Head Notes: Cinnamon, Orange Brandy, Angelica, Juniper Berry
Heart Notes: Cardamom, Leather, Black Pepper, Orris Wood
Base Notes: Brown Sugar, Black Cherry, Vetiver, Ambrox
First off I have to say I hate the name. It was originally going to be called Fitzrovia, which I think would have been more appropriate to the range.
The packaging itself is gorgeous and looks like sheer Art Deco class - I will post a photograph when I have more time.
I'd heard a long way in advance that this was going to be a gin based fragrance - and it doesn't lie with a glorious burst of juniper berry in the opening.
As you would expect from a Penhaligon's fragrance the opening is spectacular, a transcendent glorious burst that is both heady and envigorating - a whirl of spices dazzle, it really is delightful.
It swiftly moves into a really beautifully rendered leather note which I wish lasted much much longer with cardomom adding a spiced hint to the proceeding evolution.
And then... well, that's where it gets more complicated. You see, the basenotes of black cherry and brown sugar, vetiver (where?) and whatever Ambrox is, are so soft it is difficult to discern their individuality.
It all smells lovely, Olivier Cresp, the perfumer, has done a lovely job with it all. If at this point you can sense a "but" coming, you are absolutely right, there is.
And it's quite a big but (if you pardon the expression).
You see, I have been scathing in the past about fragrances like Aventus which I have long pilloried for being short-lived.
It would be inconsistent of me therefore to not level the same accusation at Juniper Sling, which in my opinion, based on a good few wearings, is the shortest lived fragrance thus far in the Penhaligon's line.
So much so, that if I could, I would seriously urge Penhaligon's to consider reformulation of Juniper Sling from Eau de Toilette to Eau de Parfum.
On my skin, which normally works well with most fragrances, Juniper Sling is gone in two hours. If anything is left it is so soft, it is barely there at all. I'm used to the soft skin scents of Endymion and Opus 1870, which, although hardly monsters in terms of sillage and longevity, will still give a soft aura for a good while after application.
Juniper Sling however, on my skin at least, just.... vanishes. I accept that there is the possibility of olfactory fatigue, but I doubt this. Nor do I think some kind of creeping anosmia is to blame.
My concern over this is further augmented by the price point which is over £100 for the 100ml bottle. For this price and from Penhaligon's I would expect an EdP, not an EdT.
I am a big, big fan of Penhaligon's as a house. Their last outing as a major release, Sartorial, was magnificent. Juniper Sling is a wonderful fragrance while it lasts, but I can only give it my partial backing. Longevity and projection of this fragance I believe to be problematic - and if I were in a position of authority at Penhaligon's I would seriously, VERY seriously, consider looking at a reformulation.
It has the potential for greatness, but I fear at the moment, it falls short of the mark.
Heart Notes: Cardamom, Leather, Black Pepper, Orris Wood
Base Notes: Brown Sugar, Black Cherry, Vetiver, Ambrox
First off I have to say I hate the name. It was originally going to be called Fitzrovia, which I think would have been more appropriate to the range.
The packaging itself is gorgeous and looks like sheer Art Deco class - I will post a photograph when I have more time.
I'd heard a long way in advance that this was going to be a gin based fragrance - and it doesn't lie with a glorious burst of juniper berry in the opening.
As you would expect from a Penhaligon's fragrance the opening is spectacular, a transcendent glorious burst that is both heady and envigorating - a whirl of spices dazzle, it really is delightful.
It swiftly moves into a really beautifully rendered leather note which I wish lasted much much longer with cardomom adding a spiced hint to the proceeding evolution.
And then... well, that's where it gets more complicated. You see, the basenotes of black cherry and brown sugar, vetiver (where?) and whatever Ambrox is, are so soft it is difficult to discern their individuality.
It all smells lovely, Olivier Cresp, the perfumer, has done a lovely job with it all. If at this point you can sense a "but" coming, you are absolutely right, there is.
And it's quite a big but (if you pardon the expression).
You see, I have been scathing in the past about fragrances like Aventus which I have long pilloried for being short-lived.
It would be inconsistent of me therefore to not level the same accusation at Juniper Sling, which in my opinion, based on a good few wearings, is the shortest lived fragrance thus far in the Penhaligon's line.
So much so, that if I could, I would seriously urge Penhaligon's to consider reformulation of Juniper Sling from Eau de Toilette to Eau de Parfum.
On my skin, which normally works well with most fragrances, Juniper Sling is gone in two hours. If anything is left it is so soft, it is barely there at all. I'm used to the soft skin scents of Endymion and Opus 1870, which, although hardly monsters in terms of sillage and longevity, will still give a soft aura for a good while after application.
Juniper Sling however, on my skin at least, just.... vanishes. I accept that there is the possibility of olfactory fatigue, but I doubt this. Nor do I think some kind of creeping anosmia is to blame.
My concern over this is further augmented by the price point which is over £100 for the 100ml bottle. For this price and from Penhaligon's I would expect an EdP, not an EdT.
I am a big, big fan of Penhaligon's as a house. Their last outing as a major release, Sartorial, was magnificent. Juniper Sling is a wonderful fragrance while it lasts, but I can only give it my partial backing. Longevity and projection of this fragance I believe to be problematic - and if I were in a position of authority at Penhaligon's I would seriously, VERY seriously, consider looking at a reformulation.
It has the potential for greatness, but I fear at the moment, it falls short of the mark.
