Florabotanica by Balenciaga

Ever since I can recall, I have been obsessed with perfume. I still remember my very first bottle of “real” perfume; it was “Miracle” by Lancome and I got it as a gift from one of my aunts. She was always so chic and elegant, I loved chatting to her about makeup-usually behind my mom’s back, as I wasn’t really allowed to even touch makeup at that time- she was actually the one who introduced me to lip-liner as well. You can imagine how ecstatic I was when at the age of fourteen, I was gifted my very own bottle of perfume. I guess it’s safe to say that my life has never been the same since that moment.

One the first things that I noticed about my husband when I met him, was his smell. I honestly feel that even if he was missing his two front teeth, I’d still go out with him, just because of the cologne that he used. Once we started dating, I’d steal his shirts so I could smell them at home. Is this a bit of a TMI? I get a feeling that I’m starting to sound like a psychopath or someone who had suffered from a bad case of an obsessive attachment disorder. Point is, I’m obsessed with both perfume and cologne. Whenever I smell a certain fragrance, it always brings back memories and takes me back to specific moments in my life. (So now, whenever I smell that same cologne on Mark, I always close my eyes and see myself sitting on my bed with my face covered with his shirt, whispering “precious….. precious… my precioussss” in that Gollum voice.)

I have a few “signature” fragrances that I always re-purchase (“Miracle” is still amongst them) but I also love trying out new ones. I think that whenever I change up my perfume, it sort of feels like I’m getting a mini-makeover. It’s not as drastic as changing your hair color, after all, the scent washes off with the rest of the bits of the day each night in the shower, but whenever I do use a new fragrance I feel that it just adds that extra “pep in my step” ;) . “Florabotanica” by Balenciaga is one of my newest additions and it has been on my wish list since last year.

“Florabotanica is the fragrance of the Balenciaga botanic garden. It instills the brand with modernity and colors. While Balenciaga Paris paid tribute to the genius of Cristobal, this scent celebrates Nicolas’s [*Ed. note.: Balenciaga’s then creative director] futuristic perspective. The various facets of Nicolas’s inspiration are reflected in the bottle and outer box. The rich and surprising mix match of architectural lines, vivid colors, and venomous floral prints recurrent in Balenciaga’s fashion are translated into Florabotanica’s unique packaging.”

It includes notes of Carnation, Wild Mint, Turkish Rose Essence, Hemp Leaves, Vetiver Roots and White Amber. This scent is absolutely unique, sophisticated and I think that it’s just one of those fragrances that not everyone will like as it may be a bit too bold. In the sea of overly sweet, juicy and citrus-y fragrances, “Florabotanica” definitely stands out with its strong, fresh, floral notes. It’s mellow, but lively at the same time, sophisticated and elegant. It’s long-lasting and very potent so I know that it’ll last me a for a while. I also have to mention the bottle design, how fab is it? I actually used to collect empty perfume bottles (God knows what was the matter with my late-teenage-self) and I could see this one being a gem in my old-dusty-empty-perfume-bottle collection. If you know what I mean. ;)

What scents do you go for? Sweet and girl-y or bold and floral?