Forest Lily

This opens with a bright green, dew touched wisteria and lilac. I remember a citrus punch in the opening that fades quickly, but time has removed that from the opening in this bottle. There is, however, still a heavy dose of lily-of-the-valley behind the purple flowers. The lily-of-the-valley always stands out in my mind with it’s bright and sweet song. It has that white floral “thing” about it, without the harsh indolic sharpness. Forest Lily is my go-to scent for lily-of-the-valley. Behind the bright green and dewy florals there is a nice woody, almost bitter oak note. You have to search for it in the opening, but it is there. The opening leaves the impression of a cool morning, just before the sun begins to rise. It’s nippy and damp, and the air is sweet. After a time the scent has warmed up, the dew has evaporated, and the sun has fully come out. It’s still a cool and chilly morning but a bit of the edge has been removed from it. The lily-of-the-valley becomes the dominant floral. The wisteria and lilac are still there, just quietly so, lazily dozing in the background. There is a slight, sweet zing from what I think is Ylang-ylang. Normally, I feel that Ylang-ylang warms up a composition but that’s not the case here. It’s still has that cool morning bite, even with the zing of the ylang-ylang jumping around energetically. This ylang-ylang zing, however, gives a nice edge to the lily-of-the-valley, even if it doesn’t remove the chill from it. The oak base can now be easily found. It’s dry, rich and has a bit of a mustiness to it, that makes me think of the bark dust I’d inhale while climbing trees in my youth. I think it may be orris root that supplies this nice mustiness. I find the use of oak here a really interesting choice. It gives this scent a uniqueness in the woody/floral category of scents. There is also a hint of pepperiness (for lack of a better word) floating around in the heart. Perhaps from the wisteria. The oak and this peppery tinge give the scent some depth and keep it interesting. The dry down is soft and woody. The florals are now blended pleasantly behind the oak, which has been joined by a sweeter wood (most likely Sandalwood). After about four hours Forest lily becomes a skin scent and it’s completely gone after seven hours. I find this scent to be very unique. I’ve never really smelled anything like it. There are some things that remind me of it but, unfortunately, I have not found anything that I could think of as a good replacement. This is a shame because Forest Lily has been discontinued for some time now. This scent will always have special place in my heart. It was my signature scent when my husband and I were courting back when we were seventeen. I can’t wear it and not remember the blush of young love and memories of the marriage that blossomed from it. It’s a very special scent from a very special time.

Forest Lily is one of the greenest floral perfumes I own and I love it. I first bought it back when it was released and have repurchased from online sources since. This and the discontinued Avon Always were my two favorite green-y floral frags. Beautiful lily perfume and just like the name implies, it's like a cooling breeze smelling of flowers during a walk in the forest. Perfect cool and clean scent and yet has depth and interest. I bring this one out when I want that summertime perfume that instantly cools the soul.

I had the powder and deodorant of this in high school in the 90s. Loved it. I do not think I would stopped wearing it except it was discontinued. Then Avon released Haiku, which is muskier and had has a less ethereal quality. Forrest Lily was clean and and earthy and I wore it every day. I still miss it and I still think about it. Since then I have moved on to Clinique Happy, Terra Nova Rain, and other Lily of the Valley scents. But nothing and I mean NOTHING has been as beautiful as Forrest Lily.

I wore this in 1998 when it was a new scent. I absolutely LOVED it! It smells like lilac and lily of the valley and lots of green! So uplifting and fresh! I just ordered a bottle on EBAY...anxiously awaiting it's arrival! So excited! It arrived today! I just LOVE it! It still smells great even though it's a vintage. Lilac, lily of the valley, fresh cut grass (even though it's not listed in notes) and ylang-ylang is what I detect. Fresh, green, lovely!

Where has this fragrance been? Considering how much I love lily of the valley I am amazed that I missed this one. Adair58's comment about this being lov"s "deeper, darker cousin" is right on the mark, describes this perfectly! I have been wearing it all day, and it has amazing longevity and sillage - one spray brought my husband from the other side of the house, saying something smells really good.