Fresco di Vetiver
by I Profumi di Firenze

More "fresco" than "vetiver", and quite poor longevity on my skin.
Otherwise, a nice light feel-good citrus/vetiver, quite similar IMO to Fragonard's take on vetiver.

15th October, 2008.

In a blind test, the first thing I thought was "this smells like the middle of Cool Water". The vetiver is toned down in this by the GIT/Cool Water accords and it's not as grassy as other vetivers I've tried. It's not as citrus as Guerlain's or as angular as Malle's, it's just there. A fresh vetiver, I'd say. I already have Mugler Cologne for a "fresh vetiver" (which smells steamy). Anyways, not a bad scent.

14th October, 2008.

Evidently inspired by Creed's Green Irish Tweed, though it has neither the ingredient quality, complexity of composition or longevity. The Lord of the Mansion's illegitimate brother forced to grow up as simple-minded shepherder.

The citrus opening (lemon and lime?) is good, but a bit household-cleanerish. Very quickly FdV donns its GIT cloak, though it is more muted and herbal (tarragon?) than the sparkling clean green original. The lasting power ranges around two hours for me. For 20 Euros (Creed is 3.5 times as expensive) this is certainly a nice enough fragrance, but superfluous if you already own GIT and/or a nice green vetiver such as Dominguez Vetiver hombre or Creed's Original Vetiver.

The packaging is a bit gaudy, featuring the colorful 1570 painting The Alchemist's Workshop by Jan van der Straet (fittingly located at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence), but I kind of like it. A nice contrast to the "designer cool" of so many niche lines.

4th July, 2008.

Fresco di Vetiver is very nice. As others have noted, it's an especially well-done blend of citrus and vetiver. The citrus hangs around for about an hour before blending into a really nice, bright vetiver that really smells fresh green to me. There's a hint of earthiness to it that keeps it stable and substantial (without being heavy or cloying).

It brings to mind being in a huge field of grass on a warm day in early spring: the sun's shining, the dew is gone, there's a nice breeze, blue skies, and a stand of oaks off in the distance (just to the right, up that way).

Sillage on FdiV is very good. Projection is decent. It's not a power frag, but it holds its own. Longevity is great: 8+ hours. iPdiF has done a nice job with this fragrance.

23rd May, 2008.

Fresco di Vetiver is an exquisitely beautiful delicate vetiver fragrance that I would buy in a heartbeat if it had more sillage. For testing purposes, I dabbed my wrist as well as my boyfriend's wrist with a generous amount of juice and it unfortunately lasted only about 30 minutes on our skin. Beware! Fresco di Vetiver is one of those fleeting perfumes that will leave you desperately wanting more. Sigh....

Here are the notes, as gleaned from the perfume websites that sell it: Sicilian lemon, Spices, Javanese Vetiver.

12nd May, 2008.

Fragrance notes: sicilian lemon, spice, vetiver from Java
There is lovely lemon and spice here, combining in a warm accord. The vetiver is a bit sharp but is attractive, refreshing, woody. There is also a green-leaf aromatic note. So far this is a refreshing summery scent, substantial but not heavy. Gradually the lemon burns off and the vetiver becomes more focused. The scent settles into a good vetiver, not heavy and soapy. Linear and straightforward, but pleasing.

5th April, 2008. (Last Edited: 8th April, 2008.)