Sex and the Sea
Francesca Bianchi (2016)
Average Rating:
6 User Reviews
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About Sex and the Sea by Francesca Bianchi
This scent is designed to evoke a complex, intimate atmosphere. It’s a combination of coconut sun lotion, a fresh memory of pineapple, a delicate yet troubling note of sunburnt, salty and sweaty skin, slightly suggesting the wild intimacy of an erotic encounter at the seaside.
Fragrance notes.
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Reviews of Sex and the Sea by Francesca Bianchi
There are 6 reviews of Sex and the Sea by Francesca Bianchi.
Smells of salt, suntan lotion and tanned skin. There is an indolic vibe going thru out. Pretty linear.
Sample for sure. Not as easy as other FB'S
Sample for sure. Not as easy as other FB'S
Starts on my skin as a powerful, musky blast of citrus and coconut, with an emphasis on "musky". The muskiness here is sensual, and surely represents the "Sex" part of this fragrance. The presence of iris here cannot be understated - it is quite central to the scent, and it's not one of my favorite notes. But I can see how it contributes to the musky nature of the fragrance, and thankfully isn't quite as 'old-woman-purse' or 'lipsticky' as it is in so many other fragrances (seriously, I do not like iris as a note.)
The drydown is where things start happening, as the fragrance at once softens with vanilla and sandalwood, but is held aloft by rose and very slightly animalic notes (ambergris and civet.) The result is a very well-blended concoction that does what it says - conjures images of 'intimate time' on the beach. There's sun tan oil here, there's some citrus in the breeze, there's a bit of rose on your partner's skin, there's a mimosa drink that has spilled into the sand next to you - and then there's the slight funk of the activity of love. As another reviewer noted, what I miss the most here is something that evokes the sea more - salt, or seaweed, something to really bring the "Sea" part of the equation to life. But when I put my nose on it later in the life of the fragrance, I do get the ambergris, and that seems to be carrying the weight of that part of the title.
Not for me, but a fragrance to be admired just the same. And one of the few that the iris didn't completely ruin for me, which honestly says a lot about how well-blended it is.
The drydown is where things start happening, as the fragrance at once softens with vanilla and sandalwood, but is held aloft by rose and very slightly animalic notes (ambergris and civet.) The result is a very well-blended concoction that does what it says - conjures images of 'intimate time' on the beach. There's sun tan oil here, there's some citrus in the breeze, there's a bit of rose on your partner's skin, there's a mimosa drink that has spilled into the sand next to you - and then there's the slight funk of the activity of love. As another reviewer noted, what I miss the most here is something that evokes the sea more - salt, or seaweed, something to really bring the "Sea" part of the equation to life. But when I put my nose on it later in the life of the fragrance, I do get the ambergris, and that seems to be carrying the weight of that part of the title.
Not for me, but a fragrance to be admired just the same. And one of the few that the iris didn't completely ruin for me, which honestly says a lot about how well-blended it is.
The fruity-coconutty opening is quickly joined by soft, powdery florals, mainly mimosa, & something dark, almost leathery. lt doesn't quite read as civet to me, but l'm guessing that's what l'm getting here. From here it slowly settles into a warm, sweet, creamy tropical accord with hints of suntan oil & salty skin. There's immortelle in the heart, & later iris & sandalwood. Being an extrait, it sits quite close to the skin, but it's still softly present seven hours in.
Reading the reviews, this one seems to provoke rather extreme reactions. l'm quite enjoying it myself, but as an evocation of "an intimate encounter on the beach", l much prefer Suntanglam by SP Parfums, which is based on the same idea.
Reading the reviews, this one seems to provoke rather extreme reactions. l'm quite enjoying it myself, but as an evocation of "an intimate encounter on the beach", l much prefer Suntanglam by SP Parfums, which is based on the same idea.
Loud and brash. Suntan oil that's going bad. Buttery, fatty feel. Something bitter underneath... Strong immortelle. Starchy. Iris - very dry. Drips of something like a honey note. Calms down somewhat. I enjoy this - maybe I am deranged.
The base is a smooth blend of notes. Still, I can smell immortelle; it's caramel and bread characteristics still charm. I smell a saltiness in the base, with a vague sawdust and animal accord. the latter, not too obvious.
Starchy aroma remains. Artsy and well done, IMO.
The base is a smooth blend of notes. Still, I can smell immortelle; it's caramel and bread characteristics still charm. I smell a saltiness in the base, with a vague sawdust and animal accord. the latter, not too obvious.
Starchy aroma remains. Artsy and well done, IMO.
Oh dear, this was the big fail that I didn't see coming. I ordered samples of all Francesca's fragrances after reading glowing reviews of her latest scent, Under my skin here on basenotes. I was expecting good things.
What I got was a thick, intrusive wall of something indescribably off-putting. My brain seems unable to break down what's going on because all my instincts screamed "abort mission!" whenever I put my nose to my wrist. At times I got whiffs of things that, in and of themselves, are inoffensive or even pleasant: coconutty sun tan lotion, something sandalwoody, something fruity, something salty, but the sum of these parts repulsed me in a way no other scent I've tried so far ever has, including my nemesis Angel with it's putrefied dishrag accord.
I agree with gimmegreen's description of the scent's clagginess; it has an unpleasantly thick, oily texture that becomes more and more prominent over time. I had a spray of Angel's Dust on my other wrist when testing this, and even though it's less offensive, it has a similarly off-putting dry down. I think may be a house style.
What I can say in its favor is that this fragrance is unique; I truly know nothing else that smells like this. It is also very long lasting; 1 spray to the wrist lasted all day, and resisted several attempts to wash it off. The remnants of it even managed to overpower my liberal application of Azuree.
Perhaps I should give this scent a second try, but I don't think I'm brave enough to do it. My aversion to this scent is so strong that I now dread retesting the two remaining samples I have of this house, even though I already tried them briefly earlier this week and didn't hate them. Oh well, you win some you lose some, and I'm sure there will be people who appreciate this scent more than I did.
What I got was a thick, intrusive wall of something indescribably off-putting. My brain seems unable to break down what's going on because all my instincts screamed "abort mission!" whenever I put my nose to my wrist. At times I got whiffs of things that, in and of themselves, are inoffensive or even pleasant: coconutty sun tan lotion, something sandalwoody, something fruity, something salty, but the sum of these parts repulsed me in a way no other scent I've tried so far ever has, including my nemesis Angel with it's putrefied dishrag accord.
I agree with gimmegreen's description of the scent's clagginess; it has an unpleasantly thick, oily texture that becomes more and more prominent over time. I had a spray of Angel's Dust on my other wrist when testing this, and even though it's less offensive, it has a similarly off-putting dry down. I think may be a house style.
What I can say in its favor is that this fragrance is unique; I truly know nothing else that smells like this. It is also very long lasting; 1 spray to the wrist lasted all day, and resisted several attempts to wash it off. The remnants of it even managed to overpower my liberal application of Azuree.
Perhaps I should give this scent a second try, but I don't think I'm brave enough to do it. My aversion to this scent is so strong that I now dread retesting the two remaining samples I have of this house, even though I already tried them briefly earlier this week and didn't hate them. Oh well, you win some you lose some, and I'm sure there will be people who appreciate this scent more than I did.
Dense doughy iris, doll plastic and old make-up rubbery sweetness, and reminders of castor-oil-laden lacto-calamine do not an enticing perfume make not in my book. I struggle to get beyond the general clagginess of Sex and the Sea; it wears like something that will block your pores. The rich slather of vanilla-benzoin in the base doesn't help things either.
The suggested evocation of the sea or our carnal commonality passes me by here there's none of the salt tang or the skin comfort or arousal I would associate with such things. Instead I get caked powder, several greased layers deep which makes me long for nothing more than a thorough cleanse.
The suggested evocation of the sea or our carnal commonality passes me by here there's none of the salt tang or the skin comfort or arousal I would associate with such things. Instead I get caked powder, several greased layers deep which makes me long for nothing more than a thorough cleanse.
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