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...

Very human, very warm and skinlike. At some point during the day, i wasn't sure if it was still there because it's so much like my own skin that i just couldn't tell. Obviously it's way stronger then my natural skin scent so i was able to pick up on this soon after. It's very motherly. Very intimate. And not because others have to get close to you in order for them to smell this, but because it actually reminds me of all mothers. It opens up quite leathery and spicy but not in a spicy perfume kind of way. There's just a lot going on in the opening. Once that settles it turns almost sour, like cold sweat that hasn't turned ransid yet. After that it smells like skin to skin contact but, x10. It's very smooth and has a makeup'y scent to it. It's strange to describe but i think i could best explain it by comparing it to a perfume like mon guerlain. Not that they smell the same at all. But mon guerlain has this feminine, vintage makeup, velvety warm and motherly feel underneath the sweet tonka, floral scent. Think mon guerlain without the tonka the florals everything that makes it mon guerlain, untill you're left with the sensation of that motherly quality. That's what this is. It's not about the notes, they don't matter. They won't help you understand this fragrance. Its a feeling, bottled up. Its a memorie, its human. And i am very pleased to have added this in my hoard of perfumes.

The first time I smelled this i tested it on my arm and was sort of intrigued but not blown away. I wore one spray on my neck the next day and wore it all day and became completely obsessed. The spiciness, woodiness, and surprisingly the lavender came through the most strongly for me and it was very nostalgic- reminded me of being in a food co-op or health food store as a child, smelling all the bottles of essential oils and hippie soaps. But also something about it is more refined and floaty(?). The second time i wore it (another spray directly to my neck) it went completely powdery and sickly sweet. It was also somehow very cold, not warm/amber at all. I don’t like powder much so this was unsettling and horrible to smell all day. I was so sad that the smell i had loved so much a couple days ago could smell so different and awful. Today i decided to risk it and try one more time. Instead of a spray directly on my skin, I sprayed it into the air in front of me and walked through the cloud a couple times. Also dabbed on a tiny bit of patchouli oil on my wrists to try to bring out that hippie soaps smell. It worked! It’s extremely strong, so i think too much and it becomes powdery on me- lighter application somehow brings out all the spicy and woody and herbal notes on my skin. I’m so relieved that my first wear wasn’t a fluke and i am once again obsessed!

A masterful blend of indecent iris and leather. I cannot wear this without thinking of Papillon Artisan's Salome. Under My Skin is dirty/animalic in a human way. More like an oily scalp as someone said. While Salome is very dry, and more skanky animalic. Both are special and not for the friendly crowds. However, I still wore Under My Skin to work once, and I felt sexy AF though it raised someone's brows. The freshness of the top notes says hello for 1 second, and the game starts. The introduction of the waxy humid/dense animalic concoction or kind of a plastic smell if you will, is incredibly well-designed. It accompanies quickly by a tad of sweet powdery note, and a bit of the soft seductive characteristic (not visible rose scent) of Bulgarian rose, over the animalic leather. The animalic note tones down overtime, and the warm powdery scent comes out more. It is satisfying wearing this perfume. It brings thrills, playfulness, and sophisticated ground to the wearer. On my skin, I prefer this to Salome, as the sweetness makes it easier to digest and it is detectably evolving. It lasts all day. The sillage is about an arm length, but the first hour of projection is the key weapon to pierce your surroundings if you dare.

I have just received my 30ml bottle, which I blind-bought. So far, the opening is a jumbled mess, and the dry-down smells like an old cabinet (possibly due to the Orris and leather) and nothing else. There's no sweetness, no skin-like scent, nothing... it's not even animalic, just a dusty old cabinet. Well, at least it's not repulsive. I'm not going to give up on it just yet though, I'll let it sit and mature for a bit. It's just okay for now. 6/10 Edit: 3-11-2024 I've worn it a few times since my initial review. It's excellent, not my favorite, but I really like it, and I enjoy wearing it. It's quite captivating. I probably needed time to adjust to the notes that bombarded me the first time I smelled it. On my skin, it smells very earthy and leathery. I can also detect notes of cumin and pepper. It doesn't go sweet or animalic on my skin. One time, I smelled this in my room (I had sprayed it on my coat the day before), and it made me laugh because I realized it really does smell like the room had just been used for something wild and kinky (with leather involved) that lasted for hours. Hahaha! Will definitely keep repurchasing this. Scent: 9/10 Projection: 7.5/10 Longevity: 10/10

This is the skin sweet with musky odor that Bowie sings of in 'Lady Grinning Soul'. She'll come, she'll go She'll lay belief on you Skin sweet with musky odor The lady from another grinning soul Cologne she'll wear.... Francesca Bianchi manages to make 'sexy' perfumes--a category of perfumery I'm usually uninspired by--that are interesting. They're carnal, but not at all stereotypical, at least by modern standards. They're an idea, a glimpse, a fantasy, a memory. A film montage, a blurry photograph, a beloved song. I could talk about notes in Under My Skin, but plenty here have already. Just as important in the perfume world is what a scent evokes. A lady grinning soul, hair brushed with soft bristles, velvet curtains and silk sheets, jewel-toned surroundings lit by a soft pink glow emanating from a fringed lampshade. A knowing glance, the thrill of the ephemeral. I dare say this is my favorite animalic fragrance I've ever encountered. lasts hours--the first time i wore this I put it on straight out of the shower, around 5 pm. i could still smell it on my wrists the next morning around 8 a.m. Signature worthy. ....She will be your living end

I don’t really know how to express how much I love this fragrance other than saying....OH. MY. GOD. No wonder people have been waxing lyrical about this stuff! It’s the most sensual, musky, leathery, buttery orris concoction, with carnation, ambergris, castoreum, tonka and basically everything I love in a fragrance. I’m dying over here. I’m not sure what kind of leather material she uses but it’s the kind I wish everyone would use, it’s like the leather in Tabac Blond. Which for me, is the end all of all leathers. This is such a sensual and sexy fragrance, it would completely disarm you if smelled on the right person, and linger in your mind forever. Under My Skin is the kind of scent you crave smelling and can’t forget, it sort of haunts you. It lives up to its name. I don’t find it so dirty as others have said, I find it more sensual like unwashed skin a bit, not smelly by any means, more like sexy. The smell of human skin is too often replaced by soap and Under My Skin reminds us of what is missing. This may be the sexiest scent I have ever smelled. It’s absolute perfection. I want to drink it.

+18 please Alone in the dark of the castle room, Where stones remembers every bloom of flame, She lies, draped in shadow and candle glow soft. Silk slips low... a shoulder bares itself to the night. No sound but breath... slow and deep. A heartbeat beneath quiet skin. And there it lingers, Under My Skin, Not worn... but lived in. Felt so deep within. It clings where warmth collects. A scent that doesn’t speak... it seduce. Like promises made without lips moving at all. In this hush, for one woman, the world is reduced to a touch. The flicker of the scent on skin... the rise and fall of chest... And that deep pull beneath bone, a presence unnamed. Under My Skin... where nothing else except of love, remains. emotional-elegant-extremely sexual-very sensual-opulent-very personal P word wrapt up in resins woods and spices in a oriental atmosphere. it’s sensuality in a very right way. but it’s dirty anyway... if you like p****, if you enjoy sensual oriental perfumes, you definitely going to love this. scent: 10/10 quality: 10/10 ( According to the price ) ( it’s not for everyone. it’s a heavy stuff )

Under My Skin is Francesca’s interpretation of the animalic theme, but surprisingly doesn’t seem to be her most animalic fragrance to my nose; however, the name gives reference to the idea that it it’s core, this scent is still something more subtly human than overtly animal. And what a beauty it is. To me this feels like an almost oriental leather scent - as is very common with Bianchi’s work, leather and orris are at the forefront of the composition, at a dosage of 15% irone which provides this overwhelmingly dry, buttery, powdery and slightly earthy effect to the leather which in turn is thickened heavily by a pairing of tolu and Peru balsams. Musk, castoreum and ambergris form a perfectly musky trio, but not to the point that it is impolite, as it is perfectly balanced by the spices and lavender. This is a bold scent, it exudes power and confidence, it doesn’t feel quite as intimate or sensual as some of her other work but in a way it’s refreshing in that sense. I absolutely love this fragrance, the combination of powdery leather and spices is done to perfection.

First impressions: Found it to be very similar to Dior homme parfum! The iris and leather combination from mid to base transition is exactly the same! DHP takes the classy route where as UMS takes the carnal animalic route!! Having said that, they are both beautiful frags! Update: Carnal, creamy, buttery iris powder bomb paired with dirty leather! To my nose it could be Dior Homme Parfum's animalic flanker!!! This is what I get as a wearer, projecting off my skin with constant wafts throughout the day, the longevity on this is no joke. BUT!!!!! When I take my nose closer to my skin, that's where the actual alchemy is happening. The ambergris and musks and castoreum and leather delicately dancing to create this intoxicating feeling of two lovers intertwined in a passionate expression of love, a carnal feeling and smell that is unmistakable!!! I quite enjoy how it's almost a refined dignified fragrance from afar but the moment you get close, it's an entirely different BEAST! THE CAVEMAN/CAVEWOMAN in all of us 😈

A sweet, intimate, wonderful essence. I have to tell the truth: it shocked me, I could not distinguish a single note, as the fragrance on my skin smells like... honey! I do not know due to what spell it creates such a combination with my chemistry, but its elements are so well blended, in a perfect balance, that all I am able to draw from it are sensations: comfort, security, tranquility. It has sewn itself on me like a dress, as if it has become my personal smell, a beautiful feeling, making it clear to me why its name was chosen: "I've got you under my skin, I've got you, deep in the heart of me So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me." This scent, dense and intense, accompanies throughout the day, giving a wonderful strength; it seems to be endowed with transcendental dream power, and the base, which appears after four or five hours, turns out to be an extraordinary balsamic amber, which slowly, fading away, brings you back to reality after a long journey. Absurdly good, beyond expectation.

Yet another love from Francesca. Similarly to other folks, I do get lots of cinnamon, but only in the opening. After a few hours it develops into the most beautiful, ethereal, subtle, sensual, warm skin musk. It *must* be tried on the skin though. On the blotter, it is completely, completely different - dare I say plain awful. It also takes patience; the dry down does not come quick for me. It takes at least a few hours before they reach their best stage. But boy, is it worth the wait. Funny with Francesca's fragrances, I thought they were all beast modes as I could smell all of them through closed sample vials. No other samples I had projected like that. And frankly, before I sprayed them, they all smelled atrocious to my nose. But once they're on the skin, they transform into these divine, subtle scents... my skin rejects a lot of the fragrances but this is not the case with most of her perfumes. The musks she's using, it's like they have been made for me. I'm in love.

Under my Skin is absolutely sublime, love at first sniff. I put it on my inner elbows, behind my neck, and a tiny bit over my shirt. This was enough to smell great without disturbing those around me and got me two compliments today (no that I was fishing for compliments, but I was told that I smelled great). On my skin, "Under my Skin" is all about leather and spices, supported by the rest of the notes. This perfume is on another level, it's more than smelling good, it's an olfactory experience. Under my skin has the kind of feeling that I expect from niche perfumery and it has fully met the high expectations I had for the brand, after reading so much about FB. As time passes and the scent develops, Under My Skin becomes deeper, sweeter, more animalistic. Its sillage is moderate-high (without being disturbing to others) and its duration is eternal. 10/10 for me.

Sweet, powdery and almost... medicinal? It does remind me of powdered rubber gloves dentists use, like what another review here said. It dries down on me into a very sexy, sweet, almost sweaty smell (but like a clean sweat smell, it's not offensive). On my second sampling I also got like a "whore baby powder" scent that I saw someone compare ELDO's Putain des Palaces to. It lasts eternally, all through the night and into the morning. The projection isn't as loud as I thought it would ne, which I think is a great thing. It makes more sense to me that this fragrance is (mostly) reserved for your lovers. Wink wink. Overall, I'll be coming back to it since it's a very confusing one but it really is a magical experience to see it transform over and over into something else entirely. Every stage of it is unlike anything I ever smelled. Good job, Francesca!

Intensely peppery opening, like toasting black pepper on the frying pan, then crushing it, that smell of freshly toasted pepper with a slight earthiness . Very tasteful opening. The drydown has a very long-lasting earthiness from orris and carnation, lightly spiced or reminiscent of wood-shavings, but still mainly this rooty quality, slightly smoky. As it goes into the later drydown, the leather and the subtle animalics start to present themselves, and this root-like quality begins transitioning more into a very old leather. Not like TL or any such leather fragrance, but a thick slice of leather that's been worn for decades, smoky as can be. All that while being supported by some balsamics. It's a great, complex fragrance that despite it being out of the ordinary, still doesn't make it hard to pick out what a note smells of.

I thought this was more masculine, but anybody can smell like dirty sex. Definitely would be liked by a niche snob or a fragrance connoisseur. Not for the faint of heart. This is the first fragrance I actually tested several times before buying a bottle. I had been thinking this would be the perfect sex scent, and I was right. Although the top has a vintage touch, it does fade fairly quickly on my skin, and I get left with a scent of dirty, sweaty skin (in a good way, of course). The most prominent notes I get are leather, musk, and castoreum, but the composition is blended really well. If you want to amp up a smell that wreaks of dirty sex, look no further. This is running a competition with Dans Tes Bras as my favorite fragrance of all time. Dans Tes Bras is more passionate; Under My Skin is more raw and kinky.