Bluebell (1978)
by Penhaligon's

Smelling of Hyacinths and Lilly of the Valley, Bluebells is simple yet rich in beauty. There is a green note galbanum is noticeable, a worthy scent worn by Princess Diana among other fragrances Only reason it isn't a 5 stars is like all Penhaligon's it is fleeting and stays close to the skin Longevity is only fair.

Spray this on one, and judge it from those first few seconds, and it would be easy to dismiss this scent as screechy, synthetic and offensive. Images that popped into my mind were scented all purpose household cleaners or those small aluminum tins (with the tear-off lid) of air freshener for your car.

Several wearings of Buebell later, I realized that Bluebell replicates a very realistic hyacinth flower (in nature) with a mild mix of spicy (not creamy spice...much more muted) and slightly soapy notes. For me personally any time I smell a soapy floral I can't help but think of lily of the valley and Diorissimo - but now after having worn Bluebell I can wrap my head around other soapy floral accords. The texture is one of freshness, sparkling cleanliness and...for lack of a better word 'pretty'.

Well done and worth the price of admission!

This guy can comfortably wear a hyacinth fragrance (I love wearing Anais Anais by Cacharel - not a hyacinth fragrance per se...but another soapy floral) but perhaps other guys might be a bit uncomfortable wearing this one as a stand alone fragrance rather than 'butch' hyacinth fragrances like Hyacinth And The Mechanic by Andy Tauer and/or Chamade Pour Homme by Guerlain.

Don't expect this one to last too long though...longevity and sillage are below average. I am totally okay with that: A lingering cloud of flowers all around me for hours can be a bit annoying.

This fragrance makes me smile. It smells just like Hyacinths, and reminds me of Spring. It is not very sophisticated or clever; it is just lovely. Knowing how simple the formula is (I worked on the Bath Oil version when there was a technical problem ) I think it is clever to have achieved such an effect.

Genre: Green Floral

A simple, if also rather crass, green floral, without much depth or development. In this genre, go for Diorissimo, Andy Tauer’s Carillon pour un Ange, or Divine’s L’Infante.

I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it isn't for me. It opened with a scent of cinnamon gum and then developed an undertone of rose. It lasted around 3 hours and completely disappeared.