‘Tis the time for gourmands. If not now, when ?
A sample of Francesca Bianchi’s latest deep confection, Once Upon A Time, arrived in the post the other day, just as the temperatures were dropping correctly in readiness for it.
My first reaction : familiarity. There have been a lot of dusky, musky, orrissy/ oudhy amber orientals of late in the perfumer’s own line, as well as in the overtly erotic fragrances she creates for saucy Amsterdam leather-maker Hedonik : famed for her quality materials and long-lasting, figure-hugging base accords, even when in less experimental mode – as she arguably is here, settling into her tried and tested, leathery laid vanillisms, I nevertheless usually enjoy her protracted plushness; the slow burn and tactility of the thick balsams she loves to generously smear into her drydowns ( my brother and partner went crazy for one of the perfumer’s biggest hits – a viscous, patchouli – vanilla – Sticky Fingers, as an example – the woman is undoubtedly something of a temptressy Amber Alchemist).
My second reaction to this perfume – despite a slight aversion to the palpable castoreum note immediately apparent to me on first spray – I am quite sensitive to beavery animalics – was one of those sniff, sniff, keep sniffing addictive responses : the perfumer often displaying a knack for nailing a particular, cravy feeling, a calorifically heavy tug on the thalamus. I am quite dismissive with perfumes I don’t like immediately – this one plagued, troubled and slightly annoyed me in its apparent oversimplicity at first, but then it greedily lodged itself in its own special nook, in a specific part of my brain.
Once Upon A Time is mooted as an ‘Adult Gourmand’, presumably alluding to the musk, patchouli and castoreum underlaying what is otherwise a child-like delight of sugared almonds, vanilla, candy floss and a delicious streak in the top notes of pure mandarin; there is a darkness here that shadows the puff puff chinchillas of the general angelics.
The whole comes together rather huskily and smooth; one spray fills the room (“Blimey that’s sweet, isn’t it?! said Duncan on approaching the bedchamber), and it is; this is heady stuff, and certainly not one for a meeting in an enclosed room with your tax accountant.
But it is also very nuzzly and huggy; gap-filling : good gourmands are comfort scents – they take you to a sugar guzzling refuge of white chocolate bunny rabbits and the childhood luxury of not quite realizing how hard the world is going to be in the long term future; – and this was Bianchi’s explicit aim : to soothe your red-raw nerves; create that thick, cortisol-sapping cocoon, and let you luxuriate in it.
Thanks for the Review, even though I am not buying anything new these days but wearing what I already have and I do have a lot of Francesca Bianchi perfumes.
Yes I remember : what were your favorites again? I do appreciate the quality of her creations : this one will be too sweet for many but that is also its appeal.