Garofano

Just wWOWw! Garofano was a total blind-buy for me. Id decided to take a chance on it bc I wanted to experience something "Unique" to the house of Lorenzo Villoresi and I must say, it was a Blind-Buy SCORE!! Now, I can see why this fragrance is so polarizing and definately DO NOT consider Garofano as blind-buy safe bc it is sort of a Wierd fragrance. It starts of sorta smelling of hyper-realistic "Old-Dead flowers" along with an herbal/green nuance that vaguely reminds me of fresh picked DILL (dont think Pickles tho!) Its NOT sounding appealing I KNOW! But that opening is very brief and Garofano quickly settles into this GORGEOUS, photo-realistic "Fresh cut Carnation" with stems and leaves intact, then it begins to dry-down and ya get the soft Clove note which does NOT over power the florals meeting the Carnation halfway. Theres also this "Airy Freshness" and invigorating feel to Garofano and I must say that I have nothing else that smells quite like it in my whacky 200+ bottle collection, nor have I smelled anything else like it. This scent has excellent performance especially considering its an edt, and smells absolutely beautiful in the air. I was actually concerned that maybe that "Old dead flowers" thing was still lingering and that maybe it was just I that'd become nose blind to that immediate opening, but that was debunked when after my very first full-wear yesterday Id recieved a very nice compliment from my aunt who'd said "Wow! You smell REALLY GOOD!" and I knew then that I did smell good bc my aunt is sometimes waaay TOO honest/critical! Lol. Garofano has great longevity lasting between 7 and 8 hours on skin, and excellent sillage aswell. Infact when I received that compliment, my aunt had pulled up in her car as I was out front sweeping my sidewalk, then I walked up to her car standing like 2 feet away, and again, this was outside in the open and maybe 2 hours after application. I know this is a long review, but there's just so much to say about Garofano! Its becoming one of my faves along side Ramon Monegal's - Mon Patchouli and Nishane's - Sultan Vetiver. A 9.5 outta 10 in my book.. A, unique and TRULLY STUNNING fragrance!

Whew, what a lovely ride! A light spray of this red-haired beauty opened with a strong, bright carnation blend that demanded attention. No reclusive, sweet violet here - instead a pungent, spicy, cinnamony bloom with the delicacy of a petal and the strength of a rigid, woody, upright stem. The dry down went though several stages on my skin. First, peppery carnation with light cinnamon wood and light harmonies from the cedar and musk. Second stage was a green carnation, leaves and all, with the cedar still in attendance. Then back to a soft woody carnation. After six hours, I still was enjoying a soft powdery, vanilla, creamy carnation. Perhaps a touch of heliotrope. I never did smell a solid rose but rather a hint of rose floating in the background darting through a carnation veil. This soliflore is, in fact, like no other flower scent. Used in perfumery as a supporting player for centuries, the lowly and sometimes despised carnation has been more highly praised in earlier generations. One of my favorite carnation creations is Bellodogia by Caron. I'm lucky enough to own a vintage pure perfume in this scent which I layer with a contemporary produced spray. Yes, they smell different, but still lovely combined. Garofalo is a welcome addition to my perfume wardrobe.. Just remember a light hand and this fragrance will reveal all her secrets to you.

Raised in the socialist era, it was always difficult for me not to perceive carnation in any other way but as a regime-flower; essential prop used in every public holiday, state ceremony, jamboree, Women's Day, Labor Day, not to mention private ceremonies... This poor red carnation was one very busy flower during that era and even today, when I think of it, I am having this funny picture in my mind; carnations' cute little ruffled red top sticking out of a dull grey oversized suit, wearing ugly prescription glasses and a some horrendous tie. Socialist Party chic. But Villoresi's Garofano changed all that. Opulent and grand, deep and dark, spicy and mysterious and so smooth... For Maestro, there are no such things as "plain", "modest" or "average". This carnation interpretation is special because it is borderline of two opposites - highly stylized and abstract on one, and very old-fashioned and traditional, on the other side. This kind of uniqueness is most probably deriving from evidently highest-quality of individual ingredients - also resulting in big sillage and fantastic longevity. Classy, retro-modern classic.

Im down to my last few precious drops and will need to start saving for another bottle. This absolutely smells like a carnation crushed in your hand but it's so much more than that. The rose and heliotrope really round this out and I swear there's a noticeable ginger floating above the florals. I've never found anything sharp in this, which is somewhat unusual for an EDT; I've never found the pepper or more than hints of the green notes. Very rich, quite mellow and utterly grown up. This is a bouquet of carnations, lilies and roses on a very hot day. Worth visiting if you like big scents. Sillage: the room if you use a heavy hand Duration: 5-6 hours Fabulosity: Scarlett O'Hara in the green velvet dress Value to price ratio: very reasonable 9/10

This is the best carnation scent readily available (I do not include JAR Diamond Water and Golconda in the 'readily available' category because of their prohibitive price). Rich, peppery (without being acrid), warm and floral but, at the same time relatively discreet. I don't understand why others have complained that it is intense or with massive sillage. This does not travel too far from the skin, providing a warm envelope rather than a heady trail. I find Garofano seriously addictive and want that full bottle with a passion. Update: I have been getting some serious compliments on this perfume from workmates... the most gratifying from a person who is normally a perfume hater - she says it smells like being in a garden.