Brilliantly British

I was searching for a creamy calming lavender and this was the one I fell in love with, although I wouldn't say it's creamy per se beyond its toffee note. Chanel Jersey was pleasant but somehow unsatisfying, Lush Twilight dwindled to a scratchy nothingness after the initial lavender blast and Caron Pour un Homme also felt thin on me, though I did enjoy the occasional wisps of vanilla in the drydown. It took me about three wears to get Brilliantly British but one day on the train I was hit: smooth, strong lavender with toffee simmering through. Both balance each other out so that the toffee isn't overly sweet and gourmand, but simply rich and satisfying, and the lavender isn't too herbal but sweet and full-bodied. They're so well blended, it's hard to tell where the lavender begins and toffee ends though. I'm surprised how indulgent this smells given the seemingly simple notes list. I'm not sure if BB will become hard to find since it's a limited edition. Not wanting to take any chances, I snaffled up a backup bottle that I managed to find for half retail price. It means I can spray my bottle with more abandon. On a side note, the juice is a rather interesting very pale blue-green. I'm not all that keen on the marketing for this: the name and the Union Jack theme. Even though it was created to commemurate Penhaligon's anniversary, it seems a bit too brashly obvious. But I think the fragrance does justice to the occasion. It's neither wishy-washy, trying too hard or overly formal. The lavender nods to many things British - the cottage garden, barbershop - and the toffee has a certain tradition but also gives it a slightly quirky twist. I think a metallic copper and deep mauve colour scheme for the bottle would have been stunning. Regardless, good job Penhaligon's - a worthy addition. Will be interested to see if this scent joins the main line. However, I'm surprised there are so few reviews up until now.

I love this, as a perfume but also as a concept. It triggered many memories and feelings about my perfumes journey so much that I recalled myself at 9-10 years old testing cheap perfumes in a huge supermarket. Penhaligon’s compositions often have that smoothness and blend to them that hit a sweet spot in me, yes!! I feel this is made by a house expertly making perfumes for almost 150 years. A bit sweet and creamy, not like white cream but like high quality not too sweet warm toffee. The smell itself isn’t new to the nose, it’s lavender toffee so you probably smelled this as food or even tea. The beauty is how everything comes together nicely. Starting with the bottle which fits the name and the scent itself, puts you in the mood for refined calmness, you spray the fragrance and the first few minutes are sharper and maybe weird lavender but after that the toffee kicks in and the scent generally starts to smell so harmonic and well blended. It’s rounded, nothing sticking out with sharpness or scratchy synthetic mess. This helps the calmness you got to cultivate. How it sits is the kind of projection that makes you think “this person smells nice” instead of “this person’s perfume smells nice” if you know what I mean!! So it gave me a put together high quality soothing nicely presented perfume, no scratchy heavily market med cheap dupes, no trend chasing hype monsters, no AI generated formulas. Just the “simple” core of perfumery, making nice perfumes.

This starts out with a strong and true lavender- aromatic and natural smelling. Very soon it is joined by a toffee note that sweetens it and blends beautifully with the lavender, smoothing it off and making it warm and comforting. However the sweetness is never overbearing. It also has a slightly boozy vanilla note that adds depth to the composition. I think it is a great replacement for Lavendula, although I really miss the cinnamon note. I am very satisfied with it and this is now my go-to lavender perfume. Longevity 7+ hours, unisex, sillage moderate. I got this from the Australian website Libertine Perfumery and they gave me about 16 niche samples with my order. Service at this website is impeccable and very generous 😊

Instant love! Like another member warned- there are many fakes popping up- the bow on the fakes are mis-shaped and have even stripes ( real ones have crisp bows with uneven stripes) there are other tells but I can’t list them all here. Brilliantly British is discontinued so you’re only going to find it if another collector declutters. I was able to find a real one and yummy! I’m not getting any soapy notes just camphorous lavender with crunchy confectionary vanilla- think Jordan almond with a little Tonka smokiness in the mid/ dry down. Very good projection. If you enjoy Lavender Extreme, A Taste of Heaven, sweet herbal powdery fragrances you’d likely love this.

This is a very nice scent... I am getting a VERY refined and smooth version of Mugler's A*Men from this one... Obviously this does not smell exactly like it but that lavender and toffee combo really brings the heart of my old vintage bottle of A*Men to mind... But A*Men without that harshness and the rough spots and obviously without the patchouli... Sadly this was a limited release and has already been discontinued but IF you do have access to this one give it a whiff and think about A*Men and you'll see what I'm talking about... I'm very happy to have this in my collection as I think it's a beauty...