Divine Perversion by Hedonik

Clearly feminine, though any man could wear it. For me, it’s one of the best sweet proposals for a lady. It has the Bianchi DNA but steers away from the risky to offer something adult and alluring, far from mainstream. It’s modern, with excellent projection and longevity. It starts with high-quality caramelized raspberry that doesn’t disappear but blends with a creamy iris and a subtle base recreating leather and musk without being them. Ideal for someone cheerful and coquettish with an adult touch. I recommend it, but due to its sweetness, use it in moderation.

It’s nothing like what I expected; to me, it’s super cloying and the leather is barely noticeable, smelling more like dusty caramel. The longevity is very good, as is typical for Francesca Bianchi fragrances, but simply, it’s not for me.

Used to Francesca’s potent fragrances, the first time I smelled DP, it seemed like a joke. Very light leather, a mountain of red fruit… the result is a strictly feminine perfume with the softness of a water lily. Perhaps Francesca wanted to create a second, more mainstream house (which I respect, right?), that’s at least what came to mind when I smelled it. We’ll have to see upcoming Hedonik releases to confirm if my prediction holds true.

This time Francesca Bianchi teams up with Hedonik, a leather accessories brand, which is her signature note. I expected something in her line and indeed, we found her DNA, but it’s surprising. I loved the evolution: it’s different from commercial scents, but it could be sold as a designer perfume. It could be among the best designer scents if we found it in department stores, as it’s more washable and ‘palatable’ for the public not used to niche fragrances. Cataloged as unisex, I’d orient it more toward a female audience, though on a man it would look spectacular. I was surprised by the olfactory pyramid; only three notes appeared in the press release, but the evolution is totally perceptible. Looking into it, I see it also carries caramel, iris, rose, androgynous notes, and animalic ones. Everything fits: I don’t notice a deep, dirty leather like in her classics, but one that is sweetened, softened, and masterfully accompanied by floral notes that make it slightly powdery. The raspberry opening drives me crazy, with a faint hint of vanilla barely distinguishable. If you want to try Francesca but don’t dare her classic line, I recommend starting with Divine Perversion. It’s worthy of its name: to feel divine, perverse, malevolent, and sexy, you will surely fall at their feet.

As a Francesca Bianchi fan, I feel disappointed. I expected something in her line and characteristic level in body and performance, and this is not the case. It is interesting combining the fruity and sweet opening with the leather, but for Francesca, it’s a ‘soft animal’ juice. For those who like animal scents with Lovers Tale or Black Knight, this will kill it. It has a good creamy contour, a trait also in Luxe Calme Volupté, but the pineapple turns into raspberry and the green tone into leather… sweet. It’s not a leather like Pure Distance or classic Tom Ford. It’s a shame it doesn’t have Bianchi performance in projection or longevity. I applied 5-6 sprays; with a perfume from her traditional line, anyone who knows her knows what happens: here it stays light years away. The longevity of 5-6 sprays on my skin is one-third of what 2 sprays of a Lovers Tale or Black Knight give, and half of 3-4 sprays of Angel’s Dust or Dark Side. I fear FB’s direction is moving away from what we knew at the start.

I received a sample of Equation Natural (thanks for the opportunity and the care in shipping). This new brand by Francesca caught my attention; although with the name I expected something darker, seeing the notes I already imagined it wouldn’t be like that. I have several of hers (Lost in Heaven, Sex and the Sea, Tyger Tyger), and perhaps the animalic notes have good chemistry with my skin, so they didn’t seem as sharp as some said. Divine Perversion opens with a strong fruity hint (the raspberry), which at first makes you think of a girly perfume and far from what Francesca would do. Gradually, the base notes show up: that characteristic leather, rose, and woody notes. It’s not a perfume that ‘scare’ (the leather is perceived very lightly), and I see it leaning more toward the feminine. I’ll update the review with more depth. Did I like it? Yes. Did I expect more seeing the name and being by FB? Also.