Fragrance Reviews by Hob Dobson

English Leather Lime is very much a 1960s American splash cologne.

On initial application, ELL has much of the same "just-opened can of Coca-Cola" accord that Eau d'Hermes has. Whether it's natural lime oil or not, that tap of lime quickly fades, as it was intended to. That's followed up with a bright spice note that reminds me of cumin more than sage, over a wood/musks base. One source listed cedar as a note, but I'm again I'm reminded far more of a synthetic sandalwood than Iso-E or No.2 pencils.

Thumbs up because English Leather Lime still is a nice fragrance that's easy on my nose.

Per BPAL, the notes are "A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose…

…and just an itty bitty bit of green grass."

And indeed, that cool bit of green grass anchors what would have been just another rose soliflore. This ends up a must-try for anyone who enjoys that moment when L'Ombre dans L'Eau shifts from green to rose. It should also work for those times when layering with a rose scent would be fun.

A tea rose that isn't a twee rose!

I'm giving London a neutral rating, as I'm not sure that I'd want to wear this by itself very often. Also, I really cannot place what's being used to "darken" the tea rose note. Either I'm anosmic to the additions, or they don't project near as much from the oil base as the rose does.

I have enjoyed layering a small amount of it with other fragrances, like Knize Ten, so it may be bottle-worthy as a way to change things up. London is definitely worth sampling anyway - an imp is inexpensive and some folks may value having it for a reference.

Breathing in the scent from the sample vial - and who doesn't? - I was impressed by strong, rich combination of tuberose and jasmine. This is a light-year ahead of the tuberose-scented bath and body products in volume and intensity. Certainly, this would be worth a try.

Then I put a drop of this on the back of my wrist. My first impression was that even for someone who likes tuberose, this must need a light touch on the application. Five minutes later, as the indole component made its presence fully known, I decided that I would never buy a full bottle for anyone I knew and that I needed to get it off of me soon.

At least now I know why the tuberose products in wide distribution use only a sparing amount of the fragrance - because too much of a good thing can be truly unfortunate.

Notes from BPAL's site: "white iris, osmanthus, Calla lily, tomb-crawling ivy, and a coffin spray of gladiolus, lisianthus, and delphinium"

Instead of the powdery iris of some of the more mainstream fragrances, this is a bit more green, rounded, and almost-but-not-quite-sweet. Retiring and meditative, like a well-tended, shaded, old graveyard.

BPAL lists this as more feminine than unisex, but it might work for a guy in a more formal setting, or anyone at home in a quiet mood. A tentative thumbs-up: it may not have a broad appeal, but it's a nice floral as it is.

Inhale too closely or too deeply while the juice is drying, and the initial impression could well be that of being smashed in the face with an incense tree. Some folks might find that a bit off-putting.

Patience and more respectful distance is rewarded, as the more obvious notes settle down (Perhaps the cade oil, as at one point I'm reminded of new tack & harness) while the sandalwood, cedar & rose drift in and out of focus. For me, this Breath of G_d is by turns intriguing and intoxicating.

On the tester paper, Kouros has a long-lasting sour pine scent that reminds me of freshly crushed pine needles. There is a faint whiff of a male animal nearby, but just enough to ground the composition.

On my skin, it just seems to burn off to a faint echo of the top notes; the pine scent and an aura of soft musk seems to linger in the room better than it does on me. Excellent sillage then, but this just doesn't work for me.