RedMint's Review of Sex and the Sea by Francesca Bianchi

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 sea 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.

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.

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