I’ve already spoken about perfume’s powerful ability to evoke memories with regards to old-fashioned cosmetics that remind us of our younger years. Francesca Bianchi’s Cuir Soyeux, a limited edition fragrance launched in 2019, is another haunting creation that makes me think of something quite particular, the inside of my mom’s soft leather purses and the lipsticks she so often left in those purses.
More memories are brought back as sparkling citrus fruits and aldehydes open the fragrance, which soon evolves into a beautiful floral heart. I think of hairspray mixed to women’s perfume in hair salons back in the eighties, and the narcissus note is reminiscent of the beautiful daffodil fields I loved while visiting York in England as a little girl.
As soft leather and silky orris unfold, I am suddenly the eight-year old girl going through those purses looking for forgotten lipsticks, which to me were precious little trophies. Heliotropin adds effervescence but also a floral dustiness that settles in a bed of creamy sandalwood, amber-like labdanum, and sweet vanilla.
Francesca’s signature is unmistakably present, with her outstanding talent in bringing a vintage vibe that plays on the contrast between rich florals, gentle powdery notes, and assertive animalic elements. This is an evocative and timeless fragrance. The leather purse and retro lipstick sensation accompanies me for more than 10 hours and the scent lingers lightly for even longer.
Cuir Soyeux was created by Italian perfumer Francesca Bianchi, founder of Francesca Bianchi Perfumes, to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Perfume Lounge, an artistic perfumery in Amsterdam (where Francesca resides). Inspired by the boutique owners’ favorite notes, leather and iris, and designed to recreate the feeling of leather and silk on bare skin, the fragrance is a tribute to sensuality. I haven’t at all regretted buying this blindly on the spur of the moment.
The notes are listed as they appeared on the Perfume Lounge’s website:
Iris, Magnolia, Narcissus, Heliotropine, Labdanum, Leather, Musk.
The fragrance was created as Extrait de Parfum in 30 ml spray bottles and has since been discontinued. Francesca put her last archive bottle up for auction in April 2020 to help a hospital in Bergamo, Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I reviewed the fragrance from my personal bottle.
Photos are my own.
