Lush Leaves

Initially I thought I really liked or even loved Lush Leaves. It starts off as a really humid leafy green, after a while it becomes very narcissus-forward, and then after 1-2 hours, it’s more woody & leathery. Really not a linear scent! Which is not necessarily a good thing for me because I think I prefer the opening more than anything else. Where Lush Leaves loses me completely though is that it prioritizes projection and longevity over having a more natural quality. It’s so synthetic. It has that Amouage Guidance-style about it that wants to scream at you. I personally don’t want to assault everyone in a 20 ft radius with my fragrance, nor do I want to do that to my own nose. This lacks balance in that department. I’d say Lush Leaves leans a bit masculine because it has that perfumey (read: synthetic) generic cypress musk that they like to put in masculine fragrances. I would really love this if it were more natural feeling and less loud.

This was so close to a love for me. I love a scent that feels like I'm actually standing in a forest. But the smokiness in this one feels more cigarette than woody, so I can't get there. I think it's the agarwood, which doesn't always smell cigarettey to me, but I get the same thing from Vanilla Skin which has the same note.

The name says it all. It's lush and green with a bit of white flowers and humidity surrounding it, like you're in a steamy jungle. Which brings me to my next point: it smells almost exactly like "Synthetic Jungle" from Frederic Malle. So if you're a fan of that, def check this one out.