The second installment (Part I, Part III) of the Italian Journey brings us two more scents of DSH’s inspired Italian Splendor Collection. Divine Gardens was inspired by the city of Mantua and its exquisite homes and gardens of the rich and powerful. Medici takes us to Florence of course, and its most influential family at the time, the Medicis. The perfume was inspired by a painting by Botticelli,  “Portrait of A Young Man In A Red Cap”.

Divine Gardens (Mantua) a fascinating green garden, floral chypre with notes of tomato leaf, mint, Mediterranean herbs and marigold;

Divine Gardens includes notes of bitter orange, tomato leaf, basil, thyme, mint, taggettes, mandarin, sylvestre pine, violet, rose otto, jasmine, lily of the valley, sandalwood, balsam fir, vetiver, patchouli, orris and musk.

Divine Gardens starts crisply green and fresh, the tomato leaf sets the tone of green that is upheld throughout the perfume’s development, bolstered by pine, balsam fir and vetiver. On this bed of green, shy flowers bloom, soft jasmine and lily of the valley, a hint of violet. Divine Gardens brings to mind open air and freshly mown grass, flower beds in the shade of a big pine. Peace and quiet in a shady garden in the springtime. It lasts not very long on my skin, like many of life’s pleasures, Divine Gardens is fleeting.

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Medici (Florence) a spiced leather oriental perfect for a young man but lovely on a woman;

Medici includes notes of bergamot, rosewood, sweet orange, citron, oregano, thyme, olibanum, green and black pepper, cinnamon, clove bud, carnation, red rose, artichoke, peru balsam, cedarwood, tobacco, leather, amber and oakmoss.

Medici smells wonderful. Thank Goodness, for that, since I managed to upend half my vial over my keyboard which now smells wonderfully rich, dark and leathery. Medici is balm on my amber loving heart. A complex, slightly masculine leaning oriental, Medici opens with a prominent orange note that quickly morphs into a rich spicy, incense-accented amber. The drydown is leathery and soft, the resinous and woody notes building a substantial base that lasts for hours. Medici would certainly be wonderful in winter, but the cool incense note that sweeps through it like a ghost, makes it also very wearable in summer.

We are still missing the last two perfumes of Dawn’s inspired collection, so stay tuned for Part III.

Image source: turismo-mantova.it