Il Profumo is an Italian house that doesn't have much traction in the US market but can hold its own to any niche house based on my sampling experience. They have a wide range and if you order from their store in Italy, very reasonable prices. Today I'm sampling Fleur Bambu. If you tried By Kilian's Water scents and were disappointed, this one is worth a go. It is soft and aquatic (I know, I know - the dreaded aquatic note) but not at all in the typical sharp way. This gets its wateriness from lotus and water lily notes, diluted by a very nice milky base. There is also some ivy in the drydown that lends a soapiness not unlike a clean musk. I haven't quite decided if I need a full bottle of this but it is in the running and unlike anything currently in my wardrobe.
I should preface this by saying I really don't like ginger. When recipes call for it, I cut it out. When it comes with my sushi, I push it to the side of my plate. So I'm sampling Il Profumo's Ginger perfume and I don't like it. But that doesn't mean you won't. There appear to me to be two components to this and you'll either find them jarring or intriguingly dueling. There is the hot, spicy ginger note that comes through loud and clear and PERSISTS. And there is a clean soapy musk that keeps it from getting too racy or too foody. I'll leave it at that. I do think for ginger lovers, this is a must try simply because there are so few ginger-based scents out there.
Clearly I am on an il Profumo sampling kick and the latest on my wrist is Chocolat Bambola. Too many chocolate fragrances do not live up to their names or smell artificial or of an insipid milk chocolate. When I put on Chocolat Bambola, I actually gasped - it was DARK chocolate, laced with fruits and a hint of freesia. If you want to smell like a dessert but still sophisticated, this is for you. I have actually gone off and ordered a 15 ml bottle - have I mentioned how much I LOVE that il Profumo offers that size? It's simply delicious and I can't wait for it to cross the Atlantic.
