Francesca Bianchi Extrait de Parfum opens with a darker, dirtier patchouli that is joined with plush leather, dry woods, and cinnamon that later find themselves running over a musky, somewhat animalic note. There is also a powdery element that made the patchouli seem dusty at times. The drydown is less leathery but remained powdery with some floralcy and spiced, resinous, and a touch sweet.

It is described as a “sumptuous and elegant Patchouli” with a “sparkling spicy opening [that] then reveals leather and tobacco, all infused in iris butter.” The notes are listed as: coriander, cinnamon, iris butter, patchouli, sandalwood, heliotrope, musk, castoreum, leather, tobacco, and tonka bean.

The opening bouquet was spiced, dark and damp patchouli, but within a few minutes, it was dominated smooth leather that was drier, worn with drier woods. The cinnamon re-emerged after five minutes to billow over a more powdery leather, and then a musky, animalic note seemed to run underneath. It was a darker, heavier scent that leaned powdery, smoky, and leathery with notable muskiness over an earthy patchouli.

There was a spiced sweetness that lurked beneath everything after 15 minutes of development on my skin, but it remained a musky, powdery leather with hints of smoky tobacco and woodiness. After an hour, dry, almost dusty, patchouli started to become more dominant over powderiness, but the musk and leather lingered in the background.

It seemed almost ambery after a few hours on my skin, less leathery but powdery, lightly floral, and still on the more animalic side. It was lightly spiced and resinous, a little sweet, and somewhat powdery.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for seven hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were both lighter and closer to the body from the get-go.

Personal Thoughts

The more powdery musk was stronger and persisted for too long over the stages to be a winner for me; the duo was better paired with the spices and dryness than when it is paired with heavier florals. For those who enjoy those notes, though, it seemed quite well-blended and nuanced.

Available Sizes

• 30ml for $145
• 0.7ml sample for $7

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent

Francesca Bianchi Sticky Fingers Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Sticky Fingers Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Extrait de Parfum has a greener side to it that really came through for the first few hours, which was initially paired with a bouquet of sweet florals and earthy patchouli. The bouquet turned powdery, almost buttery, and floral, before aromatic and spiced woods emerged with hints of honey. A few hours in, dark, resinous amber and vanilla came out to play, which stayed through the drydown, though I found the woods to feel creamier and smoother in the end.

It is described as being “inspired by the Moroccan city of Marrakesh and the rich and mesmerizing effusion of its markets and streets.” The notes are listed as: honey, spices, iris, violet, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, amber, styrax, incense, patchouli, and vanilla.

It opened with a fragrant bouquet of sweet florals and leafy, woody stalks. The Dark Side warmed up and shifted from the florals to smoky, spiced incense with honey with a more powdery, floral undertone after five minutes. The spices intensified with more aromatic woody notes joining the composition after 15 minutes of development, which toned down the floral quality but left most of the powderiness intact–more of a buttery powdery element, though.

Surprisingly, a greenness returned, met with soft, buttery powder and subtle, smoky incense a few minutes later. It felt cool, almost crisp, and leafy with only a suggestion of sweet, powdery florals. Over the next three hours, The Dark Side shifted from cool and crisp, slightly green with powdery florals to whispers of powdery florals with aromatic cedar and spiced woods with a hint of honey.

Darker, spiced amber and vanilla emerged between the fourth and fifth hour of wear and florals and powderiness vanished. There were subtle changes where the notes seemed to weave in and out, changing which ones were more noticeable from one hour to the next. The drydown–about eight hours in–seemed comprised of smooth, creamy spiced woods with rich vanilla.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for six hours until it was a skin-scent and about 10 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within the first hour of wear.

Personal Thoughts

Though Bianchi’s compositions are beautifully done, I have found that the buttery/powdery element that seems signature to the ones I’ve tried isn’t my cup of tea. It’s not offensive or off-putting so much as not something that brings me in.

Available Sizes

• 30ml for $145
• 0.7ml sample for $7

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent

Francesca Bianchi The Dark Side Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi The Dark Side Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Extrait de Parfum is a medley of sparkling mimosa, sweet pineapple, and rich coconut that start off boozy but get creamier and smoother, almost feeling like body lotion. There was a salty, ocean breeze that ran through the fruits, which dissipated as honeyed sweetness deepened the fruit medley. The drydown was when more of a spiced, amber-vanilla with soft woods became apparent, but a good portion of the wear was honeyed pineapple, buttery coconut, and sometimes, powdery florals.

It is described as a memory of the seaside that is a “concoction of overheated skin, coconut sun lotion, saltiness of the sea and the sand.” The notes are listed as: mimosa, pineapple, coconut, immortelle, rose, iris, sandalwood, myrrh, labdanum, benzoin, ambergris, civet, vanilla.

• top notes:
• heart notes:
• base notes:

It opened with notes of sparkling orange, sweet and tangy pineapple, and decadent coconut; it was intensely sweet but on the boozier side. After the fragrance settled for a few minutes, a creaminess appeared, which gave the illusion of coconut-scented body lotion with juicy fruits in the background. The saltiness of the ambergris came through 10 minutes after application as a faint breeze.

As the saltiness permeated the orange, pineapple, and coconut, it lifted the composition and made it feel sunnier–brighter and lighter. It wasn’t until about an hour in that it turned more like thick, coconut lotion with a honeyed sweetness. I didn’t experience a lot of shifts until about four hours in when it became powdery, somewhat floral, and buttery while remaining on the sweeter, fruitier side.

It was closer to the drydown (about eight hours in) that it felt darker and more resinous with amber and benzoin, woodier, and more vanillic in its sweetness.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were heavier with the scent noticeably wafting up for the first four hours before moving closer to my skin.

Personal Thoughts

It was a lot like I expected, but it had a fair amount of projection, as it was quite noticeable just sitting around, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about how to describe the scent, which definitely is not the norm for me. For me, it definitely ended up being too sweet and a little too powdery at times for me to fall in love with.

Available Sizes

• 30ml for $145
• 0.7ml sample for $7

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent

Francesca Bianchi Sex and the Sea Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Sex and the Sea Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Extrait de Parfum has a more herbaceous, somewhat medicinal, opening that is heavy on black pepper and warm cumin before a salty breeze, soft leather, and aromatic, resinous woods temper the spices and lavender. A floral veil seemed visible but out of reach at times, while the middle stage was marked by a honeyed, creamy sandalwood with little leather and lots of powdery musk. The drydown was soft, lightly sweet, and musky.

It is described as a Bianchi’s “interpretation of the animalic theme” that is “softened by precious iris butter.” The notes are listed as: grapefruit, lavender, black pepper, spices, Bulgarian rose, carnation, iris butter, musk, castoreum, ambergris, leather accord, costus, tonka bean, tolu balsam, Peru balsam, sandal mysore, vanilla, treemoss.

The opening was aromatic with black pepper and cumin against grapefruit and lavender; it was herbaceous, almost medicinal, and more heavily spiced–tickling black pepper with warm cumin. There was a powdery, leathery softness that married with the aromatics about 10 minutes in, joined five minutes later by a salty breeze and the beginnings of balsam and the seep of resins.

I could sense a soft, whispery floral bouquet that felt airy and sweet but was hard to define for me that drifted in and out, sometimes more than a whisper but never loud. Underneath all the notes was a muskiness that grew over time and was less noticeable from a few inches over my skin rather than close-up.

Under My Skin became more honeyed, almost buttery at times, creamy and smooth with sandalwood almost two hours into wear, and most of the spices, particularly the cumin, which was more noticeable, dissipated almost entirely. The leather bowed out around the fourth hour, which was when the sandalwood became noticeable, while most of the balsams were not, so it lost some of the more aromatic woodiness it had earlier but felt creamier. The muskiness remained just below the surface (“under my skin,” eh).

It has a powdery rose that dominated near the drydown (about six hours in) and seemed to mask some of the muskiness, but the musk returned with light sweetness in the drydown (about 10 hours in).

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were on the lighter side for the entirety of the wear.

Personal Thoughts

I have learned that powder and musk is not my favorite dynamic duo, and I am particular about them and how they wear on my skin, so I did not find myself feeling strongly towards this fragrance, though it certainly seemed beautifully done and certainly a journey.!

Available Sizes

• 30ml for $145
• 0.7ml sample for $7

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent

Francesca Bianchi Under My Skin Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Under My Skin Extrait de Parfum