We've been waiting impatiently for our chance to try out Balenciaga's Florabotanica fragrance ever since it was first announced, and then even more when we found out Kristen Stewart was involved as its face (despite previously never having worn perfume before).
Given the massive scandal surrounding Kristen lately (for cheating on her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson) I'm dubious as to whether we'll see her doing much promotion for it - she doesn't feature in the advert they've released (which you can see at the end of the post), leaving the bottle to be the focus of the ad. Then again they chose her to reflect the character of the perfume - Nicolas Ghesquiere, creative director for Balenciaga described her as 'a beauty that is both pure and uncontrollable', so with recent events it seems a poetically good match!
Luckily the bottle for Florabotanica is so unusual and striking that it holds up its own quite well - in fact, Balenciaga describe it as more of a couture object then a bottle. It's inspiration is a meeting of the mystery of plants and the process of extracting them - for example, the perfume tube, usually small and clear to hide it in most perfume bottles, is made into the core feature, plunging through the bottle as if a 'laboratory test tube looking to capture the secret essence of flowers'.
The clean lines and coloured glass sides play off the idea of those slides you get in labs. The name of the perfume reflects the same ideas, of 18th century botanical gardens of rare plants curated by biologists, which is hinted in the tapestry-esque design on the box.
As for the fragrance - it actually starts off a touch strong (to my taste anyway, but it's all down to personal taste), but softens down into a warm musky scent that is perfect for the evening. With notes of Amber, Vetiver and Caladium Leaf, the perfume manages to give its bright rose (not just any rose, by the way - a secret Experimental Rose from Turkey), mint and carnation heart a dark twist, with a mossy, woody dry down that is pierced by a subtle sweetness from the rose and mint notes. It's actually every bit as mysterious as the press release claims it to be. Definitely not your typical floral.
Prices start from £40 - it's available exclusively at Harvey Nichols from September 1st, and then nationwide from September 19th. If you just can't wait though, you can check out soe of Balenciaga's other fragrances here! Oh and check out the non-Kristen stewart starring teaser below!
