The Soft Lawn: Edition 2.0

i've held off on reviewing this fragrance because it's hard to find words for it. i'll start by saying that i'm very picky about perfumes and have strong sensory sensitivities. as i get more into the fragrance world, i'm casting a wide net with samples and realizing that i really hate the vast majority of them. in the first two dozen or so i've tried, the soft lawn is one of only two that i've even come close to considering purchasing a full bottle of. this smells like how jay gatsby probably thinks daisy buchanan smells (that fabled gilded green light! the smell of the idea of money, not the filthy bills themselves!). this smells like the art and architecture of the nouveau movement, all delicate sweeping curves and saturated, but muted natural colors. this smells like the color Green, but the delicate, heady green of the plants in a well-tended greenhouse who have been spoiled to perfection. it combines several of my favorite notes (vetiver, linden, oakmoss) beautifully and it's what i reach for when nothing else feels right. the opening is brisk, bright grapefruit, effervescent and awakening, along with a deep cool green that might be the ivy or laurels. it puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face. about an hour in, i do get an odd rubbery smell that reminds me of tennis balls or dusty, slightly sweaty athletic equipment, and it's not my favorite, but it is intriguing, passes quickly, and adds to the overall ambiance of the fragrance. then it really sinks into my skin and opens up, and i spend the rest of the day wanting to roll in it like a dog. i have a soft spot for linden, since it's a fragrance my mom wore a lot growing up. i find it to be a gentle, welcoming, comforting floral without being too heavy or sweet. it's like standing in the sun on a spring day and feeling a breeze scented with new growing things on your face. in the soft lawn, this is entwined with a luxurious depth of vetiver and oakmoss: clean, deep, herbaceous smells. it's a little bit like warm hay, a little bit like fresh mowed grass, a little bit like the feel of sinking into a plush velvet or leather upholstered armchair and running your fingers over the carved wood inlays on the armrests. when the gentle linden breeze has faded and the vetiver has calmed to a faint teasing memory, what lingers is a smooth, neutral woodiness. glossy oak and marble. wool pea coats and old furs. the glow of an incandescent bulb through a tiffany lampshade. i love this perfume because each note is so distinct, yet so well-blended, that it flows gently from one mood to the next over the course of the day, keeping me interested in the scent without ever being obtrusive, dissonant, or jarring. it whorls and meanders like the patterns in a piece of polished malachite. it arches and curls like an enameled filigree broach. it is a luxurious and soothing companion to wear on days when i need clarity, calm, and a feeling of inner richness.

Oohohoh. This feature is a nasty one. Only worn a couple times, testing with a 8ml decant so I'm not actually sure it's the current version or the previous, I'm assuming current. Pure shout out the the decanter I used, they are fantastic and pulled incredible deals from them this sample haul. On first application I do find it abrasive and a tad headache inducing - I over sprayed really since I was expecting a more subdued opening. I learnt to not do that, keep my sprays away from my chest! Opening is really artificial, it's utterly bizarre - plastic, playdough and rubber - basically the tennis ball note is indeed accurate. It's nasty, but I love it. It mellows pretty slowly - takes 30 or so minutes to really dry down and then you are given the true profile. The dry down is much more aquatically green than I thought, the green I expected - really fresh, no chemically notes but just a tad of lingering of the 'tennis ball' enough to give it flair but not be obtuse. The vetiver is pretty strong in my opinion, and it feels really unisex and sexy on dry down - it's just agreeable to my chemistry. Ends up a bit spicier on me than others it seems but it works well. Performance is decent, dry down scent lasts about 6 hours (still clear on the skin after). I would say sillage is fairly low - considering I sprayed after a shower and the abrasive smell (about an hour later) did not bother my household. I'm okay with that, I think it is correct for the type of scent, and it is winter so out of season for projection performance. It is very heavy and moves through the room on first spray though - so if you are using as a day scent, spray at home. Shockingly 9.5/10 - I love this, it will not be for everyone. The docked point is just how heady the opening is but I can live with that when the dry down smells just amazing. Edit: For the sake of integrity - I've worn this for 3-4 days now, and my experience has been the same aside from the opening. I don't get headaches any more on opening - so for me it will be just unfamiliarity. May not be the same for others though. My impression of the scent overall is the same though. Honestly I'd give 10/10 now, but because it clearly can be a trigger - I'll sustain!

This is a posh luxury country club in the spring to mid summer in the Midwest. The smell of the sun hitting the damp morning dew on the freshly mowed grass of the country club. The green ivy climbing up its lavish brick walls and white wood columns. Once you reach the tennis court with your friends you pop open a brand new canister of tennis balls to play with. The smell of your vetiver sport cologne and your fresh laundry heating up as the day passes on and the sun hangs above. The smell of soapy oakmoss from the trees around and a glass of ice cold grapefruit infused water. This has been my signature scent unknowingly now for the spring and summer for almost 2 years now. I have nearly gone through a bottle of the new stuff and a bottle of the old stuff, and I am and forever will be: in love. This is a clean, green, and ultra fresh fragrance. It's super laid back and yet still refined. Peak spring and summer fragrance for me for really any occasion and is by fair the easiest fresh reach in my collection. Perfectly unisex. 6-8 hour longevity, reaches as far as I can reach with my hands; but has an airy quality to it. I will buy this until I drop dead or if Imaginary Authors goes out of business. 10/10. A Masterpiece.

This is becoming one of my favorites from my IA sample set, I may have to get a full bottle. I appreciate that its introduction is strong but not necessarily a "bang!!"(a reoccuring characteristic that I tend to dislike among many of this brand's scents). Initially, theres a soft pop of linden which quickly gives way to the laurels and ivy, against a backdrop of vetiver, topped with an overall sheen of grapefruit. Around 45 minutes to an hour the tennis ball comes in and I get a bit of the linden again, this time supported by a base of oakmoss. After 3-4 hours the laurels and ivy return to eventually dry down/sink into a green, slightly sweet, woody (but not dry), bed of vetiver and oakmoss that lasted quite a while on me. I tend to like very green, leafy plant smells so this scratches that itch perfectly. Evokes a childhood memory I have from the early 2000s of rolling around in the grass of my grandmothers backyard on a quiet, slightly foggy, early morning while trying not to scare away the ducks that wander around her senior living complex.

I'm an absolute sucker for oakmoss in most scents, so I knew I would like it. I'd say it's my second favorite scent from IA, just behind Saint Julep. I think it's just as described: green and lush. Unisex, but I find it might be just a teeny bit masculine. It smells expensive, though how much of it is in the scent profile vs. the packaging is yet to be decided! I also do get tennis balls, but in a very vague abstract way. To me, it's a perfect spring-summer scent and almost like it feels right at home on those rainy warm days. What stands out to me in particular is the vetiver, which I normally don't enjoy, but I think when mixed with all the lush greens it mellows out into this freshness nearly-sweet woody note. I really wish I could describe it in a better way but it's definitely worth giving a try, even if it's just a sample.