The Lover's Tale 
Francesca Bianchi (2018)

Powdery (very orris), fresh, and almost minty (geranium - not listed - or mimosa ?) opening. Not as funky as expected (yet). 1 spray on forearm. There was bergamot and some florals. Fleeting rose. Where's the jasmine ?

It's very clean so far.... And.... here comes the animalic drydown.

But what kind of animal ? The nearest is horse, but not quite (not sheep, nor cow, nor dog). Maybe the olfactory concept of a horse ? Leather and castoreum, musk probably, all with a sheen (ah, civet ? though not a listed note) of fresh powder. Talcum powderish, rubberish, latex-ish. Fetish horse ? And finally some almondy heliotrope, and honey. Not so much a bull in a china shop as a horse in rubberwear in a patisserie.

All day I have been getting powerful wafts from my arm, through a long-sleeved T shirt, a sweater and a thick aran cardigan, plus a waterproof padded jacket with close-fitting wrists. Longevity is many hours so far. The drydown is very smoothly animalic and exceedingly pleasant.

Coming back to The Lover's Tale the following day : still very present as a skin scent in the morning. Don't get this one on your clothing - though I sprayed on my forearm, it had permeated T-shirt and sweater so much that they need washed if I don't want to smell of TLT for ever. It's strong, but after a while it gets tiresome to my nose, and in that respect I find it hard to wear. OK in small doses for a short while. One spray was more than enough.

This, is just incredible. Animalic start for the first few minutes, but my goodness, the interplay between raw and sweet is perfect. Strong leather tones with beautifully soft sweet notes and dance for attention throughout. Sublime, and utterly addictive