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.

I'm surprised by how wonderful I find this, and how instantly it evoked a specific place for me. Yes, Soft Lawn definitely smells like fresh-cut grass, but it doesn't smell like humid backyard lawnmower so much as crisp manicured landscaping, hedges, stone-set paths, and sprinklers. There's a fountain nearby (treated with a hint of chlorine, maybe, to keep it clean and fresh) that's blowing mist into a barely-there breeze, and there might be a swimming pool around the corner, next to the tennis courts. It's giving fancy hotel lobby with big french doors open to the back patio on a late spring or early summer morning; smells incredible with a dewy summer floral (Soft Lawn & Delina La Rosée is a favorite layering combo of mine)

I don't know why this reminds me so much of hugging my grandma but it does, and it is so fitting because her favorite color is lime green! such a lovely bright, grassy, and fresh scent on me that lasts on me for a while and made me feel like putting on my tennis skirt and hitting the country club. as someone who would usually go feral for the smell of a freshly opened can of tennis balls, i appreciate that the tennis ball note in this isn't overwhelming and just adds a bit of a plastic-y, artificial element to it. it makes me feel nostalgic for lots of things, and I absolutely want a full bottle of this for the spring and summer months! -former high school tennis player who walked the mile every single time

It smells like your rich uncle (or preppy cousin) that lives in the country side and likes to play tennis on the weekends. It does scream *luxurious English countryside* to me in every way. For a moment I did get this slight humid smell, like wet grass from the sprinklers, a soft wet lawn, but it faded pretty quickly and I was transported back to the countryside again. Incredible how they captured the essence of a tennis ball, it really does smell like rubber on the dry down; like opening a fresh pack of Tennis balls and sticking your nose in the box. It's a beautiful fragrance and imaginary authors is slowing becoming one of my favourite perfume houses. 10/10!

I think your personal skin chemistry will impact your enjoyment of this immensely. for me, it’s bliss. i’ve always loved the smell of fresh tennis balls, which for me this provides plenty of - but with a little lime and floral. Reminds me of “Under the Lemon Trees” - polarizing for the same reasons, not everyone loves Green scents. Plus, I’m generally not a huge fan of synthetics, but there’s something totally alluring about this! So basically, if you’re fascinated by Green scents and synthetics but usually fail to find the right ones, and you don’t mind Lime, this is a daring and wonderful scent.

I LOVE this scent. Maybe my favorite from imaginary authors... I received this as a random sample and I fell in love. Looking at the notes, there's nothing that would call to me normally, but this ended up just hitting the mark of what I love in a fragrance. It's casual, outdoorsy, but elevated and complex, and a TRUE unisex scent. I'm not sure what the tennis ball aspect of the fragrance is supposed to be, but I don't smell anything weird or "trying something new" about this fragrance, which I appreciate. Just a blended, fresh, herbal, aromatic scent.

This smells like how I imagine a professional cricket locker room does after it’s been cleaned top to bottom. The grass note is there, the citrus keeps it fresh for the opening, the rubber stands out to me particularly after 1-2hrs on the skin, and a lingering earthy floral cleaner (some luxury type) scent wafts above it all, getting progressively more dominant. Definitely evokes upper crust sporting. Very wearable and in my opinion leans masculine but I could see a woman enjoying it as well, depending on her skin chemistry.

When reading the notes and descriptions I could not assume I would like it. But it got me so curious I had to buy a sample. This is a delightful surprise! It opens very green, grassy, and almost herby but in no way is it heavy or too masculine. I'm not smelling any rubbery-ness on myself. The soft lawn actually has quite a sweet layer to it which I believe is what makes it so undeniably unsex. It's a beautifully clean, fresh, green smell and I'm definitely adding it to my collection.

Hot topic used to sell harry potter themed beanboozle-style jelly beans and the “bad” green one was an actually delicious sweet grass flavor. This smells exactly like that tasted to 10 year old me, big fan! As it dries down it does get less sweet and that tennis ball really comes through. Its genuinely really nice and something I would wear to a park or doing some kind of outside activity (like tennis) or if i was trying to impress the cute farmer’s market clerks.

Love this scent! I work customer service and I need something intimate and inoffensive. This fits the bill perfectly. I don't really get the rubbery scent that others are speaking of. To me, it's grassy, earthy, and floral with a hint of sweetness (but not so sweet as to come across feminine). It really does smell like going on a walk on a warm May morning. The sun is shining, flowers are blooming, people are moving their lawns, and today is gonna be a good day.

I love this fragrance... it's so weird and gorgeous. It's wild to me that people are confused about tennis ball smelling synthetic when it's literally a plastic item. I love oakmoss in fragrance, and it's nicely balanced by the floral and faint citrus. The main note is tennis ball and the accuracy of the smell is incredible. I don't care about sports at all but I've smelled tennis balls because I have doggies. This is just plain fun to wear.

Imagine smelling like a greener, outdoor version of a Modell's Sporting Goods. I love that feeling of being a kid going to a store to buy gear for baseball or soccer, making sure to stop by the tennis section for my sister. Reminds me of what the pool I used to go to as kid smelled like since there was often a grassy aroma I associate it with. I really like this fragrance, it's a good one to wear with more preppy clothes on a hot day.

Bought a travel size about a year ago and kinda forgot about it. Just sprayed this today considering we’re having 80 degree weather and high humidity and this is a perfect late spring scent. It’s so green and slightly powdery with amazing honeyed yellow florals. I swear I smelled the tennis ball when I first bought this but now I don’t. Either way, I really like this scent Edit: Upgraded to a full bottle! I love this perfume!!

I tried this as a sample and fell in love with it - it's grassy and green, with a distinct hint of tennis ball in the most pleasant way. It's easy to wear, doesn't jump out of a crowd, and is just the perfect summer scent for me. I can see how the tennis ball thing could be a little bit off-putting to some people, but it isn't strong and I don't think most people would pick it out without being told it's there.

Well, I didn't expect to like this, in fact I wasn't interested in it at all but it came as a sample with a perfume I ordered and man am i glad it did. This smells incredibly green, very similar to h24 herbes vives except there's something else here, a layer of complexity. I've been looking for a spring/summer scent and I was dead set on herbes vives but I might have to reconsider that now 🤔

My boyfriend and I recently sampled all the IA scents so here is a dual review. My review: to me this started as grass and stayed grass all the way through. As someone who loves the smell of grass I love this. It was actually the fragrance that lead me to testing the whole line. His review: to him on the soft lawn smelled like fox in the flowerbed.