GUCCI
Flora Gorgeous Magnolia

2023

dewberry accord
coconut

magnolia essence
jasmine sambac
clary sage

musk
blonde woods
patchouli

‘The gentle, sensuous fragrances of magnolia essence, dewberry accord and patchouli transport their wearer to a radiant world full of floral power and together create a women’s eau de parfum for strong women. Decorated with the fascinating Flora pattern in a beautiful shade of purple, the bottle is a symbol of the limitless potential that lies in every woman. A staunch ally of the Flora woman who seeks to explore all possibilities, this ravishing fragrance is a unique bouquet of serene floral strength that reminds its wearer to trust yourself and let your fantasies run wild.’ – Gucci

I had quite high hopes for Flora Gorgeous Magnolia, because when I smelled it in stores, it had this almost creamy, tropical tinge to it. The notes looks very promising and intriguing as well in my opinion.

And that promising core is definitely there, but it ultimately shied away from leaning into that direction as much as I hoped.

The fruitiness here is nice and bright, with the coconut adding an almost milky sun-tan tropical tinge. I think it’s an alluring opening for sure.

Now, I have to admit that I don’t really know the scent of magnolia all that well, so it’s hard to comment on the namesake note here for me. What I can tell is that the combination with jasmine and aromatics here reminds me of Viktor & Rolf Good Fortune.

Good Fortune being a more dated, dusty type of scent, whereas Flora Gorgeous Magnolia keeps it more light, fruity and fun. However, it doesn’t stay creamy or tropical all that much. It also leans into the almost powdery florals quite hard.

After the opening minutes I don’t get coconut anymore. And instead of sun tan lotion, this starts to pull in the direction of a room spray or laundry detergent on my skin. Synthetic smelling jasmine and sweetened citrus. The type of vanilla that belongs more in a bathroom air freshener than in a perfume if I had any say in it.

The base has this typical powdery, somewhat earthy patchouli that you find in a ton of women’s designer releases (that I never fully understand, it’s like a world apart from what I know patchouli to be).

That’s not to say that it goes bad completely. The overall scent is decent to nice, but it’s a bit disappointing for me after being impressed by the the initial sniff. I think if this went creamy/milky instead of dry and powdery, it would’ve been a much nicer perfume. As well as taming the sweetness way more, but that goes for most of the designer brand releases in my opinion.

Not bad, but nothing to go out of your way for to try and there are probably better and cheaper options.