Summer Perfume Spotlight: Florabotanica by Cristobal Balenciaga

Everything seems better since Summer showed up at Spring’s farewell party. The cocktails taste better, the skirts are shorter, the heels are higher, and the smiles are bigger.

So, what perfume will Summer wear at Spring’s going away party? After all, this party also marks the official beginning of summer’s reign, so she has to take it up a notch.

My bet is on Florabotanica by Cristobal Balenciaga!

Olivier Polge and Jean-Christophe Herault, the perfume’s sorcerers have definitely performed a sweet olfactory spell with the final product. With the recent trend of heavy, sweet perfumes, a green, floral fragrance is surely a breath of fresh air.

This is a heavy with dew, faintly spiky rose growing in an herb garden kind of perfume. The mint and the carnation are graceful sidekicks on the rose, and the clove and green notes in combination allow for a pleasant earthy smell.

This perfume evokes images of Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin. She tries to stand out from the crowd, as a desperate attempt to fit in.

I imagine her in a short, scorching white summer dress with lace trim, Doc Martin boots, and minimal make-up. She seems tame at first glance, but then you really look at her and see. Her character is a mixture of rose befriending a poison ivy, of obedience rocked by burning passion.

This perfume will surprise you by its lushness and blissful cloud of green notes.

Florabotanica is a rare example of a minimalist perfume.

And because all of this, I can really understand why summer holds this perfume close to her heart.