Citrus Verbena Intensa (2008)
by L'Occitane

I was on my way to the Guerlain counter when I smelled something so wonderful I had to follow my nose to the source: a display of citrus verbena candles, soaps, gels, etc.

On this humid, hot, sticky day this enchanting smell seemed to be the perfect antidote - when I found the eau de toilette I sampled it lavishly, and was instantly uplifted, intoxicated and delighted. I left then - but found I had to return and buy every product on offer with that amazing scent! I was not even in the market for a citrus with essential oils in it, but this was a wonderful serendipity that I gave myself to.

Today I am slathered in the citrus verbena intensa body lotion, and am having frequent refreshing spritzes of the chilled eau de toilette - the intensity is indeed brief but the delicate scent remaining is still exquisite. It is my favorite scent for summer, ever! (And it is amazingly cheap for such vivid loveliness.)

This was my summer scent as well. It came in a small 7/10 oz. bottle. My nose just couldn't accept their Verbena scent, but this, along with some fresh squeezed, juicy citrus just made everything so much nicer throughout the humid day. I didn't realize they had an intense version after buying their huge 6.7(?)oz regular Citrus Verbena, which actually had better balance between citrus and verbena, but would never last over an hour unless you sprayed it heavily on your clothes. The intense spray was a nice thing to carry with me for a definitely refreshing pick me up that lasted about 3 hours with traces of faint cedar that lingered.

BUY THE CITRUS VERBENA SHOWER GEL! Definitely switches off the foul mood at first sniff!

Nothing says summer quite like a good citrus. This was my daytime/office scent for Summer 2008, and the small bottle I purchased is almost used up, ready to make space for something heavier and more suitable for autumn and winter.

A beautiful, clean, lemony-green scent. More sophisticated than Love's Lemon Fresh, but essentially a linear lemon. Not at all sweet or candy-like. Wish it had better staying power on me. On the other hand, I could dowse myself in it head-to-toe knowing it wasn't going to offend anybody. It was a perfect summer scent that I will likely revisit when the weather turns warm next year.

Hands down - this is the best lemon verbena scent available. BUY IT - it's worth every last dollar!

This one is at the very top of my list as my #1 choice for summer. A masterpiece. 5 stars.