Monday, June 10, 2013

i Profumi di Firenze Frangipane e Cocco

I have been a devotee of i Profumi di Firenze's fragrances for a long time - I love them all. Even so, I was not prepared for Frangipane e Cocco ($99, 50 ml), one of the most delicious of them all. I have received more compliments while wearing Frangipane e Cocco than any other fragrance in my collection. Amazingly, it's one of the least expensive.

Escape to a tropical island this winter with i Profumi di Firenze's new gorgeous frangipani perfume. A relaxed earthy elegance exudes with meditative base notes of frankincense and the playfulness of coconut and blood orange top notes. A perfect beachy scent even in cool weather.

One day this year, I wore it when I went to get a shot of cortisone in my back (aka epidural). At the hospital, they bring you into the room with the fluoroscope (used by the physician to see where he has placed the needle) and get you and everything else ready for the doctor. My doctor walked into the room and immediately said, "Someone in here smells fabulous." The female assistant quickly said, "Not me." The male chuckled and said, "It's sure not me." Then I sheepishly said, "I think it's me," while wondering if I had applied too much. I remembered it was only three spritzes. That was the day I realized Frangipane e Coco has sillage. After I admitted it was my fragrance, he wanted to know all about it. If I can describe it to my interventional radiologist, I should tell you too, right? Since then, I have received many compliments - from men and women - while wearing it.

It's hard to put this fragrance into a category. To me, it has a gourmand character, but with notes of frangipani (tropical floral), coconut (gourmand, but also beachy - think suntan oil), blood orange (citrus), and frankincense (an aromatic resin obtained from trees), it refuses to be categorized. It's definitely not a floral, and it certainly isn't tropical, despite the coconut. It has a warm scent, comfy, and clearly appealing. It makes me think of a French bakery right after the almond croissants come out of the oven - but there are no nuts listed in the ingredients. It offers fabulous longevity, so once I apply it, I know it will stay with me for hours.

If you are not familiar with i Profumi di Firenze, here's a little history. Inspired by original 16th century secret formulas commissioned by Catherine de Medici, i Profumi di Firenze fragrances are meticulously handcrafted in small batches with the finest selections of floral and botanical essences from Italy and around the world. The collection of perfumes originated with the discovery of Catherine de Medici’s perfume formulas, unearthed in a Renaissance manuscript after the Florentine flood of 1966.

While sorting through the watery mess, Dr. Massimo found buried deep in his apothecary’s ancient basement a 16th century manuscript containing the secret formulas. Remarkably, not only had the document survived the deluge, it remained intact despite all the centuries it had spent undetected. Legend has it that in the Middle Ages, the apothecary had been a renowned purveyor of exotic spices and aromatic elixirs. Later, during the Renaissance, the Medici Palace was just across the square, and the Medicis commissioned fragrances from the shop.

At that time in history, when synthetic perfumes were all the rage, renowned Florentine apothecary and perfumer, Dr. Giovanni di Massimo, carefully recreated these Renaissance fragrances using only all-natural ingredients and his exclusive methods of essence extraction. New fragrances continue to be created by i Profumi di Firenze, inspired by the period’s high-caliber techniques of Florentine perfumery. I'm pretty sure that Frangipane e Cocco is one of the newly created fragrances.

It used to be that i Profumi di Firenze fragrances were relatively hard to find. I've purchased all of mine from Beautyhabit. Now, the fragrances are also available at MiN New York. I can't wait to order whatever comes next.

Do you wear any of i Profumi di Firenze's fragrances? I'd love to know which ones.

Photos courtesy of iProfumi di Firenze

15 comments:

Judith DM said...

I do! Ambre del Nepal and Vaniligia del Madascar! There are others I have been interested in, but get side tracked by new posts, new scents. I think they are fabulous and cannot beat the quality for the price! I have found smaller bottles for $40, not sure how much, great for travel and if one doesn't want to invest in a fb. Always nice to be reminded, think I am going to look over their list today! Thank you!

melisand61 said...

How tempting that sounds! I used to wear Ambre del Nepal, Magnolia Dolce (now Magnolia Purpurea), Terra di Siena and Vaniglia del Madagascar (years ago, when I wore heavy duty vanillas). You've inspired me to browse the selections on Beauty Habit.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Judith,

Those are two superstars. Everyone wants that vanilla.

They do offer smaller bottles, but I'm not sure in which scents. I can and will ask.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Melisa! Make sure to check out MiN New York too. They have a more complete selection. They just formed their relationship with IPdF.

Cynthia.Richardson said...

I love the legend of this fragrance! See, no other blogger would have given a review that included this rich history

Cynthia.Richardson@azbar.org

Mary Ann said...

This sounds like a wonderful scent to try. The Vaniligia de Madagascar sounds pretty also. Price is reasonable too. Thank you!

Evelyn said...

I'm afraid if I go into MiN I will never come out. lol I should go though because this sounds like such a lovely scent!

Unknown said...

I had never heard of i Profumi di Firenze fragrances but this one sounds so good. This goes on my list of things I want my bro to bring for me when hs comez down to India later this year.

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Cynthia!

Charlestongirl said...

Mary Ann,

Both are very nice. In fact, the vanilla is the most popular right now. I learned today that MiN already sold out their first delivery of Frangipane e Cocco and has re-ordered!

Charlestongirl said...

Just plan on spending hours, Evelyn. :)

Charlestongirl said...

Oh yes, Dollie. Laden him down with a list. :)

Unknown said...

Speaking of perfumes, I used to love Ralph Lauren Glamorous which is now discontinued. Can you recommend a similar fragrance? there are some retailers on Ebay who still have it but it might be old stock or maybe not even genuine.

Elena said...

I haven't heard/read about i Profumi di Firenze before but the brand's history is so unique! I think buying a i Profumi di Firenze perfume would be the nicest gift one can buy a friend! I wonder if I can find this brand in my country i Profumi di Firenze

Unknown said...

Just stumbled across this wonderful review of an intriguing offering from one of my favorite fragrance houses. I own and wear often Tabacco, Ambra Grisea, Manto di Rugiada, and Tuscania. I combine the first two into a heavenly concoction.