UNDER THE LEMON TREE
A strong, rindy lemon with pith against a green verbena background and a buzz of lavender honey. Soapy too, which gives it a not-unpleasant sprinkle of Fairy-magic. As the lemon softens and sweetens, a lush, herby middle notes grows, sunny and joyous. As it dries down, the labdanum honey lavender note gets a little spicy, resting on a woody, white musk base.
Sense of place – 6
WHISPERS IN THE LIBRARY
Fruity beeswax polish with the faint haze of fly spray above shiny, dark woods. The rich, woody accord gradually fades to something more aged and dusty, translating to a dry, humming vanilla note which lingers nostalgically. Like sticking your nose in the spine of a battered hymn book.
Sense of place – 9
FLOWER MARKET
As generic a floral as it gets. Less of a visit to a flower market and more of a visit to the M&S ‘smellies’ department. No fresh-cut green stems, no riot of colour, just your standard rose and white flower mix for mum.
Sense of place – 2
JAZZ CLUB
A cosy, woody tobacco-vanilla scent with a good few fingers of rum. This opens citrussy with a well-rounded leather note, which is warm and welcoming, like a battered, studded highback armchair. The tobacco is very wearable – it’s fragrant and fresh from the pouch with no hint of ashtray, and the rum is the kind that warms rather than intoxicates. But there are none of the unsettling chord changes you might expect from a jazz club. Linear and easy-wearing…nice.
Sense of place – 7
AT THE BARBERS
The squeaky-clean scent of freshly-scrubbed man. This is a blended medley of laundry musks with a big dollop of ‘blue’ shower gel. It’s not a modern scent – there’s a nostalgically nineties note which adds a bit of a Lynx effect (minus the hormones). After the initial soapy hit, it dries down to reveal a soft lavender with a gently spicy edge. Inherently masculine, but universally wearable.
Sense of place – 8
SAILING DAY
A classic marine, with no sunny or sandy notes to beach it. Blue, fresh and outdoorsy. Like many sea scents, there’s a synthetic edge which gives a hint of swimming pool as much as seawater. And although this a clean, fresh air fragrance, it includes a big clump of seaweed; briney and sharp. As it dries down, a light musky base emerges from the waves while the bracing sharpness sails on.
Sense of place – 7
LAZY SUNDAY MORNING.
Fresh-linen musks and rose. Fabric conditioner. Pear. Aldehydes. Not worth staying bed for.
Sense of place – 5
BY THE FIRESIDE
Roasty and cosy, this is the scent of toasted marshmallows and fragrant woodsmoke. This has none of the firey danger of smokey scents like Zoologist’s T-Rex or anything from Beaufort. Rather, it’s a place next to a pub fire; the kind with horsebrasses over the mantle (without the stale hoppy smell). This opens sweeter than expected (there’s that vanilla again), and becomes more so, with a nice spicy edge of pepper and cloves. Then it gets sweeter. And sweeter. And you’re wishing they’d chucked a few more logs on the hearth to give it the woodiness it needs to balance. Then, pooff! The fire’s out and you’re left with a vanilla and ISO E Super skin scent.
Sense of place – 7
SPRINGTIME IN A PARK
Fresh pear and fresh air. This is a squeaky-clean shampoo fruity-floral with little more to it. A light pink scent (visually and olfactorily), it’s definitely a spring floral rather than a summer one. Perfectly pleasant and disappointing for it. Smells like Superdrug.
Sense of place – 3
BEACH WALK
This is not the scent of a beach, but a scent for the beach. Blooming on warm skin, it’s indulgently floral; waves of heliotrope and jasmine breezing over coconut sunscreen. There’s no fresh salty air to place this beside the seaside. But it’s warm and sunny and wafts little puffs of happy holiday vibes. A poor woman’s Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc.
Sense of place – 5
Nose Dives 