Top Notes 
Grapefruit leaf
Green pear
Italian bergamot
Apple
Heart Notes 
Gardenia
Tuberose
Jasmine
Blue iris
Violet
Base Notes 
Blond woods
White musk
Sherapop
1240 Reviews
Sherapop
Helpful Review
4
Sweetened and Unapologetic Gardenia
While sitting in the library this afternoon a woman next to me kept coughing. I started to wonder whether my perfume, Tocca FLORENCE, might have been bothering her. I say this because, to be honest, it was starting to bother me. This is, first off, a very strong gardenia composition. Strong is generally good, of course, because it means that you just need to divide your application volume in half the next time you wear it.
Gardenia is often loud, sharp, and dry. In this case, however, a fairly strong pear component has rendered the gardenia rather sweet. I feel that without the pear, this probably would be a sharp gardenia, but the sharpness has been smoothed out with sweetness. Lurking underneath seems to hide the kind of gardenia which can make me feel a bit uncomfortable. I'm talking about the sort of sharp floral edge which I've found in perfumes such as Carthusia FIORI DI CAPRI, Caron FLEUR DE ROCAILLE (1993), Creed FANTASIA DE FLEURS and, I hesitate to bring this one up, but it's a great example of what I'm talking about: mean green Grès CABOTINE. I should probably add Chanel GARDENIA to the list as well. I am not entirely incapable of wearing such perfumes, but I must be in the right mood and be feeling fairly robust.
I recall testing The Body Shop's GARDENIA a while back, and HRH Emperor Oliver ran away when he detected the scent. Seriously. No, FLORENCE is not like that, thankfully. FLORENCE is not really like the sharp gardenias--but I think that this may be only because the gardenia note has been somewhat camouflaged. This composition is not creamy and inviting like MARC JACOBS or KAI. I have a 15 ml bottle of this FLORENCE, which came in a coffret, and I won't be buying the larger size.
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November 2013 update: I somehow made the same mistake again, having donned Florence to the library and found myself wondering "Why?" I have lowered my evaluation because after a few hours of wear I was pining for bath. It's just too sweet from the pear and ends up being a cloying gardenia.
Gardenia is often loud, sharp, and dry. In this case, however, a fairly strong pear component has rendered the gardenia rather sweet. I feel that without the pear, this probably would be a sharp gardenia, but the sharpness has been smoothed out with sweetness. Lurking underneath seems to hide the kind of gardenia which can make me feel a bit uncomfortable. I'm talking about the sort of sharp floral edge which I've found in perfumes such as Carthusia FIORI DI CAPRI, Caron FLEUR DE ROCAILLE (1993), Creed FANTASIA DE FLEURS and, I hesitate to bring this one up, but it's a great example of what I'm talking about: mean green Grès CABOTINE. I should probably add Chanel GARDENIA to the list as well. I am not entirely incapable of wearing such perfumes, but I must be in the right mood and be feeling fairly robust.
I recall testing The Body Shop's GARDENIA a while back, and HRH Emperor Oliver ran away when he detected the scent. Seriously. No, FLORENCE is not like that, thankfully. FLORENCE is not really like the sharp gardenias--but I think that this may be only because the gardenia note has been somewhat camouflaged. This composition is not creamy and inviting like MARC JACOBS or KAI. I have a 15 ml bottle of this FLORENCE, which came in a coffret, and I won't be buying the larger size.
---------------
November 2013 update: I somehow made the same mistake again, having donned Florence to the library and found myself wondering "Why?" I have lowered my evaluation because after a few hours of wear I was pining for bath. It's just too sweet from the pear and ends up being a cloying gardenia.
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