Under My Skin

"It is a heavy, exhausting struggle to blend in among earthly mortals when one is, in truth, a child of another universe. Sent here as an observer on this great round, green, and blue planet, where humanoids rush around all day, chasing the illusion of significance. It is a fascinating sight to watch them from a bench, colliding into one another, never looking up from their screens—texting about how they have no time for each other because they must go here, do that, cook, clean, and, after all, who will do the laundry? At the beginning of the month, they receive a small salary so they can work themselves to exhaustion for another, and the cycle never ends. And the Galactic Council believes that it is easy to fit in here?" /E.T./ Thanks to Francesca Bianchi, it is. A scent was born that is beyond this world. Under My Skin is like a character from a mystical sci-fi novel, whose past, origin, and secrets can be sensed through the fragrance—an entity that has arrived here from somewhere entirely unknown. Melancholic, sensual, and provocative—an interdimensional creation built from hidden desires and shadows. This is a skin-close fragrance that deepens and becomes more intimate over time. Initially, it carries a sharp, spicy bitterness from lavender and citrus. As it unfolds, the delicate powdery, earthy, woody, and creamy sweetness of orris, paired with the melancholic grace of rose, merges with the animalic warmth of leather, creating a dry yet erotic aura. If we close our eyes, we may even catch a whiff of an ancient, leather-bound book buried in our memories. The soft embrace of tonka bean and vanilla slowly intertwines with smoky incense, while musk and benzoin weave a dark, sensual aura around the wearer. Unique. Truly otherworldly. Though it is close to the skin, it is robust and visceral, yet remains deeply intimate. How is that possible? It evokes the eerie sensation of an otherworldly being cloaked in human skin—standing before us, seemingly one of us, yet something feels off, something doesn’t quite fit. And still, we long for its presence. Once in a lifetime, everyone must experience this.

Under My Skin is perhaps the most frequently recommended of Francesca Bianchi's creations. In a nutshell, this is a spicy leather scent, bold and intense, in keeping with the style of this house. Reminiscent of old-world amber spicebombs, this is complex yet cohesive, made with high-quality materials and featuring points of interest throughout. Oscillating between being sweet and animalic, it is deeply pleasant throughout. UMS opens with warm, sweet spices, dense and biscuit-y. I get nutmeg in particular alongside cinnamon and cloves. Lavender adds an aromatic, fougère-like edge, melding nicely with the spices while being slightly unexpected. The amber base is present from initial spray, smooth and balsamic at first. The powdery, rooty orris follows, adding texture and giving a leather edge to the amber accord. As it develops, the amber base becomes increasingly musky and animalic, more carnal than dirty. The leather effect remains, becoming more prominent as this scent progresses on my skin. A hint of powdery rose follows, complementing the spicy-amber accord nicely, and melding with the orris. It is much more muted than I expected, however. Some herbal nuances persist throughout. It becomes increasingly dry and powdery as it dries down. Woody notes creep in, marrying nicely with the amber. Tonka and vanilla add sweet smoothness, rounding out the base nicely. The leather note becomes increasingly suede-like during the drydown phase. The animalic component continues to develop, musky until final fade. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It feels like feminine in the manner of vintage spicy amber scents, but is unisex by modern standards. It is an autumn/winter scent, best worn in the evening. A luxurious, vintage-style spicy amber scent, UMS evokes old world glamour, given a modern twist with its leather edge. Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of animalic. Excellent. 4.5/5.

I had this on my notification list on several discounters to let me know if it ever becomes available, and after an year of nothing what do you know - got an email last week and instantly ordered it, albeit the price was maybe 25% higher than what i am usually comfortable paying for such a thing. Anyway - nothing to regret here. It is pretty similar vibes for me to The Dark Side and Lost in Heaven, with difference being the lack of dominating top note, like its with the violet leaf and honeyed jasmine in those two. Here from the opening you get mossy, musky, resinous cloud - grapefruit and lavender being there along with the tingling spicy sensation from the black pepper, but far from being a showstopper - the base notes are actually being very upfront here from the start. Again - excellent ambergris here, the sensation of warm woman skin is unmistakable. Can't say it goes leathery from there - more of a combination with the balsamic resins, towards the drydown it transforms slightly into the said woman applying her favorite skin moisturizer on her skin. Excellent perfumery again from Francesca Bianchi, but this time i can say there is a bit of redundancy in the drydown with the Dark Side and LiH - and i don't have them yet, but i hear a few others like The Black Knight can also work in a similar way. So while not a must have if you already own a lot of the "darker" Bianchi's, still a good purchase for any fragrance enthusiast. I would also say i cannot exactly classify this as a "dark" scent per say, more on the "sensual" side here, thanks to the balsamic and slightly animalic drydown.

under my skin is my favorite fragrance from the house, and it is because they hit the exact right point about the concept and the smell itself, the fragrance more than anything try to smell were coming out of the pores, it pays respect to your name. About the smell of this work of art, here we have a round fragrance, where several notes of the composition melt until they reach the boiling point where the spicy, powdery, amber nuances are released and, above all, here the leather acts as a chameleon spice to enhance you. the smell of your skin, that is, the leather here does not smell like processed leather, do not expect any of this here, then the castoreum and ambergris join together to create a dirty, striking, quite warm effect that welcomes your senses and together to all the other notes mentioned in the same bubble that will promise you to want to smell you at every moment. [ I also feel a hint of cinnamon in it, although it is true that it is present and I think it is an undeclared note of the perfume. ] I have smelled and tried more styles similar to this perfume, bal de versailles, salome papillon, even haute luxe gives me this vibe being more amber and sweeter with benzoin in the background. but if I wanted to stay in a sexual point, very sexual, cozy, to a certain extent usable on different occasions, with an undeniable quality and good duration on the skin and above all that attracts attention in a discreet way, I would choose under my skin because I like it more than the rest mentioned and for me, the best perfume of the brand.

UMS This is like a feeling for me, its difficult to really express what i smell when i smell a FB fragrance. I like this abstract phenomenon, so I considered myself a fan of her work after sniffing 2 of her fragrances. I can kind of see and agree whit what most people here have commented about this fragrance. Yet I don't feel right in saying; that there is a pepper opening, going to a powdery sight herbal mid, on a soft balsamic/skin type undertone. This is a feeling.... and i recommend others that try this not to try to pick it apart at first. Just spray and go on your business. Its a feeling of comfort yet there is a sort of excitement. As if you are waiting for something pleasant, with no hurry. I imagine sitting enjoying warm rays of light on a cold spring day...and then a cloud covers the sun, you feel that your skin feels colder and the air shifts. There is this feeling when you want the sun to come back with the warmth, and yet you enjoy the sort of rest from that slight burning feeling of the sun. I would say this has a strong resemblance to a classic ''amber'' fragrance with totally different opening and mid than most straight up amber's. Also I feel that with FB fragrances the ''powdery'' vibe feels more like cream, not lotion. Rather as a sauce, like the smell and feeling a nice pepper or mushroom steak sauce has. if you would to smear it on your finger... Anyways i really like it yet i feel like I might write more about it as i use it more...