Bernadette Margaret Evelyn Theresa

Preface: Freddie very kindly sent me these pre-release samples to review, which I am very grateful for and hopefully by now you know that I speak my mind and I know Freddie appreciates the honest feedback and constructive critique, but when I say all three from this initial launch are excellent, then please believe it's not soft soaping because we are mates (well online acquaintances at least) or something. These are objectively good given the criteria that these are made by a self taught, artisan perfume, debutante. Freddie will be known to fans of Bogue for his collaboration on Douleur, an abrasive and out there composition, be sure to expect a more serene trio from his own brand, but no less innovative in it's approach. Sooo, I'm wearing Bernadette, Evelyn, Margaret, Theresa today and I'm really impressed with it. To me the floral accord in here is massively impressive. At first I wasn't really sure what the floral accord was emulating but as it dries down I get the creamy, lightly spiced aspect of carnation. It's very clever. My carnation accords tend to be very matter of fact and loaded with clove, methyl diantilis, bourbon geranium, this seems less literal and that is precisely the reason I like carnation (particularly in men's perfume) is that it's not overt. I think that's due to Freddie's process, being don't make a carnation accord and then try to shoehorn it in, finesse it in gradually to the entire composition. It's like I love labdanum but I feel it's a catalyst material, a modifier, most blends benefit from it, but when an amber accord or even a perfume, smells too much of it, I get switched off by it. (too much of a good thing I guess?) I think Carnation (albeit a collection of materials) is the same way, it belongs in a perfume but needs to be surrounded. Anyway... The fruity aspect of BEMT is a peachy/apricot is integral and it feels thick and textured, not the light peach fuzz you might expect in a classic chypre. The overall feel is one of spice to be honest and it reminds me still from the first impressions, to wearing it properly today, of Jamaican ginger cake washed down with that thick apricot pulp. I guess the spice of the clove in the carnation is giving a gingery roughness or by association when often used together. This gingery feel is so interesting because it's complex, it's like a hearty stem ginger, complete with the fibrous texture you get, but also a little crystalline but not too fiery. The florality has that quintessential natural smell like dried petals and a woody/floral smell of un-burned incense sticks, that's only very lightly in the background though. I was immediately drawn to this and I still am to be honest, but I need to wear the others properly to better contextualise the collection as a trio. BEMT is lovely perfume, it's just so pleasant to wear and smells like nothing else I can think of. Great first outing.

The first thing I got when I smelt this reminded me of a completely unrelated event (sorta). So, my friend's younger brother used to make electronic music, and this one time I saw him, he was working on mimicking the sound of a stock techno track, however, he wanted it to sound like what it would sound like coming from the boot of a car, muffled by panels, shitty housing and anything else. He tinkered with effects to make it sound, literally, like some arsehole was at the front of your house, blasting techno from their car, where you can only hear the ooontz ooontz, and nothing else... That's what this scent reminded me of -- what a scent smells like, on someone else, after an entire day of wear. Spicy, sweet-floral and a little metallic, but it mostly smelt 'worn in', or, what someone else smells like. I don't know if that makes any sense whatsoever, but that was the first thing that came to mind, for me... Not for me, but I think this would smell good on the right person, possibly a female.