A Balm Of Calm

Well lots of bad impression from ppl about this one, but hold on. Designer-esque? Maybe, remind me a little bit of Le male from JPG, but it’s just the first impression for me, the more you delve into it’s pretty interesting. First thing first, it’s definitely sweet if you are from east Asia and your nose is not ready for all these European sweetness. However if you can hold it a little bit more, the sweetness well become very airy or say whimsical. There are also reviews on YT saying it’s like barbershop scent, I can for sure tell you it’s not, not even close. At the beginning is very round and soft, and then you will have the warm feeling like you are next to a fire place. If my boyfriend wear this I’ll snuggle him all day. I think the best way to wear this perfume is one spray and it will do its magic. It’s better to be a skin scent than overwhelming audacious vibe. This perfume is worth to take a sniff and try on yourself. For the price I think it’s okay, maybe a bit pricer. For my layering pal, you can try layering this with liquid love from this collection or Endymion(cologne version). Liquid love’s ginger balanced out the sweetness, I think if you’re used to East Asian culture, this type of layering well be good for you. For Endymion, is more for winter and autumn in Europe, cuz it could get pretty strong. To sum up, I like it, and try a sample, it is not that disappointing at all!

Bought the tester set and had to get a full bottle. It is my favourite of the new scents and have worn it non stop! Perfect for this London weather when it just starts getting colder and you want to get a bit more spicy/sweet without going into Changing Constance/ Bewitching Yasmine territory. Starts out very unisex with a fresh, almost herbal, slightly spicy profile and then quickly transforms into a soft powdery, sweeter scent.. the floral notes & rum appearing. Its everything Mon Guerlain isn’t on me and for some reason it reminds me of that scent mixed with that recognisable Penhaligons tone. I love Mon Guerlain when sprayed on the air or when someone walks past.. but on me it is headache inducing. This is the upgraded version of it, sweet but not sickly, powdery soft lavender with a unisex dry quality. On my skin this lasts a good 5-6 hours and it lingers on clothes longer. A Kiss Of Bliss from the same collection has a very similar drydown but for me this is the clear winner. At least on my skin. I have smelt it on others and it is definitely a scent that reacts to body chemistry and clothes another way. On one friend I get much more lavender & sandlewood and none of the sweetness. Try before you buy if you can. If you like the drydown but not opening try A Kiss Of Bliss.

A friend of mine sent me a decant and said it smells very similar to Blazing Sam. At first, I didn't see the connection, but as it dries down I can relate a bit. They both share rum, but also a note in the base that smells like a carmex waxy substance. I think Balm of Calm has it dosed higher, in addition to something that smells like shea butter on my skin. Overall these waxy qualities mixed with lavender and sandalwood make it dry down to an expensive smelling shave balm. Very warm and creamy. You get the rum but it doesn't last beyond about 15-20 minutes so I wouldn't seek this one out looking for booze, it's more of a supporting cast. I also smell a hidden note of coconut or perhaps these notes just create a coconut type of accord. A very nice fragrance that's hard to dislike -------------------------------------------------------- Scent 84/100 Performance TBD

Very impressed with this scent. It is a soft creamy purple floral hug that is very unisex and might even tilt a teeny bit female. It's like putting on your favorite hoodie, warm from the dryer, and then reading a good book in your "own bed" sipping lavender tea with milk and honey. It's well blended, unique, elegant, and comforting. Timeless quiet luxury. This is signature scent worthy and a super safe blind buy, but it is also very light and lasts as a skin scent after an hour. Still, you can tell it is very high quality. Every note is smooth and rounded. I am not a huge fan of the Penhaligon offerings, but this is beautiful and I want to smell like this always. I just wish it was stronger for the price. Smelled today at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills 11/06/25. Easily my favorite out of this capsule collection. (41/white/male).

Smelled this in store on a test strip. The lavender came out after it dried down but sadly it's a bit too calm for me. I think this would be great as a "going to sleep" scent. Else it's really good but as i mentioned, it's a really calm scent. I would not blind buy/test skin chem. first! Edit to add after testing on my skin: The scent unfolds so much better, still calm but with a slight masculine edge during dry down. It dries down really faint on me, sweet but almost gone already leaving a cardamomy taste. I do quite enjoy putting it on but i believe longevity isn't the best. Edit to add to the edit: The cardamom aftersmell stays 24h on my skin and i love it. Calming and cozy ❤️

Makes me feel like I'm on Ambien in empty airport in the middle of the night . I'm wearing my prettiest silk nightgown and a pair of heeled bedroom slippers that are kissed by the most darling little lilac fuzzballs. I'm carrying a wooden valise filled with medicinal herbs in one hand and Men's aftershave that I swiped from duty free in the other . I recently ghosted my psychiatrist and lost all my Benzodiazepine and sleeping pill prescriptions so I will use my bottle of this to Pavlovian train myself to sleep soundly and serenely each night

An IYKYK perfume, prominently notes of clary sage and lavender, with iris, sandalwood in the dry down. It also has cardamom fleetingly in the start and Vetiver in the dry down, but those aren't too apparent. Its a quiet luxury perfume that is suede smooth, classy and very elegant. Slightly sweet, balm and calm inducing like @Decke below said. Overall a lovely daywear scent perfect before a noon siesta or a lunch on a blanket under the sun.

I sampled the entire Potions & Remedies collection today and this I think was my favourite. Smooth buttery sandalwood spiked with light hints of cardamom and sweet lavender. It’s an overall very smooth, creamy yet aromatic woody composition. Beautiful. One spray still softly present 6 hours in on skin... I can see this would last better on clothing. Overall impressed with this new collection and I love the fun apothecary bottles. ❤️

I bought this perfume last week from Penhaligons in Covent Garden. The opening is so beautiful. Fresh geranium with sandalwood. Gradually the rum is added to the perfume, which gives the scent more sweetness. The sillage diminishes and it becomes a sweet skin scent consisting of sandalwood and rum. It's not a loud perfume, but it definitely lasts a whole day. My favorite from this collection.

My fav from the new potions and remedies line. I recently purchased lavande 31 from le labo so got to test it against another new lavender release, and this one is just the right lavender for me. Such a well blended fragrance, i think it smells very sexy and leans masculine

Tested on paper and dry down was straight sandalwood. Tested on skin the following day and dry down was much more warm and creamy. A really really lovely, beautiful and calming scent. Still smell it on my skin after a shower

This smells almost like a woody coconut rum, with lavender, and vetiver. The other ingredients are nice and faint. Perfect for daily wear, the office and any season. It's stunning and musky.

An aromatic blend of equal parts lavender and cardamom. This is cosy, soothing and comforting. Super pleasant and wearable, signature scent worthy

Love this fragrance, it actually calms me down when I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed. The perfumer is Juliette Karagueuzoglou. Love her work.

I'm not sure why this isn't hyped up more? Such a beautiful lavender, sandalwood fragrance that could be worn anytime.

Went into Penhaligons Chester and bought for my son. He was with me. This is exquisite. Love it!!

This is my favourite of the new Potions & Remedies line. That said, it's more like a good quality designer fragrance rather than something as high end as the price suggests. Powdery and creamy dry down with a little touch of sweetness and spiciness. I can't tell you all of the notes I'm picking up to get these nuances, but all that said there's definitely noticeable clary sage, cardamom and sandalwood within the mix. Lavender was a little more noticeable in the opening. I don't think I'm picking up the rum, but I guess the hint of sweetness could come from there? It's definitely not a boozy fragrance by any means though. Don't ask me why but it reminds me of Boss The Scent Magnetic in some way. They don't smell the same and no similar notes to speak of, but it reminded me of it, so I guess there must be a similar vibe within there somewhere. Or maybe it's just the fragrance that it's closest to in my own collection. I really like Magnetic by the way, so it's not a bad thing. Also a slight similarity to Explorer Platinum which I didn't realise until I saw a couple of other people voting for it - some similarities. Anyways, this is a very nice fragrance, but a little on the expensive side, so I more than likely won't buy it. Never say never, but I just don't think it's worth the high niche price when the fragrance itself doesn't exactly smell high end and has similarities to some designers. Definitely unisex, but I would say leans slightly masculine, to me at least. Performs well, you'll be glad to know. Worth getting your nose on for sure, then make your own mind up on if it's worth the money.

It opens with a strong wave of cardamom and lavender. The cardamom here has that slightly sour, edible quality; similar to what you’d find in Starlight. Then I start to pick up a boozy note. There’s also a woody aspect to it. It’s a pleasant scent, but it just doesn’t stick in my memory: it lacks that striking factor. I checked the notes and turns out I was pretty close. Because of the cardamom and rum, it feels warm but the lavender gives it a cool edge. It moves in waves, and in the end, it dries down to a soft sandalwood feeling with lingering cardamom.

I would describe this smell as "strongly peaceful". The smell is so smooth it's like it ripples across the nose, and the sandalwood is creamier than it is woody, creating a very pleasant smell both initially and as time passes. This remains fairly dense throughout its wearing, so summer wearing is a no go, but this smells amazing in a cool, or even outright cold environment. That all being said, this is overpriced. I wish Penhaligon's would hurry up and start pricing some of their things at 160 rather than jump between either 135 or 215 as their minimums.

Getting quite a mix - nutty, citrus-y, hint of mint, just a tad spicy, coconut-like, wisps of lavender, sandalwood yes, touch of oud - it's all really quite nice when they come together. Very comforting yes, is it special? No. But overall a nice scent still, and something I would use. You get more of the herbal side going closer to the skin, but from a distance, a slight caramel-y / coconut-ty result from the mix, on me. Wear it when you want to have a nice, quiet day by yourself or someone special.