display piece for your vanity, the fragrance is bright, light and one of the best personal cosmetics I’ve ever received.

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A few weeks ago on Barely Necessities: The Disney Merchandise Show, our team discussed the new House of Sillage Avatar: The Way of Water collection. Much to our surprise, the company was watching! Shortly after our show streamed to Disney merchandise fans, House of Sillage contacted us to say thank you for highlighting the offerings; and while that would have been exciting enough they offered us a generous gift: our choice of a Disney x House of Sillage fragrance.

To say we were shocked is an understatement especially considering the value of these premium fragrances. Their signature glass bottles are shaped like a cupcake and topped with a domed cap that’s often brightly colored, features dimensional elements and in some cases hand-placed Swarovski crystals. They also carry a premium price, with collaboration parfums selling for up to $425.

I have virtually no personal experience with perfumes and fragrances. Other than taking a white card sample from the cosmetic counters at department stores and tearing open magazine inserts, I’ve maybe purchased a body mist twice in my life; and still have three quarters of a bottle of Tommy Girl—which I love by the way—from a gift set my parents bought for me…when I was in college. Now I have the highest-end parfum I’ve ever heard of sitting in my bathroom and while I’m in no way a fragrance convert, I understand the hype.

For my gift I requested the Avatar: Way of Water parfum, and oh my goodness is it beautiful! The packaging is lovely, the bottle and colorful lid stunningly pretty and the fragrance is elegant. The website lists the scent profile as “Fresh, Fruity-floral, Clean, Earthy, Woody” and yes, all of that comes through blended perfectly and pleasantly. There are three layers to the fragrances: a top, heart and base with each presenting three notes. Bergamot, Pear, Cassis make up the top layer; Rose, Tuberose, Ylang Ylang serve as the heart; and the base is Amber Wood, Musk, Tree Moss.

Now the most amazing thing to me is how one spritz is enough to last all day. When I received the fragrance I sprayed it on a piece of paper in my office before using it on myself and it was delightfully noticeable the whole day. A few days later I spritzed it again and walked through the mist, this time in the bathroom. Not only could I smell it on me, but for the rest of the day, every time I stepped back in the bathroom I was greeted by the pleasant scent. It is persistent but not aggressive, something that makes its presence known but stays in the background. I love it! It’s probably sacrilegious to say that it reminds me of my aforementioned Tommy Girl, but it does, and I’m not in the least bit bothered by having two similar scents to use.

As for the bottle itself, the cap features an Ilu, a new creature to the Avatar universe, gliding gently on the surface of the dome. It’s surrounded by corals, fish and aquatic plants that are in full bloom. Around the base of the lid are white, turquoise and purple Swarovski crystals and the word “Avatar.” The cap sits atop French glass that’s been “hand polished in ombre lacquered finishes of blue, green, and yellow.” It’s designed to remind you of Pandora’s oceans and succeeds in this mission.

The House of Sillage Avatar: The Way of Water parfum is available in a 2.5oz / 75ml bottle and sells for $425. The company also offers a four-piece Fragrance Amplifier set that can be used separately, combined or added to other fragrances ($125). Finally, there’s an Avatar gift set that includes both products. It’s currently on sale for $412. If you are looking for a meaningful Valentine’s Day gift that will last a lot longer than chocolates, House of Sillage has plenty of beautiful and personal options for the one you love.