Marylebone Wood

I had a sample spray of this last year and liked it, but not enough to pay full retail. So when I found a really inexpensive bottle online last week, I sprung. It's arrived and my advice is please don't pay full retail. It's a scent for the very patient person. If you can get beyond the first 30 minutes or so of lackluster top notes and a few questionable heart notes, exactly the same period of time when you're kicking yourself for being an absolute spendthrift, you'll ease into a light dry woody fragrance that reminds you the Penhaligon's really is known for unusual scents. Which is why I've bought so many of them since 1982. Most people aren't that patient, which is probably why it isn't flying off the shelves. And Fragrantica needs to take off some of those main accords: woody amber balsamic patchouli earthy powdery Soooo not balsamic. None of that here, even 2 hours later. No usual patchouli or earthy vibe either. Go with what Penhaligon's writer is admitting to: dry smoky sandalwood, vetiver. They're exaggerating to say smoky sandalwood; nothing's smoking here. I think dry sandalwood, vetiver, amber, cedar and maybe the grapefruit, but as a heart note, not a top note. The whole effect is light woods; nothing heavy or dark or sexy. Eight hours after my first outing with Marylebone Wood, I'm editing my initial report. It's a decent scent, but it's an overwhelmingly safe scent. The first couple of hours are just weird, but then it settles down to a deeper woodier scent. But you're not getting a Robert Piguet wood scent here, or Tom Ford, or anything at all like that. There is more patchouli around hour 3, but it's muted. It's as if Penhaligon's has made a light early 1960's cologne, but made it with light sandalwood instead of light lemon. It lasted maybe 8 hours on my skin. This is really for men only, although I'm not one. Most women wearing this will feel like they've ventured down the wrong path. Worth buying only if you have lots of other perfumes, and like oblique comparisons.

Okay so this fragrance is nice, but it's in the vein of lots of the fragrances mentioned in the 'smells like bit...' in fact it reads like a who's who of what I was thinking. Say what you like about Penhaligon's performance or fragrance that aren't particularly noteworthy, but they are almost always complex and original. Marlybone wood simply isn't and there's nothing wrong with that, it's more gourmand and not quite as dark as a blcak afgano but that is the yardstick really isn't it. This is more inline with Carner Cuirs, again a fantastic fragrance which comprises than playdoh element, resins and oud with a hint of hashish to create a remarkably sticky, icky fragrance. This has the Labdanum upfront that Green Bubble by Jusbox also possesses, so good spot whoever else voted that but really is this anything of note? I'll pass it by thanks. I'm never one to say that a fragrance is completely redundant and this 'style' isn't oversubscribed yet...but it's heading that way. However, with my positive hat on I'd say it's because it's a popular theme.

Marylebone wood smells like a strong arabic wood (Oud), i know it's not listed as a note, but to my nose the smoky oud is the dominant note, i tried a few samples and the room smells like Marylebone wood, so it's definitely strong and long lasting, with great projection. and i have gotten multiple compliments from others by simply wearing 3 small sprays from a sample. I personally wouldn't purchase a bottle since i don't like strong oudy fragrances, but i'm sure people who like oud would appreciate this one. One more thing that i like about Penhaligon's is that they don't test on animals unlike designer fragrances, so that's always a plus for me.

Nearly everything good about this seems to be taken directly from Halfeti, a far superior fragrance. The initial notes are very similar, I would describe this as a simpler spin on the fragrance, perhaps more suitable for serious, more formal occasions. This is quite a reserved fragrance. It does have a dry woody character that comes out once it has settled down. I found it irritating but I think fans of patchouli would love it. If you really liked Halfeti and wanted another take on the fragrance then go for this, but otherwise there isn't a lot to recommend about this one. Not bad, just boring.

Firstly, I'm not about gendering perfumes (wear what you like), but this is definitely more classically masculine. I felt drawn to sample this because I've been craving stability and woods in my scents lately. I don't think it's bad, but I'm not impressed either. It's pretty sharp in it's opening-midlife, and I really wouldn't spray this right before heading anywhere - it's overly potent, like hot wood off an electric saw. Instead of adding balance to it, I feel like the amber accord or whatever citrus (I couldn't smell grapefruit specifically) nearly made it more acidic until it hit it's true drydown, 3.5 hours later. Thankfully it does dry down to a softer, more aged wood along with a decent vetiver, and the amber mellows into a warm base. It's a fatherly sort of smell and not something that suits me, and I agree with the reviews below - some women would really not be comfortable in this. I've been having a crappy time lately, and it does actually provide something of a strong hug. The quality is there with this maintaining 8+ hours on the skin, and likely much longer on clothing. I don't think it's rich in creative appeal or worth the high price though. *update Gave the sample to my husband because it really became sharp on me. It's sharp on him too, but not in an uncomfortable way. On me, it really felt beyond my taste.