Florence

[MinxyMinou]

The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices.

Initially this is a super sharp woodsy scent on me that quickly drys to spices and berry.

On me this is pleasant enough but I can't say that I'm hugely inspired. I think I may pass this one on.

[loubric]

Smells like spicy wooden chocolate on me. Bit manly bit foreign.

 

Nice but not me.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Flowers and spices. Something that reminds me of cigarettes.

 

Wet: Flowers and spices.

 

Dry: Spice and flowers. And something else... perfume-y (amber?).

 

A while later: Slightly spicy. A kind of "golden afternoon" scent.

[darklorelei]

In imp: very herbal fruit. Sage? Not really a fan.

 

On skin: almost completely disappears. Reminds me of nothing so much as berry chewing gum. This was honestly a big disappointment for me. I was hoping for more orris and fewer berries.

[surf-tormented]

I'm surprised I've never tried an imp of this yet, being so drawn to the Wanderlust collection when I first joined the forum in 2004. I was cautious to try it, because it smells like cherry cough syrup in the vial.

 

This is a nice floral, it's woody. I wouldn't have expected it from the list of notes. I guess the iris is woody or maybe the cross between floral and spice makes a woody scent? I don't know, but I really like it. It is sort of it the same family as The Red Queen and Kabuki, where a berry scent is conquered by a strong wood note. Then a bit of floral comes out, the iris and mixed with the spicy wood and berries.

 

I would consider buying it once my Red Queen bottle is gone.

[irishelf]

Imp: I get a lot of berries in the imp, and what i assume is the iris; it smells generically floral to me.

 

Wet: Sharp sweet berries and a hint of spice comes out.

 

Drydown: I tend to amp spicy things (which I like, honestly), but it's not tempered by anything on my skin.

 

Dry: Spicy....chapstick? Hmm. Not a keeper.

[Evilynn]

In the imp: Almost a little glue-like. O.o

Wet on the skin: Sharp and woodsy. I get a bit of the iris too. There's some kind of round sweetness in there too, which I thought was floral before reading the notes, but I suppose it might be the berries. No idea what kind of berries though.

Drydown: Spices and a bit of amber. This is one of those 3/5 scents that I sort of like, but not enough to warrant a bottle. The woodsy-ness made me want to go sniff my imps of Yggdrasil and Odin again.

[fairnymph]

Deep amber oil, almost orangey. Sweet, warm, and a touchy spicy and floral. I can smell all the notes, but the berries hit first and most strongly.

 

Almost candy-sweet or jammy from the berries - I get raspberry first and foremost, with a little strawberry and maybe a bit of blackberry? Sort of like 'fruits of the forest' jam but heavy on the rasberry. More iris now, a little powdery but not heavily so. The amber remains light and more warm than powdery. I get a bit of clove now, slowly emerging.

 

Sweet berries and powdery iris & amber with a touch of light (and actually rather pleasant) clove. One of the simpler BPAL blends, it strikes me as something an older woman would wear - 'old lady'. A fake cherry note has joined the fruits, and the raspberry has gone sickly sweet and plasticky on me.

 

Soft powder lightly sweetened with berries after several hours. It's not horrible in the final drydown, but not at all my sort of thing. Low throw and decent longevity.

[moon_lemming]

Oh my god, this smells like something I know, but I can't remember what. Aargh, I hate it when that happens because I can't pick out notes, my brain's too busy trying to remember where I've smelled this. Maybe a perfume my mom used to wear, IDK.

 

Anyway, Florence gives me the impression of a spicy perfume in the vial, like one a confident fully-adult woman would wear -- everything is all mushed together which, combined with my brain freeze, is making it impossible for me to pick out notes. I wish I could note what it smells like wet on my skin, but in the time it took me to write the first paragraph up there, it dried. And turned to powdery amber grossness. Ugh. AMBER.

Edited March 30, 2010 by karen

[loladae]

THIS ONE IS SO AMAZING...in the imp....It smells like velvety berries and is so yummy. On my skin it smells a bit like that + powder + predominantly wood. So so sad. It also has no throw.

Edited April 3, 2010 by loladae

[SueTigger]

Well, this definitely has the husband-ly growl of approval (Diable en Boîte is still his absolute favorite, though)!

 

On me, the iris and berries take a back seat to the amber and spices, but they are there, mellowing everything out. It's a very luxurious fragrance and almost reminds me of Obsession but not quite as heavy.

 

I think a bottle purchase is in my future for this one.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting berries and iris and amber. On my skin, this is iris and amber. Hrm. We'll see how this goes. Ends up going really powdery, not quite for me.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Venneh

[raisin]

Pretty much just soft, powdery amber on me. Maybe a little bit spicy. Not getting any iris and certainly no berries. It's very soft and close to the skin. I may want to pick this up again later, but I think for now, I'm passing the imp on.

[Vega]

In imp: A bright, sweet, juicy note that I'm recognizing as berries.

 

On skin: The scent really opens up now. It's initially all juicy, full berries, but in the drydown the other notes come into play. Over time, the spices temper the berries so they're not so intensely sweet, and the amber makes everything drier. (Not sure how iris smells.) Ultimately this is a complex blend of rich berries and spices, over a dry amber base. I'm reminded of Bordello: both are warm, juicy and full, and have a similar berry/currant note. But Florence is more complex and balanced -- just perfect.

Colour impression: A mix of red, gold, burgundy, maroon, royal purple.

 

Verdict: Lush, cosmopolitan, elegant, complex, refined; definitely evokes a Renaissance vibe. Florence is a keeper - my perfect berry blend.

[claudia6913]

This is a much deeper scent than I thought it would be. It's sweetly musky and a bit dry. It reminds me of a stick incense I had. I can smell the berries, but this dry musk is very much overpowering the rest of the blend. It's not a bad scent, but just my little imp will be more than enough of it I think.

[Incendiare]

In the imp, Florence reminds me of walking amongst the various plants in my family's garden during the evening in the summer. Oddly enough, the sharpness reminds me of a specific area of our garden where we usually grow herbs and mint. Go figure. Wet, I can smell more of the iris, but no spices or amber. Definitely more on the woodsy side too. Not even close to what I was expecting from this blend. It's alright, but not really my thing.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

There is something in here that reminds me of Angel, but I can't put my finger on it. Aside from that, the florals smell sharp and commercial-perfumey, berries smell plasticky, and I don't detect any spices or amber.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: patchouli? do I have the correct imp? Uhm.. yes. Wait a sec...my nose is off because of overloading. The indicator is that my coffee smells like chinese food. Ok wait.. there's the bright berry and spices with amber. I guess the patchouli thought was because of the berry and spice mix w/ amber? The iris is pretty and green as well.

Drydown: something here reminds me of my little ponies. I think the berry took over more, that's why. Ok thankfully that's passing. It's a really lovely berry amber and I wish I could make out what spices are in here!

[Suu4LC]

Huh-I could have sworn I reviews this eons ago but apparently not! In the imp, this smells like a velvety, spiced woody scent. I don't see wood in the notes, but this is definitely woody to my nose. A little sweetness-probably the berries. Pleasant, but woods tend to amp on me so I'm not sure how this will go on my skin.

 

 

There's something about this that is quite regal. On my skin, it's definitely still a woody scent, polished and clean, but a bit sweet and spiced. Though, as this dries on my skin there is sort of a weird undertone...I can't place it-this happens sometimes and i've never figured out what note it is. It's almost chloriney...however it fades fast. I can definitely notice the amber in this when it's on my skin...I have the feeling it will turn the blend powdery on me as amber tends to do.

 

The more this dries, the more deep and woodsy it smells. O_o Doesn't go powdery/ambery and I don't get berries at all. It's sort of a musky dark wood scent...

 

On full full drydown the amber finally gets the better of this blend and I end up with a sweet powdery wood scent. Not what I expected at all from this blend ]:

[theseagrows]

i thought i had tried this one, and it smells very familiar, but i haven't reviewed it. luckily, the berries in this are subtle, as fruit sometimes go plasticky on me. i guess i am getting mostly amber and spices...but i can't detect what spices they are. they are very soft though, not spicy in a cinnamon or peppery way, but subtle and warm. i really can't place the spices at all though. i like this alright, but it's not wowing me, so i will have to swap it.

[Cocoa]

I like this scent it smells some floral with a touch of spice

very nice and great warm smell.

As it settles smells a little powdery but the floral is still there

[countessmouse]

Soft white florals with a touch of spice. A bit perfumy. Not a very strong throw.

 

I really like this, but I'm not sure I like it enough to get a bottle.

[angelamaria]

In imp: a heady, fruity-floral blend. I'm very clearly smelling iris and berries, sweet and almost intoxicating. I'm also getting the slightly-powdery amber.

 

Wet on skin: the powdery amber is the first thing I can identify, which doesn't bode well for me :/ The iris has gone missing, it's mostly just berries now--and thus fruity, but on second thought--it feels more "foody" than "fruity" to me.

 

Dry: sadly, this is an amber I apparently can't wear. The powder's overwhelmed the scent, and it's gone slightly oily as well, and as it stays longer on my skin, it's giving me a definite Blood Pearl vibe: that same sort of oiliness.

 

Verdict: I love the place--I've just been there a few weeks ago!--but I'm afraid the blend is just not for me. It is a pretty scent, and it feels quite appropriate for Florence, but even if it had not gone powdery, I'm not sure a heady scent like this is for me.

[Schmoozy]

Spicy, amber, berries and wood. It's soft, delicate, dusty, dry and utterly sexy. The dryness eventually wears off and it becomes really incensey. I can't tell if it's sandalwood or balsam, because it kinda remonds me of Tombstone or the Mutter Museum scent U. Whatever it is though, I adore it.

[ami226]

I can't believe I have never tried this one! I am completely obsessed with Italy!

 

On the skin: Not what I was expecting at all! Kind of earthy with a bit of berry tartness as well as some golden amber and a bit of woodiness. Definitely reminds me of another scent I have smelled, but for the life of me I can't remember which! (The earthiness seems to be the same one I remember from Ravenous though. Patchouli?) I am REALLY liking this one.

 

Not something I could ever wear to work, but I think I am going to have to add this one to my 5 ml list!!