Lily & Spice

This discontinued lily is inescapably beautiful. I ordered Lily & Spice blind from Greece mostly based on the high praise Objections had given it in recent forum discussions. At the time, samples were available only overseas and ridiculously expensive ($35 + $15 shipping) so it just made sense to put that expense toward a full bottle. Additionally Perfumeaddict777's penchant for animalic florals in her reviews I recently read swayed me more to hit the order button. I love Fragrantica for that! This lily is bona fide. It's not full-blown sexy but it has an undeniable enigmatic natural beauty. This is the Mona Lisa of lily scents. On first spray I pick up a distinct alluring animalic note which is similar to the old-school ambergris in some pre-2000 Creed florals like Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie and Jasmal. Here, if it's not a hidden note of ambergris it could be attributed to styrax benzoin. Somehow this note projects a little medicinally, vinyl like, and almost like that which I encountered in Santa Maria Novella Tuberosa, giving intrigue and depth to this pensive flower. It's much the way Helsinki notes below, a little leather-like. This is different to the vegetal indole that I experience with Lush Death & Decay (equally beautiful and natural but a little more floral forward -- the same lillies, fully mature and cut in a vase as opposed to still growing in the ground). As the flower begins to bloom, the animalic notes dissipate and make way for clove, pepper and saffron, with clove being the most distinct, reminding me of the quality fragrances of yesterday. Subtly sweet petals unfurl and tease my senses, Soft, warm, inviting, yet quietly aloof. Incredibly natural. As the scent grows, roots become unearthed and spices infuse the woody mulch and mineral rich soil that the lily emerges from. Slightly bitter green leaves shoot forth and white sap emanates. But all the while, the scent of salubrious petals dominates. To my nose, there is none more realistic than this lily. Outstanding quality and a real shame that Penhaligon's discontinued this glorious flower.

Have you ever wanted a "warmer" lily scent? One without all the sweet flowery girliness and some of the serious richness of asiatic liles warmed with spice and incense?? Look no further... Lily & Spice is astounding in its beauty! Lily (very like a stargazer or an asiatic variety) dances with the saffron to a tune called and conducted by smooth warm cloves and sharp pepper. This is where flowers and spice become one...very spicy, almost camphorous (for a bit) but amazing! The flowers SEEM to fade quickly, as on the "second sniff" and all you have left is the Spice...but on the exhale: they are there, still dancing, all entwined and glowing with an almost balmy aura. Benzoin's vanillic cinnamon vapors wrap this in something sweet yet pungent, and very different from most floral scents. Patchouli adds a rawness to this, as musk and vanilla lurk beneath waiting to entice. The benzoin here is so prominent that I am almost (along with the cloves) reminded of Tiger Balm (an ancient chinese muscle balm made from cloves, cajeput, benzoin and camphor). If it had been made with creamy dreamy flowers alongside the original ingredients. This "tigery balminess" (how that for a made-up word?) does fade...and when it does, that flowery essence loaded with golden pollen remains...haunting you. The name really DOES say it all, folks! LILIES AND SPICE!! Sillage: very good Longevity: fierce Overall: 4.25/5 Penhaligons' scents always makes me smile! And their price tags? Well, suffice it to say these minis and vials that I have will have to do...for now. This (along with Malabah) are two of the best spicy florientals I have ever smelled. Quality is obvious at first sniff, and also resonates in the price they fetch. You do get what you pay for...at least from this House!

Oh my goodness this is sexy!! I didn't know i was a lover of lilies until this perfume! I do not smell a funeral or anything sad in this perfume. To me it smells "noir" , sexy, intoxicating!! I love it from first sniff! I love anamalic white florals, benzoin, spices, and this has it all! I thought lilies were sharp green florals but this lily perfume is creamy, sweet, heady and a little dirty! At first spray i can smell alot of lily, clove, and saffron. I love clove, it's one of my favorite spices! The lily is thick, waxy, spicy and sweet. Soon vanilla and benzoins join the lily and there's that underlying anamalic note that i crave so bad, could it be jasmine? Whatever is creating that note, i adore it. As it wears it gets sweeter and the spice gradually dies and im left with a georgeous creamy ,sweet lily and musk. The longevity is amazing! 12 hours on my skin and sillage is soft but noticeable to those standing in your personal space, if you hug someone or move your hair or something while they are sitting close to you. Love love love!! Why do all my favorite perfumes get discontinued:(

This bottle was gifted to me by a dear Fragrantican and it was a blind swap. I looked at the notes and I thought, yes, those sound wonderful so why not. The initial spray is the most realistic, fresh, stargazer lily smell I have ever smelled in any lily perfume. It was like walking straight into a florists shop. This perfume is all about the lily. I seriously don't get much else. Is this spicy to me? No, Can I smell patchouli? absolutely not. Do I smell a huge beautiful bouquet of lilies in a vase of fresh water? Yes, absolutely! My verdict on this perfume is that it is a linear soliflore which is wonderful for all you lily lovers out there. Longevity is simply astounding and silage is impressive. One thing that this has done for me is to make me want to explore all of Penhaligon's fragrances,because if this is anything to go by, the other fragrances will be a very high quality use of ingredients and composition of notes.

I love this perfume, as a big Lily devotee, i am always searching for nice lily perfumes. This one is a very pure, realistic lily with no additional fancy layers, which might distract too much the complex beauty of the lily : i smell a creamy, waxy lily but kept in a luminous green frame, i do smell the spices : clove, pepper add a bit of extra sparkling but just well dosed in order not to suffocate the beautiful creamy lily. It is only meant for real lily lovers, very pure and no compromises, maybe a bit colder interpretation than other beautiful lily perfumes as FM " Un Lys" , which is a very wet, lush lily perfume. However, not as sharp and crisp as Cartier's " Baiser Volé" - a pure hommage to the Lily and a bit sad Penhaligon decided now to discontinue, probably because most people don't appreciate such a linear, "virgin" lily scent but if you have the chance, try this beauty before she fades away in memory lane...