FRANCESCA BIANCHI
STICKY FINGERS
2020
PERFUMER
Francesca Bianchi
coriander
cinnamon
Patchouli
Tobacco
Orris
Leather
Tonka Bean
Castoreum
Sandalwood
Heliotrope
Musk
‘This perfume sticks not just to your fingers, but perversely sticks to your mind. The perfume revolves around Patchouli, in a decadent and sumptuous interpretation. The opening immediately puts on the table the powerful weapons: an intense, almost boozy patchouli and leather. It is somehow wild and carefree, dangerously dressed in leather but playful. The dry-down gets softer and more complex, thanks to a dirty orris which makes the whole atmosphere smoother and more intriguing. Don’t get fooled by iris, no romance is going on here: Tobacco are rolled, the leather jacket is eventually thrown somewhere, and the delightful and tempting smell of skin finally emerges. Many intertwined reasons and personal mental associations led me to this creation and its title. This perfume is conceived to be as tempting as chocolate stuck all over your fingers and you cannot help but licking them. Mind you: this is not a gourmand fragrance, and licking your fingers is a metaphor referring to other kind of irresistible temptations. One major reference is surely the iconic album from 1971. I love rock, and the 70s for what they brought in music, but especially, I love that album cover. It accompanied me for a long while, as a vinyl record shop just around the corner was displaying it on its window, and I was exposed to it every day. That cover literally stuck to my mind, and when I started thinking about the mood of this perfume, I couldn’t help but thinking about that.’ – Francesca Bianchi
Sticky Fingers is a slightly dirty patchouli fragrance that could give some people hippy affiliations. I first though the name was a bit misleading, because I find this a very dry fragrance, with the patchouli, tobacco, iris, cinnamon and heliotrope all giving it a dry, or even powdery texture. Turns out the sticky refers to the hippy-element and not the texture.
When compared to Under My Skin and The Dark Side, I found Sticky Fingers the easiest one to wear. You do get an animalic hint and subtle leather touches, but it’s not too much for my taste (if you don’t overspray). I mainly get the patchouli and tobacco with a lot of sweetness. All the aforementioned Bianchi’s have a shared brown/beige ‘honeyed hay’ DNA to my nose and it’s very clear in Sticky Fingers.
It’s not green, but I get a dry grassy, hay-like feeling from it, soaked in a slightly floral, sweet honey. In reality, I assume most of the sweetness is orris. Especially in the drydown and in the air, this is a comforting fragrance, leaning towards an amber style, while in the opening it’s a bit dirty, leathery and mostly smokey, in particular when smelled up close. I absolutely feel like this is perfectly unisex and if you wear it confidently it can be very sensual.
As the name suggests, it feels playful, but for adults (I don’t think many teenagers could pull this off). To me it never gets to the point where it’s skanky or hard to wear though, but the opening can be a bit overwhelming. Instead it gets almost cloyingly sweet at some points during the wear.
Sticky Fingers is an extrait de parfum and a little goes a long way. Given the 30ml sizing, it’s not cheap, but I applaud the small bottle size, which keeps it accessible.
