pc02
by Biehl Parfumkunstwerke

Hm! 9 times out of 10 I don’t like the scent of lavender – it either reminds me of dusty old lavender bags, or smells too much like a masculine herbal-cologne. But the descriptions I’d read of this “white lavender” scent as soft and sweet rather than slightly astringent or musky, intrigued me. Perhaps this would be a lavender I could love?

I found it a pleasant surprise – sweet but not sickly, floral but ever-so-subtly: a clean, light scent yet one that’s not chilly nor forbidding, but welcoming and gentle. Lavender, tonka beans and a pale, thick, mild honey. Peony perhaps, if I really seek it out, and perhaps a very subtle hint of the “high”, sharpness that freesia has (or perhaps this could be attributed to the bergamot), supporting the herbaceous lavender. Patchouli I can’t detect. The woods are extremely soft – just the lavender stems, nothing more! It brings to mind halva – that kind of dense, powdery, slightly woody sweetness. In perfume terms, it most reminds me of SacreBleu, which I thought of as a floral milkshake.

I find I need to apply with a light hand, though – too much and I’m worried I’m going to walk around smelling like a candy-floss machine… It could outstay its welcome if you’re not careful with it. And it’s very tenacious – I could still smell the light spray I spritzed on in the morning after a day’s work, a 1.5 hour tennis lesson AND a shower!

3rd February, 2011.

I get a woodsy, nutty, praline kind of gourmand. It's a like like the aroma of what a bakery smells like after the baking's all done. A floral gourmand that a nice light scent.

19th April, 2010.

The pyramid says that the top notes are bergamot, white lavender, cardamom, spices… I get something lusciously gourmand immediately upon spraying… honey sweet and taste tempting, but certainly not overdone in its gourmandness. I think this is pretty much a scent constructed around honey – I get it from top to bottom with varied partnerships along the way. First, the honey joins with the soft, gentle lavender and the bergamot and cardamom to form a warm, intriguing opening. That opening accord holds well until it gradually transforms to a honey / tonka / spicy floral accord. This accord is more gourmand than floral, it is delightful, and it has lost much of its sillage power. In the final accord only a little of the gourmand accord is left to join with the light woods of the base – as often happens, I don’t get the musk. The base does not send much sillage from the skin, but it does have a nice aroma very near the skin. Normally gourmands are not my thing, but I find this one refined, rich, and eminently enjoyable.

7th April, 2009.