Francesca Bianchi Sex and the Sea Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Extrait de Parfum is a medley of sparkling mimosa, sweet pineapple, and rich coconut that start off boozy but get creamier and smoother, almost feeling like body lotion. There was a salty, ocean breeze that ran through the fruits, which dissipated as honeyed sweetness deepened the fruit medley. The drydown was when more of a spiced, amber-vanilla with soft woods became apparent, but a good portion of the wear was honeyed pineapple, buttery coconut, and sometimes, powdery florals.

It is described as a memory of the seaside that is a “concoction of overheated skin, coconut sun lotion, saltiness of the sea and the sand.” The notes are listed as: mimosa, pineapple, coconut, immortelle, rose, iris, sandalwood, myrrh, labdanum, benzoin, ambergris, civet, vanilla.

• top notes:
• heart notes:
• base notes:

It opened with notes of sparkling orange, sweet and tangy pineapple, and decadent coconut; it was intensely sweet but on the boozier side. After the fragrance settled for a few minutes, a creaminess appeared, which gave the illusion of coconut-scented body lotion with juicy fruits in the background. The saltiness of the ambergris came through 10 minutes after application as a faint breeze.

As the saltiness permeated the orange, pineapple, and coconut, it lifted the composition and made it feel sunnier–brighter and lighter. It wasn’t until about an hour in that it turned more like thick, coconut lotion with a honeyed sweetness. I didn’t experience a lot of shifts until about four hours in when it became powdery, somewhat floral, and buttery while remaining on the sweeter, fruitier side.

It was closer to the drydown (about eight hours in) that it felt darker and more resinous with amber and benzoin, woodier, and more vanillic in its sweetness.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were heavier with the scent noticeably wafting up for the first four hours before moving closer to my skin.

Personal Thoughts

It was a lot like I expected, but it had a fair amount of projection, as it was quite noticeable just sitting around, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about how to describe the scent, which definitely is not the norm for me. For me, it definitely ended up being too sweet and a little too powdery at times for me to fall in love with.

Available Sizes

• 30ml for $145
• 0.7ml sample for $7

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent

Francesca Bianchi Sex and the Sea Extrait de Parfum

Francesca Bianchi Sex and the Sea Extrait de Parfum

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