The Favourite

It is complex: feminine, classy, a little bit powdery. What I love about Penhaligon's - that their fragrances inspire my imagination and evoke images in my mind. I imagine an ingenue Victorian lady wearing this for a spring/summer ball. She comes from a good family, most likely aristocratic. Plays piano, paints, and is 'accomplished' as Victorians used to say. She is romantic enough to dream about love poems being dedicated to her, yet can come across a bit restrained and aloof: might fall in love, but will not lose her mind and do something indecent, such as eloping with a gentleman. Maybe Daphne from Bridgerton could rock it. Usually violet is a difficult note for me - as much as I wanted to love Guerlain's Insolence, it was just too much. The Favourite is strong on violet, but it is also quite strong on mimosa. There is some iris too, but very soft. Could be worn every day with an elegant outfit (definitely NOT jeans+trainers scent) or to the theatre. Noblesse oblige :) It is evocative of old times, but doesn't smell dated. As for the price tag: considering how expensive designers' fragrances became, this is a bargain (much cheaper than Penhaligon's portraits collection). The performance is actually excellent - if you want sillage, it is there!

Penhaligon’s The Favourite. It’s without a doubt my #1 and the only one with a back up bottle in my collection. I like my collection to be really varied and this is such a unique scent, different from everything else I own. It’s a feminine, floral powdery. The opening fizz of orange, freesia and violet, the delicate powdery mimosa, the regal iris all mixed in with a sensual sweet musky woodiness.. my nose’s absolute addiction to ambroxan. I love the fizz on my nose, the tingle in my brain, the tease of mimosa and iris, the fresh, sweet, floral prettiness of it all that then leans into a mature and sensual ambergris-esque musk, finishing with a truly stunning powdery dry down... a beautiful, unique, stunning, comforting and well crafted perfume that just brings me immense happiness when I wear it! Damn, I just love it so much, it makes my eyes roll back when I whiff it, it triggers cute aggression and makes me want to squeeze the bottle to death! An aside - A lot of people talk about ‘compliment grabbers’ on here, and that’s not why I wear my perfumes, but every time I wear this I always get told ‘you smell sooo good’ or asked what I’m wearing.

Ooh I really do like this one! It is literally my favourite of the Penhaligon’s discovery set. Floral and feminine but with an ambery depth to it that sets it aside from a lot of the others in this genre. The mandarin and mimosa add just a little edge to the sweet florals of the violet and iris and there’s a hint of green, fresh cut stems. The woody, ambery, musky base notes don’t overwhelm but give a warm, resinous note in the background. A traditional, feminine floral scent with a touch of whimsical eccentricity. Freshly picked flowers on a table in an old English country house, still dewy from the garden. The faint aromas of old wooden floors and of deep romantic longing. Reading a book and peeling a mandarin in the window seat with an air of studied nonchalance, occasionally glancing out the window in the hope that Mr Darcy (preferably Matthew MacFadyen) gallops up the driveway on his horse.

This is a very identifiable Penhaligons fragrance. It's feminine, floral, light, fun, youthful but in a classy way. A bit of a rogue one, but it reminds me a lot of minty yogurt that you tend to get as an appetizer dip at Indian restaurants... and I love it! The downfall however is the sillage and longevity, initially it packs a punch but give it about an hour or two and it's a very close to the skin scent, give it a few more hours and you may as well not be wearing a fragrance at all. Given the price point of Penhaligons, it's truly shocking performance and really drags down what could be a great feminine spring staple. Scent: 7/10 Projection: 2/10 Longevity: 2/10 Versatility: 7/10 (Although I see it as a spring scent, if the longevity was better this could be a pretty decent everyday/office scent since it's fairly inoffensive) Price (at full price): 5/10 Overall: 4.6/10

Elegant and pretty, The Favorite is my most loved perfume. I live in a humid climate, and surprisingly, it holds up well in the summer heat. All of Penhaligon's perfumes have an old world charm to them, which I find endearing, but is not for everyone. Unless you are use to the perfume house, I would recommend sampling. There is also a very understated sexiness to this perfume, many male friends and coworkers compliment the smell. I think it's because it settles into a very clean, yet feminine smell. The pink ribbon around the perfume is very representative of the fragrance. The mimosa gives a fuzzy element, and if this perfume was a color, it would defiantly be the pink/mauvy color of the ribbon (instead of a purple color that would be expected with such a violet dominated scent). The Favorite is also unique since I live in the US, and not many wear violet fragrances.