Apaaray

This smells really clean to me, another review said it smells dirty but I don’t experience that at all. This on top of the aquatic 11:11 oil is what I wear when I want to smell clean without an intense scent wafting at me all day. The opening is a little bitter to me but after that fades it’s mostly an orris and oakmoss scent in my experience

Strange, virtually impossible to describe. Vague floral & wood at opening but dry down is a complete mystery, there are literally no words. In evolution, it becomes a chameleon crawling through ever-changing habitats, its skin kaleidoscoping accordingly. A pleasantly intriguing olfactory Rubik’s Cube, this.

The top notes are ethereal and immediately appealing, as the name of the perfume suggests. These quickly fade, however, and the orris dominates, leaving a slightly oily, woody skin scent. It’s not an unpleasant scent by any means. But Lake and Skye has more memorable offerings.

I was surprised to be the first to review this; but perhaps, now I know why! It's...weird. The opening is pleasant enough; subtle citrus and melon, blooming into an earthier woods, supported by cedar, patchouli and orris. The patchouli oil is assertive; green and yellow and brown. Fruity florals restrain it (initially) from its mustiness. The vibrancy of lemon with tart fig is quiet, and purple whispers of iris and violet color this with a lush stroke of warmth. Spicy lavender, orris and green moss create a natural mood. But the pleasant opening is gone far too quickly. This definitely isn't the citrus or lemon-fig happy thing I was hoping for. It reminds me of many fragrances. Father Figure's woody balsamic notes, Yesterday Haze's dusty iris, Unknown Legend's violet pop and a touch of Hanami's tartness. But it's a mashup that feels muddier and extremely sharp, almost sour and vegetal. The house calls this a woody floral, but its richness and deeper earth take it somewhere almost dirty. It almost feels like No. 04 Bois de Balincourt, or perhaps even Henry Rose's Fog. Fog sometimes reminds me of peanut butter, and I'm getting the same vibes here. In both cases, it's likely the patchouli oil dominating. All evidence of fruit and brightness evaporates minutes in and it's far moodier — like it's not quite sure what it wants to be. On my skin, the heavy notes take over and it becomes a strange musty gourmand twist. The sillage is a perfect close wear but I can safely say this isn't impressing: I ended up washing it off.

Very masculine and artificial smelling. Opening is like lemon cleaner and then it mellows out and the cedar and sandalwood stand out. I was expecting more orris and fig. I didn't detect either of those. It smells clean, but in an artificial chemical way. I also didn't like 11 11 or 11 11 vanilla, the only other Lake & Skye offerings I have tried. All gave me the same headache inducing chemical smell. Not for me, but if you love those and want something leaning more masculine, this might be nice.