Royal Verbena

First things first, bottle has been improved. So the lid is now with a magnetic cap very similar in strength and feel to Dior bottles, however without the ridges in the cap. Holds on nicely, as opposed to the previous caps which did feel like they only barely 'grabbed' onto the platform, so that's a welcome improvement. Opens up to a very clear lemon verbena which has this very minimal herbaceous twist with a chili like oil. Here I mean the same oil you get on your fingers when cutting a hot pepper, and not chili oil as in chili crisp or something like that. It's very citrus forward with only a hint of pepper and herbal florals. The listed topnotes don't really represent what I'm getting, I'm getting zero apple or grape. It still has this slightly candy-like playfulness to it as you also get in things like Benjoin en fleur, Velvet Rose, or similar fragrances from Claudio, although it's been toned down a lot, so it's not as synthetic as before, while still being recognizably 'Claudio'. It had this very short-lived hint of pepper-oil and herbaceousness and then it feels like it rushed into the musky woody area. I feel like I'm going noseblind to this one really quickly, but it reminds me of going to Florence. There's this little perfumery store where you can make your own. Erbe Spezie (highly recommend it) and having made some, I tried making a fougére once, but got distracted along the way and let myself get carried away with lemons and wood, and it feels sort of similar to that. The dry-down also has the styrax note, which I was fairly interested in, and it doesn't really come across as styrax to me but strikes me more as the smell of having gotten my hair cut. The air from the blowdryer, the slightly synthetic but clean smell of hair product, mixed with the woodiness, very calming smell. Fresh, clean, less synthetic but still a bit candylike, sweet and subtle floral undertone with a more restrained fruitiness. mix of cedar. It's not as bold or loud as something like Eden Amber or Deep Water as I recall them. A bit less potent than I would've hoped for, but it's something I'd wear for many occasions, whether it's somewhat formal occasions, as well as casual visits to a cocktail bar by the water

This may be my favorite citrus/fresh scent at the moment only because it is not as popular as the more well known citrus/warm weather fragrances. Immediately after applying it the first time, I thought it was really smooth. Sharp citrus, but not in the cleaning product kind of way, more along the lines of a sorbet. In the dry down you get this super creamy, relaxing scent that you just keep wanting to smell on yourself. Projection and sillage left a bit to be desired, but longevity on my skin and on my clothes was really good for this type of fragrance. I know Vibrato and Aventus get all the love, but this one is a banger! 9.5/10

A verbena that doesn’t bite back , this is smooth and wearable /layerable . I like its longevity and that initial burst of verbena /lemony goodness . I thought this would take me to loccitaine verbena shower gel territory , it didn’t . That woody backbone does wonders , it doesn’t overstep and carries the fresh burst of lemony verbena past the mid-mark. An instant love .