Eau de Verveine

Once this dries down it is fresh, herbal and peppery, zesty but not sharp. Well balanced and smells really classy but unpretentious. I need this as a candle!

Very lovely aromatic scent. Apart from the pencil shavings, it reminds me of 'pottery class' (dirty and earthy smell of clay.....sage) and my mother's aromatic herbal bed that she sent me to as a kid to get her the kitchen herbs for her lovely casseroles and other cooking delights. Earthy and herbal scent that starts off a bit bitter and for some a bit off-putting for later to dry down into a lovely old-skool barber scent that reminds me of old book stores and antique galleries (the smell of old paper, leather binding and old lacquer on furniture). Really stylish and long-lasting and most certainly a scent for nature and plant lovers. Homely and wholesome....like a casserole in fact.

This is a very very nice aromatic citrus. Wear it if you want an evening smell during daytime. You can definitely distinguish the coriander in it, which gives it an even greener vibe than the petitgrain. I think it works great as an aftershave, but I can't see what kind of outfit or occasion would be suitable for a man to confidently wear this fragrance. It's bright, yet mysterious, which is not easy to find. I'll consider it for my collection, but for now I will stick to a sample.

Crisp, fresh, and herby with a nice earthy spice. Good longevity. I am pleased. It does seem to do better in warmer/dryer weather. Today it is wet out and it's more powdery and sometimes I forget I'm wearing it.

Long-lasting bug of a scent. There is something very insect in it for me. Liked it. Bitter and good and what not. Hm... I wonder, what am I to buy next when it comes to Penhaligon's?

Pure nostalgia in a sample vial. For me, Eau de Verveine captures the mood and the smells of a mature man in the time between his shower and leaving for work. I'm smiling as I sniff with my eyes closed while my brain tries to convince me that I'm 5 years old again and my grandfather is just down the hall in his room getting ready to go to work on the night shift at Kodak. He shaved with a straight razor that he sharpened on a leather strop and applied his shaving foam with a badger brush. Imagine how exotic that seemed to a little kid! As EdV opens, the bitterness of sage elbows the lavender to the background -a good thing- while bergamot's brightness keeps the sage bitterness from becoming sour, as it often can on my skin. Petit grain adds the tang that makes this feel more masculine than unisex. Any clove here is too subtle for me to detect, and I like clove, so I was hoping to pick up just a little. In the end, though, this is all about the cedar and musk. Hours after application this dries down to pencil shavings, also a nice, clean smell that's woodsy by definition. Alas, it's also the smell of elementary school for me, when it was a treat to be allowed to empty the pencil sharpener. Getting to shake the container over a wastebasket was somehow set up as a reward! (Now kids get stickers and candy!) Although EdV is a lovely scent that transports me to lovely places in my memory, ultimately I've got to call this one unwearable. It's perfect, however, if you want to time travel to Floyd's Barbershop in Mayberry, North Carolina circa 1959, and wait your turn after Sheriff Andy and Deputy Barney have a little taken off the sides.

A little too melancholy for me. It's green in the way 4711 is and smells like a mix between 4711 and either Penhaligon's English Fern or Irish Spring/Ivory Soap. And it really is remarkably similar to 4711. It does have a soapy aspect to it that 4711 and other typical Eaux de Cologne lack. I agree that it has a mature feel to it. It smells more like a settled gentleman and decidedly British to boot. I think I am slowly starting to recognize some more typical notes used in British houses. Correct me if mistaken, but is there a general preference for green, but also a soft, warm, musky quality? (Imagine wearing a nice, warm, woolen sweater in a garden after a cool rain.) That seems to be present here as with other vintage Penhaligon's and Atkinson's. To be fair, British brands are difficult to come by, especially in the wake of Brexit draconian-level shipping limitations on perfume shipments. (Hopefully that changes soon as it can't be good for their economy!) If you enjoy 4711 and other EDC formulas, this is worth a shot. It has better lasting power, but the tradeoff is the price. If you're looking for a true verbena, then your money would be wisely spent on a vial of essential oil - especially since bottles of this are becoming prohibitively expensive after its discontinuation.

Green and mature... This is a very natural smelling fragrance. To me it really feels like a walk in nature. I get a green, dark and mossy scent, with hints of crisp freshness along the way. I think it's balanced really well actually. I get the lime and bergamot, as well as the lemon and pepper and lavender. There's also petitgrain, cedar and cloves. I really like it. I think it could be interpreted as old fashioned but I think it's a great fragrance for spring and summer. Like a crisp, spring morning this fills me with energy and hope. Definitely one to try if you like a green, slightly bitter and very traditional eau de cologne structure. If you are a fan of this style, then it will definitely appeal to you. Again, I am yet to find a badly made fragrance by this house. Really great work.

I'll paraphrase Kterhark's very accurate statement: this is a scent I like but not one I will buy. My first whiff of Eau de Verveine made me ask out loud, "Grandpa, is that you?" This one has a touch of the old school barbershop men's scents, somewhat along the lines of Clubman Pinaud or vintage Avon. One of my grandfathers had a shaving soap or aftershave that smelled a lot like this one. Which is not to say it is strictly for men. Like an eau de cologne, this would be a refreshing scent for either sex. I found it got softer and a little more feminine and sweet after a few hours. I think most people would find Eau de Verveine a pleasant scent to smell on others, or as an environmental scent. It's just not quite what I'm interested in putting on my skin these days.

Penhaligon EAU DE VERVEINE opens with a somewhat odd smell to my nose--it might be the coriander and clary sage which together impart a slightly offputting dirtiness. Shortly thereafter, however, the composition smooths out as the lavender, vanilla, and cedarwood all reveal themselves in a delightful unfurling and swirling of notes, which includes just a touch of clove. The drydown of EAU DE VERVEINE is rather rich and complex, certainly much more so than I would have predicted from a fragrance with this name. EAU DE VERVEINE also has good staying power, thanks probably to the musk. All things considered, this is a well-crafted aromatic woody fragrance which I can recommend to gals and guys alike for warm-weather wear.

I wore this in the evening, slept in it, and I can still smell it this morning. So good longevity! This is a scent that i like, just not a scent i would add to my wardrobe. Everything is nicely done and it opens crisp, edgy and vibrant. There are two notes that i tend not to like on myself: lavender and clary sage. on me these always feel 'out of place', as if someone put a basket of brightly colored, well coordinated, aesthetically thistled weeds on the head table of a wedding reception. The dry down is very nice, i should add. There is a nice 'kick' to it. I do recommend trying, its not at all a 'bad' fragrance, just one that doesn't mesh as well with my chemistry.

This is Pino Sylvestre on crack vervain.