Florentine perfumer and founder of i Profumi di Firenze, Dr. Giovanni di Massimo allegedly discovered Catherine de Medici's perfume recipes and other Medici fragrance formulas in 1966 in his apothecary’s basement, in the aftermath of a flood. The fragrances in the i Profumi di Firenze collection are consequently based on actual Medici formulations discovered in the manuscript or on blends popular among the Renaissance nobility.Talco Delicato, my so far favorite of the line and one of my comfort scents, is a delicate blend of vanilla and musk with a little spiciness and a gentle powdery feel. Official description calls it “seductive and serene” and promises it to be a “real head-turner.” While still being cuddly, delicate and cozy, Talco Delicato does indeed step up a notch in the direction of “sexy”; compared to the innocently gourmand Plaisir, this has a little more playfulness.
Talco Delicato is soft and creamy-white; putting it on is like falling into a fluffy cloud. This is the scent that little chubby cupids wear on all the paintings. And just like those little rascals, this perfume is “not that innocent”. Don’t let the word “talc” deceive you, this is not a scent for children or in any way childish. Something among the notes (perhaps the unidentified “spice”) adds a certain oomph and ooh la la to the composition. While Talco Delicato is very a much a warm comfort scent, feels very satisfying on a cold rainy day and suits the book-reading-curled-up-on-a-sofa mood to perfection, I would also caution you to beware of the cupids hiding arrows behind their plump backs. Wear Talco Delicato at bedtime and let the little Amours do their work for you; they guarantee the success.Talco Delicato is available, among other places, from lusciouscargo, $79.00 for 50ml.
*The painting is Les Avances de l’Amour by Guillaume Seignac.
M, it is a lovely fragrance but there are so few powdery fragrances that suit me, and this isn't one of them, despite the fact that I love the iPF line. But a lovely review!
ReplyDeleteThank you V! It is so nice a calming to me...in a flirty kind of way :-)
ReplyDeleteR., what is your favorite iPdF scent? Zenzero?
ReplyDeleteWould you agree that comfort fragrances usually have an uncomplicated feel to them ? They don't evolve so much as caress...
ReplyDeleteI can't for the life of me find the iPF line in Paris (go figure), I'd like to know if you've tried the others, the Medici reference intrigues me so much. As far as I know, Catarina di Medici was responsible for launching the heavy make-up craze at the French Court, as well as perfumed gloves produced in Grasse. Legend has it she used perfume to dissimulate poisons... But that's as far from comfort scents as I'll go !
I agree about comfort scents having a "simple" feel to them, this doesn't mean they are soliflores (or soli-vanillas or soli-anything), perhaps a lot of ingredients went into them etc., but they are the ones that don't make me *think* when I wear them.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried that many iPdF perfumes, the other two I had a chance to sample were Vaniglia del Madagascar and Zagara, both nice, but not for me. I am very curious about the Catarina de Medici scent, not for nothing did I read and re-read Dumas in my younger days :-)
M, My favorite iPFs are Zagara & Ambra del Nepal & Spezie. I like Zenzero & Magnolia Dolce too, but wouldn't call them favorites.
ReplyDeletegreetings! i stumbled on to your site through a search of Caterina de' Medici references. a Lovely discussion of scent here. i especially enjoyed the picture of that antique essential oil still that's at the bottom of the page. best wishes and many successes to you.
ReplyDelete