Stories No. 01

I came across this new fragrance brand when researching Irish-based perfumes, and ordered samples of both 01 and 02. The citrusy opening of 01 is fresh and mossy, with earthy bergamot as the dominant note. There is a subtle hint of radiant grapefruit, which lifts the bergamot nicely. Thanks to my teenage perfume of choice, Tommy Girl, I love a tea note, and here it serves as a radiant, clean counterpart to the moody bergamot. Vetiver adds a mossy quality, complementing the bergamot nicely. There is a hint of fig in the opening too, not too sweet and very natural. After the initial burst of citrus, white floral accords come to the fore – notably orange blossom and a hint of jasmine. I can almost smell pollen. The florals smell natural, almost tangible – I am transported to the Irish countryside in early summer. The drydown is woody and powdery with a hint of amber. Seemingly lighter than an EDP, the longevity is weak-to-moderate, barely detectable after three hours. Sillage is moderate. Despite the floral accords, this is a unisex scent. Overall, this is a pleasant, multifaceted daytime scent, ideal for summer. Sophisticated and subtle, well-crafted with high quality ingredients. Bonus points for living up to its “Stories” name and evoking memories for me. 3.5/5.

I'm forever on the search for new fragrance and bought a tester set of the Stories by Eliza Grace fragrances (No1 and No2). No1 was the one that made my husband instantly declare that I smelled really good! The initial hit is quite strong bergamot with weaker citrus notes and I confess I was not instantly taken with it. However, it dries down fairly quickly to a warm cream amber and vetiver (I confess I have a weakness for vetiver so this is a plus for me). Overall, however, I'm not sure it is particularly distinctive or different enough for me to be completely sold on it.

I still prefer No.2 over this. This one is faint and aquatic as the citrus intro fades out quickly and leaves a subtle metallic base of a reflection in water.

Citrusy and sharp, but nothing extraordinary. Definitely suitable as a casual, unisex wear. I found the longevity disappointingly poor, as it only lasted 15 mins on my skin...

Horrible. Not much more to say. I ordered a sample of the No1 and No2 and both are awful. They smell very alcoholic and strong but not in a nice way.

This is very unisex to me (as most sandalwood and vetiver base perfumes are), but also quite elegant, and sophisticated in its subdued brightness. Comforting scent to wear in the evening to bed. Conquering darkness and turning it into joy is actually my life story!!! This has a longevity of 3-5 hours on my skin and my husband likes it as well. My top Grapefruit note perfumes: 1) Guerlain Pamplelune 2) Stories Number One 3) Yohji Yamamoto Essential EDT 4) L’Occitane Pamplemousse Rhubarb 5) Miller Harris Le Pamplemousse 6) Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Eau Intense Edit: I will add a note. Noticing that the strength in the 30 ml new bottle I opened a month ago is fading in smell. Due to the poor performance over time I am not going to stock up on a second bottle after I finish this one.

A bright opening that stings the nose, which settles down into a nice powdery-woody-aquatic scent. There is so much heliotrope in here (off the back of my hand, anyway), which smells quite feminine in my opinion. It's nice but I'm undecided on the heliotrope, which makes this scent more unique but I don't really want my woody fresh aquatic scents to also smell like baby wipes! When I smell this my brain alternates between thinking it smells like a unique woody-aquatic and thinking of dirty baby wipes (this is coming from a heliotrope-enjoyer). Interesting, but I'll have to pass.

Very nice woody aquatic, fresh n balanced but fleeting..