Agua Lavanda (Antonio Puig)

By Thomas

I saw a quote that was attributed to Miss Piggy: “…If it’s expensive, it fits”.

Well, then…now that I have a guideline for all the Lutens and Ford scents out there, what do I make of the…ehm, inexpensive scents? Do they not fit? Or has time perhaps passed a few of them by?

So it was with interest and not a little trepidation when I ordered (blind) a bottle of Agua Lavanda. Sinatra wore it, so they say. Well, sure, you gotta love the Chairman of the board, but…Sinatra also wore a hairpiece. Thomas is not interested in wearing a hairpiece. Enter indecision. The bottle arrived and I was prepared to splash with abandon. And I stopped. Sinatra wore this when? No idea. Has it been reformulated since then? Probably. And it’s so…inexpensive.

Hello, paralyzing trepidation. Add to my paranoid hysteria the minor fact that the bottle arrived at my office, where I can ill afford to go around smelling of reformulated geriatric crooners. I cast about for positive signs…okay, the bottle is glass, not plastic: good sign - Brut now comes in a plastic bottle…which is my Mendoza line for fragrances, at the moment (Plastic bottles: fine for shampoo, not so good for liquor or colognes). Okay, enough stalling…do I splash?

I apply lightly. Not bad. I apply more, for this is a light scent.

We have: lavender, slightly musty and minty. Rosemary and a very small bit of orange/bergamot are also present. Well-blended, but there’s a bit of “old-man’s grooming habit” going on for the first few minutes. After those first few minutes – either I tune it out, or it’s gone. Once it passes (after five minutes) we are good.

Development is subtle, for what it is. The lavender persists, and eventually you have lavender/vanilla/oakmoss, with a touch of woodiness (cedar?). Wears very close to the skin, and noticeable only for a few seconds at a time.

Agua Lavanda is a very light scent. It comes in a splash bottle for a reason – it takes quite a bit to get it to stick around. You can decant it into an atomizer if you like; I saw one at the Home Depot that would be perfect: a liter bottle with a trigger-sprayer.

But, that makes sense. Agua Lavanda is an inexpensive scent done right. It doesn’t try to be more than it is (not many ingredients) and it doesn’t try to be strong or loud. You will smell nice to those close by which makes it perfect for summertime or lounging in the Mediterranean.

Year: 1940
Notes: Lavender, Bergamot, Rosemary, Petitgrain, Geranium, Clary Sage, Musk, Cedarwood, Tonka Bean, Moss