Ginestre
by Santa Maria Novella

I am beginning to question the usage of words like "unique" etc. This is because I am yet to find a truly unique scent but I find the adjective being used ever so often. SMN Ginestre is not unique by any stretch of the word. I have no idea what the flower smells like and I hope to smell it some day but for now, I plan on getting a therapeutic grade essential oil to get an idea. SMN Ginestre smells like the generic base scent found in a lot of men's cologne so no, it is not sweet and yes it is a bit sharp, citrusy and green. I can confidently say that you smelled this scent within the last 24 hours probably under a different name and company of course. This goes for a lot of these fragrances, niche or not, master perfumer or not.

17th April, 2011.

Citrus, ginestra, oakmoss
This is a good, distinctive scent. It is centered on ginestra (broom) which has a floral, hay-like and honeyed character. The scent is true to type. At times it has a grassy green note; at other times it is a bit like iris; and at other times it has a rich, honeycomb/waxy note. The drydown is satisfyingly mossy. This is an outdoorsy sort of scent.

15th July, 2010.

This is an amazing fragrance. I love it. So intense and elegant. So unique. It's light enough for day time but also deep enough for an evening scent. The scent is very long lasting. It lingers and doesn't diminish rapidly. I bought a small alter candle of the same scent so my house smells the same. Divine.

20th April, 2010.

Santa Maria Novella Ginestra

There is a point every summer where spring and its lush green starts to get seared by the sun and the greenery begins to dry up. As you walk past a newly mown field you get this sweet, grassy smell. This is one of the scents of the end of summer for me. Santa Maria Novella has captured this green and floral smell in their scent, Ginestra. Ginestra is a flower also known as Scotch Broom. Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest farmacias in the world and dates back to the 17th century. That it would be one of these farmacias to get the smell of summer grass so right is no surprise to me. The top of Ginestra starts with a very light citrus accord of bergamot, lime and orange blossom. The heart of this comes in with a beautiful sweet, grassy, hay accord accompanied by a light floral which must be the scotch broom flower. It is most like a very dialed-down osmanthus to my nose and the lightness of it accentuates the sweet of the hay but also adds contrast to the grassiness, too. A touch of oakmoss creeps in towards the end of the evolution but Ginestra stays firmly in the floral green stage for the majority of its duration on my skin. Santa Maria Novella Ginestra comes as an EDT and on my skin has decent but not great longevity. It has surprising sillage for an EDT though. Ginestra is definitely a warm-weather scent as it needs some heat to really allow it to flower. For me I'm going to lie down in my newly mown field and watch the clouds go by overhead with a big smile on my face.

3rd August, 2009.

The bracing, green floral scent of broom. Love this one. Perfect on hot days, when you need something to keep you from wilting. It's longer lasting on me than some of the other Santa Maria Novellas, which is a nice plus.

4th June, 2009.

This is a beautiful take on the scent of Scottish broom flowers, with supporting characters, most probably ambergris, but other green notes for sure. This is a very uplifting scent. It really puts the heart back into one. Great fro daytime wear, and I think it's equally suitable for men and women. It is in EdC strength, but gives quite good projection. BTW, the name is Ginestra, with an "a" at the end, in case you need to do a search on this.

21st December, 2007.