Big Sur Eucalyptus

forget "the most festive cologne of all time" (which to me just smells like a splash of citrus atop some pretty generic woody accords), because if you're looking for a ds & durga christmas scent, this is it! I scored a bottle of this in the dead of summer, and while the world around me was a muggy cauldron filled with cicadas and wasps, my initial impression was wow, this smells like bug spray and mentho-lyptus. i was debating about reselling it but kept it in my collection and idk if it matured, or if i matured, but DAMN this stuff is an a+ perfect fragrance on my skin during these cold and dry long nights. it marries with my skin chemistry way better than it did in the summer. cool and spicy and cozy, i want to wear it all winter long. eta: i had a person tell me they couldn't be around me while i was wearing this fragrance, as it was affecting their allergies. this is a strong, borderline harsh eucalyptus that isn't for everyone (i'm still a fan, tho).

I grew up vacationing at a quiet beach community on Monterey Bay called Pajaro Dunes. There, vacation houses front the beach and behind them are agricultural fields. Separating the two is river leading to the sea and a grove of eucalyptus trees planted long ago as a windbreak to screen the fields from the salt and sand. A few Monterey cypress trees sit above the grassy dunes. Big Sur is not far away, but to me this doesn’t smell like Big Sur (which I associate with damp redwood forests overlooking the sea.) However, this smells exactly like Pajaro Dunes which is just a few miles north of Big Sur. Reading through the reviews, it seems this appeals mostly to those of us who grew up in the Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay areas. Like me, others with those scent memories seem to find it astonishingly accurate and nostalgic. But without that association, I can understand that this might not be as appealing or special.

Writing prematurely, perhaps, since I've just smelled this for the first time today. But I'm compelled to write, as it's been a very long time indeed since I've had such a strong, heartfelt reaction to a fragrance. INSTANTLY Big Sur Eucalyptus hit some very powerful psychic resonance in me. It's nostalgic (thanks to that Pacific eucalyptus combination), but bracing and fresh enough to create a sense of optimism and motion. Complex but light. Lively yet well-mannered. I could very, very easily imagine taking this on as a signature fragrance, or opting for BSE should I ever be faced with a 'you can keep only one' situation. Bittersweet. As I enter the fourth hour after spritzing, the projection has mellowed considerably but the pleasure remains, my spirit is touched, and my heart is BROKEN by that pricing. I'll start saving, and maybe selling.

I love it. This is the smell that I expected from Aesop, sadly, that was not the case. The opening is a mild “real” eucalyptus, the big round leaves, not the small hard leaves on the stem. A little citrus, a little green. A mild fragrance but smells so clean and niche. The long wear is a mild spicy scent that sometimes throws a little camphor/eucalyptus reminder out. Herbaceous. Green. Spicy. If those are your thing, you’ll appreciate this one. I ordered a sample and immediately ordered a full bottle upon smelling It. This is my favorite from the house.

A beautiful unabashed aromatic fragrance. Begins with a bracing eucalyptus, seems that everyone has their own associations to it. The eucalyptus begins to settle and gives off an aura of warmth similar to iso e super— there but not. On skin it becomes very woody, aromatic, and spiced. On clothes it retains the aquatic notes and the gentle florality. Projects nicely without smelling synthetic. I’m reminded of the smell of many of Aesop’s lotions and creams with this fragrance. Naturalistic, beautiful, minimalistic in the best way.