Lavandula

Basil and black pepper spark across your skin with almost electric immediacy, the cinnamon arriving as a warm undertone rather than a spice-bomb. For these crucial first minutes, Lavandula smells almost savoury, herbaceous to the point of being slightly austere—you might question whether you've made the right choice, and that doubt is rather the point.

By the first hour, the lavender emerges with clary sage riding alongside it, creating something simultaneously fresh and slightly damp—like cut herbs left on a kitchen counter. The lily of the valley adds a delicate floral sweetness that fights against the spice-and-herb framework, never quite winning, which creates a compelling olfactory conversation. The fragrance settles into its truest self here: complex, slightly peppery lavender with green, herbal undertones.

What remains is primarily lavender interwoven with amber's subtle warmth, the vanilla and tonka bean creating a barely-perceptible sweetness rather than a sugary denouement. The musk provides skin-scent projection, making this phase intimate and close to the body—the spice has faded to memory, leaving something meditative and quietly contemplative.