Review: 5 o'clock au gingembre

This is one of Lutens lighter fare in terms of his oriental game. I love this scent usually in transitional weather, or as a daily office scent in the fall or winter. It is sweet enough to like but rich and dark enough (with almost a fougère like charactertic) to keep it buttoned up and proper.  I assume this is the English restraint Sheldrake was going for.  But let's not detract from the beauty itself; candied ginger, brightened by bergamot, and extended with warm spices like cinnamon. The ginger is prominent and the other notes play a balanced supporting role, which is a hard feat with such a fickle note. Later attenuate the dusty cocoa and patchouli. This phase persists for a couple more hours and is quite linear, but not oppressively so.  It's base becomes apparent hours into the drydown,  and acts an olfactory pillow as the ginger and woody notes fade away, and you are left with a honeyed, golden amber that isn't overbearing. Very nice, a delicate touch from this house.

Notes: Bergamot, candied ginger, honey, patchouli, pepper, and dark cocoa

Rating: 3.5/5

www.sergelutens.com

SOTD: Encre Noire pour homme by Lalique

A photo posted by @editorinscent on Jun 28, 2016 at 8:35am PDT

This green, earthy vetiver is electrified by wood and ambroxan. A refreshing alternative to sport scents everywhere, this bone dry, almost smoky yet still clean eau de toilette is a sleeper from the designer market. The bottle resembles that of an ink well, and is tasteful and subtle enough to grace your counter. Although it was a commercial flop, it has its cult following among perfume lovers, especially value minded ones. This one is a close relative of the glorious Sycomore by Chanel. Highly recommended.

SOTD: Dior Oud Isphan

Lovely unsweetened powdery rose top, dirty dry pungent oud, but a crude and brazen woody Amber base dominates and ruins it all. 

Scent of the day: Creed Neroli Sauvage

It's getting towards the end of summer and I've found myself wearing my lighter perfumes (citrus, colognes, florals) in heavy rotation. If you like neroli and verbena, this is a hit. More focused on citrus and made slightly astringent with verbena in the heart, the neroli shares the spotlight here. Always pleasant is that typical ambergris dry-down that Creed is loved for. 

www.creedboutique.com

Warm Weather Favorites

Jo Malone - Lime Basil Mandarin

Purchase here

This was part of the initial release of her collection, and it's still my favorite. Bursting with juicy lime, astringent basil, and a nice soft dry down thanks to costus and patchouli. If you want citrus that lasts, try this.

Atelier Cologne - Grand Neroli

Purchase here

Fresh, cool, and somewhere between citrus, lavender, and jasmine, neroli occupies a heavenly spot on the olfactory wheel. This is the principal component of the cologne genre, and this one here is brightened with juicy bergamot and lemon to start. After those fade in about 15 minutes, you get a long lasting heart of neroli and its sibling orange blossom supported by moss and musk. Soft, clean, elegant.

Serge Lutens - Fleurs D'Oranger

Purchase here

The most daring of the three, orange blossom here is laced with indolic tuberose and jasmine, and spiced by cumin. The heart is honeyed and it rides on a steady wave of white musk for hours.

First Love

A photo posted by @editorinscent on Feb 5, 2016 at 7:41am PST

My first encounter with this 1974 gem by Jean Claude Ellena was in 2004. A close friend of mine was recommending skin care, and Sisley was his preferred weapon of choice. If you're familiar with the line, is prohibitively expensive and equally satisfying and luxurious to use. I scrap and scavenge to this day to treat myself to their products.

What really caught my nose though, besides their amazing naturally scented creams (see Global Anti Age, a concoction of lavender, geranium, marjoram, sage), was a small sample packet of Eau de Campagne shower gel. I tore it open, took it to the bath, and my life was changed.

I have never smelled anything so transportive; I literally felt like I was showering in the Secret Garden. Lush green aromas (fresh grass, tomato leaves), light citrus and a touch of jasmine for texture create this heavenly cloud of clean. I bought a bottle of the eau de toilette online and have never looked back. It's one of my few scents I buy back up bottles of (the other being Rive Gauche pour homme, more on that one later).

If you love green and fresh chypres, or you just need a little uplifting, this is a must try.

Purhcase at www.sisley-paris.com

Mission

They say activation energy is the hardest part of starting almost any task; mine being the inertia for this blog. I want to introduce myself, first and foremost, and why I'm here babbling about perfume and somewhat related topics.

My name is Wesley, I'm a 30 year old male American raised in the south, I'm an engineer, and I'm obsessed with fragrance. It started around 13 thanks to my grandmother, and now it's become more than a hobby. I have a moderate sized "wardrobe" (<100 bottles) but I've smelled hundreds more and have a decent stockpile of samples. My ancillary interests in cooking and fine wine have been synergistic to my insatiable pleasure I get from my sense of smell. I've read a few books on perfume, I frequent Basenotes.net, and I spend an unhealthy amount of time deciding what to wear.

I'll be posting periodically about perfumes I love, recommend, and dislike. I'll also throw in some design and fashion for good measure. Whatever inspires me, really. I hope you enjoy.

"The best way to get something done is to begin"

P.S. feel free to follow on Instagram @editorinscent