Enigma Aoud intrigues me, if not for the fact that there seems to be no trace of oud to be found, but for the insatiably mouth-watering peach accord. The name may be misleading which can undoubtedly cause a lot of disappointment, but I have really grown to love this scent for what it is. This is a peach fragrance at its core. The peach accord, likely created through the use of the C14 Aldehyde, smells bright and colourful, intensely fruity and juicy with just the right amount of dry fuzziness to combat heading into gourmand territory. The combination of sparkling florals and powdered musks rests gently on a sweet vanillic base which is simply divine. I wasn’t sold on this fragrance when I first tried it, but it’s grown on me massively. It’s very feminine and overly similar to the original Enigma, but smells phenomenal nonetheless. If you’re looking for oud then you won’t find it here, but if you want a great peach fragrance this could be the one to end all others.

A Goodnight Kiss embodies the sparkling effervescence of the most touching story Roja Dove has to offer, a distinctly profound and personal story bringing his most treasured memories to life. This scent aims to recreate the memory of Roja’s mother coming to give him a kiss goodnight before going out to a party when he was a small child - he describes her smart clothes, powdered makeup and expensive perfume awakening his attachment to people and scent. This does not aim to recreate exactly what his mother smelled like, instead envisioning what the memory itself embodies so that each and every one of us can hopefully connect with the story. It opens initially very bright yet thick and heavy with copious amounts of powdery orris and violet - harking back to the glory days of vintage floral perfumes. Quite quickly this settles and becomes much softer, the aldehydes and array of gentle florals mingling beautifully to create something incredibly delicate and sensual. The orris and the violet remain a constant in the profile, making up the bulk of the scent to my nose. The website states a custom-made Rice Powder Accord was created for this scent to evoke the feeling of vintage cosmetics and makeup powder - which it most certainly does achieve. There’s also an ever so gentle muskiness about it, just vague synthetic musks atop a gentle leather accord give the fragrance this subtle whisper of filth - conveying what the evening ahead might bring. As this glorious perfume settles on the skin, it simplifies. It turns into what can only be described as Dove soap from the heavens - it has that incredibly old school vintage soapy feel, something that awakens a memory of washing your hands at your grandmother’s house. This scent is the epitome of clean, yet with endless amounts of class, wealth and elegance. Is it worth £1,250? No of course it isn’t, no perfume should cost that much. However, that doesn’t take away from the beautiful story this scent tells on your skin, and the fact that this is by far one of the best florals I have ever had the privilege of smelling. I managed to secure a low partial bottle of this and will treasure it forever.

Sicily is an interesting scent, one I have spent time deciding whether I actually like it or not. The original Sicily lists a dominant banana accord which seems to be missing in this re-release unfortunately. This is a sweet creamy white floral at its core, and a good one at that. The pure, delicate soapy freshness of orange blossom and other white florals is what makes up the bulk of this scent - it’s gentle and unassuming in its journey. An array of other florals join in as well, alongside a certain fluffy creamy facet which I can only imagine is coming from the sandalwood and heliotrope. Overall it’s a nice scent. I wouldn’t have grouped it in with the Velvet line as Dolce & Gabbana eventually decided to do, as it doesn’t smell as expensive and luxurious as the others within that range. As I said, it’s a nice white floral but nothing groundbreaking or too memorable.

AlUla is the newest release from Penhaligon’s, and unfortunately yet another disappointment for me. When I got my sample in and saw the note breakdown I was excited, I’m a sucker for a good plum fragrance, unfortunately this is not. It doesn’t smell bad, it simply doesn’t excite or wow me. This scent tries to make the plum (prunol I imagine) the star of the show, but inadvertently overdoes it to the point where it becomes a bit too sweet, too cloying and somewhat synthetic. The then dry, spicy and scratchy combination of black pepper, tobacco, frankincense and cardamom is just too much - it’s not a good mix. Overall it’s pleasant, I don’t hold any profound dislike towards it, it’s just simply not for me. I’m sure there will be those that love this as it seems easy to wear, but there are much better plum fragrances out there.

Legend is a release from Boadicea The Victorious which actually aims to have some relevance to Boadicea herself, it quite obviously does not but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a good scent. If you like powdery woods, this could be a winner for you. This is a very gentle scent, one that’s quite inoffensive and quiet yet holds quite a bit of character. The powdery, buttery, creamy facets of orris and ylang are joined by the dainty innocence of violet, resting on a warm woody base of sandalwood, Amber, vanilla and a whisper of oud. Overall I think this is lovely. I’m not crazy about it but I will happily wear my 5ml decant and enjoy it. However, seeing as this bottle is up on eBay for just shy of £600 there is no way on earth I would consider getting a full bottle - it’s simply not worth such an exorbitant price, but very nice nonetheless.

Here we have Prada serving up another plate of big fat disappointment with yet another vapid iteration of the dreaded Luna Rossa line, this seems to be a signature move for them at this point. I have yet to find a single fragrance from this line that’s even remotely decent. The Le Parfum of Luna Rossa Ocean presents us with what can only be described as one of the most boring and lifeless note breakdowns I’ve ever seen. It’s still dominated by the same screechy overdose of Amber Xtreme, enough to melt your nose away should you get too close, alongside an intense woody sweetness which overall smells very cheap and lazy. This is a scent for synthetic humans walking amongst us in the shadows; seemingly organic and unsuspicious cyborgs which are incapable of displaying human emotion or opinions. This is a scent for those which cannot form independent thoughts, the soulless robots of the world will rejoice at this release.

After enjoying the other 4 fragrances from this line I had high hopes for Lavande & Vétiver, which were unfortunately let down beyond expectation. To put it simply, I cannot stand this scent - this is the 4th time I’m trying it on skin and after this I’m getting rid of it, this doesn’t even warrant a full wearing. This is simply a lavender bomb, but not in a good way. This is not a lavender of good quality, you’ll find no classical masculine barbershop vibes here. Instead, this is the type of lavender you see in Le Male and Phantom - sickly sweet, thick and overly synthetic to the point it brings on an instant headache. The quality is just appalling, not to mention it’s unfortunately the strongest from the line so it does not let up. Obviously for the price you can’t complain that much, but the other offerings from this brand display surprisingly good quality for the price so I had expected more. If you like Le Male you might like this but even writing this review I hate myself for putting it on my own skin.

Lin Blanc translates to White Linen and I think it fulfils that brief very well. This is the newest release within the men’s range from Jeanne en Provence and whilst it’s not my favourite, it’s definitely a step towards a more unique and interesting direction for the house. As you might expect, this scent is very clean, soapy and inoffensive. It has a bright innocence about it, like a calm Sunday morning. It’s dominated by these synthetic white musks alongside the rest of the notes which gives it that intense soapiness, however it also has a definite lactonic feel to it: a thick, creamy milky facet which is somehow both off-putting and intriguing at the same time. I enjoy this scent, I think. I really can’t make my mind up - on my skin I feel like I’m a fan of the scent profile but after owning it for a few months I’m yet to actually wear it, nor do I have any desire to. I can’t make up my mind so do with that information what you will.

Acqua does exactly what it says on the bottle, and you can’t hate it for that. It’s a standard fresh and clean marine scent with little else going on, but with a touch of interest about it lingering in the background. The vague watery nuances are done very well here - pleasantly invigorating, airy and oceanic, it’s like a wash of freshness which can only leave you feeling relaxed. An aromatic woody base is joined by the subtlest hint of rose, giving the scent a gentle whisper of sweet soapiness which is actually really nice. Overall you really cannot complain about this fragrance considering the price. If you’re looking for a simplistic aquatic scent that can be worn all summer long then this is a strong contender for those with a tight budget.