Guest review by John of Cincinnati
Finding the right summer scent is not as easy as it sounds, at least not for me. The easy choice is something with lots of citrus, which therefore means that you are confronted with about 10,000 options at every price-point from 4711 for pennies to Creed Neroli Sauvage for as much a used-car payment.
As you move through the scents, you find many of them being remarkably similar and ultimately flat; light, crisp bergamot or lemon, some sandalwood or musk thrown in for good measure, and (more recently) those odd marine or “ozonic” notes that seem as though they want everybody to smell like they just washed their clothes or smothered themselves in a giant dryer-sheet.
All of them are “pleasant,” but everything that I enjoy about scent is not encompassed just by “pleasant.” If that were the only key, then I’d just wear the Morny santal de mysore soap I use in the shower. Thus, for me, even in something as “safe” as a light, fresh, citrus-y summer scent, I want something off-kilter, something unexpected, or something with a little backbone that stands apart from the rest of my wardrobe.
Enter Eau de Lalique, perhaps my favorite scent for spring/summer. It’s very light, very crisp, very fresh, but it also has a lovely warmth and depth to it that many other miss. It is marked as much by its quiet softness and subtlety as it is by its notes; no one thing dominates, everything blends together remarkably well. It also has quite good longevity and sillage, too, where many others dissipate almost as soon as you spray it on. Finally… and perhaps best of all… it has a sweet, powdery, almost confectionary tinge to it that is really hard to describe, but keeps you sniffing. You know it is something you’ve smelled before… but you can’t quite place it. Seeing the scent pyramid… it’s probably the cinnamon and the guaiac wood, but on your skin, you keep trying to figure out what it is and why you like it so much.
I’ve never been one who cares much about packaging, but this one pleases here, as well. Lalique is known for its beautiful glass, and they don’t disappoint with the bottle on this one, either. Available very reasonably from the online discounters in everything from a 50ml spray to a giant 250 flacon (which is what use and carry with me when traveling), it’s a hit every time.
As you move through the scents, you find many of them being remarkably similar and ultimately flat; light, crisp bergamot or lemon, some sandalwood or musk thrown in for good measure, and (more recently) those odd marine or “ozonic” notes that seem as though they want everybody to smell like they just washed their clothes or smothered themselves in a giant dryer-sheet.
All of them are “pleasant,” but everything that I enjoy about scent is not encompassed just by “pleasant.” If that were the only key, then I’d just wear the Morny santal de mysore soap I use in the shower. Thus, for me, even in something as “safe” as a light, fresh, citrus-y summer scent, I want something off-kilter, something unexpected, or something with a little backbone that stands apart from the rest of my wardrobe.
Enter Eau de Lalique, perhaps my favorite scent for spring/summer. It’s very light, very crisp, very fresh, but it also has a lovely warmth and depth to it that many other miss. It is marked as much by its quiet softness and subtlety as it is by its notes; no one thing dominates, everything blends together remarkably well. It also has quite good longevity and sillage, too, where many others dissipate almost as soon as you spray it on. Finally… and perhaps best of all… it has a sweet, powdery, almost confectionary tinge to it that is really hard to describe, but keeps you sniffing. You know it is something you’ve smelled before… but you can’t quite place it. Seeing the scent pyramid… it’s probably the cinnamon and the guaiac wood, but on your skin, you keep trying to figure out what it is and why you like it so much.
I’ve never been one who cares much about packaging, but this one pleases here, as well. Lalique is known for its beautiful glass, and they don’t disappoint with the bottle on this one, either. Available very reasonably from the online discounters in everything from a 50ml spray to a giant 250 flacon (which is what use and carry with me when traveling), it’s a hit every time.
Year: 2003
Perfumer: Emile Coopermann with Jean-Claude Ellena
Notes: Mandarin, Cardamom, Citron, Bergamot, Dill, Freesia, Hibiscus, Cinnamon, Amyris Wood, Sandalwood, Benzoin, White Musk,
Guaiac Wood
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