Florence

[Hawke]

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

Fruit and flowers in the imp but neither overpowers the other. It seems like a soft scent.

Wet on the skin, it's a heck of a lot more floral and powdery and girly, unfortunately. I got a blast of incredibly strong scent, too, and my hands are nowhere near my nose. The berries disappear and amber shows up, which just makes the scent even more powdery. If this is where Florence is going to take me, she's going to another home fast.

As it dries, the spices come out and the powder gets a little less so. No question there's still powder, but now the amber has gone almost vanilla-y, the floral note has faded a lot and it's much prettier, much more wearable for me.

Wow, I'm really impressed. I thought this was going to go into the swap pile, but it's actually turned into one of the few scents with a floral listed first that I like. I don't think it's big bottle worthy, but I'll keep the imp.

[Gaidig]

In the bottle: Sweet berries take the front, but I can smell the amber and I think iris, with a hint of spices.

 

On me: My left wrist is very iris while my right wrist is stronger on the spicy amber. How odd. It is thankfully not as sweet on me. Not a very strong throw.

 

1 hour+ later: Very faint iris & amber with a hint of vanilla.

Edited November 3, 2008 by Gaidig

[angelicruin]

In the imp, it's berries and pine.

 

Wet on the skin, I get the Iris and berries.

 

As it dries, it's berries, Iris, and spice with a little bit of amber. One of the few scents that I can detect every note on my skin.

 

Very lovely and intriguing.

[djsiberia]

wet/imp: berries and iris.

 

the berries reminded me of blood countess.

 

iris is now giving me a headache.

 

i was hoping the amber might amp a bit more, not really spicy either.

 

pass

[Mimosatique]

Wet: Glistening red berries...(currants?), Light amber, Soft iris. Smells hopeful.

 

Dry: Sultry amber(but not powdery), light dusting of spices, hused red berries, almost a creamy feel of iris burying under all of these notes. Intoxicating!!

 

Verdict: A sense of refined sophistication. Well balance of resin, floral, and fruits..nothing takes over one another. I feel calm with the scent and I'm associating Florence with the book, "Birth of Venus"..the young woman in the novel paints(which is rare for women to do that and good at during the Italian Renaissance), She is educated(reads Latin & Greek..again women were supposed to be just cute and not educated during that time.lol). Over all this blend gives that dignified aura with a touch of rebellious quality. Wonderful!

 

My favourite blend in the entire Wanderlust! ;D

[kjirstiben]

Now this one was a conundrum. I went into my test of Florence knowing little of how I'd react to iris, and I've had some bad experiences with berries so far, but overall, very good experiences with amber and spices. So this was going to be a wild-card.

 

In the imp and initially on, Florence smells like berries and a low-key floral. However, after a short time on my skin, I start getting a very strange plasticky note emerging.

 

In a half-hour or so, the plastic scent is very pronounced--it's plasticky-powdery and semi-sweet--this is Eau de Barbie Head! It really does smell like a doll's hair. How very odd! (I've heard people talk about this before with other scents--this was my first experience with the doll-head scent.)

 

I'd prepared to write the scent off completely, but a few hours later I re-sniffed, and, lo and behold, the amber had emerged and now all I had left on my arm, amping beautifully, was a sweet, spiced amber. Truly lovely in its end-stages!

 

However... There are many other spiced ambers available that don't start out smelling of Barbie Head, so I will probably be turning to them for my spiced-amber requirements...

[RottenLullaby]

In the imp - A spice marketplace!

 

On skin - I smell a mixture of warm spices, berries, and something I cant catch reminds me of fall/winter cooking.

 

dry down - A soft spicy smell, it goes well with my Lush Karma dusting powder.

 

Overall - I remember the first time I wore this I was wearing a red sweater, I still think of that crisp fall day everytime I wear it, also it’s a scent that goes well with red for me.. I’d like a 5ml of it.

[suki]

in the imp: sweet light amber and something slightly powdery that i cant identify.

 

wet on skin: the amber lightens more and a slight whiff of vetiver comes in, but very faint.

 

dry down: sadly, a note o refer to as "wet cardboard" has entered the mix. this note is also present in several of the Tarot oils and a few others. i think it's a spice note gone wrong.

 

in all: a bland, vaguely sweet scent. powdery, inoffensive. not particularly interesting. off to swap.

[mgrazulis]

Ahhh such a lovely evocative description...a whiff from a fresh imp. Lovely iris and a hint of berry. Wet, the spices are musty and the amber sucks the berry into oblivion. Dry, the amber is still hazy and the spicy iris go up a notch. It's all over within a half hour--choking powdery amber. Shoot!!!

[rayvn1]

Gorgeous! Dark and spicy with almost a musky tinge. Great amber scent!

[kelpsoda]

this starts out with tart berries, but settles down into amber and spices with some heady iris in the background. Nice, but a bit too much spice (or incense?) for me.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

This is really amazing...it almost smells like it could be a Snake Pit. It has similar spices to Snake Oil, but it's lighter, and more golden and shining. I get a lot of golden amber, the iris, and the spices, but no berries. This is destined to become a top ten GC fragrance for me, and I may need a big bottle purchase. Brava!

[vegasblueblood]

Starts off as a fruity floral and ends up all powdery amber, almost baby powderish and slightly bubble gummy as I find amber to be. Normally, I am not a fan of amber but the other notes in this do not allow the amber to entirely take over. It's definitely bright and it is indulgent and luxurious as I would imagine Florence several hundred years ago to be. I do not find it to be dark at all, rather it comes across as very golden, warm with the teeniest hint of spice in the background.

[savage_rose]

It must be the amber tonight, because something (like another amber blend, hmm) is turning bitter. It's nice enough in the imp, but I'm not getting any berries. Only disappointment .

[heathercaley]

in the imp: Spices and flowers with incense

 

Wet on the skin: it smells like spices and oddly suntan lotion-ish? Not the coconut oil suntanning stuff, but the white lotion.

 

dry: not much different than wet. It's actually evocative of some of the best days I've had where I'm relaxing on holiday somewhere away from home. It smells like a far away place that has history and old homes that have been around for centuries. Spices, subtle sweetness, and rich round amber.

 

Verdict. Love it, but won't be needin a bottle

[stellans]

I wore this the same day I received a leaky package from an eBay seller, and the leaky package overpowered everything, including Florence! After I scrubbed everything the package had touched, burned a tart, and took a shower myself, I finally rid myself of the intruding scent, and could appreciate the goodness which is Florence.

 

Florence (the city) is a 'must-see' of mine, so I was happy to include this scent in my 'must-try' list from the Lab. A subsequent imp convinced me that this was a bottle-worthy scent, but before I ordered another bottle, 3 more imps found their way to me and made a nice roller-ball bottle instead!

 

I am a fan of the iris note, so that was what I really looked forward to when first trying Florence (the blend). However, all I get when sniffing is an excellent spicy amber -- no iris, and no berries either! Perhaps that is due to the imps' age, or maybe it's just my own skin chemistry at work, but it's not a problem because there are other good iris blends. Amber and I don't always get along, so a blend which features amber prominently and loves me is a definite keeper. It has moderate throw, and moderate stay because I have to lift my locket to my nose, and reapply to my skin fairly often to keep this blend smellable. Don't care, love it, 2 stars!

Edited May 10, 2011 by stellans

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Amber and spices

 

Wet: Creamy amber. Not powdery, but not much of anything

 

Drydown: It goes through a phase where it's really just amber, but eventually iris becomes noticeable. No berries, but plenty of amber and spice. Not powdery.

 

Overall: It's pretty nice, but nowhere near as complex as I was hoping for. It's pretty much just amber. Some of the nicest amber I've ever smelled, but I was really hoping for more

[Lyrical]

In vial: bright, nose-tickly, almost smoky, but then I decided that was velvety spices!

 

Wet on skin: I don't know why I'm smelling violet! Maybe it's really the iris? It is actually velvety.

 

Dry on skin: powdery/velvety and inoffensive but unexciting. Reminds me a little of Black Pearl and Blood Pearl.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Very pretty, feminine and opulent. I get primarily iris, but there are definite suggestions of berries in the background, and the spices are evident. They remind me of the incense-like spices of Scherezade, and they blend nicely with the iris here. Later sniffs actually make me aware of a sweet/earthy combination of scents very strongly reminiscent of Love-Lies-Bleeding, but with berries instead of the cherry.

On, wet: There really is a deep, earthy, rooty, woody quality to this iris when it's first applied. There's sweetness here, but it's in the background, while the iris and spices up front make this smell almost woodsy, with a touch of incense. Hmmm… very, very nice, but not quite what I expected! It does have a soft, silky quality to it, though.

On, dry: Not woodsy now, and quite a bit sweeter, thanks to the amber and berries coming forward and blending with the iris. It's by no means too sweet or sticky, but it's still a sweet, rich, luxurious sort of scent. It's very subtle and womanly, and above all, it's smooth. The spices are fainter now, but they're still giving this a just slightly incense-y vibe. Not head shop-like, but just enough to add some spark and depth to the sweeter elements.

Later: Silky, graceful floral amber, with a pinch of incense from the spices. Very faint, but pretty.

Overall: Sweet, velvety-smooth and luxurious, but in an understated way. At times, this one reminded me of both Scherezade and Love-Lies-Bleeding, but I have to admit that I like it better than either of them, probably because of the exquisite iris note here. It's a scent that doesn't go out of its way to attract attention—the throw is relatively low and it disappears entirely within four hours—but it's elegant and well blended, and it suggests exactly the kind of refinement, luxury and good taste that I'd expect in a perfume named for Florence. Very evocative!

 

 

[Jupita]

Let's make a little introduction, to explain how I feel about Florence.

 

Florence is the city, that has always teased my bisexual side... if Paris is my perfect male lover, then Florence is my perfect female one.

It's a beautifull city of past times, that looks and shines like a golden orb.

 

Another thing is amber. I'm not fond of amber, of it's sweet scent, that makes my head go swaying and turning, and my feet go tumbling down some stairs...

 

So, we can say, that I ordered Florence for the name only... but, no, I also love irises, berries and I had high hopes for the spices too.

In the imp, it's lovely, sweet but berrish and sligtly spicy... but as soon as it hits my skin, it starts becoming sweeter and sweeter...

 

My skin seems to amp amber like crazy... to be in a passionate relationship with it...

It actually feels like bondage... like very soft bondage.

Like being tied by golden ropes to a bed with golden silk linen... and.... and... well, you do get the picture, right?

 

On the drydown, its pure, honey like, powdery amber.

I can't say I hate it... because for once, it's a lovely amber...

But, I'm sort fo disapointed, that I don't smell any berries, nor spices, nor iris...

On me, this is almost single note amber. Beautifull amber. But just that.

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Lovely spiced amber

 

Wet on skin: The berries have arrived, and they're kind of grainy as well as sweet.

 

Dry on skin: I never got any iris with this, but the spiced amber with a berry background is very nice. This also lasted pretty well (over five hours), so it will probably go into the regular rotation as I am an amber fiend.

[HKB]

Starts out warm and spicy, then begins to reminds me strongly of Black Pearl. Is that the iris? If so then I love iris.

Black Pearl, but more powdery. I think I like it more.

I thought I was going to hate this one because anything with berries in it smells like Kool-Aid on me and nothing else comes through. No berries in this.

There's something familiar in this. Someone mentioned that it smells like a toy from their childhood. A baby doll or something.

I will probably buy this one.

 

Edit: Decided it's similar enough to Black Pearl and that between the two I prefer Black Pearl. This is too powdery in comparison.

Edited August 24, 2009 by HKB

[Dominique]

In the vial: The oil is a pale orange with a distinct yellow tinge. The initial note is a kind of spiced floral. I don’t recognize the distinct scents themselves. On second sniff, there’s a warmth that’s probably the amber. The floral is definitely present, but it’s darker, more complex note than the roses and lilies I’m used to.

 

On me (dry): (Applied to inner wrists.) There’s an odd note that might be the berries reacting unhappily to my skin, or it might be the spices. It’s vaguely-plasticy, but not seriously offensive. After a few minutes, either the weird note has faded, or I’ve gotten used to it. The remaining scent is a spiced amber, with a vague note that might be a floral.

 

After a while: It’s been maybe two hours and I’ve had to wash my hands a few times. As a result, the smell is almost entirely gone. There’s a vague spicy-sweetness, but other than that, I can barely tell I was wearing anything. Florcene’s abrupt disappearance probably has a good deal more to do with my hand-scrubbing, rather than the throw of the perfume. Even so, I can’t really say what it smells like after a few hours.

 

Verdict: Because the scent was so faint, I’ll have to try Florence at least once more before I have a definitive opinion. It didn’t seem like a bad scent, wonky skin-chemistry and abrupt disappearance or no.

 

[undream]

candyish, golden, floral, spicey; all of these came to mind when first sniffing & trying this one on.

 

unfortunately, however, i am beginning to think that amber does not play well on me, and this oil furthers that suspicion. it's a lovely scent, but something in there is just too heavy for my stomach.

 

off to a better home!

[Seismogenic]

I think I'm just as intrigued about the concept of Florence as I am about the notes. I know amber works well on me, and I like the smell of real berries, though I have little experience with them in an oil context. I also know that I like things from the Italian Renaissance, particularly the music, and that I'd like to visit Florence some day, so there you go. Had to try this one.

 

In the imp: Spiced amber with berries.

 

Wet on skin: I think the berries are outpacing the amber now, but both are still there. They're definitely tart berries - currants, maybe? The amber is a very soft one, and the spices are a nice overlay. Not getting any iris.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this has transitioned somewhat from a rich and wet scent to something drier. I suspect the amber is responsible, though it fortunately hasn't done the powder thing that it does on some people (but usually not on me). The berries are secondary to the amber, but still provide a tart sweetness. The spices are fainter as well, and I'm still not recognizing any iris. At one hour in, this is amber with a slight hint of berries. It's not particularly spicy anymore.

 

Five hours later: Berryish amber, fainter than at one hour, but with roughly the same balance of notes.

 

End of the day: Faint sweet amber.

 

Overall: On my skin, and to my nose, this is a blend very closely related to Versailles - they're both predominantly bright amber, with a tinge of some fruit note for color. This similarity makes sense to me, since both Versailles and Florence are associated with Renaissance/Baroque splendor. It also makes sense that Florence would be the blend that, to me, has a little more body and depth, since it refers to a whole city of artists as opposed to one particularly sparkly king. All of this said, I like the scent, and will be holding onto the imp.