After wearing Debut yesterday, I decided to revisit my old friend Amoureuse. Amoureuse was created for Parfums Delrae by perfumer Michel Roudnitska, and was inspired by the box trees of San Francisco. The notes include tangerine, cardamom, honey, moss, tuberose, jasmine, ginger lily and sandalwood.

I adore Amoureuse, but I don't revisit it very often. The reason is simple: this is strong stuff. Now that Debut is available in an Eau de Parfum, it is time to issue Amoureuse in an Eau de Toilette — this is a fragrance that would be much easier to wear if it were considerably lighter than it is. It starts with tangerine and cardamom, underscored with touches of melon and pepper. That doesn't sound like much, but if you don't spray it on carefully (and actually, I prefer to decant and dab) it will very nearly knock you out.

The florals in the heart are, in a word, gorgeous. They are sweetened by a dab of honey, but also tempered by a lightly bitter green; Amoureuse, strong as it is, never even comes close to cloying. The dry down is musky woods, and even the tiniest dab lasts straight through the day, with the jasmine intensifying as the hours pass. It is very feminine, sexy rather than pretty, and while I wear Debut more often, I'd call Amoureuse the best of this line.

And while I'm wishing for Amoureuse Light, let me add a prayer for a new Delrae fragrance. We've been waiting a long time.

For buying information, see the listing for Parfums DelRae under Perfume Houses.