Royal Lotus

I have a number of floral aldehydes in my collection and have often wondered whether it is the florals or aldehydes that drew me. Royal Lotus confirms it is indeed the floral notes that my nose loves. Upon first whiff, I thought of the most beautiful nag champa incense, whose gorgeous fragrant smoke has never been fully captured by all the different commercial "Nag Champa" fragrance oils I have tried. Some things are best left to nature and by extension, natural perfumers. Royal Lotus is the best replication of the elusive burning stick of nag champa scent I have found so far. It opens with a big bouquet of sweet (and yes, slightly indolic) white flowers. My skin apparently eats all the citrus notes here, or perhaps they contribute to a sort of clean and soapy effect early in the fragrance's evolution. I'm okay with not being able to isolate them. The flowers are the star of the show. Tonka adds a yummy, warm and vanillic sweet aroma to the scent and the sandalwood no doubt contributes to my pleasant recollections of a burning joss stick. The real magic of Royal Lotus happens about 30 minutes after wearing, when the fragrance takes on a rich, full, fatty and buttery aroma, and I speculate this is the ambergris talking. There's no unpleasantness or animalic tones to it. It simply gives the beautiful florals and oriental base notes a lovely rounded, voluptuous quality that is unlike anything I've smelled in a commercial synthetic or mixed-media perfume. Sillage is moderate and longevity is 3-4 hours, decent for an all-natural perfume. Thank you to Anya's Garden for the opportunity to try this scent.

The smell of the lotus has been quite elusive for me. Growing in the middle of a pond most are quite inaccessible. Fortunately I had the the chance to smell lotus blossoms grown in planters. It wasnt hypnotic as I imagined white flowers would be. It was earthy slight floral with a hint of spice. Most lotus notes in perfumery smell floral and aquatic. But Anya defintely captures the scent of a lotus flower. Earthy and shy of letting off fragrance just like how a lotus plant would repel water. Royal lotus promises a melange of citruses on its top. Sweet hypnotic with a hint of tartness. This isnt the usual citrus notes that die down easily this has body and lightnes to it making it last for a while. The middle note boasts of quiet florals but highlight the earthiness of lotus flower. After 1 or 2 hours the base reveals itself with milky sandalwood and dries down to something more airy and sweet woods.