Dual

Iceland is a land of contrasts. Fire and ice. Some of the oldest rocks in the world as well as the newest. Stark, hard, cold landscapes but up close one can find hearty, colorful wildflowers growing through stone. This lovely perfume captures the nature of Iceland perfectly. There is a crispness to the air in Iceland accompanied with hints of the natural flora - arctic thyme and sheep sorrel - and Dual replicates this with the mix of ginger and dry citrus on the top (so pleasantly crisp) which is softened very quickly by the wood (smooth and soft). Pink pepper and amber follow later (sweet with just a bit of a bite). It is wonderfully blended so there are no rough edges, just a well-rounded beauty of a perfume. I love this fragrance.

this is my “second date in early summer but not sure if i like them yet” fragrance. cute flirty fun but not sooooo sexy or alluring that i’m trying any funny business, necessarily

A hit of citrus right out of the bottle, something like lemon with a sweeter citrus like orange mixed in. It's sparkling and sweet like how you want a grapefruit sprinkled with sugar to be. Gradually, the amber warms up and becomes creamy, almost like a white musk, and both the citrus and sugar mellow. The base note of cedar is a gentle foundation, and the pink pepper and ginger combine with the amber as a through line connecting the top of lemon and the bottom of cedar. It's a nicely executed fragrance, though not ground-breaking by any means. It reminds me strongly of Under the Lemon Trees by Replica, though the notes are completely different on this site. There's some sort of lingering effervescence to Dual that reminds me of the green tea and lime in the Replica scent. If you want to wear a citrus that has a little more body and warmth than some of the lighter, more aquatic summer scents, give this one a try. 7.5/10.

The first time I tried Dual I didn't really understand it. It felt like too much lemon. The second and later times were a different story. It smells like a photorealistic tea with lemon. I sense distinct tea leaves, cardamon, something a little sour in a good way (thanks to ginger, I assume). It's a bright, uplifting and definitely not boring freshie. This is what Nicolai's Fig Tea/New York Intense wish they would be (minus the fig pretence). I am so consistently impressed with Andrea Maack's perfumes, they are so interesting and such great quality. She is slowly becoming one of my favourite fragrance designers.

i read somewhere that this was inspired by icelandic spas and i totally get it. initially, this starts out with a bright, lemony kick that stills maintains some complexity and mystery through the ginger. in the dry down, the wood comes into play and gives it a softer, creamier vibe. if well-blended was a perfume, it'd probably be this one. definitely a beautiful and unique citrus scent! (◕‿◕)