Every Storm a Serenade

Blast of piney, resinous trees upon first spray! Someone's having a bonfire and burning their Christmas tree in a cool, pine forest. You wander closer to it and get whiffs of wood and lighter fluid. You are not yet near the ocean. Then....... you're hit with a MASSIVE wave of Eucalyptus and menthol (think Vicks vapor rub)! If you have sinus issues, the opening is going to be a godsend for you! Camphorous Eucalyptus dominates the opening with cold aromatics. The wood and pine needles take a back seat, and the salty/marine notes have not come out to play.........yet. 5 - 10 minutes into the drydown: That subtle smokiness does begin to mellow out, and the Eucalyptus is no longer screaming at you, but it does continue to speak quite aggressively throughout the first hour. Aromatic soil with a dash of jalapeño pepper. But only in the tiniest dose! It doesn't make you want to sneeze. 1 - 2 hours into the drydown: The intense piney / camphorous vapor smell has mellowed out. It's not the main character anymore. BOOM! A wave of seawater hits your nostrils! Salty, salty, ocean with sprigs of Eucalyptus mixed in. Next comes the seaweed and a hint of something savory....... did a fish just land in your boat???! Yikes, there's a few of them! But they're clean, happy fish, and you swiftly throw them back :) How did you go from a pine forest to a boat in a turbulent sea!? No idea! ESAS is a bit of an oddball in the drydown, leaning heavy into the seawater department. Ambergris becomes the MVP until the scent wears off. If ambergris is your thing, you'll love this! If not, stay clear! TO SUMMARIZE: it's a unique, woody marine scent that leaves you guessing, and a bit nervous in the best way possible. It has an intense opening that, after smelling Whiff Of A Waffle Cone, seems to be in the DNA of Imaginary Authors. It leans very masculine, and smelling this on a guy from a distance would be sexy as hell! If you're looking for a unique, punch you in the face kind of dark marine (and have sinus issues, like me) this is the one for you! I do wish the opening notes stuck around a bit longer, and that there was less ambergris. Still a fun, thrilling ride worth experiencing :) Longevity: 6/10, and the saline-like ambergris lingers long after its faded. You'll have to scrub it off if you don't like it. Projection: 5/10, with the opening being most intense

Always excited for a new Imaginary Authors release, I ordered my sample of this from the IA website and wanted only to wait for slightly warmer day to wear it out, and, like most of Josh Meyer's fragrances, Every Storm a Serenade does not disappoint. The note breakdown is fascinating---Danish spruce is the first named note, the woodsy anchor that gives ESAS some depth. I've been using a couple of spruce candles this time of year, and I can offer that spruce makes for a balanced woody scent--not as soft as cedar, and not as sharp as pine--and it's useful in ESAS. I don't specifically get eucalyptus or vetiver but I sense some combination of them. And the calone / sea water mix is obviously a part of the fragrance, even in the dry down. What most beach- and marine-themed aquatics usually fail to capture (or at least target) is the saltiness of the ocean and the beach. Nautica Oceans and Creed Erolfa are the only two fragrances (off the top of my head) that have captured this saltiness effectively to this point, and now I can add Every Storm a Serenade to that list. I admit that while I'm mainly a fan of the heavier IA scents--specifically, Cape Heartache and Memoirs of a Trespasser--Every Storm a Serenade is a great aquatic warm weather-leaning scent, though it certainly has enough depth to work perfectly fine in the winter (and inland). ESAS also has the Imaginary Authors' "DNA" that comes up a lot--I definitely recall a connection to Mosaic and Falling Into the Sea, though I'd like to do a more thorough comparison. Projection is good (not as great as some of the heavier monsters, like Cape Heartache, Memoirs of a Trespasser, A City on Fire, and Bull's Blood) and the longevity is significant, like most of Josh's fragrances. I haven't purchased a more warm weather-leaning or aquatic IA frag (I'm not sure An Air of Despair counts) but Every Storm a Serenade is definitely a bottle I need to get my hands on. A recommended try for all men and women. 8 out of 10

Being one of my favorite fragrances from Imaginary Authors, Every Storm a Serenade is a subtle yet masterful blend of common scents into an uncommon experience. While it may not create some grand story with exotic olfactory imagery like some of their other works, it does a pretty good job of conveying the setting as a fragrance. A darker take on typical marine scents, Every Storm a Serenade mixes the scent of a refreshing sea breeze with strong, dry vetiver and green coniferous woods. With the official notes listing Baltic Sea mist and Danish spruce, and Stina and Ulv's story taking place in Denmark, the fragrance is clearly meant to capture the essence of Northern European coastal forests. When I smell this, personally my mind envisions a foggy, damp, cool day somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. It's unapologetically natural, yet at the same time I find it refreshing and oddly calming. In the dry-down the it starts to get much smoother, further blending everything together with an ever so slight touch of cool sweetness. This makes it more refreshing and a little less calone/marine-like, as if gray clouds engulf this coastal forest and crisp, clean rain starts to lightly fall. I assume this is the other notes settling to give more breathing room to the eucalyptus, which becomes rather easy to identify. I totally understand how a profile like this could be divisive, and judging by reviews it's certainly not IA's most mass-appealing fragrance. By no means is it even close to being offensive, but I can see this being interpreted at first sniff as a rather cold and maybe even dusty fragrance to some. While it leans masculine to my nose, I think anyone who's comfortable with more rugged, vetiver-heavy fragrances could easily pull it off. Would work best on a melancholic and rainy day.

The salty air whips you and your friends as you make your way to the cliff to jump off of into the waters below. The smell of the spruce and eucalyptus mix with the salty sea air being pushed up from the crashing waves beneath. The clouds above rumble and groan with the smell of a quick summer storm on the horizon. Yup. Life's pretty damn good. Imaginary Authors is easily one of my favorite brands in niche perfume, and this is another banger from them. A beautiful and unique woody aquatic that is so picturesque yet wearable. Off the first spray I get a healthy mix of spruce, salty air, and calone, super fresh yet still deep. All of this with a healthy backbone of green and fresh eucalyptus and slightly animalic ambergris. It dries down more and more earthy and woody as time goes on, super sexy transition. This reminds me of how my grandfather smelled before he passed away, but in a good way. He was always hip with fashion and fragrances, and I have a really specific memory of him smelling this good. It's comforting and sexy at the same time for that very reason. Not something I would wear to a date, but great for an easy grab in the morning to spritz on. I get GREAT projection off my skin, easily projecting in a 5 foot bubble, but here's the best part of the fragrance: because it smells a lot like sea breeze, you bring that with you. When people were around me when I've worn this, I was asked if I just got out of the ocean (in a complimentary way). Performance is also fairly good on my skin, 5-8 hours depending on heat and how much I'm moving. Much better performance than a lot of other Imaginary Author's scents. Can lean traditionally masculine, but anyone can pull this off.

I live near and work on the ocean (and I am therefore intimately acquainted with ocean smells), I'm obsessed with the ocean, and I want to smell like a mermaid covered in kelp. This is the first marine/aquatic scent I've ever tried that actually smells like the ocean. It's not an exact match, but I do immediately think of the ocean when I smell it, and no other ocean-themed fragrance I've tried has ever accomplished that before. I definitely get crushed kelp and brine and that vague, cold, sandy/salty note... For the first 30 minutes. After that, it's almost overpowered by that dreaded dentist's office antiseptic note- probably from the kelp/seaweed accord. The cold beach-after-a-storm scent is still there underneath the dental note, so I don't actually hate the fragrance, especially since the dental note turns into something like a dill pickle-y sandalwood after another hour or so. I've smelled schools of tuna eating bait fish near the surface of the water (yes, you can smell that) and this fragrance even has a tiny hint of something that evokes that scent, which is crazy to me. Overall- yes, very much like a cool, humid night wind carrying the scent of brine and kelp that washed up after a storm. I'd buy a full bottle. I can look past briefly smelling like the dentist for this. I don't think this has a specific season. I can see myself enjoying it year round. It's unisex to me, neither feminine nor masculine.

On first test this one is a masterpiece. An otherworldly yet deeply human fragrance, salty and sensual almost to the point of feeling lurid, absolutely irresistible. Feels truly androgynous to me (maybe purely because of how unique it is), though I understand others' comments about it leaning more masculine. Either way walking around with this on makes me feel like a god. Will 100% be purchasing a full size bottle. An attempt at chronicling the experience: Like watching the ghost of an extinct deep sea fish crest the waves at twilight, then turning to bury yourself in your lover's arms. You are sheltered from the salty breeze and that undercurrent of something strange (perhaps not of this world -- or perhaps uncomfortably fundamental to it) carried deep in the belly. The thought of the open water sends chills up your spine, and excites you in a way you wouldn't like to admit, so you close your eyes and breathe more deeply into the seductive safety of solid ground and warm skin. You want to stay like this forever, but you know you can't. You say nothing. Later, staring into an unlit fire, cradled by fragrant fresh wood and an unkept promise of satisfaction, the only evidence you have that ANY of it was real is the lingering salt on your skin and the ache in your chest. You will always remember this place -- and it will remember you. The sea is always right.

This is so, so beautiful in cold weather! My first impressions of this were about that actually, because judging by the notes here I truly expected something a little lighter (not necessarily "summery", but less dense). However, my goodness...this is a hefty freshie if I've ever smelled one! The marine notes are dead accurate, and how they paired here in the PNW beach air (I live near the water) as nothing short of exquisite, truly gorgeous. And the spruce? I'm just stunned that it wasn't based on Washington state. Of course, that's quite subjective of me, and that's 100% me interjecting my own environmental sentiments into the process. All of this is to say that I couldn't have possibly chosen a more fitting time to wear this than a brisk, sunny, windy afternoon beachside in March...as indeed, it smells like one. It's a "cold" fragrance, a "fresh" (or more accurately - "chillingly clean"), enduring and naturalistic. Although it smells quite literally like a storm at sea (well done packaging and write up, it's quite accurate to the presentation), I would personally reach for this when it's blisteringly hot and dry, and I can only imagine how soothing it would be in these conditions... It's classically masculine (but wear what you like regardless), but I'm enjoying it anyway. For something so fresh, the longevity is quite good. 🌬🌊

This is such such such a great perfume. If I spray it on the back of my neck I often step backwards just to get a good whiff. It evokes it's concept--I really am transported to a rocky seaside coast on a windy day-- without trying to be literal. This is not a perfume of the earth, in that it has no 'earthiness' to it, no sense of vegetation-as-that-which-is-rooted-to-the-ground. No cold soil, no shaded moss. Rather, this is a perfume of the air. It possesses an openness and expansiveness--it's full chested without being loud or overwhelming. It's like it's the scent of "the outdoors"--that whiff of unidentified grasses or trees carried by the breeze, the one you inhale and inhale just to try and capture it if only in memory--but condensed to a spicy purity; baked in the sun. Other perfumes I've tried with pine or evergreen notes tend to be overwhelmed by that note at the expense of the rest. That is not the case here. Certainly a perfume for vetiver lovers, the vetiver is complimented by the calone and eucalyptus. It's not a particularly complex scent, but it doesn't need to be; it's one note and a damn good one. Lasts forever on clothes.

At first sniff, I was in love, awash with nostalgia, because to me, on me, this reminds me so strongly of Lancome's Aroma Tonic. Even though they have exactly zero listed notes in common! But Aroma Tonic was the very first "grown-up" fragrance I chose for myself, as a moody preteen in a mall with my mom, so trust that the scent memory is deeply ingrained. Maybe the combo of bright aquatic spruce and vetiver reminds me of a zesty uplifting tea? In any case, my point is that I'm biased to love this because I find them so similar. Every Storm A Serenade feels more grounded, earthy, grassy, and also colder, but that doesn't push me away, like other colder/bluer fragrances can. I love that it's more oceanic than AT, perfect for late summer. It's well-blended and fairly linear. Much better longevity than my beloved Aroma Tonic had. I'm learning to identify calone as a note I particularly enjoy. On my husband, the spruce and eucalyptus are more prominent... I like it better on myself 😅 Edit: Wearing it in winter seems to bring out a rubbery sharpness that I wasn't getting when I wore it in late summer. Interesting shape-shifter fragrance.

I found TWO Holy Grail marine fragrances in one week?! I absolutely love both this and Heeley's Sel Marin. While SM is a daytime walk on a cold pebble beach, ESAS feels like standing on a pine-covered cliff in Cornwall at midnight, overlooking a stormy sea that's churning up something spicy and animalic from the depths. I'm not getting any eucalyptus at all (and certainly no carrots!). It's sea water, spicy ambergris, and vetiver. Delicious, and I've gotten a ton of compliments. It leans a little masculine but I really like it on me anyway. If I had to choose one, I would take ESAS over Sel Marin, but they are two sides of the same coin. If you're looking for something that evokes a sunny summer day at the beach, move on. I wouldn't recommend blind buying Every Storm a Serenade but for me, this is going to be a signature. Edited to add that after a few months I still like it a lot and wear it often, but I wish it had less vetiver and more salt. Sigh. Maybe that will change when warmer weather gets here. ESAS is an honorable mention, no doubt about it, but the search goes on.

I find this to be uncannily similar to Breath of God by Lush and in fact the vetiver is very prominent in both scents. There could be some overlap of the spruce in ESAS with Breath of God’s juniper and cedar. Both very light, fresh, and breezy with woody and aromatic elements. The smokey incense quality is also something their share. I like both but Breath of God seems to have a bit more depth. Many people have noted this leans masculine but it’s so unique and intriguing that it could work for both. Truly a genderless fragrance. But if you prefer the sweet florals and fruits of more feminine scents, this is not for you. As a woman who loves an ambiguous fragrance, I could see using it as a light every day scent. There is nothing playful about this fragrance, it’s serious and moody but then it uplifts your spirits. It reminds me of standing over a cliff somewhere on the Oregon coast in the winter after a relentless rain, emerging from the forest and receiving a waft of misty ocean water.

I’ve had this sample hanging around for almost a year. While I did initially like it, I never found a good time to try a full wear. I’m a weirdo so I try to match my daily fragrance to the weather and moon sign position. I tried it yesterday. Was a mixed mild spring day somewhat cloudy and some showers. It did smell a little bitter when first sprayed but that quickly dissipated. I got heavy sea and marine note freshness with hints of spruce. I didn’t really detect the eucalyptus, which I assume is used to broaden the other notes. The vetiver quickly became apparent making me think of a rocky seaside cliff lined with evergreen trees, dark skies and rolling clouds threatening you on the horizon. This fragrance definitely creates an atmosphere reminiscent of it’s name. And man, the compliments I got! One coworker told me I had to stay away from her because it “turned her on” so much!! It did seem a little commercial men’s cologne but still unique and somewhat mystical. I love it!

I wanted a moody coastal fragrance, and this was a perfect choice. The initial spray is suuuper strong and like rubbing alcohol, but it settles down almost instantly. It just hit my nose pretty hard with the first spray. Once it dries down after a few moments it's so good It's musky but not in a gross way at all, the eucalyptus and vetiver bring a good freshness that works really well with the more salty sea smell. Genuinely smells like being on the ocean without the overwhelming fishy smell. this is just as much of a PNW vibe as Cape Heartache in my opinion, really nostalgia inducing. I noticed it isn't as strong on skin so would require a few more sprays to truly stand out. Honestly considering layering this with Cape Heartache because I think it would be a really good blend of the trees and sea. I adore the fresh, almost salty foggy ocean smell this has. Absolutely what I wanted it to be

I don’t normally write a review when sampling a fragrance but I had to with this one. Let me start with just how beautiful and sexy this fragrance is. It smells like I’m sitting on a coast line next to the forest on a dark and overcast day with the smell of the salty waves crashing down and the subtle breeze of woods and rain fill your nose as you hear distant thunder across the horizon. I’m about 5 hours in and it’s still going strong. The first 30 minutes of this fragrance is a beautiful green almost minty smell that I’m assuming is the eucalyptus mixed with the spruce/vetiver and then it starts to dry down to a salty sea mist. The calone and ambergris really starts to come out in the dry down even tho it isn’t to complex. It honest ly reminds me of a darker pacific rock moss in a way. It’s absolutely a gorgeous scent and will probably be my next full bottle purchase.

The AI generated pro above "uplifting marine scent" is pretty spot on. While this isn't my usual scent profile, I absolutely LOVE this. Having grown up in the Pacific NW of the US, when I smell this perfume I feel immediately transported to the my childhood. The opening smells of the freshest rain water and also puddles collecting on asphalt, a light smoke wafting through the air from a neighbor burning autumn leaves and yard trimmings, wet grass and mineral rich soil. The feeling I get is the childish joy and release of stepping off the school bus on Friday afternoon, ready to run home and cuddle up in the living room to watch tv while a cleansing rain patters on the window. Despite the references to autumn I mention, though, I feel this scent would fair just as well in the winter, spring and summer. It's both fresh but also cozy. FB worthy!

My boyfriend put Every Storm A Serenade on this morning and I had to ask him what it was, because it completely blew me away. To me, this is an androgynous scent. It completely fits the story that goes with it. Best of all, it leaves a trail. This past summer, said boyfriend and I took a vacation in the east coast of Canada. We drove along craggy cliffs, next to crashing waves, in the fog, surrounded by evergreens. The only sounds were of seabirds and whales. This perfume takes me back to those grey summer days. And now, having just read e.e. cummings, I leave you with one of his poems which also reminds me of this perfume: dive for dreams or a slogan may topple you (trees are their roots and wind is wind) trust your heart if the seas catch fire (and live by love though the stars walk backward) I think I'm going to get him a full bottle :)

It smells like a moodier version of Acqua di Gio. On me, very little of the 'forest' notes come through and it's straight up aquatic, oceanic, and tremendously salty. The problem is how artificial it smells. I've lived most of my life close to the Pacific Ocean, I grew up surfing. Perfumes can approximate and conjure many things with great accuracy. The ocean is one of the exceptions. There's no real way in fragrance to replicate the ionized churn of the water. The constant churn of the ocean, and the constant power of the wind, is what transforms the ocean's briny scent into something fresh and inviting. But some fragrances get closer than others, and this one on my skin more closely resembles salt and vinegar potato chips than a wine-dark sea. I wish it performed differently. Projection is minimal but it lasts a long time on me.

first spray was very strong, a little overpowering honestly (almost like when a super cold wave hits you ommggg) I definitely agree with whoever said that first "blast" reminded them of vicks vaporub. However after a few seconds it settles in and I get the sea water immediately, I detect more and more green-y woodiness as it dries down. the marine aspect kind of fades into the background but still always remains present. Overall very "cold" but I dabbed the scent from my wrists onto my neck and somehow it smells "warmer" there (on my neck). Aptly titled, it makes me think of being on some kind of windy, densely wooded cliff overlooking the ocean just before a storm is about to come in while I'm watching the tallest waves ever crash against the rocks and I'm scared they're going to take out the cliff underneath me or something.

One of the best Marine/Fresh/Woody (but still niche) perfumes on the market! I think this and Memiors of a Trespasser are indeed the best work from this house. On my skin this frag is an ambergris masterpiece literally smells like a salty ocean breeze wafting into an Irish pub. Compliments by woman every! single! time! I wear this fragrance and very attractive ones I might add! The depth of this fragrance cannot be explained, it must be experienced. I would say this frag is indeed unisex and is just beautiful either way. Performance is great on my skin. I get 6-8 hours, the first 4 with great projection(you will be noticed) Silage is an ambergris trail from heaven, women will follow you just to tell you how good you smell. If you like Marine woody scents? Without hesitation blind buy this masterpiece by Josh Meyer<3 Cheers

My boyfriend is from the Bay Area, and I am from Los Angeles. From the day we met, our days were numbered. His forever home isn't my home, and I realized while packing up his dorm that the distance between us would be multiplied by 35 times. We drove 300 miles north, spent hours in the biting cold sun, walked through numerous forests and parks by the sea, and gazed at the beautiful open sea hitting the rigid edges of the cliffs. We did all of that, knowing that in a few hours, we could no longer hold one another when we needed to. This smells just like the bay. The eucalyptus and seawater hits strong blending into an earthy, lush and green cacophony that has a subtly sweet twist with the calone. It is beautiful, and transports me to the last day I spent in those beautiful forest cliffs.