Patchouli (2006)
by Anglia Perfumery

Anglia lists this as a men's fragrance, but it's easily unisex. Patchouli and floral notes are the defining smells. Sweet, white florals sitting atop a powdery base of patchouli, amber, and perhaps a touch of something woody that keeps it from being overtly feminine. The Anglia site lists cedar, so that may very well be the woody note I'm sensing here. As with all the Anglia perfumes I have tested, it develops fairly quickly to the base, which then hangs on for a good while. Unfortunately, there's nothing here that really captures my attention.

Overall, it strikes me as a simple fragrance, as have all the Anglia fragrances I have sampled. They each seem to be composed of a handful of basic fragrance oils of medium quality. None have been particularly rich or complex. None have had the "modern" feel of a fragrance made with synthetic, abstract notes. None have approached brands like Creed, Penhaligon's, Floris, etc. in terms of the depth or richness of the smell. I don't mean this to be a value judgment - either good or bad - it's just the best way I can come up with to explain Anglia's house style. To be honest, it's not really for me, but if you like artisanal, folksy styled fragrances, these would be worth checking out. And Anglia's site has a great sample program that makes it easy to test them. They also have good customer service, which is a nice change of pace.

17th July, 2010.