Virtuous

Another winner for me. I was expecting something very intense and aromatic but its quite floral in a modern way. It's almost like a toothpaste like smell with a touch of sweetness. That sounds an awful description but it is lovely. The thyme is more evident as the sweetness eases back. Its a clean, modern scent. You wear this when you want to smell fresh and outdoorsy. Not sure about the cobblestones but it's very wearable. A no brainer. It doesn't last long and the sillage is not huge. A bit of an homage to Issey Miyake. A 90s type of scent but more unisex.

Stand out fragrance for me. Feels so fresh, herby, minty and aqueous (wet stone, what a cool idea) but with body (probably due to the incense and leather) and it really clings to the skin well, especially for an aromatic. I had it on my skin the next morning having sprayed it at 4pm the day before! I bought the whole 50ml bottle after getting a sample with the perfume society and think this is going to become a repeat order fo sure.

Bright, fresh, a little citrusy, minty cold and uplifting. Somewhat herby with incense in a very different way as it is very bright. The longer it stays, the bolder it gets. How can I describe this? It’s a bright, light, cool, green incense. A person who is tranquil, keeps to himself and abides by the norms. Polite and soft spoken but has character.

Got to say, beautiful scent that works from day to night. Surprised there's no mint in it - got a nice watery feeling that pairs really well with the stone. So aromatic, but warm and clingy to the skin, probably cus of the leather and incense.

It's definitely incense, but it starts out as a bright and almost fresh incense, which I haven't encountered before. There's a faint metallic note which probably contributes to this impression. I find it difficult to pick out individual notes in this fragrance. I can make out wormwood (which I love) and oak, and the whole thing is very incense-y, but that's all. There's the olfactory equivalent of an aftertaste of basil. It's very clean, but not soapy. I expected it to lean more heavily into the incense as time went on, with the herbs fading out, but if anything it's the reverse; it seems to grow more aromatic over time. It lasts an impressively long time - easily eight hours, sometimes more. It does occasionally get slightly reminiscent of fabric softener, but not all the time, and that's the only clear downside. This would work very well at any time of year, but it would give a different impression and evoke a different mood depending on the weather. It's kind of a peculiar scent; I like it.

The initial impression is fresh and uplifting, with noticeable violet note, sage and oak. A minute in and the leather begins to overcome the fragrance. To be honest, I wouldn't say the name suggests the inclusion of leather and it is counterintuitive to me. This is definitely not my favourite note, too. Thankfuly, insence comes as an aftertaste and balances the composition. The drydown is dominated by the oak (thank god) and is very clean, the same 5-star hotel feeling I've had with Penhaligon's Quercus.

Of all the green perfumes I smelled this year, this is my least favourite. It's just not well executed, and seemed messy. It didn't put me in a good mood, so I had to wash it off. Green, yes, but with an underlying "something" which smells weird and chemical, which made me almost sick to my stomach. Horrid!

This was created by Contradictions in Ilk as one of a pair that can be worn alone or layered. They have 8 such pairs, each half of a pairing the "contradiction" of the other. The contradiction to Virtuous is Libertine. I won't add to what others have already said about Virtuous which will give readers a good idea of its impact. What I did want to share is that Libertine worn alone is a real powerhouse of a perfume with some big, BIG accords but when the two are worn together, somehow light, fresh Virtuous affects Libertine more than Libertine affects Virtuous. I thought this perfume house had based itself on a gimmick but having tried the discovery set, I have been converted. They have some truly interesting, original and lovely perfumes some of which I prefer as stand-alones and some I prefer with their contradiction.