Florentina

I can’t believe I haven’t yet reviewed Florentina, as I’ve been wearing it for a while and it is one of my top iris perfumes (my favourite note). I guess I feel so comfortable in it and reach for it so easily that I don’t often enough stop to consider its merits, as opposed to other perfumes in my collection which may be grander but actually get used much less. I can honestly say I know A LOT about iris/orris perfumes and this is one of the best ones out there. It does not get nearly enough attention. Sylvaine Delacourte worked at Guerlain for over 20 years, the woman certainly knows what she’s doing. Florentina (what a name ♡) is everything I want in an iris perfume. It is powdery, feminine, reminiscent of a world of glamour that is no more, just the right amount of sweet, long-lasting, projecting, angelical... just utter utter gorgeousness. I find the price very accessible too. And the brand communication, sample sets, etc are outstanding. I once got a compliment from the fishmonger, who was standing at least 2 meters from me, with a mask on, and there were hundreds of cold fish between us 🤣🤮. I can’t stand the smell of fish and I can only imagine what a breath of fresh air I was walking into his shop smelling so heavenly.

This is the most relaxing frag of my wardrobe, absolutely perfect for an evening spray after a stressful day. It opens with a soft scent of creamy almonds and muscs, evocative of a thin layer of precious toscanian earth on a foggy morning in spring. Then comes the sun, after an hour or so, with the growing scents of the finest iris and orange blossom, still enveloped by fading muscs and the green notes of vetiver underlining the floral notes. The remaining skin scent is a gentle (not gourmand) mix of white muscs and flowers with a hint of almonds. This frag illustrates well the skill of Sylvaine for choosing and handling natural ingredients, and I expected nothing less from one of the best noses of the Guerlain house. At Guerlain's this would be one of the better exclusives, like Ame d'un heros she created there. Hope her niche line will stay affordable as I used a quarter of the 100 ml flacon within a week ... could it be slightly addictive?

I love Sylvaine Delacourte. As Guerlains in house perfumer for years, her stamp on that house is indelible. This reminds me more of L'Instant Magic Elixer than L'Instant Magic. It goes creamy where LM goes powdery. I think they are only close enough to give you an idea, but very different scents. At the beginning I get the bergamot and lavender, but that fades fairly soon. What's left is a creamy almond/vanilla, slight heliotrope, very Iris forward scent. I wish the benzoin was heftier, the violet isn't really a huge presence for me either. The clove comes out late, but it's like all the other notes are an underpinning supporting those first three dominating notes. I really enjoy wearing this scent. It's French perfumery at it's most elegant, much like it's creator. I will echo another reviewer, the customer support is outstanding and prices are very reasonable for this quality.

Florentina is a wonderful perfume and I made it my signature scent almost immediately after smelling it! I have hundreds of perfume (samples) and this one just stands out to me. To my nose it smells a lot like a London Fog beverage: I get strong Earl Grey tea notes, mixed with lavender buds and sweet milk. Obviously it's the almond, iris and vanilla at play, but this is the effect on me. Strong but not suffocating performance (a male colleague came into my office just to sniff the air around me and then left saying he just wanted to take in the smell - creepy but kinda cool?). Price is good too, especially for niche. I much prefer this scent to the various Guerlains I have, it feels more natural and full-bodied. Well done Sylvaine, such a beautiful and solid offering!

Florentina is a very subdued fragrance, a shy girl of a scent decked in white cotton, speckled with talc and powdered sugar almonds and carrying a sprig of orange blossom. There’s a vintage feel to it brought on by a air of ‘50’s cosmetics. I bought these directly from the Sylvaine Delacourte website, they had a deal in four travel sizes or two x 15 ml, and this was one of my two. Use code VIP30P to get a 30% discount and free shipping worldwide. I will be getting a full bottle of this because it’s very pleasant, office safe, pretty and comforting. I usually gravitate towards big powerful fragrances with immense personality but this is a really nice alternative for reflective moments.