Child in the Flowers Edouard Manet

One of the most cherished qualities I look for in perfumery is softness.  I am always drawn to perfumes that seem to be made for the sole purpose of comforting the wearer.   I’m not big on power perfumes that erupt with overpowering sillage and overtly dramatic entrances.   There’s one perfume house that always seems to know how I feel about this, and that is I Profumi di Firenze.  I Profumi di Firenze perfume reminds me of how it felt being a child and picking out shapes in the clouds passing overhead, or how wonderful it was to find an amazing, magical children’s book to read on a dull day.  There’s an uplifting playfulness and gentle quality to their line, with an airy and soothing approach in their work that I absolutely love.  Their stock in trade is fragrances that glide on like silk, and have the feel of cashmere.I wrote about their line several months ago when I fell in love with an overlooked gem, Florentia 16, a scent I compared to a mother’s love.

Pathway in Monet's Garden at Giverny – Claude Monet 

 In November 2014, Giovanni di Massimo composed Jeunesse, (translated from French it means Girlhood) a white floral with just enough lavender and musk involved to keep it from ending up on grandma’s dresser with the striped candies. It begins with a very floral lily of the valley note and a pithy bergamot, which quickly slides into a lavender and gardenia heart.

Girl in the Garden at Bellevue. Painted in 1880,   Edouard Manet

Each individual note is downy soft, nearly swaddled – rather than sharply etched.  It can be compared to French Impressionist Art, at first seemingly ordinary but the scent shifts with light and movement. This is a hallmark of the line – an ethereal gauziness that is instantly calming, sophisticated and playful.

Claude Monet Promenade Near Argenteuil

Jeunesse is a scent made for the country, not the city – for dusty, dry unpaved roads instead of streetlights and hot asphalt.  There is an ease and expanse to this perfume that somehow soothes the bones and muscles.And, despite its name and the gauzy demeanor, I find that Jeunesse could easily be worn by men as well as women.  The serenity it imparts is the thing here; not strong statements about gender.  If a man wore this scent, he would give off a warm, inviting and calming vibe.  The sillage is as ethereal  – I Profumi has no desire to blow out an office environment or an elevator.  By the time your nose has encountered their perfumes, you know you’re in a very private, very welcoming place.  The base notes of jasmine and white musk anchor the drydown while still very much keeping the white floral appeal going strong as the perfume winds down.  There are still plenty of clouds above your head and sun in the sky by the time Jeunesse begins to fade on the skin, leaving an impression, small yet discernible brush strokes of scent.

And sadly, the only aspect of this scent that I wish were better is how fleeting it is – at least on my skin.  For a line whose offerings are so delightfully wistful, I wish I could stay in the magical realm they create a little while longer.  But reality unfortunately intrudes after only a few hours.   But I’ll always return – I Profumi di Firenze’s line is like discovering a secret door in a garden on an Italian estate filled with lush, growing, delicate plants, with all the curious cloud creatures waiting to meet you on the other side.  And Jeunesse is the name of the magical country they came from.

Notes:  bergamot, lily of the valley, lavender, gardenia, jasmine, white musk

From my own collection

–Steve Johnson, Senior Contributor

Art Director: Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

I Profumi di Firenzi Jeunesse is available exclsuively  at Beautyhabit owned by scent and beauty obsessed sisters Teresa Mitchell and Paula Weiser-Vasquez