Having a Miller Harris Forage day, having picked up 14ml bottles of Dance and Lost from TK Maxx this week alongside the Wander and Found I already have.
Apparently the inspiration for these is London's green spaces and the surprises of nature in an urban environment. These are all just right for celebrating the arrival of spring and lighter evenings, and are quite naturalistic, but also a little unusual.
Found at dusk opens with a big blackcurrant note (let's be honest, has anyone ever found a blackcurrant note that whispers
). But it softens, edging first into herby mint and basil, than into a fruity geranium and finally into an earthy (tomato leaf) musky/patchouli/vanillary base. In the opening it reminds me of YSL's In Love Again, and in the closing stages, MH's Tender (which is a fabulous scent). For folks who like their perfumes to shape-shift, this one takes you on a quite a journey.
Wander through the parks starts with a similar intensity, but this time on the green side of things, with just a tiny hint of citrus and something floral at the very edges. It's really a fig perfume, but a fig cut with much sharper vegetal notes, rather than a Mediterranean sun-soaked fig. It's on a fresh woody slightly musky base. It manages to be quite delicate and quite assertive all at once.
Lost in the city is probably my favourite rhubarb perfume, combining initial tartness with a pretty rose and just a nip of blackcurrant. The base is a soft musky/amber. Would be perfect with a battered denim jacket and vintage sundress. The later stages remind me just a teeny bit of Christian Lacroix's Bazar, but it's much gentler.
Finally, Dance amongst the lace is a very shy sweet aromatic citrus. It smells of honeyed lemon verbena and old school cologne (with a hint of raspy herbs). It is lovely, but on my skin, so very quiet.