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.

This is so so pretty, and so in line with what I love in fragrances! I was leery of the musc emphasis, but it stays very balanced here and leans more floral/powdery. Florentina is so similar to many of my loves, but seems to top all of them by fixing what annoys me about them! For example, it's similar to My Queen, but lighter and without the pepper. Like Swan Princess but softer powder and no rubbing alcohol. Like Apres L'Ondee, without the vaseline/carnation. Like Iris Dragees, but lighter on the almond and less soapy. So kind of the best parts of all of those! Violet, Iris, sweet, fresh and powdery. Very daytime, wear anywhere. I absolutely love it!

When I smell this, I imagine sexy black stockings, lacy lingerie and pin-up girls. The powderiness of this perfume makes me think of Dita Von Teese but this strong powderiness also made two of my friends cough (they still said it's a beautiful scent and said it was sexy and has something vintage about it), some people might be allergic to it... At first I felt that this perfume keeps very close to your skin and this is more for your sensual boudoir, but then it got a bit stronger after an hour. Very feminine, luxurious and wears more closer to your skin. It reminds me of L’Instant Magic edp by Guerlain (Sylvaine Delacourte was one of the creators).

This a beautiful bouquet of sweet powdery violet flowers (my favourites), but not the nowadays trendy sweetness and not a baby wipes-powderiness, but made of almond dust and heliotrope. It is nor extremely modern, neither a vintage bomb. It reminds me a lot of "Apres l'ondee" Guerlain with a fine touch of lavender, more intense flowery. This powdery-musky iris I get also from "450" from Farmacia SS. Annunziata. Like a mix of the two. Great longevity (10h) and sillage, no synthetic smell in there. I love it!

Florentina is my favourite from the musks. Powdery, but grown-up, with that hint of spice from the clove, and just so, so comforting. Sylvaine Delacourte wanted these scents to be like 'olfactory pashminas' as she states in the booklet that came with the samples. Soft, elegant and comforting. That is what all of the musks are like, and this one especially. I will be buying this in travel size with Dovana (2x 15ml bottles).

One of my favorites from the musk collection. It opens incredibly spicy and has a somewhat waxy feel. This dissipates somewhat quickly into a lovely lavender mid with a distinctly iris-lipstick feel. The drydown is a warm, clean musk with almond, so it's sweet and warm. Mild projection for an hour or so before becoming a skinscent for 7 or so hours afterward. I love this one. Perfect for spring, summer, and fall.

I have had the pleasure to meet Sylvaine in person. She is a very talented lady, with a lot of knowledge and wisdom. I recently read her book, which I highly recommend!!!! This perfume is one of my favourites in her collection! I was very surprised when I first tried her first collection: none of them 'smelled familiar' to me, meaning I found them original! Definately a perfumer to follow...

If I generously spray it on my scarf and come back in the room 15 minutes later, it’s all about crushed little violet candies on a very powdery base, but my nose gets more of cosmetic face powder than any gourmand flour. As in Météorites, a drop an acidic red fruit supports the mouthwatering purple sweetness. That’s all, and that’s really good.

I got a dicovery set 5 from muscs collection Andi have to say you can see she works for Guerlain Very nice scents all of them Florentina is original powdery musky floral spicy I feel there clove or cumin... Thinking to buy a bottle as i dont own any similar to it and i love podery scent

Florentina opens with a burst of those violet candies, remember in the purple and silver pack, and then goes soft and powdery iris and musk. Love this just wish it lasted longer.

Elegant, soft floral that is like no other. The more I am exposed the more I love this iris fragrance -- and I loathe iris generally. Delacourte has such a talented hand.

Sylvaine Delacourte Florentina is a total powder bomb; you really have to like powder to enjoy this one. But it's a sweet powder (unlike the more bitter powder bomb, Rose Noire, from Giorgio Valenti, that I do so love), presumably from the heliotrope, but maybe also the benzoin and orange blossom. It's very old fashioned and lovely, and very long-lasting, albeit as a skin scent -- but then it's not a big projector even from the get go. What it really reminds me of most is a slightly muskier, gentler version of Oscar de La Renta's gorgeous Esprit d'Oscar, homage to the divine L'Heure Bleue. Personally, I don't think Florentina is doing anything new, or even doing something old better than some of the Oldies But Goodies still do. For my money, I'd just as soon spritz on L'Heure Bleue (which adds a lovely incense note to the powder fest), Esprit d'Oscar, or even Rose Noire when I'm in the mood for powder. Incidentally, I also tried Dovana and Helicriss, also from the Musk collection, and Florentina was definitely prettiest and longer lasting. The other two were gone -- not even skin scents -- within 2-3 hours; very disappointing longevity for something that's not a cheapie. And both of those pack such a punch at first sniff, you would think they might hang around longer.

I think this one is my favorite of all the Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances. It is a bit cloying for me at the start but of the six I’ve tried on skin it has the most addictive and lasting dry down. Will continue to try, and see if there are any environmental effects that make it better or worse. Edit 10/16: I’ve now worn it several times and it is still pretty addictive for me. I think I have gotten past the baby powder vibe because I actually now find this gourmand! I think the almond, violet, vanilla combination just makes this delectable on me, like heavily candied Jordan almonds perhaps? But more complex than that image suggests. I was never a huge fan of L’heure Bleue despite trying to love it and wearing through a small decant; I think this is a more youthful sweeter cousin, and a lot more wearable.

The most gourmand fragrance among the Delacourte musks, but not really a gourmand per se. Florentina reminds me of an old-fashioned doll, it's so innocent, feminine and pastel-hued. If I could repackage this, I would put it into a lilac colored bottle. Almond and iris are the strongest notes right from the start. Violet follows quickly, rounded by the signature SD fluffy musk and a little vanilla and benzoin. This feels as soft as a pillow. It's very powdery and slightly creamy, sweet and subtly warm, never cloying or overwhelming like some other sweet powders can be. Absolutely inoffensive. Florentina is quite linear and not the most exciting fragrance, not as good as Smeraldo and Dovana, but nevertheless very pretty and likeable. While I think I would happily wear it if I had it, I wouldn't buy it.

This perfume takes me far back in time, to Victorian era. Would wear it to the theatre or opera. I immediately imagine innocent girl in a vintage dress as a wearer of this perfume. Very feminine. Opening is powdery & musky but unlike Dovana it is not soapy but floral. Initially I get amber (even though it is not listed) and almond but after several hours iris and lilac (maybe it is heliotrope – I am not sure how it smells like) kick in. Can't complain about lasting power – can still feel it on my wrist after 6 hours. Good scent overall if you like white musk floral. I personally find it ok, don’t hate it but it is lacking a wow-factor. Too mature for me.

From official website: Top notes: Almond, Bergamot. Heart notes: Orange Blossom, Violet, Carnation. Base notes: Vetiver, Iris, Benzoin, Musk. So, no heliotrope or vanilla, nor any spices (the slightly spicy accent must be from the carnation). It feels like a sibling to Villoresi's Musk (replace rose for iris). This is a masterclass to what a powdery musk scent should be. It's perfectly unisex. Also, I don't think it's that close to L'heure bleue. The latter has anise, which takes it into a whole different direction. Fiorentina is much better in fact.