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sterrliidd – :
one of my favorite villoresi perfumes (and my favorite ylang ylang perfume so far.) and that’s it: ylang ylang (banana-like) and carnation and a soft sweetness over a somewhat raunchy musk. quite wonderful.
SkexSkirl – :
I like many of Villoresi’s fragrances but this one is not for me – it is a realistic carnation but it is a portrait of the cut flowers not the living plant. These flowers are rank and smell like they have been sitting in dirty water at a graveside or neglected roadside shrine for too long and have begun to decay. Van Gogh made great art out of rotten sunflowers but this hymn to rotten carnations is, well, just rotten. Apart from the overpowering carnation, which never evolves but remains quite linear, there is a background of something peppery and something rancid like sour milk. These heavy smells roll around and never resolve clearly into anything I can identify or link to the published notes.
Today I tried Garofano layered with sugary sweet flowery fragrances from Grès hommage to Dietrich (My life, My Dream, My Passion) which are pretty vile on their own. The combination is an improvement. The Grès fragrances’ twee and girlie floral notes cast a softening haze over things and toned down the roaring carnation. The image that came to mind was of a chorus of merry faeries accompanying proud Titania and vindictive Oberon. The imperious carnation stopped reminding me of dead things quietly rotting and seemed more Midsummer Nights and Undead things up to mischief. Layered it remains a stinkbomb but a less offensive one.
I agree that Garofano is for men and women but I think it would be a risky choice for either. I would dress formally when wearing this to counter the ‘away with the faeries’ uncanny intensity but try to avoid looking like an undertaker.
asjfueanthg – :
I adore carnation and it has always been one of my favorite flowers. For me, it is easy to distinguish the soapy tang of clove from the sweet spiciness of carnation. I agree with sherapop, whose excellent and cogent review succinctly describes the splendid Garofano. Make no mistake, this is a massive carnation fragrance with a dominating presence.
It’s not for anyone who simply wants a quick and easy blast of something sweet with little or no development. It is quite complex. Fortunately my daughter purchased a full bottle for me in Florence, and ever since Christmas I’ve been able to glory in Garofano on multiple occasions. Even though it’s only an eau de toilette, this is one of the most long lasting fragrances I have ever worn. My skin usually gobbles fragrance; yet sometimes I’ve been able to detect this up to 12 hours later. I am not a fan of pepper; but here it is used to wonderful effect. This is beautifully blended and composed, with the carnation exhibiting different tonal variations throughout the life of the scent. Occasionally the beginning is bitter, but this always dissipates quickly on my skin. While I love the smell of rose, it’s not a major note here. I much prefer Garofano to Bellodgia which was more a soliflore and seemed weaker and dependent on clove to reinforce the carnation; though that might be due to the age of my sample. Here the interplay of notes is so much more symphonic.
Now I want to try more of Villoresi’s fragrances. Garofano is an excellent value for the price, but don’t waste your money if you don’t have the chutzpah to wear this elegant and bold creation.
Gagarin2010 – :
This is a must-try for all carnation aficionados. On my skin Garofano is a great composiotion of carnation with a hint of cloves and the lovely banana-like accord of ylang-ylang. It opens with a hint of geranium and peppery accords and cinnamon compliment the clove note but carnation and ylang-ylang are the main players throughout the lifespan (at least to my nose).
Great longevity (>10h) and projection, very cloying if overdone but beautiful in moderate doses. If you find Bellodgia a bit thin and wish Vitriol d’Oeillet had more curves, this might be the perfect carnation for you. My review is based on a 5ml decant.
xDxDxDxD – :
This is an enigmatic and strange olfactory journey for me. Initially I can smell lavender which is pleasing and familiar but as this perfume begins to change, the arrival of carnation is very apparent. Carnation is a very strong, bitter and harsh flower to pull off in a perfume, but it have to say that it’s been done very well here. There’s no doubt that this is heavy and powerful floral composition which seems to be bound in incense and spices. It’s a very old smell and please do not translate that into ‘old lady smell’ I mean it’s very ancient. This perfume could have been worn by women 200 years ago. In fact, I imagine that in the 1600’s this could’ve been tied up in bundles and worn in the linings of clothing, to mask the strong smells of body odours as people of that time used to do. (In fact I think that lavender was used more popularly). It almost reminds me of a spicy floral pot pourri. I also get a woody, forest, floor, strewn with twigs and autumn leaves.
I would say that this fragrance is something of a masterpiece which could only be worn by very few people. I couldn’t pull this one off but one or two of you fabulous fragrantican’s could I’m sure.
Longevity is astounding! This needs to be washed off as it just doesn’t fade away. Amazing fragrance.
serikov04 – :
Garofano not only opens bitterly, I got the unpleasant idea of entering a sad home for the old and incapacitated, who were neglected far beyond the bearable.
I think the opening has this ‘quality’ due to loads of geranium and cyclamen together with pepper.
Because of all the positive reviews I had read though, I decided to sit this one out, no matter what. Rest assured, I got rewarded with something so lovely, that I am glad I did.
After three quarters of an hour, a softness appeared, jostling the musty bitterness aside. After an hour I could call this scent creamy even.
Musk, rose, heliotroop, cinnamon and green notes predominate, together with a lovely carnation.
I declare now the following: if, after an hour of dismay (not only mine, but the entire neighbourhoods) one gets rewarded with an outstanding floral green, one ought not to complain but to surrender…
I am going to get the full bottle.
annacorpi – :
YES sherapop, I agree. An insult to compare this wonderful creation to a dime-store product (Hilton et al). I’ve already tried one Lorenzo Villoresi perfume – Incense – which I thought was great and I find the second one just as enticing, different and bewitching. Can’t find any clove which some detect (would be a nice combination, though). Guerlain Terracotta was a georgeous scent, too, pity one can’t get it anymore.
Sbfrpmfmk – :
Let us begin by setting the record straight regarding the question of cloves in Lorenzo Villoresi GAROFANO. Luca’s rib must have mixed up her samples of Caron BELLODGIA and Lorenzo Villoresi GAROFANO, which she decries as unwearable and clove heavy. Carnation contains naturally occurring eugenol, but as far I can tell, there is not extra clove note in GAROFANO, as there certainly is in BELLODGIA.
GAROFANO is my first foray into the house of Lorenzo Villoresi derisively dismissed in The Holey[sic] Book, along with the perfumes of Mona di Orio, as essentially a product of perfumic fraud. (Talk about the pot calling the kettle black…)
I had to see why in the world an entire set of haute niche perfumes should receive ratings on a par with those conferred upon the offerings of the illustrious “house” of Paris Hilton, so to satisfy my curiosity, I ordered several house-carded samples. I have discovered that a grave injustice was done to this house, along with Mona di Orio, I might add, and my best guess is that the reviewers have serious issues with expensive Italian perfumes. Perhaps there is some sort of family vendetta which goes back centuries? Who knows? All I know for sure is that these perfumes are rich elixirs which merit the discerning perfumista’s consideration.
GAROFANO opens bitterly, and this may put some sniffers off. Added to the fact that the carnation is not rose or jasmine or iris or violet or any of the other more popular flowers featured in perfumes, and one may conclude upon application that this creation is “not for me”. In fact, as the perfume develops, it becomes more and more enticing. This is not a “buy at the counter” or “review from a paper strip” perfume. GAROFANO requires a bit of patience in order to reap the beauty found within. By the drydown, I’m definitely a believer. Carnation perfumes are few and far between, and this one is a slightly woody and utterly gorgeous soliflore with big sillage and excellent longevity. GAROFANO is embellished with several other notes, none of which is clove, to which I am inordinately sensitive, and which makes BELLODGIA a tough wear for me.
If I did not already own Guerlain TERRACOTTA VOILE D’ETE, also a fine carnation creation, I might consider adding this one to my collection.
vtreskoff – :
Another impression – This has an oddly familiar scent that I could not quite place until I opened a bottle of Primetivo and smelled the cork. Ahhh!
Alkid – :
I smell this and I am with my boyfriend sailing home to paradise. The carnation’s spiciness and sweet rose smoothness along with the woodsy smell evoking teak and salt air all tell me I am going off on life’s greatest adventures.
nickpro – :
Whew, what a lovely ride! A light spray of this red-haired beauty opened with a strong, bright carnation blend that demanded attention. No reclusive, sweet violet here – instead a pungent, spicy, cinnamony bloom with the delicacy of a petal and the strength of a rigid, woody, upright stem.
The dry down went though several stages on my skin. First, peppery carnation with light cinnamon wood and light harmonies from the cedar and musk. Second stage was a green carnation, leaves and all, with the cedar still in attendance. Then back to a soft woody carnation. After six hours, I still was enjoying a soft powdery, vanilla, creamy carnation. Perhaps a touch of heliotrope. I never did smell a solid rose but rather a hint of rose floating in the background darting through a carnation veil.
This soliflore is, in fact, like no other flower scent. Used in perfumery as a supporting player for centuries, the lowly and sometimes despised carnation has been more highly praised in earlier generations. One of my favorite carnation creations is Bellodogia by Caron. I’m lucky enough to own a vintage pure perfume in this scent which I layer with a contemporary produced spray. Yes, they smell different, but still lovely combined.
Garofalo is a welcome addition to my perfume wardrobe.. Just remember a light hand and this fragrance will reveal all her secrets to you.
gpwrdm – :
Raised in the socialist era, it was always difficult for me not to perceive carnation in any other way but as a regime-flower; essential prop used in every public holiday, state ceremony, jamboree, Women’s Day, Labor Day, not to mention private ceremonies… This poor red carnation was one very busy flower during that era and even today, when I think of it, I am having this funny picture in my mind; carnations’ cute little ruffled red top sticking out of a dull grey oversized suit, wearing ugly prescription glasses and a some horrendous tie. Socialist Party chic.
But Villoresi’s Garofano changed all that.
Opulent and grand, deep and dark, spicy and mysterious and so smooth… For Maestro, there are no such things as “plain”, “modest” or “average”. This carnation interpretation is special because it is borderline of two opposites – highly stylized and abstract on one, and very old-fashioned and traditional, on the other side. This kind of uniqueness is most probably deriving from evidently highest-quality of individual ingredients – also resulting in big sillage and fantastic longevity.
Classy, retro-modern classic.
Meeme874elipseskism – :
The only other carnation scent I have tried is Comme de Garcons Red Carnation which was too heavy on the clove note for my liking. Garafano, by contrast is more gentle, but that’s not to say that the carnation is subdued. It’s bold but somehow restrained perhaps by the underlying florals that prevent the spice from becoming too overwhelming.
I agree with Auguszta about the retro vibe here and I’m wondering if the heliotrope is giving the suggestion of a sweet powdery note beneath the spice?
I have dabbed on a little from a tester vial and the scent is everywhere, so i can only concur with others about the potential for sillage overkill. This is definitely unisex and I believe suitable for summer or winter.
dindon1717 – :
Im down to my last few precious drops and will need to start saving for another bottle. This absolutely smells like a carnation crushed in your hand but it’s so much more than that. The rose and heliotrope really round this out and I swear there’s a noticeable ginger floating above the florals. I’ve never found anything sharp in this, which is somewhat unusual for an EDT; I’ve never found the pepper or more than hints of the green notes. Very rich, quite mellow and utterly grown up. This is a bouquet of carnations, lilies and roses on a very hot day. Worth visiting if you like big scents.
Sillage: the room if you use a heavy hand
Duration: 5-6 hours
Fabulosity: Scarlett O’Hara in the green velvet dress
Value to price ratio: very reasonable
9/10
waldomkuk – :
This is the best carnation scent readily available (I do not include JAR Diamond Water and Golconda in the ‘readily available’ category because of their prohibitive price). Rich, peppery (without being acrid), warm and floral but, at the same time relatively discreet. I don’t understand why others have complained that it is intense or with massive sillage. This does not travel too far from the skin, providing a warm envelope rather than a heady trail. I find Garofano seriously addictive and want that full bottle with a passion.
Update: I have been getting some serious compliments on this perfume from workmates… the most gratifying from a person who is normally a perfume hater – she says it smells like being in a garden.
sunny_laura – :
Very strange fragrance! I like it only because its ORIGINAL, long lasting, good sillage and great ingredients. But it smell strange!
edit: I love it now! This is strange yes, but in a good way of traditional perfumery! Remarquable scent! I wan’t ALL Villoresi scents now! They are all different and each of them in one direction!
4/5
seropik – :
I was quite surprised to read (elsewhere) that a lot of people get a strange feeling wearing this fragrance because they associate carnation with funerals. We don’t have that association where I live, but I agree that it’s difficult to pull this off.
It is extremely intense – one spray literally fills the house. It gets a lot softer later on, but during the first 30 minutes or so it shows no mercy. Also, there’s a vintage feel to it – simply because people just don’t wear such heady florals anymore. To put it short, you can’t help but turn heads wearing this.
The scent itself is simply lovely: an intoxicating, full-bodied carnation scent with hints of rose and geranium. It’s spicy (particularly heavy on the clove), aromatic, dark and mostly piquant-sour, although I catch unexpected waves of sweetness now and then. This diva has a killer sillage and is very long lasting.
If you do like carnation it’s a must-try. Don’t believe people who tell you carnation frags are for grannies! But it certainly takes the right person to pull this off. It requires a strong character and plenty of confidence, otherwise the perfume might end up wearing you.