English Fern (1911)
by Penhaligon's

i wanted to love this, i really did,however on sampling it i found the scent to be a little too soapy and "old manish". reminded me of something a lot of dads wore in the early seventies , or a combination of the aftershaves they wore - a kind of Brut /Old spice /cheapo xmas pressie aftershave type smell . i wouldnt shell out £80 for it , not when you can buy Old spice for £8 and be the man you always wanted to be !!......look away ..now back to me .. i'm sitting on a horse ....

12nd September, 2011.

there's nothing quite like this. It's unfortunate that the modern version has been altered as, having grown up with the original, and used it for decades, I remember it so very well: A scent that turned heads in Paris, a secret I kept for years and years. Essentially, this is a classic fern in all of its glory: Geo Trumper's matches it only in conceptual flight and construction. This one has longevity and sillage that are peerless. Not at all for lovers of modern scents, this none the less is so perfectly timeless it still gets men and women blushing and confused after one hundred years. A great choice for a young man of 16, equally fantastic on an elderly fellow, this, along with "Jicky," truly is one of the last historic scents made today that breathe the aura of a more elegant time. Very singular in the Penhaligon's Library, it has nothing of the frank oddities of "Blenheim Bouquet" or "Hammam Bouquet." It's reassuring, perfect; very difficult to find offensive: A kind of "Shalimar for men," as women typically adore it, regardless of whether they admit or are aware of its secretive qualities of attraction. Simply put, there's nothing at all not to like. Never to be confused with what we have come to know as a "fern," or a "fougere," this is "the" fern..."the" fougere. Others merely use its construction as a springboard. One of my favourite fragrances of all time, one I hope never to be without.

7th June, 2011. (Last Edited: 8th August, 2011.)

Unbearably synthetic. Public lavatory scent dispensers are often more natural than this.

24th May, 2011.

Happy 100th anniversary for this beautiful fragrance! It was love at first sniff for me. Basenoters' descriptions nailed it perfectly. I knew I had to have it after reading the BN reviews, and have not been the least bit disappointed. It's a superb British dandy fragrance. The packaging is beautiful, the juice itself bespeaks history, culture, good manners, and every time I wear it I feel so witty and charming and well-dressed. Few fragrances affect such a deep and instantaneous level of satisfaction with me. Modestly priced for such a classic. Highly recommended to any discerning fragrance fanatic. A touchstone in any well-rounded collection.

6th April, 2011.

This is not really a genre that I enjoy, the fougere. But this was certainly pleasant.
It opens with a minty green and lavender. There is a spice that comes into play, my guess is it is the geranium that joins the lavender. There is a slight soapy phase (barbershop? I've never been to one ) There is also some anise that rises up. I liked this phase, rather interesting. Then it fades into the drydown, which is boggy green with oakmoss and some woods - the oakmoss smell being more prominent to me.
A very nice, if old fashioned, masculine smell. Very well done again, simple and effective. Penhaligon's seems to do these type scents very well.

1st April, 2011.

English Fern begins with an opening burst of lavender and geranium and I also detect a nice citrusy note. The lavender and citrus fade into a woody oakmoss accord that remains linear for the most part throughout it's duration with a hint of patchouli and possible some vanilla notes in there as well. Longevity is great (8-10 hours on me) and overall this is a very clean scent that would not offend anyone.

Edit: This stuff is just absolutely fantastic and I've found it to be my favorite Pen's scent and fougere in general. This is "The" fougere scent to which all should be compared to. A timeless classic.

27th March, 2011. (Last Edited: 17th September, 2011.)