Kamasurabhi Lorenzo Villoresi 2015 Eau de Toilette

A completely unexpected gem for me.

There's nothing in the pyramid or description of this perfume that would predict that I would love this, but there's something so elegant and luxurious about this fragrance to me. Completely unisex and definitely something I encourage good dressing, confident men to wear.

I've recently discovered this and wear this in 30 degree celsius + and the scent bubble this surrounds me with is just incredible.

A good shirt, linnen trousers and suede mocassin. Finish your outfit with this gem and you'll be feeling amazing.

Every accord in Kamasurabhi has oxygen but also is on the precipice of humidity and perspiration, refreshing as these cooler summer days after a long stretch of stifling thick air and hot temperatures. It opens with a flourish of florals: orange blossom, jasmine, all lucid yet with that twang in their backbone, ever so slightly indolic and on the verge, but not quite over that ledge.

The florals plateau on what to my nose seems like plumeria and champaca in a grove of sandalwood. This sandalwood is the fulcrum of the composition, where it all centers, and the yellow florals rally around it as a chorus, singing the praises of 80s and 90s amber florals with modern arrangements.

Villoresi took this time test-approach, incorporated his lovely base for which I am hooked, and elevated innovative floral elements with woody and fresh components. I am really, really pleased with the end product. It's another dazzler from a favorite perfumer.

I feel fortunate, because on my skin this fragrance unfolds primarily as leather and narcissus.
Not a loud floral composition, but a tactile one.

The leather I perceive here is castoreum-leaning: musky, slightly tarred, supple rather than raw, with a faint phenolic edge. This animalic undercurrent anchors the composition and keeps it from drifting into sweetness.

The florals here for me are led by narcissus with a slightly indolic nuance. They do not bloom as a bouquet, nor do they dominate; instead, they hover close to the skin, lending a subtle human warmth rather than overt floral drama.

The sandalwood deserves special mention. For me it is neither creamy nor “salty”, but dry, spicy, and gently smoky, reminiscent of incense burning in an Eastern temple.

Yes, there are retro echoes in the structure, but I would hesitate to call this fragrance overtly vintage or “floral soap”. It lacks the cosmetic floral volume and operatic projection typically associated with that category. For this reason, comparisons to bold and loud floral bouquets such as Chloé Narcisse feel misplaced. Kamasurabhi speaks in a lower register: intimate, textural, and composed, with its focus on leather and spices.

This fragrance is all about craftsmanship, abundance, enjoyment, and opulence.
Before I describe this wonderful scent, I would like to say a few words about the perfumer.
Signor Villoresi, a trained philosopher, is a true Florentine. He owns a palazzo there that has been in his family for generations and is connected with numerous Florentine artisans. He sees himself as one of them. As a perfumer, he is self-taught. The homepage describes the palazzo in wonderfully flowery language. The maestro's atelier, where he works on his scents shielded from the noise of the city, overlooks the rooftops of Florence and the Arno...
A living room with large windows and a spectacular view of the city, where he interacts with visitors. There is a piano and a portrait of his grandmother
( surely painted...), looking more or less benevolently at the visitors...
The enterprising perfumer has more visions he is currently working on. An academy, a meeting place for all fragrance enthusiasts. Workshops on the subject are to take place there, and there will be a garden where visitors can watch perfume raw materials bloom, grow, and thrive. A fragrance museum is also in the planning stages. Additionally, Signor Villoresi has published several books on the subject of perfume.
All of this is quite exciting and possibly worth a closer look.
Just like the beautiful, albeit crowded Florence, where art and history can be admired at every corner. And just like this city, the special, beautiful perfume, Kamasurabhi, is somewhat old-fashioned, out of time. But one could also say timeless.
The word Kamasurabhi comes from Sanskrit and means something like "scent of enjoyment and joy."
The perfumer was inspired to create this fragrance, as you might guess: by a trip to India.
How does a Florentine translate his colorful impressions from such a journey into fragrance? Colorful yet classic. I will try to describe that.
Already at the first sniff of the sample, I am taken with it...., it smells good! It smells like a really good herbal, floral, and especially at the beginning, also rose soap. The kind that not only cleans but in whose noble, creamy foam one can truly indulge. It reminds me of the good, handmade soaps that can be found at artisan markets. Where nothing is cheaply cobbled together and good oils and fragrance oils are used.
A cheerfully opulent, unsentimental floral scent, soapy, slightly bitter, and at the same time beautifully full and round. In the background, fragrance number two is already faintly perceptible, into which the initial scent gradually transforms. At the moment, it is simply noticeable as a light, somewhat "greasy" leather note. This "lots of floral soap - little leather mix" holds on for quite a while. And yes, a dark-eyed, Indian beauty with flowing black hair and a colorful sari would wear it well. Well, what is good for Indian princesses can't be wrong for fair-skinned European women either.
The rich, full-bodied (actually full-nosed) floral kaleidoscope slowly, slowly fades into the background over hours.
Later, one primarily smells creamy sweet, warm, fatty ylang-ylang flower with the same sandalwood and a bit of light leather added. This combination is absolutely enchanting.
Anyway, an Indian fragrance must probably be colorful and opulent, drawing from the abundance and a little bit of muff can certainly be included.
The classic, timeless, perhaps somewhat antiquated aspect of this perfume is likely the Florentine part of the creation.
This fragrance has definitely captivated me, and I already have a hunch about what I might wish for Christmas. I would actually prefer to pick up the perfume myself in Florence, in this advertising-worthy, legendary, fairy-tale palazzo of the Villoresis
(there is of course still room for a retail space there!). One is allowed to dream. And I would, if the opportunity arises, conspiratorially wink at the venerable portrait of the grandmother ;-)

However you take the name & my title,
this scent & I were actually geared for trouble.

I probably like sandalwood the least of all the woods,
only jasmine & tuberose in their pride top that antipathy.

But look, we didn't end up in a quarrel,
is my nose perhaps out of whack?

Whether Kamasutra, kohlrabi, or the summer of love,
"Kamusarabhi" is peaceful, rarely delivers a hit.

Most human-like are the sweaty flowers,
but its creaminess lets the flower power rage gently.

I thought I was at the buffet, with curry & chili,
only to be embraced right away, like Annemie by Willi.

If your name is John Lennon or Ono, the scent might fit,
but today’s youth should probably keep their little fingers off it, despite the retro.

A creamy exotic, mild & warm,
Dreads & bra-free, its pacifist swarm roams around.

Prejudices & head cinema aside,
not that it’s said I’m spreading stereotypes here.

Creamy-powdery seems to be a trademark of the Italian company,
that’s known from Paris to Burma by now.

Hard to categorize, the scent dances around the fire,
I still don’t fully trust it.

Bottle: Yellow & red fits. The bottle itself is anti-spectacle.
Sillage: noticeable, then quickly diminishing.
Longevity: solid 6 hours through & through.

Conclusion: all my enemies gather in the lake, flowers in the water, noses in the air. A hippie in facelift & still no fake. Sandalwood meets warm flowers - floriental in a pleasant way.