FRAGRANCE | The Lover's Tale Extrait de Parfum by Francesca Bianchi is no teenybopper love story

halfwhiteboy - Francesca Bianchi The Lover's Tale Extrait de Parfum 01

The Lover's Tale is yet another one of Francesca Bianchi's creations with monstrous projection and amazing longevity. And I'm not complaining. After all, who doesn't want a fragrance that truly performs?

A strong, dry leather with an animalic touch immediately barges in. It's not an off-putting kind of animalic but more of something burnt and dark. It's definitely a heavy scent and it's enthralling in its ominousness. If you dig fragrances with dark leather accords like House of Matriarch's Black No. 1 or even something a bit lighter like Rasasi's Oudh Al Boruzz Abeer Malaysia, chances are you'll like this as well.

I can't put a finger on it but for a moment there I thought there was something in it that reminded me of Dior's Fahrenheit. It could be the leather, though. There's also something plasticky around the edges but it's only noticeable up close. It's still the dark, animalic leather that dominates the scent throughout.

halfwhiteboy - Francesca Bianchi The Lover's Tale Extrait de Parfum 02

The Lover's Tale is not all dark and gloomy, though, as it's also given ample sweetness. It's not vanilla, not resins either, but perhaps some florals that give this effect. Despite this touch of pretty, the scent never goes in the direction of Carner's Cuirs or of many a sweetened leather fragrance. It's just enough to tame the animalic note and the intensity of the leather although it does increase its volume a bit after some 30 minutes.

Several hours later, the animalic note morphs into a more sensual, musky character, alternating with the sweetness and the leather in coming out on top. Then the scent basically stays like this for its whole duration, which, by the way, is exceedingly long. Its heft and dark aspects may diminish over time but they are never totally lost.

I don't think I can ever have enough leather scents, and this Bianchi number sure isn't letting me stop. This leans more toward evening and cold weather wear, so it isn't the most versatile. It doesn't offer a lot in terms of pronounced development and transitions but it's a handsome composition nonetheless. The Lover's Tale is not for everyone but I daresay go, give it a try.

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