Royal Sovereign

[MAY 2024] Snagged a one-time chance to get 8 different rollerballs from Christopher Hanlon + a body wash for 100AUD. 15 days to ship within Australia (The first 7 days-- inclusive-- were spent concocting a fresh batch of the liquid in a lab.) Third review. This one is the most "all natural extracts" perfume of the lot I have, which your mileage may vary if you've been going about Australian stores and are a fan of local handcrafted mom-and-pop shop perfumes. But the Australian nature of the blend of Royal Sovereign-- which is most striking in this specific fragrance-- comes from the undertone of rainforest petchior/mulch also found in a number of bushfoods and foraged tea currently sold in the Museum of Queensland and other local Australia-first heritage distributors. The Daintree rainforest of Australia (a popular spot for tourists, and bushfood foragers) carries an unusually pre-humanity damp earthiness in the extracts. Not saying that's where these extracts were foraged, but it's a common theme within Australian extract confections of this sort. Very different from the definitely-ancient green-herbal-medicinal fern smell of New Zealand. This fragrance, unfortunately, is most suited to be experienced in its ~$450 50ml Extrait de Parfum. I would say this because I find not all the notes that would make Royal Sovereign have bloomed in the mere rollerball. It seems somewhat dense-- harder to determine what notes are in this thing-- where the other fragrances of Christopher Hanlon were well blended. But I still would "love" Royal Sovereign over the previous two I reviewed from this house: it smells undeniably Australian (A: reason below, and above.) The scent of Royal Sovereign recalls a dew-dripped post-rainshower of the flora residing in botanical gardens within a sun-lit season of Australian Spring. Royal Sovereign smells warm, and not grassy-wildflowery, but definitely mossy, of aromatic Banksia flower, the earthiness of truffle and poppy flower, the aromatherapy oil undertone of lotus/champaca flower, only very slightly of fern-sandalwood and that's more like a top note fizz than a base, and that oud-tuberose-berry combo is kinda crammed together and buried under all the other notes mentioned so if you can pay to review an Extrait of Royal Sovereign, be my guest. Definitely gifting this to a friend, and I may just find something else I much prefer, though the Fragrantica note selection of Royal Sovereign is the reason I decided to take my wallet out and take a chance. Do trust your nose, rather than the notes shown (always!) And not a single hint of alcohol on anything from Christopher Hanlon-- of which this lack of irritating alcohol sharpness from any fragrance is a rarity to me. This is an ambivalent "love" from me (simply because of my preference gravitating towards this kind of perfume more). You can read my review on Black Cockatoo, Melbourne Amber Musk, and Silver Penny elsewhere on Fragrantica.

In a world filled with fleeting trends, common scents and ephemeral fads, Christopher Hanlon's Royal Sovereign stands as testament to artisan crafted elegance and noble sophistication. With its enchanting blend of citrusy freshness, florals, and an inner sensual warmth this Christopher Hanlon perfume defies my expectations and captivates my olfactory senses. A delicious Rose Otto note adds signature allure while his heavier Australian Wildflower Bush Rose note infuses the perfume with a deeply-soft, romantic bush-rose elegance. It lingers and almost sparkles on your skin. My boyfriend Rogerio absolutely adores this fragrance on me. IMHO, Yum Yum!