Far from the Madding Crowd

This one is really interesting. Opening smells like you shoved your face into a bowl of botanicals layered over fruit. Like a naturally made gin, but without the signature juniper. The herbs stay as it starts going even deeper green, reminiscent of of a just picked wild vegetation salad, garnished with mint. Underneath, I can smell the fruit undertones; fresh black currant, under a bed of oakmoss sprinkled with parsley and castoreum. I really appreciate the artistic flair from this house. There's never a been there, done that moment. From my limited but growing experience with SB perfumes, they're all unique and no copies or retreads of other fragrances currently on the market. This one is on smells of good quality naturals with aroma chemicals used sparingly and almost undetectable. Blended leaves a little ot be desired as I can pluck out notes. Interesting and wearable, especially if you like the smell of natural plants and mint. Might be worth getting a bottle but I'm still testing ------------------------------------------- Scent 8/10 Performance TBD P. S. Accidentally layered it over Kilian Sacred Wood and it's an excellent combo that adds wood, drops the mint, and forms something that smells like coconut shell.

This is a wonderful fragrance that stands out from so many of the fresh fragrances out there. It's very light, which makes it ideal for informal occasions, gadding about or for professional situations where you're keen to smell good but not overpowering. As you might expect from the name, it's very much about meadows and countryside. What's notable is that it manages to have a tad of sweetness in there (the cassis, I imagine) but its overarching sensibility is very green and herbal, slightly spiky. In fact, even thought there are notable woody notes in there, it's this herbalicious aspect that stays with you. Even the floral notes have a decidedly wild, meadow flower vibe. It reminds me a lot of some of those great botanical craft gins out there. No, not because it smells like booze, but the way in which there is an almost gourmand aspect to these green, herbaceous notes (I think the eucalyptus and myrtle have something to do with it). You smell it and almost experience a sense of them on your palate. Certainly the thing to go with an icy jug of Pimms or a G&T on some rolling lawn.

I can pick out most of the notes here, but the ones I particularly like in no particular order are the cedar, eucalyptus, moss, and castoreum. Oddly, I’m getting a bit of a soapy, cream soda texture overall, which is really quite pleasant. And at points it reminds me of the specific, and somewhat comforting smell you often experience wandering around art gallery gift shops. Don’t ask me why, I couldn’t tell you.

I received a sample of Far from the Madding Crowd and found myself reaching for it again and again. It's a romantic, flirty fragrance that makes me feel playful and fresh. I finally took the plunge and got a full bottle. I think I'll be wearing this for the rest of the summer!

Bright green scent with minty and fruity undertones, combined with lots of dry and tart oak moss, some smokiness and great musky (slightly animalic) base. Beautiful and unique scent! Classy but also modern at the same time. A masterpiece! Follow me on ig: scent.guide