Elfin Glen 2021

I’m now three perfumes into the SoM range, and I'm beginning to appreciate just how smooth the openings to these fragrances are. There’s no chemical fizz, no nose-tickling astringence, just a bright, clean burst of fragrance that reads as refreshingly natural. The opening to ‘Elfin Glen’ is no exception: it introduces itself in a cloud of sunny petitgrain, beautifully rounded out with hints of blackberry richness. As the skin warms and the perfume begins to develop, it turns softer and more mysterious, taking us down shadier pathways towards the titular glen, where hardy wildflowers carpet the forest floor. The bluebell notes here are absolutely exquisite – I’m not exaggerating when I say that these might be the best bluebells that I’ve come across in my perfume journey so far – but there are plenty of other well-loved woodland staples to enjoy here as well (violets, narcissus, dog roses, lilacs, etc). These florals are delicately sweet while still maintaining a surprising amount of projection, but it’s in the base notes that this perfume really shines. Jasmine and violet leaf mingle to suggest dusky-scented undergrowth, while the inclusion of gorse flowers and oregano give it an aromatic (almost woody) quality. The oregano is subtly herbal rather than outright savoury, and the nutty vanilla sweetness of the gorse keeps everything velvety and soft. There's something very cosy about this dry-down, like coming home to a warm cottage after a ramble in the woods. In fact, if this perfume were a social media aesthetic, I think it would be somewhere between Hedge Witch and Cottagecore – there’s undeniably something of the wilderness about it, but it’s done in such a way that it remains whimsical and inviting throughout. It’s unlike anything else I can think to compare it to, and I absolutely love it!