Florence

[Lycanthrope]

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

In the Bottle or Imp:
This is a sweet and delicate floral in the imp, with maybe a hint of amber, plenty of gentle iris/orris over it all.
Wet, on Skin:
There's a burst of berry, but it's not overpowering or strong. It stays just underneath the soft resins and sweet, somewhat aquatic iris.
Drying/Drydown:
Iris, woodsy wildberries and soft sparkling resin.
Over Time/Longterm:
Wet and powdery floral amber.
Final Verdict?
Not bad. But, not big bottleworthy.

[Bellatrix]

In the bottle: Juicy floral. Makes me think of wet flowers. The iris is definitely saying hello.

 

Wet - Flash of berries before the flowers roll in. Luscious and deep florals.

 

Drydown - Quickly moves to powdery on me. Powder and more powder.

 

Final Verdict - I loved this wet - but after ten minutes on my skin, I smell like old lady. Sadly, this is going in the swap pile.

[Janie]

This was a frimp - thanks labbies.

 

This opens with a trumpet fanfare of orris/iris. It has that lovely catch-in-the-back-of-my-throat dry powdery iris note I just adore.

 

It dries down to a spicy, quasi floral but still has an underlying woody feel to it. Nothing is overwhelming, but everything feels voluptuous and elegant.

 

Good sillage, reasonable lasting power. A lovely oil, well worth trying.

[reina]

I thought long and hard before trying this oil. the reason for this was mainly the berries. Berries and I do not get along. What's more, I had a feeling that Iris would smell like violets on me, and I hate violets.

 

So here's what I think:

This it turned out better than I expected. first on, when the berries are still noticeable, it's a light, pretty casual fruity-floral. Definitely good for a businesswoman as it's a confident smell.

 

However, as time goes by, it turns into a deep, deep, slightly heavy floral. The Iris takes the center stage and becomes a ladylike, slightly powdery scent. it's as if the businesswoman from the day changed into a dark purple velvet strapless evening gown, with full length satin gloves in the same color. I'd definitely expect to smell this on ladies at an opera house.

 

Very good lasting power, too. I could still smell it on my skin 10 hours after application.

 

I'm not sure how "me" it is, but I'm keeping the imp.

 

ETA: the Iris in Florence combined very nicely with the rose in Seraglio (left on my jacket sleeve from the previous night), I'll try layering them up and see what comes out. Should be interesting.

Edited August 12, 2005 by reina

[Little Bird]

Florence is beautiful and I am completely and utterly in love with it

 

The oil itself is a pearly golden colour, appropriate for the "pearl of the Italian Renaissance". It is the most lovely oil colour that I've come across yet.

 

The fragrance itself is so unique and amazing. The berries are soft, cool and muted, reminding me of the smell of berry sno-cones.

 

There is a strong burst of almost woody spices after wearing for a few minutes, but it somehow blends nicely with the berries. I tend to hate florals and Florence doesn't go floral on me at all.

 

This is an elegant and cool berry and spice scent on me. Cool berries and woody spices wrapped up in a light amber. It will be a definite 10 ml purchase.

[joseybird]

A beautiful, fresh, almost "green" herby-floral with a bed of yummy amber

[WidgetAlley]

Florence is a classic example of the principle of try-before-you-swap. This was a frimp from the generous Lab, and when I first opened the vial, all I could think was, "Oh no! It's Venice all over again..." Since Venice is one I'm not particularly crazy about, I was afraid this was going to be far too elegant and old-lady for me: in other words, straight to the swap pile.

 

I decided to give it a test run, though, and I'm glad I did. The berries warm this up much more than I was expecting; it's sweet and fruity and floral and a little musty... sort of honey-ish. It almost smells a bit like Lady of Shalott, but backed by golden tones rather than white ones, and soft rather than crisp. The spices underneath are keeping this from being too high-pitched, and something in there makes it go on like a natural skin-smell rather than a perfume. This is what I was looking for in Venice, and didn't get... It's a little more adult and classic than what I usually wear, but it's a keeper nonetheless.

[QueenFae]

A yummy, amberish incense scent on me. It's soft and tender while also sexy. It's definitely a red scent for me, and such a nice amber blend, which I'm a big fan of. This is lovely as a perfume and would probably be a really nice, languid room scent as well.

[sarada]

I would have never tried this if the lab hadn't frimped me one!

 

First I should mention that Florence is the name of the town that I am currently moving to (everything but my computer, TV, bed and BPAL collection are there right now!). It's, er, not the one in Italy. But I'm quite tickled to have a scent with the same name as my town nonetheless and I'll probably order a bottle just because of that!

 

In the vial this really knocks my socks off. The amber is rich, golden and glittering, absolutely one of the best I've tried. I have no idea what iris smells like except that there was something I liked in 13 that I think may have been iris. Everyone grows irises around here but I've never noticed any kind of a smell coming from them. I definitely get the berries though, and I like berries. But the strangest thing is this green, crisp, herbal smell in the background, almost like very green grass.

 

On my skin, this kind of fragrance doesn't do a whole lot and tends to fade rather quickly but it's still very nice and I could see reaplying throughout the day. It reminds me of the original Carnivale, which I recently tried, but I like this more because the berries are sweeter and the amber is richer (maybe it's because this is brand new). It's definitely the one to try, if you like amber and berries together.

 

I wish that my skin could project this kind of fragrance more, it just eats it up very quickly and there's no throw at all. But because of the name and the amazing in-bottle scent I will have to get a 5 ml one of these days!

[LiberAmoris]

Florence was a gift from the Lab and I'm so glad, because I've been meaning to try it for a while based on the reviews.

 

Berries, amber, and that green edge from iris bulbs....it is a little powdery, but here I think I like the powder scent as it somehow makes everything hazy and kind of sexy. I wish the berries stuck around on my skin, though. Berry notes just disappear on me.

 

I'll be trying Florence again in the hopes that I can convince the berries to stay.

[leahcat]

Florence

 

In the bottle: very faint, barely there in the bottle

Wet: mmmm! A soft scent, if it doesn’t fade this might be rather nice.

Drying/4 mins: Amber and berries, a bit of a heady scent like waking up from a good dream, I can’t get any iris at all (which is nice!)

Dry/10 mins: deserves more testing when my nose isn’t tired out. Has definite possibilities!

[aidenraine]

Wow, I didn't expect to like this because berries and florals are usually bad on me, but it smells like the amber saved it.

 

Florence is a sweet but dusky scent, a holiday berry. It smells a bit too like a freshly cut apple (that sweet and tart aroma). I love the way the amber highlights the berries, which are definitely dominating the florals in here.

 

This is just such a great bouquet.

 

I'm noticing this scent isn't very strong on me though- I feel like I'd have to douse quite a bit in order to smell it.

 

After a while, the sweet takes a backseat and I smell more of the dusky amber. The floral really is only present when wet.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Berry Schnapps! Yum!!

 

Drydown: Mmmm gets boozier by the minute!

 

Dry: Hmm this dries into a very chaotic scent. I smell a bit of berry, a bit of amber, a bit of spice, but nothing mingles well. I don't find it reminiscent of Florence the city, or the Renaissance, personally, but I don't require BPAL to be like the names or descriptions. Other than that I just find it meh.

Edited September 22, 2005 by AlaskaSnows

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Wow, this is clean and pretty. I smell fresh berries, the iris, and a hint of the spices. I'm very excited to try this.

 

Wet: The berries and spices are strongest. This is another complex blend, as I can smell the amber and the iris as well. This is so pretty.

 

Drydown and wear: I want to love this and buy bottles of it, but it just disappears into my skin. Honestly, I can barely detect it after 30 minutes. I wore it out to dinner, and asked my friends if they could smell any perfume on me, thinking that maybe this was one of those cases where just the throw lasts, but they couldn't tell that I had any on either. This makes me very sad, as this is a beautiful scent. It is elegant, and befits the bright jewel of the Renaissance. If you like berry scents, give this one a try, and hope that it lasts longer on you than it does on me.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Red? It's spicy, and it looks and smells red.

 

On, wet: Spices.

 

Later: The amber warms it up nicely. Spicy, ambery goodness. I'm not sure what makes this one so red/orange in the imp, but it's not Dragon's Blood. Whatever it is, it all works marvelously. I could wish for a little of that iris or berry, just a little bit, but even without them this is a nice, wintery-spicy scent -- perfect to warm one up in colder months.

[Khaman]

Berries! Lots of berries!

 

When I first put this one, there seemed to be an absolute explosion of cherries around me. Awesome. Then that started to calm down a bit... went a bit soapy for a moment which was probably the floral components saying hi. After maybe twenty minutes it started to stabilize into a spicy, delicate powder on me.

 

Lovely stuff. I would not mind having a bottle around. It's not a #1 MUST HAVE for me yet, it's a bit feminine for what I prefer to wear, but it's damn nice and I could really warm up to it.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - amber (similar to the amber in O) and berries

Wet on me - the berries come to the fore, with the amber and spices playing nicely, but the iris makes the whole thing smell a little perfumy.

Dry on me - this becomes a very sweet and spicy amber blend, with the iris sitting in the background to add depth.

[Undine]

Hmm, I really like this. The amber is rich and golden and the orris gives it such an elegant air. I would never have realized there were berries except when I take a sniff of my wrist I realize that a very small amount is lending the blend a sweeter note. Surprising--often fruits go all out on me and I usually dislike fruit scents or find them to smell all alike and synthetic.

 

I keep on thinking "gilded" and "elegant". In some ways it is what I expected of Versailles--not that I expected Versailles to smell anything like this, but the sensation or mental pictures I get from it. It makes me feel very adult and womanly. I would wear it to the opera or the ballet.

 

The only downside is a slight powderiness, from the orris I suppose. But it goes very well with the scent.

 

Very nice. I may well get more of this.

 

On my scale, a 4.5 out of 5.

Edited October 12, 2005 by Undine

[sophia_helix]

A frimp from the lab. I'd been eying Florence, but I have a very bad history with orris in most blends.

 

In the bottle:

 

Rich and sweet, almost like almonds, but with something more earthy behind it.

 

Wet:

 

Now much more strongly floral. Oh, iris, please don't overpower...

 

Drydown:

 

This is one of the most amazing, complex BPAL blends I've tried. The dry/earthy floral of iris is predominant for a while, but there's always a sweetness behind it. The berries aren't sharply cloying as they can be in some oils, but rich and creating a sweet base. After a while the amber and spices appear, and the scent just deepens.

 

This is so lovely. I have no idea why an orris blend actually worked on me, but it's fantastic. It's so rich and luxuriant I just want to be covered in it head-to-toe. It makes me feel like I'm wearing a deep red cashmere sweater and a brown suede skirt and long, soft doeskin boots, elegant but comfortable. I wish it had more throw, but I'll just have to douse myself in it.

 

Mm. ::snuggles into scent some more:: Bottle, please!

Edited October 15, 2005 by sophia_helix

[ayelienne]

I've worn this about four times and I just can't decide if I like it or not.

 

The iris is wonderful (i've found I really like iris) but after a bit of time, the scent gets a bit powdery -- the thing is, the powder seems to work within the context of Florence, but I'm not sure it's for me.

 

I like it, but I'm not sure I like it enough. Probably will swap.

[Shollin]

First sniff: <ahem> SWEEEEEEEEET. And powdery. I don’t know what in here is so sweet, unless the berries have been injected with pure sugar, but I’m pinning the powderiness on the irises.

 

Wearing: Oh, this is better. Like, a million times better. The sweetness mellows out on my skin and it’s pleasantly sweet, not chokingly sweet. I wasn’t paying enough attention to it over the course of the evening, and didn’t put much on based on the imp-scent, but the one time I rechecked it, the iris-powdery note had vanished and it was a lovely soft amber. This is one I’ll rewear.

[korshka]

It was a couple of weeks before I tried Florence as part of a whirlwind testing session. It wasn't until Wednesday that I really wore it to fully test it out. It starts off a little awkward but quickly settles down. Again, it comes out very spicy but it isn't all spice. There is a sweet yumminess in the background that I can only assume is the iris and berries. It hides behind the spices and calms and rounds them out. It's very lovely.

[jewelbug]

Imp: Mostly a fruity berry smell with a hint of sharpness in the back. A tiny bit powdery.

 

Wet: Still berry, but there is a hint of something sweet and creamy--kinda like a smooth custard with berries all over it. There is a sharp, tart floral in the back--well, its either iris or orris, I guess, I don't really know what those two smell like.

 

Drying: The sweet berry tones down and becomes quite pleasant. The sharp note is coming to the front, supported by the sweet berry. I can tell there is amber in this, as its taking on that powdery amber smell. Its qutie lovely, despite the sharpness. No spices, though.

 

Dry, 30 mins: This is a very warm evocative scent. The amber is golden and at the forefront, doing its usual amber/powder thing that I like. The berries are still background, giving the whole scent a pleasant sweetness. My problem, I think is with the iris/orris. It has a bitter greenness to it, adding a sharpness to this otherwise smooth and luxuriant blend.

 

After and hour-2hrs, the warm powdery amber is taking over. It’s a lot of powder and a little berry. The bitter iris has blended into the distance and doesn't really bother me now. This is pretty, but not something I'd normally wear. I actually love the blend, but its not for me simply because the iris takes over. I would not mind revisiting this scent for the future, thouhg. You never know, I might change my mind….

 

Overall: I would not mind revisiting this scent in the future. However, the beginning where the sharp iris takes over does not thrill me. It mellows into a lovely berry/amber/powder, but has less staying power than I'm accustomed to from amber blends. After 3 hrs, its still pretty, but I can't smell it until I'm right on top of it. Its like one of those "skin scents." Like me, but better.

I'm glad I tried this, as its lovely (and is applicable to my renaissance costuming). I might wear it for days when I'm in my florentine-ish garb, but its not a regular use blend for me.

[metaldog32]

Florence comes as a frimp compliments of the Lab. Thank you always for your generosity

 

Not on my original list of "must have" scents..but again.. I never say no to trying new scents.

 

Initial sniff from imp: I get berries...with floral..not sharp though. I guess that is the iris?? I also get some sort of "green" or "plant-like" note..but it's in the tail end..and only if I breathe deeply enough from the imp. Otherwise..it's all berries and a touch of floral.

 

Applied wet on skin: Sweet berries..with that dry floral..and again that "plant-like" note.I don't really get any amber yet..nor do I get any spices..just the sweet berries, the iris and that other note that I am having trouble describing.

 

A couple minutes on skin: If I wave my wrist around my nose..I absolutely have trouble smelling this..at all . But if I bring my wrist to my nose and just anchor it there..I can sort of get the amber and spice..with the berries and iris in the background

 

Drydown:Faint remnants of the fleetingly fabulous party....what's left is a bit of amber and a touch of spice....sometimes I can get a whiff of berries...but all of this is very, VERY, soft...darn I wanted this to last longer on me!!!

 

I wore this on Thanksgiving and loved it...except that my skin just eats it up in about an hour..even with moisturizing and slathering almost half an imp on me. Throw was okay..but I didn't care..I liked the way I smelled. However..re-application was necessary throughout the day.

 

Bottom Line: Florence is indeed a very beautiful fragrance...suitable for, IMHO, late summer and or fall...it just doesn't last long on me..which kind of sucks. I am loving my imp..and although this staying power is usually a deal-breaker for me..I am still considering buying a bottle anyway. The berries, amber, iris and touch of spice make for a beautiful fragrance. Berries never smelled so sophisticated!!!

[Victory]

Florence is lovely. At first, I smell the plant-y sharpish scent of the iris, which I figure is bulb and stem as well. As time goes on, something comes out which must be the berries, but don't which I wouldn't necessarily classify as berry if I didn't know it was a note. And then the abmer. I love amber. It gives Florence a beautiful hazy quality. I'll enjoy my imp.