Carnations have a floral, spicy scent with a pepper/clove-like aspect that gives them a piquancy that touches me in a place that I cannot name, and it was Garofano, which is Italian for ‘carnation’ by Lorenzo Villoresi that turned me into a carnation devotee.

Garofano opens with a bracing note of sharp, herbal lavender that becomes part of a gorgeous bouquet of peppery, citrusy florals and green leaves. And this is just the beginning! Skin heat makes the carnation come forward. It’s opulent, full, deep and spicy - the reasons I love carnation. There are other flowers here, too – heady jasmine, rich rose, banana-faceted ylang ylang and earthy geranium – and I smell them all from time to time as they move around the carnation, highlighting different aspects of it. Cinnamon and pepper heighten the spicy facet of the carnation, while cyclamen makes it smell clean and a little soapy, which plays off the spiciness perfectly. As it moves to the base, heliotrope and vanilla send pulses of rich sweetness through the fragrance, while musk and cedarwood make it animalic and woody.

The drydown is rich, mellow and powdery so that it has a retro vibe, but that lavender at the top and the green that runs through it makes it perfectly unisex. And here’s the thing: this fragrance takes time to reveal all its complex beauty. It’s a slow seduction, but then, sometimes, you have to take your time to indulge your addictions.

Notes: lavender, floral notes, green leaves, carnation, jasmine, rose, cinnamon, pepper, cyclamen, ylang-ylang, geranium, heliotrope, vanilla, musk, cedarwood.