To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
aleks-pae – :
I am at a somewhat hung over breakfast with a gorgeous silken skinned man who I should have trapped into marriage somehow….we are in Airlie Beach Queensland Australia, it’s hot and humid. We roved around the previous night, running up the hill chasing a nightbird in the pale moonlight which made magic and haunting sounds, Back then I only used Mitsouko. And I woke up drowsily with my magic Empress still on my skin and ready to make another indelible memory. We opened Sydney Rock oysters…actually they were probably Pacific up there,…The crack of the briny shell, the slippery, briny, algae smell and feel, the dusty eroticism, the sweet coconut and vanilla and a slight tang of beachy rot….why, I bought a back up bottle…masterpiece for me…
Styx12345svp – :
Nice the niche house with quality ingredients but this perfume smells like a wild dirty animal urine, that brings a headache. Definitely will recommend try before to buy.
robinho – :
بیش از حد شیرین و وانیلی در کنار یک رایحه سنگین آمبری و پودری
اصلا عطر من نیست
———–
Scent & Qualiy: 6/10
Longevity: 8/10
Sillage: 8/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 8/10
Affordability: 3/10
———–
Overall: 6.6/10
vasdir – :
عطر اراه رجالي من النوع الذي يعشقه الجنس الناعم
.
.
رائحة العطر في الهواء جميلة جداً
الأناناس فواح من النوع السويتي السوداوي
SPY HARD – :
Yes, that’s the sad story of civet. I know some niche brands use the natural civet, for ex. Mona di Orio, Grossmith… Most perfumes have the synthetic civet, but what about Francesca Bianchi?
ohg138JeomiWogkig – :
Dear Blake.lee.
Thank you for explaining. How about the civet? I know some niche perfumes have the real thing.
reaktiv1989 – :
Pookerella, this particular perfume is made with a synthetic ambergris called Cetalox. Most modern perfumes are because it’s too difficult to obtain consistency in smell of real ambergris. Most of the time when you see ambergris or civet listed in a modern perfume it actually contains the synthetic versions of these. There are a few houses using real ambergris but they’re either very wealthy like Guerlain or producing very limited quantities of perfumes. Even in with these companies, it can be assured the ambergris was collected from being washed up on the beach and not through killing of a whale for the purpose of cutting out the ambergris. Fresh ambergris is of no use in perfumery as it only obtains it’s fine smell from decades of salt curing while tumbling around in the ocean. Occasionally, a dead beached whales ambergris with be cut out under strict guidelines, but this ambergris is very low quality and wouldn’t be used in perfumes of a niche house.
sadigor21 – :
I think that it is absolutely DISGUSTING that people are using ambergris in perfume in this day and age. Civet, too. Shame on this brand for using it. I would NEVER buy or use this perfume or the 4160 version, either, an absolute NO NO. Never buy them; never wear them. They disgust me, in all ways, morally and the fact that they have that disgusting animal scent that permeates through plastic. Gross.
LEXXA1976.IVANOV – :
My nose won’t allow me to join this kumbaya you guys are exhibiting for this fragrance. First of all, this is the iris version of Who Knew from the house of 4160 Tuesdays. Wearing this reminds me of how bad I want to swap Who Knew for something new. On my skin, the notes are in disarray. I’m trying to get an understanding on what this fragrance is suppose to be. This is part salty, chalky, milky, sugary and floraly white. Ok, so maybe I did grasp an understanding of this fragrance. Upon further observation, I deduce this to be bone white. In order to reach that happy place, one must be willing to walk down the isle with the powder accord. Speaking of powder, any and every kind of powder is seemingly in this fragrance. To be honest, I didn’t get any pineapple, civet, coconut, benzoin, or vanilla. These notes are significant and can determine if a person pulls out their wallet or not. In closing, the best way to wear Sex and the Sea is to apply sparingly. That’s what I call safe sex.
eduard1 – :
This is really nice. On the opening my first thought was that it smelt like a more intense 4160 Tuesdays What I did on my holidays. A sexier and more intense version. I thought I could smell mint but I think it was the ambergris combined with the coconut and sweet immortelle. The pineapple doesnt appear on me which is a big relief. There is a powderiness as it settles. There are definitely resins in the background. Im not sure what happened to the civet but its very low key on me.
First and foremost there is the ambergris with some coconut, vanilla and a touch of powdery immortelle. Not surprisingly its the salty ambergris with a dash of sweet vanilla which hangs on right to the end.
I think its a touch too sweet and powdery for a man but whatever rocks your boat.
Good longevity but it withdraws to a skin scent within the first hour which isnt very good for me.
Ksenia Jones – :
Much too ‘oily’ for me. Sex and the Sea has a very prominent, thick coconut cream vibe, not a dry nutty type like I was hoping. Although a delicious scent, it’s a little too heavy handed and foody, and the notes are too literal to my nose.
I don’t get any carnal notes, from the vibrant fruit in the top down to the uncut oily resins and iris in the bottom finishing with a feeling very much like suntan oil (yes, oil, not water-based lotion). It’s quite naughty in a milky and indulgent way, but no seaside saltiness or anything inviting that makes me want to go for a romp in the dunes. No outdoor elements or naturalness. More loud and demanding than alluring. These are the skimpy red bikini clad girls with silicone and booth tannage and long platinum blond hair that I secretly cringe at when all the boys are drooling over them (I know, I have issues).
Nicely done for a rich, mainstream coconut scent, but not evocative of its name. I think Salvador Dali Laguna captures better the spirit of what Sex and the Sea should have been.
Neumninginc – :
This review is based on a sample.
What an utterly unique fragrance!
It opens with a fruity sense of an exotic cocktail (that must be the pineapple) but as it begins to settle( after about 3minutes) you get the heart of the scent!
Imagine a bowl full of pebbles and seashells right after they been washed up on the beach. Close your eyes and take a deep sniff…. The bottom of the sea is inside your lungs (bitter salty sense)
A reminiscent of my days on the beach in every Greek island I have been to.
For this reason alone it will be a full bottle purchase for this summer
pompyuwh279bedyWelty – :
A sensual and poetic perfume that could be an inspired creation with the correct skin chemistry. I find the opening of Sex and the Sea in particular to be very coconutty, rich, oily and smooth, with that sweet fattiness accompanied by a whisper of vanilla. A twang of acidic pineapple occasionally appears on my skin too, followed by a sugary smell and something a little vague and nondescript in the base. There is a synthetic or plastic note in this perfume as well, which I also noticed in Angel’s Dust and I’m not really sure what that could indicate here. The dry-down is I think a vanilla-heavy benzoin, with a hint of smooth sandalwood.
I understand that this scent is to be suggestive of an intimate tumble on the sand, all coconut and ambergris and sun-kissed skin, but as I don’t get any saltiness or civet, this magic is lost on me, probably because my skin tends to pull mostly sweet notes out of compositions. This perfume instead reminds me of a suntan or sunscreen lotion, that has settled into the skin out in the sunshine, warm, creamy and a touch synthetic. Soft sillage, that was predominantly a “skin-scent” on me; longevity was for about 5-6 hours 🙂
RalgeTafe – :
A catchy and not covertly vulgar name for a fragrance that smells of lipstick as well as hundreds of other fragrances of the niche which focus on hyperconcentrated notes that burn the nostrils to keep attention.
I see no sea no sand and no sex, perhaps a bit ‘of salt, pineapple, no amber, very synthetic sandal and synthetic iris (a lot of both) that give that effect lipstick.
Milky notes. A scared sad immortelle. Sugary mimosa. Not bad. Not extraordinary.
Ordinary niche or exclusive mainstream which is obviously a contradiction.
TEST0STER0N – :
It’s like a sugar and salt mixed together.Juicy pinapple,sweet milky coconut and salty ambergris… unusual, interesting, uncomfortable, with a bit too obious reference to sex, for me repulsive ufortunately, but fascinating if taken as a peace of art.
___(VASYAN)___ – :
far and away from your typical ‘day at the beach’ scent, this holds more the memory of being there, perhaps the night after when lying in bed next to someone you shared this occasion with, the scents of the day still clinging to hair and skin in the cooler night air.
i must admit prior to this review that i am in no way a fan of gourmands, so honestly, the notes list put me on edge. this was quickly assuaged however. opening with a quick splash of tangy pineapple juice, the coconut quickly come to the fore along with a slight, almost spicy vibe. this, however, isn’t your typical coconut, reminiscent of dodgy sweets and artificiality, much to my own joy. instead, this is more of a non-sweet, almost oily consistency, much like coconut oil. i believe it is the immortelle, that lends the mild spicy note, but there is a distinct, slightly salty edge to it, perhaps even the ambregris. reminiscent not of the sea but instead of a body that has been for a long swim in ocean water; indeed, slightly sunburnt perhaps with a layer of coconut oil smoothed on top to act as a soothing balm. it all blends together quite seamlessly into a comforting little bubble of yellow and golden warmth.
this incredibly intimate smell is the basis for this perfume, and it becomes ever-more so as it develops. the trademark powdery iris, antique vanilla and mimosa blend makes its appearance here too as it does in francesca’s other perfumes of the trio, particularly ‘angel dust’. here however, it isn’t a cosmetic smell as rendered there, but reminiscent once again of musky skin, solidifying this image of lying with someone whom you shared a wonderful tropical adventure with. civet reinforces this intimacy further, lending a wonderful fuzziness with barely a hint of animal usually associated with it.
as the dry down begins to set in, ambered warmth and sweet myrrh begins to come in waves along with benzoin and a lovely, milky-creamy facet from sandalwood picks up from the coconut. it’s a beautiful transition; a gentle transformation of notes from one to another. now we sit in a different location, far away from this memory of the sea, this pleasure, embracing powdery, creamy and warm woods instead. perhaps the sea was just a memory after all, or a dream…
as with the other two perfumes in francesca’s arsenal, this performs like an extrait should – a strong and vibrant beginning before settling into a more restrained, deeper dry down that will take you from a morning at the beach to a night back at the small villa where your lover awaits. gorgeous!
nikolawrc – :
Forgettable.Another example of deceiving “niche”.On me is very sharp,unelegant and messy.IMHO 20 Euros for three samples are more than deserve.
ustin_1987 – :
Wow.. i am impressed!
Iris, Coconut, Vanilla, Ambergris (like the one in O’hira”) & thank GOD there was no aquatic, metallic, or watery notes here.
It has that delicate sweet coconut iris that captures the senses for iris lovers, but i don’t sense any sea, beach, or seaside vibes! & i wonder why she included “Sea” to that! although i was anxious that it could contain salty, seashells. or sea notes as it will ruin the blend, but gratefully it doesn’t.
In my opinion this should be called “I’ll Seduce You”, “Resist me Not” or “Surrender Your Obstinacy” if it’s minor expression, and would be “luminous Desire”, “Spiritual Seductions”, or “Rhapsody” when it’ll be on the sexual imaginative.
Eventually, this is one balanced blend with an amazing quality, and superbly arranged notes.
вахмурка535 – :
I am happily joining K1 and adding my five golden stars.
***** Here.
When I contacted the lovely Francesca for samples, I was mainly interested in Angel’s Dust, given the comparison to my Holy Grail, Guerlain’s Guet-Apens by Luca Turin. I was also intrigued by The Dark Side, but upon reading its notes, S&tS did not pique my interest at all. Coconut. Uh-um… Pineapple… Uh-uh…Pina Colada, here we go…
I-WAS-SO-WRONG!
It turns out, S&tS is my favourite of the bunch.
On my skin it starts out with the above mentioned combo of coconut and pineapple, but it is not what I am used to in perfumes and cosmetics. The coconut rather reminds me of that wonderfully crude, home-made coconut oil that Thai grandmas sell on the quiet western beaches of Ko Phangan, an aroma that would perfume my endless days some years ago when I lived on the island. Likewise, the pineapple is not the neon coloured, syrupy synthetic substance of shower gels, much more like sipping on a glass of freshly made, tart juice for breakfast, having applied aforementioned coconut oil on your skin and hair after the morning shower. The headnotes evoke the quality of light and heat of late mornings on tropical beaches: the sun is blinding but the heat is still within the pleasant range.
Soon the salty and warm notes emerge, evoking the damp sea air and the smell of skin adorned with salt crystals, lying on the sand after a nice swim. Or much rather lying in the arms of your lover after a nice swim and lovemaking in the heat of the tropical day. Admittedly, this may sound kitchy, but believe me, it does not smell so in S&tS. It smells familiar, intimate, and carnal without a trace of vulgarity.
The drydown is ambrosial, like K1 suggested, especially on the morning after. May I allow myself another Guerlain association: the most beautiful part of Chamade extrait for me is the very late (18+) hours drydown, typically smelled next morning upon waking up. I had the same experience with S&tS: the next morning’s ambery sweetness was simply hauntingly beautiful! This is the phase on my skin where I can truly enjoy the burnt sugar like facettes of immortelle, and the resins, sweetened by vanilla.
Sex and the Sea is completely unique, surprising because it is so familiar and pleasurable. Like sex with your Love, it is exciting and comfortable in equal measure. You can never figure it out really, yet is as close to you as your own soul.
I am exhilareted by Francesca Bianchi’s debut and will keep my eyes open for her future work. Higly, very higly recommended!