Amongst the Waves

Amongst the Waves should have hundreds of glowing reviews. It should have “cult” status. It should be sold-out, have us crying, begging someone to sell just a few drops. C’mon, Turin, create a “lemming” stampede of astronomical proportions! I KNOW I’m not the only one who loves (I mean LOVES) that gamma nonalactone accord, the milky, creamy, sort of white-rice-like aroma of Coppertone ca. 1977. Monyette Paris contains it, as does Sage’s Onyx, Kenzo Amour combines it with heliotropin with great success, as do many other fragrances that sport a “coconut” accord; it’s one of the most acutely lovely anti-depressant aroma chemicals in existence. And it’s beautifully executed in Amongst the Waves, from start to finish, yet it’s not cloying, slapping your senses around with olfactory exclamations of “I’m HERE, smell me, smell me, in all of my synthetic glory!” It’s just too well-blended for that nonsense. As others have mentioned, the coconut here is fantastically warm and fresh, like the snow-white pristine meat of the nut, just cracked open, it has that shhish feel when you bite into it, as hard as stone, as forgiving as flesh, with an implied sweetness. I know firsthand how difficult that elusive coconut accord is to nail, because there’s no such thing as coconut essential oil. I know, because not only did I work with oils and aroma chemicals for many moons, I was surprised to find it listed for sale on a very reputable company’s site, so I ordered it out of curiosity, and lo and behold, what I received had no aroma at all. Only true coconut oil smells strongly of its source, but there’s no way to actually extract that smell, so the only way one can attain it in a fragrance, is to utilise those milky lactones, gleaning a coconut “feel” instead. However, if not orchestrated with a deft hand, or paired with a lot of eugenol, and/or too much farnesol, the result will be a plasticky, tooth-achingly sweet assault on the senses. This is a grownup’s coconut that swims alongside the most crisp lily accord that I’ve experienced in awhile. It’s like smelling spring snow (recite the latter 12 times at top speed!). If you’re accustomed to that spicy lily accord, that’s nowhere near AtW. This is “Nymphea”, a water lily that’s more perky than spicy, and not to be confused with it’s cousin, the Lotus flower, it’s more bright than luminous, but that doesn’t mean you won’t glow while wearing this beauty. Can I just state that I love the salty accords many parfumiers have been playing with for the last few years? It’s incredibly satisfying, as it imparts an umami quality that is so comforting, and sexy. While I wasn’t particularly fond of Bvlgari’s...what was it called?...the white and rose gold bottle, recent, starts with an A? That contains the salt accord, as does Paco Rabannes’ much-maligned Olympéa. Neither of these quite hit the mark for me, as that umami ultimately wandered into corn chips or roast beef territory. There are two favourites, though, who get the umami just right, and one is January Scent Project’s Selperniku, the other is Amongst the Waves, and I try to wear at least one of these scents, particularly when my world is warm and everything feels golden, at least once per day, somewhere on my body (stop picturing weird locations; think backs of hands, inner elbow, etc). I often squawk about my lifelong battles with depression, and here again, is a tried-and-true remedy for the blues. Crisp, creamy, warm, fluffy, snuggle-worthy, airy, and very very pretty, it’s thematic without being a novelty or too kitsch the way that a few of Maison Margiela’s Replica series, or Demeter can feel. This fragrance is so “wearable”, in any situation or any weather, more than appropriate, but never dull. Out of all of my fragrances, I still look forward to it, which is a feat in itself for someone with the dedication of a magpie: It seems I’m continually moving on from one piece of discarded tin foil to the next shiny button that catches my bird’s eye. If I wear a fragrance more than a few times in the month after I’ve first unsealed it, it’s practically a “signature”. Now, get Amongst the Waves out of your head, and off of your ‘Want It’ list, and onto your skin. If you love the beach, and especially if, like me, you miss it terribly (So. Cal. gal landlocked in an English village), you’ll adore this, and...let me just add this as an aside, men will want to eat you up with a spoon! Possibly my most complimented fragrance of all time.

This fragrance nearly moves me to tears when I smell it. This is the niche perfumery that we were promised, for those of us who didn't get in back when niche really had its glory days. When I smell this I can feel that great love and care went into making this perfume. It's a beachy white floral but it's so complex and creamy. When I smell this I know I'm smelling someone's memories, as well as recalling my own. I think back to late 90's, early 00's, my childhood and the ideas and visions of what I thought womanhood would be. This perfume smells like what you envisioned glamorous old school Hollywood starlets to smell like on their vacations, or a Malibu Barbie doll in real life. I just can't get over how this smells and how it makes me feel. I don't get the coconut note as prominently as its shown in the votes, but it doesn't look like many people have experienced this perfume which is a shame. I believe that there's more to this perfume than what is being shown in the notes. I get more rich white florals native to an island and growing freely, not yet plucked to be sold. And the saltiness is a sheer veil, think not of the salty ocean water and more of the cool mist that rises above the water and floats through the air, in that very rare breeze that you sometimes get on a cooler day at the beach. The salty sandy oceanic mist is what I detect. Not a mouthful of salt filling your nostrils from going beneath a wave. You truly are "amongt" them with this scent. For lovers of tropical white florals, such as Kai (which I still love), Bobbi Brown Beach, Bronze Goddess, or even Carnal Flower you've gotta try this one. It has made me rethink everything I thought I knew about perfumery. In this day and age where the main driving factor behind creating any fragrance is to make one that sells and Luckyscent has become little more than a peddler of what's popular or what's shocking, with many once beloved niche releases and brands falling by the wayside, this perfume fills me with hope. Meaningful, good smelling perfume is still out there folks. Don't be afraid to venture out of the mainstream and look for it. For the record, I have the oil, not the EDP, but I'll be looking forward to trying that next, as well as more from this line.

This review is for the EDP version of this fragrance. I have been looking for a fragrance that evokes the beach. And this one does so admirably. On the website, the creator of this fragrance says, "Inspired by my favorite place in the world– Hanalei, Hawaii, Amongst the Waves captures the ultra relaxed, sensory paradise that is a beach day in this Hawaiian nirvana." I have been there, and I was transported back when I smelled this. The salt note gives me the feeling of the nearness of the sea. The coconut is also prominent without going in the direction of, as others have noted, smelling like tanning lotion. It is fresh, but not sweet. The lily note is more prominent to my nose than is shown by the "Main Notes According to Your Votes" section. I have experience with tiger lilies and water lilies in the past, and they didn't make much of a scent impression on me. But Stargazer lilies on the other hand are powerhouses. When I have a bunch of them in a vase, they fill my entire house with their presence. I have encountered a few people who thought that they smell awful. This is a concern that one should keep in mind when approaching this fragrance. The lily note for me is the primary note. That is not to say that this fragrance fills an entire house. The scent radiates to arm's length, if not a little further, for a few hours. Then it becomes something that I can catch a wiff of occasionally. I put some on before I went to sleep. When I woke up, there was still a faint scent on my wrists. It is at that time that I can identify the sandalwood note. I love this scent. It captures the Hawaiian beach thing. It is more floral that I would ideally like, and for this reason, I would say that it falls more on the feminine side of unisex.

This review is for the oil version, although the EDP contains the same notes. Amongst the Waves is a summery delight, a light, soft, and fresh tropical scent that manages to avoid all the usual cliches of the 'beach' genre. This perfume opens with a pronounced, creamy coconut that lacks the super-sweetness of traditional coconut scents, due to the tempering effect of the sea salt. The lily facets float in soon after, but they are light and watery, rather than rich, heavy, or cloying. The fragrance is underpinned by a clean, skin-like musk and a light touch of sandalwood, which thankfully don't go powdery or white-musk-sweet on my skin. I wear this fragrance frequently during the hot summer months; it is, without a doubt, my favorite 'tropical' fragrance. It works for day and nighttime wear, and while it's fairly linear and straightforward, it manages to stay light and delightful, despite having notes that can usually overwhelm in other perfumes. I find it quite lovely, and the oil version provides light to moderate sillage. The small, screw-top dab bottle makes it easy to carry and reapply in the evenings. The oil version is a terrific value, and a dab to the neck and another rubbed between wrists gives you office-friendly sillage and longevity of 7-8 hours. If you are looking for a beautiful, tropical coconut beach scent that *doesn't* go the suntan lotion direction, look no further than Amongst the Waves.

I had wanted to try this out for over a year, and although everyone seemed to love it, I had doubts. Plus, it's so expensive, so I was kinda hoping it would be terrible. Even after sampling it, I tried my hardest to dislike it, to find something lacking or sickening or cheap-smelling. Yeah, I couldn't find a darn thing wrong with Amongst the Waves. It's not too coconuty, the wood and musk notes are whisper soft and balanced beautifully with salt and flowers. I wouldn't say sillage actually leaves a trail of scent because it's more like if the wind blows, you'll catch a hint of something light and graceful. It's not a "fragrance cloud". It's natural, clean, beachy goodness. I can't figure out how the fragrance house captured such a floaty fragrance and didn't veer off into suntan lotion or too much wood, but it's beyond gorgeous. I'm really sad I can't afford a bottle of it.