Penhaligon's
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
A jarring but captivating collision unfolds as violet's dusted, slightly bitter powder emerges alongside mandarin's zesty, slightly sharp citrus—these don't blend so much as coexist in tense conversation. Freesia softens this confrontation with a clean, almost soapy luminosity, whilst bergamot weaves beneath as a sophisticated tea-like anchor.
The composition relaxes into a creamy, powdery floral tableau as mimosa's honeyed woodiness and jasmine sambac's indolic richness bloom forward, whilst iris root grounds everything with its cool, pencil-shaving elegance. The florals now dominate, but they're restrained, almost demure—this is florality written in lowercase letters.
The fragrance dissolves into an impressionistic whisper of powdered amber and musk, with Indian sandalwood contributing a faint woody-creamy texture that clings closer to skin. What remains is less a scent than a suggestion of one—a barely-there veil of sweetness and musk that demands proximity to detect, eventually fading into almost nothing.
The Favourite announces itself as a fragrance caught between whispered confidentiality and restrained sensuality. Aliénor Massenet has crafted something deliberately understated—a scent that feels like a secret shared only with those close enough to detect its presence.
The opening volley of violet and mandarin creates an unexpected tension: violet's powdery, slightly metallic character fighting against mandarin's cheerful citrus brightness. Rather than harmonising smoothly, these notes create friction, a sense of conflicting moods. This is no cheerful fruity floral. The freesia arrives as a mediator, its indolic, almost soap-like cleanliness attempting to soften the violet's austere edge, whilst bergamot adds a whisper of tea-like refinement beneath the citrus sweetness.
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3.8/5 (100)